Graham.Cameron@embl.bitnet ("Graham Cameron, ext. 257") (01/30/91)
Dear Colleagues,
The issue of what format(s) should be made available for ftp, dailyish updates,
on CD-ROM's, magtapes or carved in granite is of great interest to EMBL. We
have been giving a lot of thought to the issues raised in the recent round of
banter on this topic.
1. The EMBL format as delivered is actually supposed to be of some use:
we didn't design it in an attempt to make life difficult for software
producers. We'd be much happier if software used the data as they get
them rather than changing them into their own thing. It's clear
however that the consensus is that the data need to be reformatted
before use. Some reasons are clear: e.g., compression, avoidance of
having to wade through annotation to get to the real business etc.
We'll certainly try to be responsive to suggestions as to how the
distribution format might be modified to make it more usable.
2. The streets are not paved with gold at EMBL. It'd cost us just as much
as anyone else to keep umpteen copies of the data in different formats.
However, it is our job to supply the data as usefully as possible.
3. We cannot be partisan - simply to supply the data in the format
suitable for our favourite commercial package would be invite wrath
from people who disagree with us and from other software producers.
4. An approach we have discussed in the past is to give any software
producer the chance to give us a filter through which an EMBL entry can
be pushed to produce what they need. It could then be an option in
file-server requests to ask for the entries to come in "Nifty-SEQ"
format or whatever is available.
5. Production of releases in other formats could perhaps go the same way,
but poses a few problems. We'd be unlikely to want to do the
conversion on the fly. Producing a couple of hundred tapes is time
consuming enough without adding anything else to it so we'd probably
have to store all the formats distributed. Also specific s/w
producers' customisations might render our documentation invalid but
we'd be reluctant to shuffle lots of bits of paper for them. Clearly
the CD mastering is another matter - we can't support lots of formats,
but even here we could envisage a system whereby s/w producers provide
the tools to produce a CD in their own format (and pick up the bill for
mastering).
In summary:
- We'd like our format to be usable - tell us why it's not.
- If s/w producers could provide the filters, different formats as a
fileserver option is not difficult.
- Production of magtapes in various formats could be done similarly but
it'd cost us more.
- CD's are in some senses the most difficult and the s/w producers would
have to pick up the tab.
Graham.
Graham Cameron Phone +49 (06221) 387257
Group Leader Telex 461613 (embl d)
The EMBL Data Library Telefax +49 (6221) 387306
European Molecular Biology Laboratory
Postfach 10.2209 Meyerhofstrasse 1 Network(reply to) cameron@embl.bitnet
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