Object-Oriented Distributed Semantic Services

An alternative framework for developing lightweight semantic services that makes it easy to program networked servers and clients. A new architecture layers message class definitions with an efficient annotation metalanguage interpreter to simplify development. The interpreter translates message object instances to and from XML, using precise embedded specifications of field serialization, including expressive support for nested objects and collections.

Returning to object-oriented fundamentals, data structure and algorithm definitions, which are separated by prior approaches, are reunited. While the data structure portion of a service is defined through metalanguage-annotated field declarations, the algorithm portion is defined by overriding a method in base request and response message classes. Lexical scopes maintain context in a services server over the course of a client's session. Transmitted messages are concise XML, enabling compatibility with existing clients. The conciseness simplifies debugging and conserves resources. Message libraries that correspond to components are encapsulated through translation scopes, which can be composed with multiple inheritance.

The OODSS is part of the Interface Ecologylab Fundamental API, which is being released as open source.

A tutorial may be found here

Community support is supplied through the ecologylab api developers group. You may subscribe and contribute here:

JavaDocs for the Fundamental API are available here.

Access to the entire ecologylab fundamental project source is available through anonymous SVN access (username: anonymous, no password).

The binaries for all of the ecologylab fundamentals are available here.