[Pgi-wg] Gridiron, or standardization gone backwards

[David Wallom]

Hello Oxana,

Though I agree in the most parts with your analogy this does seem to be in
one way or another the technologists again not getting what the user
community want. Take for example Structural Biologists, they are
collaborating across continental Europe, UK and US by at the moment having
themselves to devise the translators/metalayers necessary to bridge across
different infrastructures.

We need to move beyond the 'my technical solution is better than yours' and
realise that if we are not careful the user communities will just see that
we are infighting and go their own way (or tell our funders that we are
inefficient and not worth continuing). We must move towards standards and
'give' a little on all sides.

The research community in the UK sees US collaboration as increasingly
important with small amounts of EU collaboration because of funding. If we
are not careful they will go their own way totally and we will not get them
back. To go back to your analogy, If the user community wants to play
gridiron you can shout until you are blue in the face about soccer but they
will ignore you, it isn't suitable for them.

David


On 18/07/2010 01:39, "Oxana Smirnova" <oxana.smirnova at hep.lu.se> wrote:

> Hi all,
> 
> I intended to comment on use cases, but feel like commenting on the very fact
> of their appearance.
> 
> When the PGI founders first met in September 2008 (yes, 2008), they produced a
> very advanced draft, almost a ready-made specification. The only reason they
> could not call it a specification was that they were nobody - that is, OGF did
> not know of them.
> 
> They didn't have to waste time on formalizing use cases and requirements,
> because all these were in their heads.
> 
> In football terms, they played by similar rules, and didn't have to explain to
> each other the gory details. They were driven by the desire to produce common
> rules of the game for themselves, such that they can play in the same league.
> 
> Then OGF kindly adopted the team, but at the cost of putting forward formal
> requirements. No forward movement happened since. First step backwards was to
> trim the specs to a "strawman". Second step backwards was to drop the strawman
> and collect requirements. The third step backwards was to go back to use
> cases. I dread to think what will be the next PGI decision? To create itself?
> 
> In September 2008 we thought that by December same year we'll have the core
> specs. Two years later we are discussing what is the best template for use
> cases and which teleconferencing tool to use. This is, well, unbelievable.
> 
> And Ithink I know the reason.  We try to compare incomparable things.
> 
> Imagine an international football federation that brings together association
> football, American football, rugby, Australian rules football and all such
> things. And imagine this federation introducing common rules. What would this
> rule be? Right, "the game is played on a large field by two teams". Is there
> any practical use of this rule? No, every league will have to keep own
> "extensions".
> 
> Despite often looking brain-damaged, footballers are clever enough not to
> invent common football rules. They realize that the term is overloaded, and
> they manage to disambiguate it.
> 
> Grids brought together by PGI are as different as gridiron is different from
> soccer. Let's face it. They still can be played on the same pitch - meaning,
> they can use same hardware - but attempts to device common
> rules/specifications so far lead nowhere. It is as if gridiron guys would be
> keeping insisting that soccer has to be played with a ball that doesn't even
> look like a ball, and rugby folks would be agreeing, and soccer guys would be
> scratching their heads and meekly saying that their use case is actually to
> kick it with feet, not carry in armpits.
> 
> The analogy is probably not exactly accurate, but I am quite frustrated, as I
> can see no progress whatsoever. Of the original PGI "creators" only three are
> still attending the meetings - Johannes, Aleksandr and myself.
> 
> Any suggestions are welcomed.
> 
> Cheers,
> Oxana
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