Issue 14170: Clarify the meaning of BinaryFile (kdm-rtf)
Source: Benchmark Consulting (Mr. Alain Picard, apicard(at)benchmarkconsulting.com)
Nature: Uncategorized Issue
Severity: 
Summary: The current specification describing the BinaryFile Class file is either incorrect or misleading at best.

 

Since all files are ultimately binary, the BinaryFile Class, it seems, is more defined in terms of exclusion rather than inclusion. Normally we would consider human readable files as text files and non-readable files as binary. This is clearly not the definition used in the KDM context, as we would then have Image and ExecutableFile as extending BinaryFile.

 

So given the fact that BinaryFile first doesn’t follow general conventions, it should then be better defined. As it can probably be interpreted from reading the specification here, a BinaryFile is any file that doesn’t fit in any of the other type of files extending InventoryItem. But that would still leave us with issues of how to represent files that are clearly Text files, but not SourceFile, Configuration or ResourceDescription.


Resolution: deferred to next RTF
Revised Text: 
Actions taken:
July 31, 2009: received issue
Discussion: 

End of Annotations:=====
ubject: KDM Issues
Date: Fri, 31 Jul 2009 13:46:40 -0400
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Thread-topic: KDM Issues
Thread-index: AcoOAXZB7lnGLAToRpOxNLLcXRKDrA==
From: Alain Picard <apicard@benchmarkconsulting.com>
To: issues@omg.org


Hi,

 

Here.s a couple of KDM issues.

 

Issue 1: Clarify the meaning of BinaryFile

 

The current specification describing the BinaryFile Class file is either incorrect or misleading at best.

 

Since all files are ultimately binary, the BinaryFile Class, it seems, is more defined in terms of exclusion rather than inclusion. Normally we would consider human readable files as text files and non-readable files as binary. This is clearly not the definition used in the KDM context, as we would then have Image and ExecutableFile as extending BinaryFile.

 

So given the fact that BinaryFile first doesn.t follow general conventions, it should then be better defined. As it can probably be interpreted from reading the specification here, a BinaryFile is any file that doesn.t fit in any of the other type of files extending InventoryItem. But that would still leave us with issues of how to represent files that are clearly Text files, but not SourceFile, Configuration or ResourceDescription.