RE: Finalised Glossary Definitions

Hi Mark,

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Mark Jones [mailto:jones@research.att.com]
> Sent: 20 March 2001 14:17
> To: jones@research.att.com; moreau@crf.canon.fr
> Cc: frystyk@microsoft.com; skw@hplb.hpl.hp.com; xml-dist-app@w3.org
> Subject: Re: Finalised Glossary Definitions
> 
> 
> 	From moreau@crf.canon.fr Tue Mar 20 03:53 EST 2001
> 	Delivered-To: jones@research.att.com
> 	X-Authentication-Warning: lancelot.crf.canon.fr: smap 
> set sender to <moreau@crf.canon.fr> using -f
> 	Date: Tue, 20 Mar 2001 09:52:59 +0100
> 	From: "Jean-Jacques Moreau" <moreau@crf.canon.fr>
> 	X-Accept-Language: en,fr
> 	MIME-Version: 1.0
> 	To: Mark Jones <jones@research.att.com>
> 	Cc: frystyk@microsoft.com, skw@hplb.hpl.hp.com,
> 	        "xml-dist-app@w3.org" <xml-dist-app@w3.org>
> 	Subject: Re: Finalised Glossary Definitions
> 	Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
> 
> 	Mark Jones wrote:
> 
> 	> My problem, particularly for talking about the processing model,
is
> 	> that I need terms for
> 	>
> 	> (1) "the thing that knows enough about the semantics of a block
(given
> 	>     its tag) to map it to a thing that implements a very specific
> 	>     piece of behavior"
> 	>
> 	> (2) "the thing that implements a very specific piece of behavior
given
> 	>     a block"
> 	>
> 	> I think of (1) as a module, something like a class in programming
> 	> language terms.  I think of (2) as a handler, something like a
method
> 	> name.
> 	>
> 	> If we make (1) the whole processor and (2) a handler, then it
raises
> 	> the question about how the processor came to know enough about the
> 	> semantics of things (blocks, behavior, etc.) to make such a
> 	> determination. [...]
> 
> 	Mark, I am wondering why (1) would have to know "about the semantics

>	of a block" to do any sort of dispatching. After all, a Web browser
does 
> 	not know anything about the semantics of a particular MIME document,
and is 
> 	nevertheless capable of firing up the appropriate plugin. Why would 
>	block dispatching be different?
> 
> 	Jean-Jacques.
> 
> 
> Some blocks will indeed represent declarative info Other blocks,
> including RPC blocks, are best seen as encoding some kind of intended
> semantics (order a book from Amazon, etc.).  The processor determines
> a handler based on the block tag.  My point was just that a processor,
> right out of the box, doesn't know anything about such mappings.  It
> is only when a specific module is added to the processor, that it gets
> parameterized with this mapping.  It is the module that inherently
> knows about the mapping.
> 
> --mark

I got so close to saying 'Yes' and something just slipped from my fingers
with the last sentence. My question is are you using 'handler' and 'module'
synonymously? If you are then I understand the point you are making, and if
not then I would find it helpful to understand how you would articulate the
difference between module and handler (again).

Thanks,

Stuart

Received on Tuesday, 20 March 2001 09:33:36 UTC