Re: WebApps' File: Writer & File: D&S specs and SysApps' File System and Media Storage specs

On Thu, Nov 1, 2012 at 9:31 AM, Arthur Barstow <art.barstow@nokia.com> wrote:
> [ My apologies in advance for cross-posting but I'd like feedback from both
> the WebApps and SysApps communities ... ]
>
> Hi Eric, Adam, WonSuk, All,
>
> During WebApps' Oct 29 discussion about the File: Writer (#Writer) and File:
> Directories and System (#D&S) specs (#Mins), someone mentioned SysApps was
> doing some related work. I just scanned SysApps' #Charter and noticed it
> includes these two related deliverables:
>
> 1. File System - I didn't notice any additional information in the charter
> other than a FPWD is expected in "Q3-Q6".
>
> 2. Media Storage - "An API to manage the device's storage of specific
> content types (e.g. pictures). Examples: Tizen Media Content (#Tizen), B2G
> Device Storage (#B2G)".
>
> Would some please explain the relationship between these various specs?

There are two different facilities:

1) An application might want to gain access to system-level resources,
such as files and directories from the host operating system.  For
example, a photo editing application might want to gain access to the
user's "My pictures" directory.

2) Once the application has access to these resources, the application
might want to read and write the resources.  For example, a photo
editing application might want to read in files, manipulate them, and
save the result back to the user's "My pictures" directory.

The tentative plan for SysApps was to take on (1) and have another
working group, such as WebApps or DAP, to provide (2).  The idea
behind this approach is that an API for (2) is useful more broadly
than just in the SysApps security model.  For example, there are many
use cases for web applications to read and write persistent data in an
origin-sandboxed storage location (e.g., as addressed by IndexedDB and
FileSystem).  The part that's unique to SysApps is the privilege to
read and write persistent data outside the origin sandbox (e.g., from
and to the user's "My pictures" directory).

> In the case of SysApps' Media Storage spec, perhaps it is WebApps' IDB spec
> that is (more) relevant but that may depend on the UCs of Media Storage so
> clarification here is also welcome.

We need to have a discussion in the SysApps working group about
precisely which use cases we want to address.  For example, we might
limit our attention to media, such as photos, audio, and video, in
which case something like IndexedDB might be sufficient for (2), but I
expect that some folks in the working group will want to address
broader use cases, such as a text editor, in which case something like
FileSystem might be more appropriate.

As far as the SysApps working group is concerned, we likely won't get
to that discussion until "phase 2".  At the moment, the working group
is focused on less controversial topics.  :)

Adam


> (I noticed a somewhat related thread this past summer in #public-sysapps but
> it appears that was mostly about the applicability (or not) of Web Intents
> vis-a-vis #1 and #2 above.)
>
> -Thanks, AB
>
> #Writer <http://dev.w3.org/2009/dap/file-system/file-writer.html>
> #D&S <http://dev.w3.org/2009/dap/file-system/file-dir-sys.html>
> #Charter <http://www.w3.org/2012/09/sysapps-wg-charter>
> #Mins <http://www.w3.org/2012/10/29-webapps-minutes.html#item19>
> #Tizen
> <https://developer.tizen.org/help/index.jsp?topic=%2Forg.tizen.web.device.apireference%2Ftizen%2Fmediacontent.html>
> #B2G <https://wiki.mozilla.org/WebAPI/DeviceStorageAPI>
> #public-sysapps
> <http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/public-sysapps/2012May/0038.html>
>

Received on Thursday, 1 November 2012 16:53:55 UTC