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Databases and Systems

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262<br />

such issues as printing <strong>and</strong> cutting <strong>and</strong> pasting. For example, one will be able to<br />

select a sequence <strong>and</strong> paste it directly into a word processor document. Or one will<br />

be able to copy sequences from a number of web pages <strong>and</strong> paste them into a<br />

multiple alignment widget.<br />

Finally, we hope to use the same facilities we have defined for inter-widget<br />

communication to enable communication between the widgets <strong>and</strong> a variety of<br />

remote data sources, in a more dynamic fashion. For example, one might highlight a<br />

region of sequence <strong>and</strong> request a BLAST[20] or motif search. The widget would<br />

communicate with a specialized remote server that would perform the requested task<br />

<strong>and</strong> return the results directly to the widget for display <strong>and</strong> possible subsequent<br />

analysis.<br />

Using the widgets in this manner overcomes the main limitation of existing web-<br />

based systems, namely that, for the most part, they have no memory of what a user<br />

has done in the past, beyond what can be encoded in a URL. We also plan to exp<strong>and</strong><br />

the power of the widgets to act as interfaces for composing <strong>and</strong> answering queries on<br />

the data they display, rather than merely acting as browsers. This can be done by<br />

integrating the widgets with the kind of flexible query engine provided by systems<br />

like BioKleisli (see Chapter ??) <strong>and</strong> Multi-Database OPM (see Chapter ??).<br />

Conclusions<br />

The time has come for a component-based revolution in bioinformatics. The<br />

software technology, including the World Wide Web, Java <strong>and</strong> its diverse<br />

facilities, <strong>and</strong> other object-based component architectures such as CORBA will drive<br />

the effort. The growing abundance of data in need of analysis, the commonality of<br />

visualization needs across genomics applications <strong>and</strong> laboratory environments <strong>and</strong><br />

the limits of developer resources will combine to create an intense "market"for GUI<br />

components. The bioWidgets Consortium will fill the necessary role of coordinator<br />

of widget development efforts <strong>and</strong> dispenser of widgets, <strong>and</strong> the bioWidget<br />

architecture will provide the technical backbone that ensures reusability <strong>and</strong><br />

interoperability.<br />

References<br />

1. Goodman, N., Rozen, S., <strong>and</strong> Stein, L. (1995) "The Case for Componentry in<br />

Genome Informatics <strong>Systems</strong>". http://www-<br />

genome. wi.mit.edu/informatics/componentry. html<br />

2. Searls, D.B. (1995) "bioTk: Componentry for Genome Informatics Graphical<br />

User Interfaces" Gene 163(2):GC1-16.<br />

3. Java TM language. http://www.javasoft.com/

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