questions re the ChainingMetadataProvider type

[Cantor, Scott]

> Since this is dev: It can be implicit in the IdP if you have multiple provider files
> (which I guess is what you are saying) - and _that_ is why the key is needed if
> you have multiple files...

Ah, right.

> For myself I would always specify the key, I had to dive into the documentation
> of Collctions.sort to see that it (currently, remember Java has changed gears
> and is a potentially rapidly changing platform) guarantees stability..  There
> again I also over use parentheses in boolean expressions when I'm writing C...

I'm pretty certain that I was accurate in saying we don't formally specify any sort order without the key even within a single file and an explicit Chaining provider. We obviously have a predictable order, but it's implementation dependent.

-- Scott