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Posted to user@turbine.apache.org by Gerry Duprey <gd...@Schools-OPEN.com> on 2004/03/17 18:35:19 UTC
Avalon/Fortress/Merlin/ECM - why should I care/use these?
Howdy,
Assume for the sake of discussion that I'm trying to figure out why I might
want to use one of the above in a project. As I understand it, these all
basically provide what seems to me to be very simple services:
- instantiate one or more instances of classes (services) I describe in an XML
config file
- Provided named lookup services (i.e. give me an instance of whatever class I
bound to the text name "userManager")
- Provide lifecycle management (which seems to mean creating the instances,
caching them, if appropriate, and whacking them it when no longer valid, all
along calling a set of methods to alert the object of what is happening to it).
Again, this is a simple summary of what I believe these services provide.
My question is: why are these services so important that there are multiple,
vigorously supported implementations and things like Turbine are being
rearchitected to support them?
Sure, they seem useful services, but just not all that world shattering. In
fact, it seems pretty simple stuff (at least conceptually). I can see
projects being created without them (just instantiating classes as needed ad
such) just as easily, maybe more so.
I'm not trying to denigrate these services - I just feel that the hoopla and
effort expended on them compared to what I understand they offer just doesn't
seem to add up.
So, in summary, what am I missing here? Clearly something -- lots of smart
folks are using them. I'm hoping by explaining my likely incorrect vision of
what I'm seeing and asking for clarification, I may yet "see the light" on
them. :-)
Thanks in advance!
Gerry
--
Gerry Duprey
________________________________________
SchoolsOPEN, LLC
123 North Ashley, Suite 120
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Phone (877) 483-1944 Ext. 401
Fax (734) 661-0819
Visit us Online at www.Schools-OPEN.com
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Re: Avalon/Fortress/Merlin/ECM - why should I care/use these?
Posted by Daniel <da...@yorku.ca>.
Hi,
What a coincidence! I was just wondering the same thing and started
looking into what these can do for me...
It seems they provide various ways to get abstracted access to your
model objects, in your apps (so you break the coupling between your
apps and the components they use). Hmm...
Anyway, here's an interesting article by Martin Fowler on the various
strategies employed by the containers to break the coupling of components
to apps:
http://martinfowler.com/articles/injection.html
Anyone else got thoughts to share? I can certainly use some
more enlightment. :)
Regards,
Daniel
On Wed, 17 Mar 2004, Gerry Duprey wrote:
> Howdy,
>
> Assume for the sake of discussion that I'm trying to figure out why I might
> want to use one of the above in a project. As I understand it, these all
> basically provide what seems to me to be very simple services:
>
> - instantiate one or more instances of classes (services) I describe in an XML
> config file
>
> - Provided named lookup services (i.e. give me an instance of whatever class I
> bound to the text name "userManager")
>
> - Provide lifecycle management (which seems to mean creating the instances,
> caching them, if appropriate, and whacking them it when no longer valid, all
> along calling a set of methods to alert the object of what is happening to it).
>
> Again, this is a simple summary of what I believe these services provide.
>
> My question is: why are these services so important that there are multiple,
> vigorously supported implementations and things like Turbine are being
> rearchitected to support them?
>
> Sure, they seem useful services, but just not all that world shattering. In
> fact, it seems pretty simple stuff (at least conceptually). I can see
> projects being created without them (just instantiating classes as needed ad
> such) just as easily, maybe more so.
>
> I'm not trying to denigrate these services - I just feel that the hoopla and
> effort expended on them compared to what I understand they offer just doesn't
> seem to add up.
>
> So, in summary, what am I missing here? Clearly something -- lots of smart
> folks are using them. I'm hoping by explaining my likely incorrect vision of
> what I'm seeing and asking for clarification, I may yet "see the light" on
> them. :-)
>
> Thanks in advance!
>
> Gerry
>
> --
> Gerry Duprey
> ________________________________________
> SchoolsOPEN, LLC
> 123 North Ashley, Suite 120
> Ann Arbor, MI 48104
> Phone (877) 483-1944 Ext. 401
> Fax (734) 661-0819
>
> Visit us Online at www.Schools-OPEN.com
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> To unsubscribe, e-mail: turbine-user-unsubscribe@jakarta.apache.org
> For additional commands, e-mail: turbine-user-help@jakarta.apache.org
>
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Re: Avalon/Fortress/Merlin/ECM - why should I care/use these?
Posted by Scott Eade <se...@backstagetech.com.au>.
Without pretending to know all of the details I think the answer to your question can be summarised in one word:
reuse
The basic aim is that by utilising these container architectures we can build a library of services that can be used in applications that are based on frameworks other than Turbine and likewise Turbine can benefit from services written without necessarily targeting Turbine. If someone provides a Quarts based scheduler that targets these containers we should be able to configure it to become part of our Turbine applications with relative ease.
Also, by separating the various services from Turbine itself we can gain the flexibility of decoupling the release schedules for the various component parts - e.g. an updated version of the Quarts scheduler service could be integrated into an application without waiting for Turbine release.
Further, we can capitalise on the evolution of the container architecture without having to maintain them directly.
Scott
--
Scott Eade
Backstage Technologies Pty. Ltd.
http://www.backstagetech.com.au
Gerry Duprey wrote:
> Howdy,
>
> Assume for the sake of discussion that I'm trying to figure out why I
> might want to use one of the above in a project. As I understand
> it, these all basically provide what seems to me to be very simple
> services:
>
> - instantiate one or more instances of classes (services) I describe
> in an XML config file
>
> - Provided named lookup services (i.e. give me an instance of whatever
> class I bound to the text name "userManager")
>
> - Provide lifecycle management (which seems to mean creating the
> instances, caching them, if appropriate, and whacking them it when no
> longer valid, all along calling a set of methods to alert the object
> of what is happening to it).
>
> Again, this is a simple summary of what I believe these services provide.
>
> My question is: why are these services so important that there are
> multiple, vigorously supported implementations and things like Turbine
> are being rearchitected to support them?
>
> Sure, they seem useful services, but just not all that world
> shattering. In fact, it seems pretty simple stuff (at least
> conceptually). I can see projects being created without them (just
> instantiating classes as needed ad such) just as easily, maybe more so.
>
> I'm not trying to denigrate these services - I just feel that the
> hoopla and effort expended on them compared to what I understand they
> offer just doesn't seem to add up.
>
> So, in summary, what am I missing here? Clearly something -- lots of
> smart folks are using them. I'm hoping by explaining my likely
> incorrect vision of what I'm seeing and asking for clarification, I
> may yet "see the light" on them. :-)
>
> Thanks in advance!
>
> Gerry
>
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