Clipboards + Meaning

[David E. Manifold]

On Wed, 10 Dec 1997, Jano John Akim Franke wrote:

> >:[ebiederm]
> >Jano> This understanding should not be hardcoded, instead a form should be
> found
> >Jano> for storing this information that enables similar systems to
> "understand"
> >Jano> the meaning by providing as much information as needed to have a link
> >Jano> between the information stored and the using system.
> >
> >So when you have a type of data you understand.  Say a picture.  You
> >develop an API for manipulating pictures.  For each type of picture
> >you develop a shared library implementing the picture API.  Then when
> >you put the picture in the clipboard you put a pointer to the shared
> >library that implements the picture API in the clipboard also.  Then
> >anyone who can deal with pictures can deal with it.
> 
> 
> But who defines wich API-functions will be used as standard or will you
> allow the user to invoke them? What about automated invocation of these
> functions then?

I believe this is taken care of by "uniform reflection."  Any term can be
abstracted.  But I don't precisely know what this means (see my message
"Abstraction, or Lambda Calculus for Dummies").

David E. Manifold
tril@bespin.ml.org