

\Chapter{Concept}

QaoS serves as gateway within GAP to the QaoS databases of Algebraic Objects
in Berlin.  The database frontend is able to output internal data in a
GAP-conform format.  This GAP package both triggers the database and retrieves
the data.  Beyond that, it is also able to retransform received information into
GAP objects which then could be used in the `normal way'.

QaoS itself is a backend/frontend combination of an SQL database which is
designed to grant public anonymous access via HTTP for reading operations, and
restricted access via HTTP and TCP/IP for writing operations.

The package functionality is partly driven by external utilities.  At the moment
we support cURL only.  cURL is used for network communication, HTTP GET and POST
requests and reading results from the network socket, while the GAP part is used
for content dependent operations.

Data for Transitive Groups has been taken from the current GAP distribution.  We
like to thank Alexander Hulpke for his permission to offer transitive group data
in our databases.

\beginlist
\item{--}
Alexander Hulpke,
Constructing Transitive Permutation Groups;
J. Symb. Comp. 39 (2005), 1-30.
\endlist




