davison@MENUDO.UH.EDU (Dan Davison) (10/04/90)
> SUMMARY: we need a FULL DEFINITION of GenBank, not just the feature > tables!!! A complete definition is available from the GenBank staff at Los Alamos. Last I knew the name of the document was "dnaform.dc3". It's what I use to guide my programming (sic) that reads GenBank entries. > Example: we should be able to parse out the topology of an entry > (circular or linear sequence) and the references. The topic is > wider than most people have discussed so far, and I don't understand > why GenBank has resisted creating the definition for so long. GenBank et al. can defend themselves, but such a definition does exist and all you'd have had to do was ask...I did in 1982, that's how I found out about it. It has been updated regularly since. > I made the suggestion that a parsable form with an associated > DOCUMENT and DEFINITION is a requirement for the database AT LEAST 8 > YEARS AGO. Another person who wants to break even more existing software. GB staff are very conservative about changes. This drives most of non-GB'ers nuts (because of course we know what's right ;->) but they're right to be conservative on such matters. > How many more years will we have to wait for this? This (genbank-bb) is the place to discuss changes...I'm sure the GB folk have their flameproof suits on whenever they go near a keyboard. Fire away. dan -- dr. dan davison/dept. of biochemical and biophysical sciences/univ. of Houston/4800 Calhoun/Houston,TX 77054-5500/davison@uh.edu/DAVISON@UHOU "Comparing bad weather to rape: 'if it's inevitable, just relax and enjoy it'" Clayton Williams, Republican candidate for Governor of Texas. ...And THIS is the kind of person and attitute most Texans find acceptable...in 1990...very sad. Disclaimer: As always, I speak only for myself, and, usually, only to myself.
toms@fcs260c2.ncifcrf.gov (Tom Schneider) (10/04/90)
In article <9010031956.AA08670@largo.ig.com> davison@MENUDO.UH.EDU (Dan Davison) writes: >A complete definition is available from the GenBank staff at Los Ok, I've asked them for the latest version of a complete definition. >Another person who wants to break even more existing software. GB >staff are very conservative about changes. This drives most of >non-GB'ers nuts (because of course we know what's right ;->) but >they're right to be conservative on such matters. A full definition does not break software, it encourages good software. Not breaking software is a "great" reason for never making changes. >dr. dan davison/dept. of biochemical and biophysical sciences/univ. of >Houston/4800 Calhoun/Houston,TX 77054-5500/davison@uh.edu/DAVISON@UHOU Tom Schneider National Cancer Institute Laboratory of Mathematical Biology Frederick, Maryland 21702-1201 toms@ncifcrf.gov