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ADL-AICC / PENS

PENS (Package Exchange Notification Services) Specification

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package format from a TinCan white paper is in use, but is not a spec, per se

mobilemind opened this issue · comments

commented

PENS doesn't support the "TinCan" white paper packaging recommendation from here:
http://scorm.com/wp-content/assets/tincandocs/Incorporating-a-Tin-Can-LRS-into-an-LMS.pdf

However, this "unofficial" package format is in use by at least 3 vendors.

Challenges for PENS include challenges include balancing:

a) potential confusion with current xAPI and cmi5 speciifcations, and

b) utility and benefit of suporting existing files like this that already exist "in the wild."

PROPOSED SOLUTION:

  1. Add a legacy solution with a package-type of tincan-pkg, a package-format of zip and a package-version of 0.9.5. [This to indicate the format was published circa 2012 in the same era as the 0.9.5 TinCan "BAA" specification and well before xAPI/TinCan 1.0.0. Hopefully, this numbering further reduces potential confusion with xAPI 1.x.x or cmi5 1.x.x releases and packaging.]

  2. Indicate the proposed addition above is a deprecated, legacy solution for use by organizations and users who may have existing packages in this format.

  3. Refer to this distinctly as a TinCan format as opposed to a format for either contemporary xAPI or cmi5. [wording t.b.d.]

  4. Also encourage use of cmi5 package format(s) as the preferred package format for contemporary (2016 or later) content publishing

  5. Attempt to secure permissions from whitepaper authors/owners to add the white paper "as is" to the PENS 1.5.x repository as a reference to help with discovery and continuity for future deveelopers who may encounter this "legacy" format.

  6. Consistent with the spirit of item #5, attempt to secure permission to also include in the PENS repo the external files or examples, such as XML, XSD or zip archives for the TinCan whitepaper-described format.

  7. Do not attempt to further standardize or revise the underlying documents [whitepaper, samples etc.], as this is a legacy file format provided for convenience.

commented

Feedback from at least one implementer of this legacy "de facto" spec indicates that the "TinCan" implementations use:

package-type: xapi-pkg
package-format: zip
package-type-version: 1.0

This will supercede the proposal item 1 above for the legacy solution.