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Dear GMT Group.
I was longtime hesitating to send a message to a discussion
where I do not know the history, and which runs for over
a year.
If my comments are inappropriate, please just forget about them.
The main-problem with the GMT project is the gap between
the goal, which is interesting for everyone working with models
in the Eclipse area, and the missing common plan.
What do I mean?
If someone knowing Eclipse, and the huge success of frameworks
like EMF, XSD, UML2, GEF, just the title "Generative Model Transformer"
seems to make clear, what GMT is doing: a generative way of specifying
transformations between Models. How to define models seems to be
clear in a number of projects: using MOF (or in the Eclipse context the
implementation of essential MOF done by the EMF project). As well
in Model Driven Architectures, it seems to be clear, that you use MOF
to define Models.
How to plug existing transformation tools into GMT seems to be clear as
well, write a plug in, that reads models and writes models. All models are
in MOF (EMF), and all tools naturally collaborate. A free competition.
Like this, GMT would just add the necessary infrastructure for collaboration
of various tools. The project would define and agree on higher levels of
collaborations, and then provide the infrastructure. E.D. Willink's proposal
gives some examples how to lift the infrastructure.
If I read through the posts, I see comments like Eclipse not beeing well
suited, and like taking single tools as starting points, like speaking about
abstract syntax, rather than the standard means for abstract syntaxt in MDA
(e.g. MOF).
You get a lot of visibility because your title addresses an important topic:
Generative Model Transformations
In order not to loose the other Eclipse users and developers and in order
not to loose the people interested in MDA as defined by OMG, you
should answer on the first page of your project:
- if MOF the standard means of the project to define
meta-models/abstract syntax?
If not, why?
- are you using the EMF implementation of MOF? If not, why?
- are Eclipse extension-points and extensions the standard means for
plugin existing
tools into GMT and for composing different GMT components? If not why?
Your current answers based on XMI do not seem enough to me. For
connecting pure
XMI based components, you can use Unix pipes or Web Services, you do not
need
Eclipse. XMI is only a way to export and import MOF based models
(including UML
models).
Sorry again for comments which some of you may find inappropriate. I
know as well,
that some points about EMF have been made in the paper of E.D.Wilink,
but what I
mean is that there should be a common, agreed plan in advance.
Best Regards,
Philipp Kutter
A4M applied formal methods AG
www.a4m.biz
kutter@xxxxxxx
