Re: workspaces and configurations

From: Geoffrey M. Clemm (geoffrey.clemm@rational.com)
Date: Thu, Mar 16 2000

  • Next message: jamsden@us.ibm.com: "Re: workspaces and configurations"

    Date: Thu, 16 Mar 2000 09:22:36 -0500 (EST)
    Message-Id: <200003161422.JAA03311@tantalum.atria.com>
    From: "Geoffrey M. Clemm" <geoffrey.clemm@rational.com>
    To: ietf-dav-versioning@w3.org
    Subject: Re: workspaces and configurations
    
    
    Upon re-reading my post, it occurs to me that I may have made this
    a bit more obscure than it had to be.  So I'll try a revised version:
    
    If we remove "dynamic version selection via RSR" functionality from 
    workspaces, then a workspace resource and a configuration resource
    have identical semantics, except that a workspace can select both
    revisions and working resources, while a configuration can only select
    revisions.
    
    We can simplify the protocol by just saying that we will only use the
    more general construct, i.e. a resource that can select both revisions
    and working resources.  Currently, we call this resource "a workspace",
    so the simplest change is to just say "we no longer need configuration
    resources".
    
    Alternatively, we could say "we will generalize the configuration resource
    to allow it to select working resources, and then we no longer need a workspace
    resource."
    
    Semantically, these two choices are identical, with the only difference
    being terminological, i.e. do we keep the terminology the same and just
    recognize that the configuration concept is now redundant, or do we change
    our terminology and use the term "configuration" for what we used to call
    a "workspace".
    
    If I *had* to pick, I'd probably just keep calling it a workspace, and
    drop the term configuration (for continuity, and because "configuration"
    is probably a somewhat more obscure and technical term).  But I'm happy
    to go either way, so if anyone has a strong preference, please let me know.
    
    Whether we call it a "workspace" or a "configuration", it should be a
    versionable (but not necessarily versioned) resource, and I suggest
    that we continue to use the term "baseline" for a "checked-in
    workspace/configuration".
    
    Cheers,
    Geoff
    
       Date: Thu, 16 Mar 2000 08:09:00 -0500 (EST)
       From: "Geoffrey M. Clemm" <geoffrey.clemm@Rational.Com>
    
    
       One point I neglected to add to the minutes from this week's conference
       call was Henry's suggestion that if we were removing the "dynamic" behavior
       from workspaces, why not unify the concept of workspaces and configurations?
    
       After some reflection, it appears to me that it makes good sense to
       model the new "stable" workspace object as simply a checked-out
       configuration, i.e. a "working configuration".  This not only unifies
       the concept of workspaces and configurations, but also unifies the
       notion of baselines and configurations (a baseline is the "checked in
       state of a workspace", and in this simplified model, all checked-in
       configurations will by definition always be the checked in state of a
       workspace).
    
       Unless there are objections, I will include this unification in the
       "stable workspace" proposal I'm working up.
    
       Cheers,
       Geoff