RE: ZNG dicussion

> > > Explain Lite uses an XML format to describe some administrative details,
> > This is what I don't get. When there's GRS and all the rest already in the
> > Z spec, why add yet another parser requirement and put Explain Lite in
> > XML?

> Rather than looking at Z39.50 as an isolated protocol, view it as
> something that needs to fit into an environment of multiple applications.
> Every library runs a webserver these days. Most libraries have a web

This looks like an argument for ZNG, not Explain Lite. Although some of
the same people are involved in each so perhaps I shouldn't be surprised.

Z39.50 isn't run from a webserver and has no dedication to XML, last time
I checked.  Z39.50 on the other hand does have GRS1 and a host of other
stuff.  As I've said, I've no problems moving to XER or other encoding
schemes, but Explain Lite is simply bolted on to the existing spec to
accomodate lazy programmers (AFAICT).  Perhaps I should quit my current
job and go work for one of these companies :)  Then I could forget about
standards and just make things up to make my life easier :)

(Btw, I have several examples of Z targets on machines without web
servers. If they're not on the same machine, you need some sort of explain
database to say where they do live...)

> Now, our Z39.50 server does not automatically set up its explain database,
> so who will do the work? Also, in all the years, none of the producers of

Get the company that provides you with it to do so. Only way to get
functionality is if there's demand.

YAZ supports the Explain -standard-, as do Cheshire and Copac. Crossnet,
if I recall correctly, can be set up to act as an Explain database with
some work although I don't know of a target that demonstrates this. (Rob,
got a working config somewhere?)

> general purpose clients do not seem to have been able to produce a
> nice self-configuring client. If I remember correctly, Dennis Lynch

http://gondolin.hist.liv.ac.uk/~cheshire/client/

Your Mileage May Vary and your comments are welcome. :)

Rob

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Received on Thursday, 27 September 2001 17:28:50 UTC