The Ocaml Link Database

The Ocaml Link Database

[Gerd Stolpmann]

Hi,

Here is a first approximation of what we have discussed some weeks ago:
The Ocaml Link Database. It is a web application where everybody can
simply enter links to software he or she wants to contribute. The
data model is rather simple: every item is described by
title, subtitle, release number, the owner of the item, and
two hyperlinks, one called "Info", the other called "Download".

Note that it is not possible to upload files, I fear that this might
be abused.

Before you can enter items, you must identify yourself. Everybody has
a password such that he or she can only modify his or her own items.
It is simple to get such a password; you only have to fill out a 
form and you will automatically get it.

As the age of the application is only several hours there might be
still terrible bugs in it. So I think it should be regarded as
test application that I present you for further discussion and, of
course, bug hunting.

The URL where you can find it is:

	http://www.npc.de/gerd/ocamllinkdb/

The application is of course written in Ocaml. For the curious, the
sources are in

	http://www.npc.de/gerd/ocamllinkdb/src.tgz

The whole thing is not a substitute for a real repository that 
developers helps to exchange source in a much better way. It is
intended to make visible what has already been developed and what
can be possibly reused for different tasks, i.e. it represents the
public side of user-contributed software.

If the application meets your requirements, I could place a 
final release on the same server. (It is a pure Web server,
so I can't put a CVS server on it, too.)

Gerd

--
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gerd Stolpmann      Telefon: +49 6151 997705 (privat)
Viktoriastr. 100             
64293 Darmstadt     EMail:   Gerd.Stolpmann@darmstadt.netsurf.de (privat)
Germany                     
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Re: The Ocaml Link Database

[Markus Mottl]

Hello!

> Here is a first approximation of what we have discussed some weeks ago:
> The Ocaml Link Database. It is a web application where everybody can
> simply enter links to software he or she wants to contribute. The
> data model is rather simple: every item is described by
> title, subtitle, release number, the owner of the item, and
> two hyperlinks, one called "Info", the other called "Download".

Nice idea! Maybe it would make sense to part the development access
(CVS) and the download section and use your system for the management
of the latter.

But...

> As the age of the application is only several hours there might be
> still terrible bugs in it. So I think it should be regarded as
> test application that I present you for further discussion and, of
> course, bug hunting.

Indeed ;-)

I entered a link, but the info-link got a wrong prefix. I wanted to
delete it and it did so - with Jean-Christophe Filliatre's entry! Sorry,
Jean-Christoph! ;-)

> If the application meets your requirements, I could place a 
> final release on the same server. (It is a pure Web server,
> so I can't put a CVS server on it, too.)

Maybe the first thing we could put under control of the new CVS-server
at INRIA is your system - then we could immediately start debugging and
extending it on a more public basis so that we can really use it for
production purposes...

Best regards,
Markus

-- 
Markus Mottl, mottl@miss.wu-wien.ac.at, http://miss.wu-wien.ac.at/~mottl

Re: The Ocaml Link Database

[Gerd Stolpmann]

On Fri, 12 Feb 1999, you wrote:

>I entered a link, but the info-link got a wrong prefix. I wanted to
>delete it and it did so - with Jean-Christophe Filliatre's entry! Sorry,
>Jean-Christoph! ;-)

I could not reproduce the problem. I'll add some more checks on error
conditions, and perhaps some logging. And, of course, I'll add 
many comments, because of...

>Maybe the first thing we could put under control of the new CVS-server
>at INRIA is your system - then we could immediately start debugging and
>extending it on a more public basis so that we can really use it for
>production purposes...

I will do that.

We should find then another way of communication as I assume that most readers
of the Caml list are not interested in the details of a specific software
project. As long as the number of developers is relatively small, exchange of
ordinary mail would suffice. I will place a "MAIL" file in the CVS directory
where everybody who is interested in such mails can enter his or her name.

I have already received feedback about the user interface of the database:

- Is it ok to use frames for the UI? Of course, the current functionality
  is so simple that an interface without frames would be possible. Perhaps we
  should at least provide a frameless interface for queries only.

- There should be more ways to query information. It is interestant to sort by
  the date when the entry was added to the database (or changed) 

- Perhaps there should be more attributes at all: date of insertion, 
  kind of project (reusable module, application, documentation, ...),
  standardized keywords that can be searched. 
   It depends on how much the database is used whether these additions are
  sensible.

- Perhaps the entries should be arranged like a spreadsheet, and not as a
  list of items

I think there should be some discussion about these points

Gerd

--
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gerd Stolpmann      Telefon: +49 6151 997705 (privat)
Viktoriastr. 100             
64293 Darmstadt     EMail:   Gerd.Stolpmann@darmstadt.netsurf.de (privat)
Germany                     
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Re: The Ocaml Link Database

[Ian T Zimmerman]

Gerd Stolpmann <Gerd.Stolpmann@darmstadt.netsurf.de> writes:

>  I have already received feedback about the user interface of the
> database:
>  - Is it ok to use frames for the UI? Of course, the current
> functionality is so simple that an interface without frames would be
>   possible. Perhaps we should at least provide a frameless interface
>   for queries only.

Definitely provide a frameless interface both for querying _and_ for
making entries.  Here's one X-less enthusiastic Ocaml user.

>  - Perhaps the entries should be arranged like a spreadsheet, and
> not as a list of items

I'd rather not, as w3 (which is what I use to access the Web) doesn't
do a good job of rendering tables, either.  But, arguably, this is
simply a deficiency in my browser rather than a platform constraint :-(

-- 
Ian T Zimmerman                        <itz@transbay.net>
I came to the conclusion that what was wrong about the guillotine
was that the condemned man had no chance at all, absolutely none.
Albert Camus, _The Outsider_