Re: [coggins@cs.unc.edu: Re: divorce language from objects?]

Doug Tody (tody@noao.edu)
Thu, 19 Sep 1996 12:41:05 -0700 (MST)

> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> Date: Thu, 19 Sep 1996 15:05:19 -0400 (EDT)
> From: Dr James Coggins <coggins@cs.unc.edu>
>
> In the alternative, the development efforts on both ends of the
> communication link share a class library that defines all these types,
> so the information about the structures etc. are already known at both ends.
> Thus, it is not necessary to transmit a description of the structure to be
> transmitted; both sides already know it.

Yes, but this more or less describes our current systems. It is easy to
share class code this way if you are doing an integrated system. The next
problem is how do we build heterogeneous systems using components which might
have different origins and be very different inside. Some work will always
be required to interface an existing component to the framework, but it won't
be a very open framework if we assume extensive use of shared class code.
Integrating a heterogeneous system requires a more protocol-based approach.
A family or suite of related components could share the same class code for
interfacing to the framework, but this should not be required.

- Doug