ExternalLibraries:
* inconsistent user visible interface
* rather want cosistent interface than new features for now
* current implementation in bash in HDF5 is seen as a starting point,
but all agree that having a language with more robust error control
would be better (perl or python seem viable options)
* all that want to contribute should look at the current bash code to
decide which concepts to use and also if switching languages is the
right thing to do. This should be done by next week's call.