VisionStatement

(Note that the following document is a statement of intent, not a cataloging of the current state of the TransWarp implementation. It will likely be some time before everything described here exists.)

The Vision

TransWarp is a general purpose Aspect-Oriented Programming, Generative Programming, and CASE toolkit for Python. Its goals are to make developing applications as simple as 1-2-3:

1. Draw UML diagrams in the XMI-compatible tool of your choice.
2. Write domain-specific logic, as needed.
3. Plug in off-the-shelf (but customizable) "horizontal frameworks" such as UI, data storage, testing code, security management, etc.

The Software

Frameworks to be Included:

• MOF-like and XMI-compatible metadata management
• Tools for the "CORE+" object-relational mapping patterns
  • DDL generation for Sybase, PostgreSQL, Firebird, Oracle, ...? (contributed drivers accepted)
• Web-based and other UI environment libraries (e.g. wxPython GUI)
• Aspect libraries for doing testing, debugging, logging, documentation generation, synchronization, etc.
• "Feature Definition" libraries for operations such as wrapping or chaining methods, combining sequences, etc.
• Other generally applicable "horizontal" frameworks (i.e. based on areas of concern, not on subject matter/application domain) as contributed

Not to be Included:

• Vertical frameworks, domain models, or service delivery platforms

Compatibility/Installation Requirements

• Target platform: Python 1.5.2 with XML-SIG and Disutils libraries (retarget for 2.1 in near future)
• No C extensions required for core AOP library, but ExtensionClasses required for almost everything else.

Documentation

• Architecture Documents
  • Online UML models for all included software
    • Static class diagrams
    • Interaction diagrams for any complex bits
    • Use cases, as needed
  • Functional/Acceptance tests for all subsystems
  • Engineering Standards documentation
• End-User Documents
  • An AOP introduction/tutorial
  • "How to" guides for each major feature set
  • Module reference documents (autogen from docstrings)

Licensing

BSD-style, minus any advertising or credit requirements. No warranty.

Availability

Initially through publication on Zope.org. Later, add anonymous CVS, web-viewable CVS, FTP, etc. through SourceForge or other.