[BREAKING] Renamed 'platforms' to 'integrations'

[s-kostyuk]

This is a proposal of very, very breaking change: renaming of 'platforms' to 'integrations'. And if it's needed to be done, it's better to be done as soon as possible.

Why to do this at all?

From the beginning this application (application this repository is related to) was called the 'dotcat platform' or shortly: 'dpl'. 'dotcat' from the name of team of developers and 'platform' in the meaning of 'some basement for further developments and experiments'.

In v0.1 of reborn adpl application, the same 'platform' word was used to indicate a set of Thing and Connection implementations that was specific to some service / protocol / manufacturer / device family / etc. And, as result, we got a naming collision when the same word has two different meaning:

• a whole application which is a base part of smart hubs or automation platforms;
• a set of protocols and implementations that allows to communicate with other devices or services of different manufactures.

To fix this collision and to remove further confusion, one decision must be made:

• present the whole application not as platform but as a 'hub', 'service' or something in this style;
• or replace a concept of 'platforms' with a concept of 'integrations' with the same meaning but with a different naming.

[s-kostyuk]

Let's perform a small research about how integrations/platforms are named in different automation/hub products:

• In HomeAssistant specific implementation of device abstraction is called 'component' and a group of implementations is called 'platform': https://home-assistant.io/developers/add_new_platform/
• Wink doesn't have any naming for a group of implementations, they are showing specific products instead: https://www.wink.com/products/
• SmartThings also features specific products instead of platforms: https://www.smartthings.com/products
• In Eclipse SmartHome marketplace integrations are called as 'add-ons', 'integrations', 'bindings' or 'transports': differently for each integration (sick!): https://marketplace.eclipse.org/taxonomy/term/4988%2C4396.

How integrations/platforms are named internally in proprietary code of commercial solutions - nobody knows.

[s-kostyuk]

Or maybe call them 'drivers'?

[s-kostyuk]

The final solution:

• concrete implementations of Things and Connections will be called 'bindings' (in analogy to cross-language binding like here);
• 'binding' is declared as a some glue code that allows to communicate with physical devices and other applications;
• 'bindings' are grouped into 'integrations';
• 'integration' is a package of different bindings that are specific to exactly one family of devices, protocol or manufacturer.

[s-kostyuk]

Follow-up commit: 26c7cd035c4