done and done. wow, way easier.

franz/Telefranz.cs

@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ namespace franz
 {
     public class Telefranz
     {
-        static class _TelefranzConsumers<T> where T : silver_messages.message, new() {
+        static class _TelefranzConsumers<T> where T : silver_messages.message {
             internal static readonly Dictionary<Action<T>, Action<KafkaRecord<string, string>>> wrappings 
                 = new Dictionary<Action<T>, Action<KafkaRecord<string, string>>>();
         }
@@ -78,11 +78,10 @@ namespace franz
             });
         }
 
-        public void addHandler<T>(Action<T> theAction) where T : silver_messages.message, new()
+        public void addHandler<T>(Action<T> theAction) where T : silver_messages.message
         {
-            var dummy = new T();
-            Console.WriteLine($"created dummy, it reports as {dummy}. typeof(T) reports as {typeof(T)}. Topic is {dummy.topic}");
-            var topic = dummy.topic;
+            Console.WriteLine($"typeof(T) reports as {typeof(T)}.");
+            var topic = typeof(T).ToString();
             
             Action<KafkaRecord<string, string>> wrapped = (kr) =>
             {
@@ -99,7 +98,7 @@ namespace franz
                     Console.WriteLine("message didn't deserialize for this handler");
                 }
             };
-            if(!topicConsumers.ContainsKey(topic)){
+            if(!topicConsumers.ContainsKey(typeof(T).ToString())){
                 Console.WriteLine($"making consumer for {handling_group}, topic {topic}");
                 topicConsumers[topic] = new KafkaConsumer<string, string>(topic, clusterClient);
                 topicConsumers[topic].ConsumeFromLatest();
@@ -109,22 +108,21 @@ namespace franz
             _TelefranzConsumers<T>.wrappings[theAction] = wrapped;
             topicSubscribers[topic]++;
         }
-        public void removeHandler<T>(Action<T> theAction) where T : silver_messages.message, new()
+        public void removeHandler<T>(Action<T> theAction) where T : silver_messages.message
         {
-            var dummy = new T();
-            topicConsumers[dummy.topic].MessageReceived -= _TelefranzConsumers<T>.wrappings[theAction];
+            topicConsumers[typeof(T).ToString()].MessageReceived -= _TelefranzConsumers<T>.wrappings[theAction];
             _TelefranzConsumers<T>.wrappings.Remove(theAction);
-            topicSubscribers[dummy.topic]--;
-            if(topicSubscribers[dummy.topic] == 0)
+            topicSubscribers[typeof(T).ToString()]--;
+            if(topicSubscribers[typeof(T).ToString()] == 0)
             {
-                topicConsumers[dummy.topic].StopConsume();
+                topicConsumers[typeof(T).ToString()].StopConsume();
             }
         }
 
         public void ProduceMessage<T>(T message) where T : silver_messages.message
         {
             Console.WriteLine($"producing message {message}");
-            clusterClient.Produce(message.topic, message.ToString());
+            clusterClient.Produce(typeof(T).ToString(), message.ToString());
         }
     }
 }

franz/silver_messages/directorial/check_complete.cs

@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ using silver_messages;
 
 namespace silver_messages.directorial
 {
-    public class check_complete : message_directorial
+    public class check_complete : silver_messages.message
     {
         public string check { get; set; }
         public string result { get; set; }

franz/silver_messages/directorial/command_completed.cs

@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ using silver_messages;
 
 namespace silver_messages.directorial
 {
-    public class command_completed : message_directorial
+    public class command_completed : silver_messages.message
     {
         //name of the command that was called
         public string command { get; set; }

franz/silver_messages/directorial/command_error.cs

@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ using System.Collections.Generic;
 using silver_messages;
 namespace silver_messages.directorial
 {
-    public class command_error : message_directorial
+    public class command_error : silver_messages.message
     {
         //name of the command that was called
         public string command { get; set; }

franz/silver_messages/directorial/command_expired.cs

@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ using System.Collections.Generic;
 using silver_messages;
 namespace silver_messages.directorial
 {
-    public class command_expired : message_directorial
+    public class command_expired : silver_messages.message
     {
         //name of the command that was called
         public string command { get; set; }

franz/silver_messages/directorial/command_output.cs

@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ using System.Collections.Generic;
 using silver_messages;
 namespace silver_messages.directorial
 {
-    public class command_output : message_directorial
+    public class command_output : silver_messages.message
     {
         //name of the command that was called
         public string command { get; set; }

franz/silver_messages/directorial/execute_check.cs

@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ namespace silver_messages.directorial
     /*
      * run it and send a check_complete
      */
-    public class execute_check : message_directorial
+    public class execute_check : silver_messages.message
     {
         public string check { get; set; }
         public List<string> args { get; set; } = new List<string>();

franz/silver_messages/directorial/execute_command.cs

@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ namespace silver_messages.directorial
      * command_error as you get them, and if it ends some other way, send command_completed
      * with empty stdout and stderr.
      */
-    public class execute_command : message_directorial
+    public class execute_command : silver_messages.message
     {
         public string command { get; set; }
         public List<string> args { get; set; } = new List<string>();

franz/silver_messages/directorial/message_directorial.cs

@@ -1,7 +0,0 @@
-namespace silver_messages
-{
-    public abstract class message_directorial : silver_messages.message
-    {
-        public override string topic => "silver_messages_directorial";
-    }
-}

franz/silver_messages/global/message_global.cs

@@ -1,7 +0,0 @@
-namespace silver_messages
-{
-    public class message_global : silver_messages.message
-    {
-        public override string topic => "silver_messages_global";
-    }
-}

franz/silver_messages/global/report.cs

@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ using System;
 using System.Collections.Generic;
 namespace silver_messages.global
 {
-    public class report : message_global
+    public class report : silver_messages.message
     {
         //your name
         public string name { get; set; }

franz/silver_messages/global/restart.cs

@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ using silver_messages;
 
 namespace silver_messages.global
 {
-    public class restart : message_global
+    public class restart : silver_messages.message
     {
         //check if this is you (i.e., your handling group). If so, restart. Yourself, not the hardware.
         public string name { get; set; }

franz/silver_messages/global/sound_off.cs

@@ -5,6 +5,6 @@ using silver_messages;
 namespace silver_messages.global
 {
     //if you receive this, respond with a report
-    public class sound_off : message_global { }
+    public class sound_off : silver_messages.message { }
 }
 

franz/silver_messages/global/stop.cs

@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ using silver_messages;
 
 namespace silver_messages.global
 {
-    public class stop : message_global
+    public class stop : silver_messages.message
     {
         //check if this is you (i.e., your handling group). If so, stop. Yourself, not the hardware.
         public string name { get; set; }

franz/silver_messages/message.cs

@@ -9,9 +9,6 @@ namespace silver_messages
     public abstract class message : IMemorySerializable
     {
         public string type { get { return this.GetType().ToString(); } }
-        public abstract string topic { get; }
-
-
         
         public override string ToString()
         {

franz/silver_messages/youtube/message_yt.cs

@@ -1,7 +0,0 @@
-namespace silver_messages
-{
-    public abstract class message_yt : silver_messages.message
-    {
-        public override string topic => "silver_messages_youtube";
-    }
-}

franz/silver_messages/youtube/metadata_needed.cs

@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ namespace silver_messages.youtube
      *  for all the scheduled, not-yet released videos, what required metadata
      *  do they need
      */
-    public class metadata_needed : message_yt 
+    public class metadata_needed : silver_messages.message 
     {
         //key is a yt id
         public Dictionary<string, yt_metadata> needed{get;set;} = new Dictionary<string, yt_metadata>();

franz/silver_messages/youtube/request_metadata_needed.cs

@@ -8,5 +8,5 @@ namespace silver_messages.youtube
      * check all the scheduled, not-yet released videos for required metadata. 
      * respond with a metadata_needed - empty if none.
     */
-    public class request_metadata_needed : message_yt { }
+    public class request_metadata_needed : silver_messages.message { }
 }

franz/silver_messages/youtube/update_metadata.cs

@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ namespace silver_messages.youtube
     /*
      * someone will send as much metadata as they have - set non-null fields to the provided values
     */
-    public class update_metadata : message_yt
+    public class update_metadata : silver_messages.message
     {
         public string yt_id { get; set; }
         public yt_metadata metadata { get; set; }

franz/silver_messages/youtube/upload.cs

@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ namespace silver_messages.youtube
     /** if you receive this, start the upload (of filename with metadata)
      *  and then respond with an upload_started
      */
-    public class upload : message_yt
+    public class upload : silver_messages.message
     {
         public string filename { get; set; }
         public yt_metadata metadata { get; set; }

franz/silver_messages/youtube/upload_started.cs

@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ using System.IO;
 using silver_messages;
 namespace silver_messages.youtube
 {
-    public class upload_started : message_yt
+    public class upload_started : silver_messages.message
     {
         public string filename { get; set; }
         public string yt_id { get; set; }