Ceryle Blog

Ceryle API Posted

The first public posting of the Ceryle API is now available. it should be noted that the current API (auto-generated Javadocs) includes a number of classes that will not make it into the released version, i.e., there's a fair amount of experimentation included, unmarked. At a grander scale, I'm currently looking into swapping out the Xindice 1.0 database for Ozone. Bite the bullet now, or in six months? Dunno. Anyway, if anyone gets the idea that things are currently stable, they are wrong. I reserve the right to change everything.

Woof. Where am I? I'd been using the latest CVS version of Kal Ahmed's Topic Map engine TM4J, which is heading for version 0.9.0. Kal got a bit ahead of me and made some substantial API changes. Rather than try to keep up with him as I attempt to deliver an alpha release (needing now stability, not the latest version), I had to backtrack to the last point release, 0.8.2. Turns out that 0.8.2 doesn't have any of the features I'd added into the code base, such as grabbing topic display names, using the XTM PSIs rather than the pre-XTM ones, etc. To make a long story short, I've modified 0.8.2 and Kal's agreed to post an interim version, 0.8.3, that will essentially be the version used with Ceryle's alpha release.

I'm not happy with the stability of Xindice 1.0 and am looking into switching to Ozone. Not that I look forward to that kind of change at this late date, but it does support XML, has an acceptable license, and is very stable. Xindice 1.1 is not looking like it'll necessarily be stable given that it's a substantial rewrite. I can barely afford to wait for Xindice 1.1, much less 1.2.

Apart from that, I've gradually been building up the remaining features needed for a release, including the project-related features mentioned previously. This includes the ability to connect documents with graph nodes, and create classifications (though the alpha version won't be completely functional in this regard). I'm currently planning on an alpha release during the first two weeks of November...