RE: ebXML Representation of Metadata

[David RR Webber <Gnosis_@compuserve.com>]

Message text written by Cory Casanave
>Interestingly, the
Venetian glass blowers where correct in their own way, they still make the
most wonderful work.  But to put glassware on the tables of billions we
need
the machines.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Cory,

Notice I was NOT disagreeing with this assessment!

Just that the 'glassblowing' is still evolving (rapidly).  Teaching a
machine to 'glassblow' pre-supposes we know how to do it all 
ourselves!  In this case all the kinks have not been worked out yet.

Also as Sridhar, Scott and other pointed out XMI is designed to 
provide XML semantics for exchange UML and other object design
information.  While referencing this can be useful in the context of
describing those components - the actual interchange format itself
needs to be based closely on the business process needs - 
thats the EDI world.  In this context SOAP is a transport mechanism
that relates.  

BTW - footnote on SOAP - I jumped back like being snake bitten 
when I saw ARRAYS in the SOAP spec's.  Red flags on interoperability
and lack of forward compatiblity went off all over the place - hopefully
these will rapidly be depricated by use of recursive XML structures to
replace any such ugliness of arrays. Presumably Microsoft left this
array stuff in for some weird VB compatibility somewhere....? 
Think objects and XML trees - not arrays, please!

As noted above - the glassblowers are still perfecting the best techniques!

DW.