Subject: Capability terminology

From: Graham Klyne <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1998 16:33:25 +0000

All,

Following some terminology confusion at the recent ITU-T T.37 fax meeting,
I have proposed some new terminology in my working version of the fax
feature schema document:

  "capability exchange" describes any transfer of 
  information between communicating systems that is used to 
  indicate system capabilities and hence determine the form 
  of data transferred.

  "capability identification" is a particular form of 
  capability exchange in which a receiving system provides 
  capability information to a sending system.

  "capability description" is a collection of data 
  presented in some specific format that describes the 
  capabilities of some commincating entity.  It may exist 
  separately from any specific capability exchange 
  mechanism.

I think we should determine:
(a) if this terminology is appropriate, and
(b) where the terminology should be explained.

I believe it is clear that we need at least some terminology to distinguish
between capability information, and mechanisms for communicating such
information.

I have placed these in the fax schema document for now as a placeholder, so
they doesn't get lost in a last-minute rush.

#g

------------
Graham Klyne
([email-masked])

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From: Dan Wing <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1998 11:19:22 -0800 (PST)

>   indicate system capabilities and hence determine the form 

"Exchange" is a two-way transaction.  I "exchange" US dollars for
a foreign currency (two-way transaction).  I "exchange" my efforts
at work for my paycheck.  My body "exchanges" oxygen for carbon
dioxide.

There isn't always an "exchange" of capabilities with EIFAX -- the
sender doesn't disclose its capabilities to the recipient.  Instead,
the capability information only flows in one direction:  from the
recipient to the sender.

>   separately from any specific capability exchange 

-Dan Wing

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From: Ted Hardie <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1998 15:49:31 -0800 (PST)

Dan,
	Does Graham's "capability identification" match those
EIFAX uses that "exchange" does not?
			regards,
				Ted Hardie

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From: Dan Wing <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1998 16:14:30 -0800 (PST)

> EIFAX uses that "exchange" does not?

Yes.  "Capability identification" would be fine, I think.

-dan