FAQ
From myExperiment
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Workflow Systems are supported?
You can use myExperiment to share workflows for use in any workflow system. We provide extra support (such as metadata handling, service extraction, visualisation, enactment) for particular systems. At this stage we are working foremost with the Taverna Workflow Workbench, we are beginning to provide support for Triana and we have recently started talking with our Kepler colleagues. Please contact us about your favourite workflow system.
Can I execute workflows from myExperiment?
As well as sharing workflows, our goal is that myExperiment will be integrated with remote execution services for supported workflow systems, so that users can run workflows from myExperiment and from other interfaces which use myExperiment functionality. Taverna execution support is currently under test and will be available soon; Triana execution is under development at University of Cardiff. Please contact us about your favourite workflow system. We anticipate that web-based interfaces and functionality mashups will become the predominant interfaces to workflow systems, especially in a multiworkflow environment.
Can I share things other than workflows?
Yes. We can provide support for new "contributable types" (e.g. we are currently developing support for statistical models and for experimental plans used on Electronic Lab Notebooks). Support for sharing collections of things (both inside and outside myExperiment) is provided through the Packs mechanism, which is designed to interoperate with the emerging OAI-ORE standard.
Do you support remote repositories?
We are developing integration with digital repositories so that you can have "virtual content" of any size on myExperiment. We support any remote objects that can be accessed via a URI and we are specifically looking at repositories supporting the OAI harvesting protocol, such as ePrints. We have also conducted feasibility studies with S3. Please contact us about your favourite repository.
Is the API available?
Yes. myExperiment has a simple RESTful API and we encourage you to use it. Documentation is available on http://www.myexperiment.org/mashup/api . Our development team warmly welcomes new API users. See the Developer Pages on this Wiki for more information.
What are you working on at the moment?
The Development team is working on: attachments, Taverna enactment, blogging the lab, Triana support and enactment, Kepler support, remote hosting, OAI-ORE support, interfaces and mashups using SilverLight 2, and new contributable types. See the Developer Pages to find out what others are working on.
Why not use Facebook?
The myExperiment project is producing software that anyone can download and use, and it especially caters for the attribution, licensing and sharing models required by our science users, together with integration with their work and publishing environments. This makes it quite different to Facebook. Some of our developer projects are exploring myExperiment Facebook apps.
Why not use a portal solution?
myExperiment focuses on providing social infrastructure for sharing. It can be used as a "skin" over existing portals, repositories and registries. Equally, portals may make use of myExperiment functionality behind the scenes. One of our design principles is to "bring myExperiment to the user" i.e. to enable myExperiment functionality to be brought through existing interfaces, and we have deliberately aimed the human interfaces that we provide (the website, and Google gadgets) at the next generation of scientists. We hope that myExperiment encourages and informs a debate about portal approaches.
Can I download the myExperiment software?
Yes. myExperiment is Open Source software written in Ruby on Rails, and is available on RubyForge under the BSD Licence. Please let us know if you are installing myExperiment as we can provide advice on installation.
