read often, write sometimes (loose consistency, mostly no ACIDity)
map bulk retrieval and upload must be efficient
detailed retrieval and modification
platform neutral
RESTfulness (aka elegance)
example: client requests whole map in a particular notation
GET /markup/xml/xpath/ HTTP/1.1 Host: server1.farm.example.org Accepts: application/xtm+xml
HTTP/1.1 200 OK Server: TMIP server v0.3 Content-Type: application/xtm+xml <?xml version="1.0"?> <topicMap.....