�With Chandler, users will be able to organize diverse kinds of information for their own convenience -- not the computer's convenience. Chandler will have a rich ability not only to associate and interconnect items, but also to gather and collect related items in a single place creating a context sensitive "view" of many types of data...� (Taken from OSAF�s Website at: http://www.osafoundation.org/OSAF_Our_Vision.htm)

This is a vision, which I share. But how exactly is this �rich ability � to associate and interconnect items� implemented into Chandler? In many places of the online documentation, it refers to Chandler�s search-capabilities and �relatedness� of relevant documents. I can see it all: the concept of item attributes, configurable schemas and data repository services, networking capabilities, RDF, context- and user-concentric paradigms. I also read about �main focus areas for Canoga� and I like some of the points. But I still cannot find the exact blueprint, where it all comes together.

Maybe I am just to stupid to find the right documents. In this case, I would be happy, if someone would point me to the right place.

I can feel, that there is a high awareness of the topic in the OSAF-vision. I like what Socinian Clarke points out about �Required Labeling of Exchanged Data� at: http://twiki2.osafoundation.org/twiki/bin/view/Jungle/IntendedPurposeLabledInAllExchangedData. Although labeling of data is always the key-issue, I believe the idea of enforced collection of meta-information for documents is completely wrong. In my opinion, if you try to force someone � you loose. An optional categorization (like in Haystack) might also fail in the long run, because the user cannot experience an immediate �pay-back�. The key is, to build something, which collects the desired meta-information and provides an immediate, valuable �pay-back� to the user.

It has to be so cool and valuable, that the users will spontaneously love and immediately use it. There are infinite ideas for cool features out there, but I believe are also some constrains in how much can be done in what time.

OSAF cares a lot to make their development transparent to the outside world. And it makes sense, because the rest of interested world can help a great deal to add rich functionality and cool features. Chandler is designed from the ground up to embrace such collaborative development. Anyone is invited to contribute.

I take this invitation and share some ideas of how a foundation for cool features, which will fulfill and maybe even exceed the expectations of knowledge workers, can be implemented in Chandlers Canoga release with reasonable time and effort. The amount of RDF limits itself to the definition of a simple taxonomy. However, this can only be a first step.

I do not think for a single second, I am more intelligent, than the amazing think tank and expertise behind Chandler. But I worked on this before and if there is an existing gap in the documentation of how vision makes its way to reality, I hope that my thoughts will help to start a process in which the blueprint is detailed. Chandler deserves to be distinguishable in the first place.

-- BernhardGroehl - 28 Dec 2003