[gmpi] Re: Topic 3: Cross Platform
- From: "Ben Loftis" <ben@xxxxxxx>
- To: gmpi@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 06 Mar 2003 09:42:47 CST
> 4. What programming languages are to be supported?
>
> Standard C (which supports C++ by extension), with very clearly specified
> calling conventions (cdecl vs. stdcall).
It seems that this topic has degenerated into a discussion of how to
_instantiate_ plugins in a cross-platform way, rather than how to talk to them.
I think each platform (HW+OS+Host) will probably require a recompilation of a
given plugin, and that is acceptable.
Instead I think we should talk about a cross-platform "control" API.
Why not follow the precedent set by the MIDI standard? (Particularly since
this will be an MMA undertaking? :) ) For all of its faults, the MIDI standard
is one of the most succesful specifications in the history of digital
electronics. Why not define GMPI as a "byte stream" API similar to MIDI? The
MIDI spec has demonstrated that a byte stream can be transmitted effectively
over a physical wire or between software apps on the same host equally well.
So to define a cross-platform byte stream spec, what should we discuss?
Byte order (endian-ness)
Packetizing
Publishing of plugins to the host (add a firewire plugin, and it announces "I'm
here! Use me!")
Addressing a packet to a given plugin on the local OR remote host
Time stamping
Definition of / querying for GMPI "optional" features
Querying for "extended" (vendor-specific) features
Of course, there will be many ways to "wrap" a byte stream into a more
user-friendly API. But from a host-to-plugin standpoint, there are
conceptually only 2 functions: read() and write()
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