> Date: Tue, 21 Dec 2004 21:18:10 +0000
> From: Dr Robert Sanderson <[log in to unmask]>
>
> > Hmm. To represent three closely related services, I would expect
> > either to need one record or three. To need two does seem perverse.
>
> The SRU and SRW services are absolutely identical with the only difference
> being that one accepts the parameters via SOAP and one via the URL.
> There is then a huge jump to Z39.50 which:
>
> * Doesn't use HTTP
> * Supports multiple record syntaxes, not just XML
> * Supports multiple query languages, not just CQL
> * I know of only two implementations out of hundreds that support CQL,
> which is done via a very recent extension to the protocol.
> * Has a totally different service definition
> * Doesn't support server side result set naming
> * Doesn't support a single Explain operation
> * Supports multiple databases at the same endpoint
> * ... ... ...
You make a compelling case. I think I am re-persuaded.
> If there were any functional difference between SRU and SRW, then I
> would agree. But ZeeRex describes the capabilities of the server,
> not the syntax in which the server accepts requests.
Hoo, haha, well, not exactly. This is _mostly_ true, but where it
breaks down is that <serverInfo> is precisely to do with "the syntax
in which the server accepts requests". And so that is the part that
people are suggesting making repeatable.
However --
> [...] I would have no problem with a new way to specify what is
> currently in the protocol attribute of serverInfo.
>
> For example:
> <serverInfo>
> <protocols>
> <protocol identifier="http://www.loc.gov/srw/">
> <title>SRW</title>
> <version>1.1</version>
> <transport>http</transport>
> <method>POST</method>
> </protocol>
> </protocols>
> <host>
> <port>
> <database>
> </serverInfo>
-- this is a better, more explicit, way of saying what we seem to mean
here.
> But for the mean time, this seems over-engineering when we have a
> perfectly usable "SRW/U" item in the @protocol enumeration.
Reluctantly, I agree.
> > I am slowly being persuaded towards multiple <serverInfo>s.
>
> To make myself slightly more clear, as the ZeeRex schema maintainer:
>
> You'll pry multiple serverInfos from my cold dead fingers =)
To make myself slightly more clear, as the explain.z3950.org domain
owner and administrator:
:-)
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/o ) \/ Mike Taylor <[log in to unmask]> http://www.miketaylor.org.uk
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