Re: database stuff (aka "the backend")

[Douglas Loss <dloss@csrlink.net>]

>>>JB == Justin Bradford <justin@scrtec.org> wrote at Mon, 14 Dec 1998
18:17:44 -0400 :

>Ideally, the application should not be dealing with the storage mechanism.
>It should just ask for data and get back an XML interface, say via SAX or
>DOM or maybe some other object model.

>This is similar to the design of the casbah project Doug mentioned a few
>days ago, but simplified in many ways.
>
>Here at my work (a federal technology in educational grant), a few of us
>(including some lurkers here) are working on some definitions for this,
>because it provides networked access and distributed storage of data.

I'm really glad that you're doing that, Justin.  The data storage and
retrieval portion of all this is what I (and I suspect some others) am
haziest on.  Knowing that there's someone with a handle on it helps a lot.
Now we can work more on the frontend programs.  Let us know when you're ready
 with something for us to look at.

I'd like to propose that we (and when I say "we," I mean some of the coders
among us who are looking for something to do) work on Tim Wilson's idea for a
 seating planner and small group assigner.  This will most likely require
some sort of graphical interface with some drag and drop capability for
teachers to manipulate seating assignments, along with a rules capability
like, "student X must not be in the same group with student Y."  Tim and
other educators on the list, give us a good description of what's desired in
such an app.  Oh, and Tim and Eric Sandeen, have you decided on your final
desired gradebook spec that you were talking about a little while ago?

--
Doug Loss            An idealist is one who, on noticing that
dloss@csrlink.net    roses smell better than cabbage, concludes
(717) 326-3987       that they will also make better soup.
                        H. L. Mencken