doc/docs/C/introduction.xml

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<chapter xmlns="http://docbook.org/ns/docbook" version="5.0" xml:id="introduction-chap" status="review">
  <info><title xml:id="introduction">Introduction</title></info>
    
  <section xml:id="about" status="review"><info><title>About Etch</title></info>
    
    <para>
      Etch is a cross-platform, language- and transport-independent 
      framework for building and consuming network services. The Etch 
      toolset includes a  network service description language, a compiler, 
      and binding libraries for a variety of  programming languages. Etch 
      is also transport-independent, allowing for a variety of  different 
      transports to be used based on need and circumstance. The goal of 
      Etch is to make it  simple to define small, focused services that 
      can be easily accessed,  combined, and deployed in a similar manner. 
      With Etch, service  development and consumption becomes no more 
      difficult than library  development and consumption.
    </para>
    
    <para>
      Etch was started because we wanted to have a way to write a  
      concise, formal description of the message exchange between a client  
      and a server, with that message exchange supporting a hefty set of  requirements:
    </para>

    <para>
      <itemizedlist>
	<listitem>support one-way and two-way, real-time  communication</listitem>
	<listitem>high performance and scalability</listitem>
	<listitem>support clients and servers written in different  languages</listitem>
	<listitem>support clients/servers running in a wide range of  contexts (such as thin web client, embedded device, PC application, or  server)</listitem>
	<listitem>support anyone adding new language bindings and new  transports</listitem>
	<listitem>be fast and small, while still being flexible enough to  satisfy requirements</listitem>
	<listitem>finally, it must be easy to use for developers both  implementing and/or consuming the service.</listitem>
      </itemizedlist>
    </para>
  </section>
  
 <!--
   <sect1 id="typo-conventions" status="review">
     <title>Typographical Conventions</title>
     <para>Section about Typographical Conventions.</para>
   </sect1>

   <sect1 id="about-examples" status="review">
     <title>About Code Examples</title>
     <para>Section about Code Examples.</para>
   </sect1>
 -->
   <section xml:id="contact" status="review"><info><title>Who we are</title></info>
     

     <para>
     Past and present Etch contributors include (in alphabetical order)
       <itemizedlist>
	 <listitem> Rene Barrazza </listitem>
	 <listitem> Seth Call </listitem>
	 <listitem> Scott Comer </listitem>
	 <listitem> James DeCocq </listitem>
	 <listitem> James Dixson </listitem>
	 <listitem> Michael Fitzner </listitem>
	 <listitem> Holger Grandy </listitem>
	 <listitem> J.D. Liau </listitem>
	 <listitem> Youngjin Park </listitem>
       	 <listitem> Gaurav Sandhir </listitem>
       </itemizedlist>
     </para>

     <para>
       You can contact the Etch Community at:
       <itemizedlist>
	 <listitem> Etch User List: etch-user@incubator.apache.org</listitem>
	 <listitem> Etch Development List: etch-dev@incubator.apache.org</listitem>
       </itemizedlist>
     </para>
   </section>

   <section xml:id="support" status="review"><info><title>Etch Support</title></info>
     
     <para>
       The main source of static information about Etch (aside of this  manual) is the project 
       website at <link xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="http://incubator.apache.org/etch">  http://incubator.apache.org/etch</link>.  
     </para>

     <para>
       Do not hesitate to post issues of any kind to the project mailing lists.
       <itemizedlist>
	 <listitem> Etch User List: etch-user@incubator.apache.org</listitem>
	 <listitem> Etch Development List: etch-dev@incubator.apache.org</listitem>
       </itemizedlist>
     </para>

     <para>
      Archives are available at 
       <itemizedlist>
	 <listitem> <link xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="http://mail-archives.apache.org/mod_mbox/incubator-etch-user/"> Etch-User List Archive </link> </listitem>
	 <listitem> <link xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="http://mail-archives.apache.org/mod_mbox/incubator-etch-dev/"> Etch-User List Archive </link> </listitem>
       </itemizedlist>
     </para>

  </section>
</chapter>