[sc34wg3] XTM 1.1 issues: MergeMap

[Murray Altheim]

Lars Marius Garshol wrote:
> * Murray Altheim
> 
>>I don't think of <mergeMap> as authoring, but a component in
>>modularization.
> 
> The point is that if you are modularizing in files it must be because  
> you are authoring in files, at which point it does become an  
> authoring issue. If you weren't authoring in files, why would you  
> ever send anyone multiple files? You'd just create a file containing  
> exactly what you wanted to send (by some suitable form of magic) and  
> send that.

Until you or somebody provides me with a functional (and improved)
alternative to files that everybody else is also using, the file
metaphor is what I'll be using. Since there isn't any alternative
I'm not sure what the pejorative attitude regarding files is meant
to intend, i.e., it seems pointless to argue about the goodness or
badness of files when that is what we have.

>>[...]
>>as I'd then have to perform a pre-merge for delivery and lose
>>the modularity, a feature I'm sure is appreciated by those who
>>don't want the entirety of the package, or want to reuse various
>>components.
> 
> If they could extract the subsets they wanted, without these having  
> to preexist in the form of files, this would not be an issue. Of  
> course, I know they don't have an easy way to do this now, and that's  
> why I'm for keeping this.

An *easy* way? I don't see any *other* way that is widely supported
by software and OS, so again, I guess I'm not getting your main point.

There is another point that is perhaps even more important and
that is that authoring or not, if I want modules I need to be
able to store them, send them, and make them available individually/
independently. I want modules, plug and play. <mergeMap> provides
the little nobbies on the tops of the Lego bricks. Without the
nobbies, my castle falls over.

Murray

......................................................................
Murray Altheim                          http://www.altheim.com/murray/
Strategic Services Development Manager
The Open University Library and Learning Resources Centre
The Open University, Milton Keynes, Bucks, MK7 6AA, UK               .

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