> < ^ Date: Fri, 28 Feb 1997 09:25:44 +0000
> < ^ From: Steve Linton <sal@dcs.st-and.ac.uk >
^ Subject: Databases

The recent announcements of libraries of presentations and the proposal (which
I applaud) prompts me to mention on the forum something that I and others have
been thinking about for a while now, which is the question of a more
integrated framework for the various types of data about known groups (and
other structures) that is available in GAP.

Doing this properly is a big project, and will take some years, at least.
Furthermore, it is essential to get the high-level design of such a database
right from the beginning, so that essential flexibility is not lost.

So why am I telling you about this now, I hear you ask. I raise the subject
now because I would be interested to hear what people might like to see in
such a database in the future, and to receive any suggestions on how it might
be organised, or on traps that we must avoid falling into. I make absolutely
no promises to actually provide what people ask for, or indeed anything at
all, but I will read the suggestions.

Steve


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