[Bf-committers] Preliminary Design (render api)

[Aaron Moore]

Campbell,

> get all the objects as one linked list for the render API to access. and
> give the render API access to it (the API wont modify it)

When you say "give the render API access to it" I get that you are
talking about the implementation, otherwise you would have said "give
the _user_ access to it." Are you really talking about giving the user
access to it? In that case disregard the following and I'll need to
write a new response. However, if this is correct:

We have not decided on an interface specification yet. Thus, I can
only assume that you and Ton wish to discuss the implementation before
deciding on the interface or as a way to get to the interface. IMHO
this is very much the wrong approach. Please, let us design interface,
then design implementation. This is an API so the _point_ is the user.
One needs to keep in mind that the interface must be possible to
implement efficiently, and this is all.

So, are you saying that something in my interface is impossible to
implement efficiently? If so, what, and why? If not, can we please
come to a consensus about interface first, and come back to this?

As a last note, I think we only need to approve the interface for the
basic system in order to proceed to implementation and to coding.
Believe me, I really want to start coding as soon as possible, but I
really believe that following an organized design process is the way
to do that best.

Please let me know if I understand you completely wrong.

Also: I am currently rewriting the design on the wiki considering the
discussion here and for completeness. I when I have finished I will
post both that and a code example of how using it would be.

Aaron