Re: Model question

>
>On Mon, 28 Jul 2003, Edward C. Zimmermann wrote:
>
>> >> A universe with a single record is just not very interesting
>> >> for these kinds of methods is it not? 
>> >I've seen single records that are several megabytes in size -- to
>> >be able to treat such a record as a mini database might be quite
>> >useful.
>
>> And what is it one is search for?
>
>Frex, an EAD record has a recursive structure to enable archivists to 
>model the layout of their physical archives.  One might have a component 
>which is 'box' and inside that is several 'files' and inside the files are 
>'letters'.



>See also the recent discussion on the ZNG list about XPath for 
>component retrieval.


I wrote "Or structure discovery lanauges. etc. etc"
and XPath is one of such.

So do we now start to define search methods and models for the individual
record types?  some kind of XPath for some XML but where its a genetic
sequences its sequence into GCG or Blast?
Or are we not better off.. not sticking out nose into what applications
of the record the user might want.. Yes. Application. Loading a Word file
into Word.. or running some XPath queries.. or feeding a Postscript file
to a typesetter etc. are all "uses" of record. Our job I've tended to see
as providing the mechanisms to enable search and retrivial and to create
enabling mechanisms for usage of whatever is produced but not to go as
far as to define what and how the information is to be used. If we start
to try to define this within the profiles of our standards I think we'll
be more damned than we've been with our already bloated S/R protocol.



______________________
Edward C. Zimmermann, Basis Systeme netzwerk, Munich
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Received on Monday, 28 July 2003 10:40:38 UTC