Date: Thu, 24 Sep 1998 22:43:59 +0100
From: John Dawson <jld1@cam.ac.uk>
Subject: Text Handling Software - a Proposal
[This proposal arose out of the discussions held at ALLC/ACH'98 in
Debrecen, Hungary.]
TEXT HANDLING SOFTWARE
A Proposal
That John Bradley [King's College London, UK] and Geoffrey Rockwell
[McMaster University, Canada] be asked to do the following:
(a) Invite a small number of suitably qualified and experienced
colleagues to form a Text Handling Software Working Group (THSWG).
In collaboration with the THSWG:
(b) To prepare an object-oriented specification describing the external
interface for text handling software programming modules.
(c) To identify (and, at a very broad level, to specify) a central core
of modules, the programming of which could form the basis of
fund-raising proposals.
(d) To identify one or more possible centres where the programming of
the core modules could be based.
(e) To investigate programming languages and programming systems in
which the core modules could be implemented. Note that it is not
strictly necessary that all modules be written in the same programming
language.
(f) To identify the platforms for which front-end user interface modules
should be written in the first instance (these modules should be the
only ones which are platform-specific).
The advantage of this approach is that, as soon as (b), (c), and perhaps
(e) have been decided, other individuals and institutions can announce
their intention to prepare additional compatible modules. The THSWG will
act as a clearing-house for such proposals.
Debrecen, Hungary, July 1998
brucerob@chass.utoronto.ca Bruce Robertson
University of Toronto, Canada
JLD1@cam.ac.uk John Dawson
University of Cambridge, UK
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