Where Are We?
In this article, we've introduced the concept of a component configuration interface (CCI). We've described four important elements of CCI design: structure, lookup, scope, and metadata. We've used these four elements to analyze three specific Java CCIs: JNDI, RMI, and Security. None of these CCIs are particularly compelling. More importantly, they're dissimilar. Absent a standard, developers must learn each new CCI anew. Nonstandard CCIs lead to wasted time and wasted code, and they make configuration-related bugs more likely.
Part 2 suggests solutions by doing the following:
Introducing XML as a configuration option
Examining the weaknesses of current XML CCIs: the Preferences API and J2EE container configuration
Proposing a fresh start with a common CCI architecture for all Java components