Re: Standard Library Interest?

["Robert I. Eachus" <rieachus@comcast.net>]

Stephane Richard wrote:

> My idea of a centralized repository of libraries.  is really as it's name
> implies.  I'd like to build, in essense, a hierarchy if libraries...where
> users can go look (by any way they want) for what they need and looking for.
> I plan on searching from more than one point of view  as in present the
> library many different ways based on if and how much they know about what
> they want.

Let me propose a baby step forward.  If we do this right we are going to 
need a central registrar of top level library names.  The ARG has 
implicitly grabbed Ada, Interfaces, and System, plus all the names of 
things declared directly in Standard.  I want to work with others on 
what belongs in Statistics, and as far as I am concerned, any name in 
Eachus is mine, all mine. ;-)

But it would be nice to have a central repository of all these names, 
with links to where the sources can be found (or purchased), and a 
protocol for allocating names and adjudicating conflicts.  And yes, I'm 
working on getting my useful libraries organized, documented and 
available on the web.  If no one else volunteers, I'll start work on it. 
  But please! wait until we can get a group of people to handle this, 
and a central web site, perhaps at www.ada-auth.org.  If people do like 
this idea, then eventually it should become a part of WG9.  There are 
lots of such registries under ANSI and ISO, so that, for example, every 
Ethernet  device has a unique ID.

> A curious eye might not search the same way as someone looking for a
> specific library or binding.  If I could I would give it a taxonomy chart of
> some sort too for the sake of classification. :-).  whatever needs to be
> done.  (again open to suggestions on how to search within the the Library) I
> got ideas on my own and a good deal of em, but it dont mean I got every
> "good" way there could be :-).

> I want a database, of course for library records, but these records would
> merely point to files in the server (possibly organized the same way as the
> taxonomy chart.  sousers could quickly do research in the library either
> based on a series of keywords, or based on categories or based on
> name/pattern matching, based on dates (if they just want to know what's new
> in the last week or so, etc etc...

> I think the picture I got in my head is much clearer than what's in these
> past paragraphs but I think I explained it clear enough.  :-).

A few years ago, in a project that for all I know is still groaning 
along somewhere, I said that with books, we had libraries and librarians 
for over a thousand years before moveable type, with hypertext, we were 
trying to do it the other way around.  Text search engines for the World 
  Wide Web have made it possible to find things for now.  And I think 
the right approach going forward is to design the registration records 
as web pages with (hopefully!) the right (XML?) tags to help people find 
what they are looking for.

-- 
                                                     Robert I. Eachus

"Quality is the Buddha. Quality is scientific reality. Quality is the 
goal of Art. It remains to work these concepts into a practical, 
down-to-earth context, and for this there is nothing more practical or 
down-to-earth than what I have been talking about all along...the repair 
of an old motorcycle."  -- from Zen and the Art of Motorcycle 
Maintenance by Robert Pirsig