[Subversion] / PEAK / README.txt  

Diff of /PEAK/README.txt

Parent Directory | Revision Log

version 551, Thu Oct 10 20:34:10 2002 UTC version 1275, Mon Jul 21 00:55:16 2003 UTC
Line 1 
Line 1 
 PEAK Release 0.5 alpha 1  PEAK Release 0.5 alpha 3
   
  Copyright (C) 1996-2002 by Phillip J. Eby and Tyler C. Sarna.   Copyright (C) 1996-2003 by Phillip J. Eby and Tyler C. Sarna.
  All rights reserved.  This software may be used under the same terms   All rights reserved.  This software may be used under the same terms
  as Zope or Python.  THERE ARE ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND.   as Zope or Python.  THERE ARE ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND.
  Code quality varies between modules, from "beta" to "experimental   Code quality varies between modules, from "beta" to "experimental
  pre-alpha".  :)   pre-alpha".  :)
   
   
  Package Description   Package Description
   
     PEAK is the "Python Enterprise Application Kit". If you develop      PEAK is the "Python Enterprise Application Kit". If you develop
Line 35 
Line 34 
     on building your application.      on building your application.
   
     PEAK tools can be used with other "Python Enterprise" frameworks such as      PEAK tools can be used with other "Python Enterprise" frameworks such as
     Zope and the Python DBAPI to construct web-based, GUI, or command-line      Zope, Twisted, and the Python DBAPI to construct web-based, GUI, or
     applications, interacting with any kind of storage, or with no storage      command-line applications, interacting with any kind of storage, or with
     at all.  Whatever the application type, PEAK can help you put it together.      no storage at all.  Whatever the application type, PEAK can help you put
       it together.
   
    Package Features
   
       As of version 0.5a2, PEAK features include:
   
       * A component binding framework that makes it easy to parameterize
         components and thus more easily combine and "wire" them together.
         Interfaces, adaptation, and "assembly events" (notification when
         components have been engaged as part of a "complete" application)
         are all available.
   
       * A comprehensive configuration framework that allows accessing
         "utilities" and "configuration properties" in context.  Properties
         and utilities can be loaded or computed on demand, supplied by rules,
         defined in configuration files or code, in a supplied or custom
         format.  Properties and utilities are contextual and can be safely
         acquired from parent/context components automatically.
   
       * Naming system/framework that's midway between J2EE's JNDI and CORBA's
         cosNaming in features, but much easier to use and extend than either
         of those systems.
   
       * A storage management and persistence system, including:
   
           - Atomic, multi-database transactions with two-phase commit.
   
           - "Data Manager" class framework for persistence management, that
             allows you to separate business logic from storage implementation.
             If you can write a few simple methods like "load" and "save" for
             a given object type and storage approach, you can create your own
             "DM" components.  You can think of a DM as an advanced form of
             Python "shelve", that supports references to other objects,
             transactions, arbitrary back-end storages, and caching.
   
           - "Stackable" data managers: one DM might serialize a set of objects
             to XML, which could then be stored in a database record by another
             DM, and then the database record might be implemented via a DM
             that writes to disk files!  Each DM only needs to know how to
             manipulate objects offered by the next-level DM, not the details
             of the next DM's implementation, so all the DM's are potentially
             replaceable with alternate storage mechanisms.
   
           - RDBMS and LDAP connection framework based on the Python DBAPI,
             that handles data type conversions (via the configuration
             framework) and seamlessly integrates with the transaction system
             and naming services framework.  DB Connections can be accessed
             by name or URL, and bound as default collaborators or utilities
             for access by other application components.
   
       * CASE/modelling tools: PEAK includes APIs to read object
         models created in the XML-based XMI format.  Many open-source and
         commercial modelling tools support XMI, inlcuding Argo/Poseidon and
         MagicDraw UML.  PEAK includes pre-built support for UML versions 1.3
         and 1.4, and MOF 1.3.1, using XMI versions 1.0 and 1.1. (UML 1.5,
         CWM 1.0, CWM 1.1, and XMI 1.2-2.0 are anticipated for version 0.6.)
         Also included is a MOF->Python code generator, which was used to generate
         the UML support, and which you can use to generate support for other
         modelling languages based on the MOF.
   
         For the specifications of XMI, MOF, CWM, and UML, visit:
         http://www.omg.org/technology/documents/modeling_spec_catalog.htm
   
       * A domain modelling framework for creating "business object models"
         with unidirectional and bidirectional associations, generated
         getters/setters and validators for fields, etc., and all necessary
         persistence support for use with the PEAK storage framework.  Domain
         types can also define string parsing and formatting syntax, so you can
         create domain-specific data languages or just string formats for data
         types (such as specialized date/time or currency types).
   
         The business object framework supplies structural metadata about
         classes built with it, so you can query a class for its fields and
         links, and their names, types, etc.  This can be useful for
         implementing model-driven storage or user interfaces.  And the
         metadata is aligned with the MOF, so generating MOF, UML, or CWM
         from PEAK models (and vice versa) is possible (although
         not yet implemented for anything but MOF->PEAK).
   
   
   
   
   
   
       * Application Runtime tools, including:
   
         - a "command objects" framework for creating command-line applications,
           including the ability to create "executable configuration files"
           or "configuration interpreters" that can load a configuration file
           and run an application instance constructed using the configuration
           data.  Supported formats include an .ini-like PEAK format, and
           arbitrary schemas defined using ZConfig.
   
         - a "periodic tasks" framework for executing tasks that perform "as
           needed", scheduling themselves in response to their available workloads
   
         - a CGI/FastCGI publishing framework that uses 'zope.publisher' to
           publish a PEAK component tree and its associated transaction service
   
         - an event-driven "reactor" framework that seamlessly integrates with
           Twisted, but can also be used without Twisted for applications that are
           mostly scheduling-oriented, or which use only third-party protocol
           implementations such as FAM, FastCGI, ReadyExec, etc.
   
         - a robust and flexible logging framework that can integrate with the
           PEP 282 logging module, or stand alone.  It's simpler than the PEP 282
           system for simple log configuration, and is configured on demand
           rather than "up front", and is thus more manageably configurable for
           large or complex applications consisting of components from diverse
           providers.
   
       * AOP and SOP: PEAK allows you to separate concerns as modules, then
         combine the modules via a "module inheritance" technique.  This
         lets you define a generated business object model as a
         "structural" concern, and then combine it with a "behavioral"
         concern.  This is as simple as writing classes that contain only
         what you want to add, and then telling PEAK that your new module
         "inherits" from the generated module.  This is similar to (but
         designed independently from) the "MixJuice" tool for AOP in Java.
   
   
   
   
   
   
    Known Issues and Risks of this Version
   
      This is ALPHA software.  Although much of the system is extensively
      tested by a battery of automated tests, it may contain bugs, especially
      in areas not covered by the test suites.  Also, many system interfaces
      are still subject to change.
   
      PEAK includes early copies of Zope X3's 'ZConfig' and 'persistence'
      packages, which have had - and may continue to have - significant
      implementation changes.  We will be tracking Zope X3 periodically, but
      can't guarantee compatibility with arbitrary (e.g. CVS) versions of
      Zope X3.
   
      Documentation at present is limited, and scattered.  The principal
      documentation is an API reference generated from the code's lengthy
      docstrings (which usually contain motivating examples for using that
      class, method, or function).  The mailing list and its archives
      provide a wealth of information on actual usage scenarios,
      recommended approaches, etc.  There is also the beginnings of a
      tutorial on using the component binding package.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Third-Party Software Included with PEAK   Third-Party Software Included with PEAK
   
        All third-party software included with PEAK are understood by PEAK's
        authors to be distributable under terms comparable to those PEAK is
        offered under.  However, it is up to you to understand any obligations
        those licenses may impose upon you.  For your reference, here are the
        third-party packages and where to find their license terms:
   
      The 'kjbuckets' module is Copyright Aaron Watters and contributors;       The 'kjbuckets' module is Copyright Aaron Watters and contributors;
      please see the 'src/kjbuckets/COPYRIGHT.txt' file for details of its       please see the 'src/kjbuckets/COPYRIGHT.txt' file for details of its
      license.       license.
   
      The 'Interface' package is Copyright Zope Corporation and contributors;       The 'datetime', 'persistence' and 'ZConfig' packages are Copyright Zope
      please see the 'src/Interface/LICENSE.txt' file for details of its       Corporation and contributors; please see the 'LICENSE.txt' files in their
      license.       directories for details of their licenses.
   
        The 'fcgiapp' module is Copyright Digital Creations, LC (now Zope Corp.);
        see the 'fcgiappmodule.c' for details of its license.  In the same
        directory are distributed portions of the FastCGI Development Kit, which
        is Copyright Open Market, Inc.  See the 'LICENSE.TERMS' file in that
        directory for details of its license.
   
  Installation Instructions   Installation Instructions
   
     Please see the INSTALL.txt file.      Please see the INSTALL.txt file.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   


Generate output suitable for use with a patch program
Legend:
Removed from v.551  
changed lines
  Added in v.1275

cvs-admin@eby-sarna.com

Powered by ViewCVS 1.0-dev

ViewCVS and CVS Help