[ome-devel] Remote Framework: A review

[Joshua Moore]

Zach et al.

I think the Java API is useable, but nevertheless a bit complex for my 
most urgent needs[1]. I'll give you a use case:

    A biologist-turned-C-programmer has time-series images. He came to 
me looking for a sensible data structure for his routine. I pointed him 
to Tikal's data structures, but told him, if you can hang on just a bit, 
we'll pull it directly out of OME and you'll be ready for the next wave 
of Cool.
    His code needs to: pull the stack out of OMEIS and the time-stamps 
that belong to them, i.e. just one ST from OMEDS. Nothing else. And 
until I can get that running, he's twiddling his thumbs.

As far as waiting on a lone grad student, heaven forbid. If we've come 
(or can come) to consensus, I've got at least one full-timer that I can 
put on this. (He's twiddling his thumbs, too.)

Josh.

[1] I think this complexity is a sign that code can be shifted to the 
server, because otherwise the exact same functionality would have to be 
duplicated in C.

Zach Pincus wrote:

>Hello all,
>
>Sorry to have been out of the loop on this, but I've been on the road
>the last couple of days (and for the next week or so).
>
>Anyhow, Josh, how does the Java API look in terms of usability? (see
>http://cvs.openmicroscopy.org.uk/horde/chora/cvs.php/OME-JAVA/src/org/openmicroscopy/ds?login=2
>, and in particular, the Factory and Manager classes). If an API is
>provided that looks like that, is that usable enough to point coders
>at? Because, if the wrapper API is sound and usable, the transport
>layer's usability is basically unimportant, right? I think that the
>Java API Doug has made is pretty usable and clear (and
>well-documented).
>
>I ask about the Java API because I'm trying to provide basically the
>same functionality in the mythical C library. Which brings me to part
>two: because I'm away, I'm not sure what an ETA for the C client will
>be. Under a month?
>
>Anyhow, I've got it prototyped out, and I'll make the API public as I
>finish each layer so people could code against a thin wrapper around
>the XML-RPC before I get any of the DTO things totally debugged... But
>if waiting on me (a lone grad student currently on vacation) isn't
>your cup of tea, perhaps you/we'll need to look at something else.
>
>Zach
>  
>