asdf-format
Discuss how ASDF should support the ASDF standard
Currently a 'vanilla' install of ASDF will not fully support the standard. We should discuss and decide upon what should be done about this. One option would be to continue to support, within the asdf package, portions of the standard that do not require additional dependencies and provide links to packages that will fully support (or get as close to fully supporting) the standard. We might also consider a installation option, perhaps "full-standard" or something that installs the necessary packages to support the standard. If we go with this option we should re-add a test to verify that the current standard is supported (hopefully in a way that is not difficult to maintain when tag versions/etc are updated).
Initially started as discussion https://github.com/asdf-format/asdf/pull/1474/files#r1148464118
It would be helpful to explicitly list those not covered in the base package and whether this is a transient situation (e.g., we may remove some of these from the standard).
I will confirm this, but I believe looking at the list here: https://asdf-standard.readthedocs.io/en/1.0.3/schemas/index.html The following are unsupported:
- table
- column
- fits
- unit
- defunit
- quantity
- time
I believe these are all covered by asdf-astropy so the guidance for fully supporting the standard might be 'install asdf-astropy'.
Really, the fundamental issue is the python asdf library not duplicating functionality that already exists elsewhere.
I think William convinced me that we probably should remove unit from the standard since there is no universal system of units (e.g., there are a number with conflicting issues). That would implicate quantity as well. Fits is supposed to be removed. I think we probably need to discuss table and column as well. Gee, that doesn't leave much...