On 10/06/2010 10:49 PM, [Ricardo Rodriguez] eBioTIC. wrote:
Thanks.
Alex Busenius wrote:
Yes.
And being this way, we'll have a different xar for each application for each release of XE even though it has not changed. Don't be possible to implement some kind of "compatibility" table within XE? I don't know if I'm asking for something difficult or very difficult. I'm sure it is not easy: in that case, it would be already done!
Yes, some apps that didn't change will be just renamed, but so what? Actually, many well-known large software packages (e.g. KDE) are doing it exactly like this. Besides, a compatibility matrix would work as well with the synchronized versions.
So, be charible with this proposal:
1. Each application will have its own rhythm of release; at least major release. I don't understand why an application that is not evolving as quickly like the core, XE, will have to synchronize its release number with it. Or perhaps it is a so well designed application that don't need the same number of releases. Major release could represent changes in the technology that makes incompatible
Synchronization will make it easier to choose compatible packages. You shouldn't need to think about versions, unless you are an adventurous user and want to mix them, just take the next x.y.* for everything and it will work for sure. Thanks, Alex
2. XE will be in charge of detecting attempts of installing incompatible software. And each application will be in charge of cross-test its compatibility with other software already installed in XE.
3. xwiki.org will maintain that compatibility matrix. And testers must be identify within the XWiki community to make all this cross-testing possible. Perhaps not with all the released XE versions and all application releases, but perhaps the last two of three of them. I think, nothing new, I know, that the update process is too hard for "regular users" or even "regular administrators" and is preventing many users to update its XWiki software more frequently.
I use software from some other Open Source "modular" projects. Perhaps R (from The R Foundation for Statistical Computing), Thunderbird, Firefox and R are the best examples I know of a core and a constellations of modules. The core is in charge of rejecting, or at least warning about, the installation of incompatible software. I don't know the mechanism behind the scene, but if we all depict a great future for XWiki where dozens (at least!) of applications will be developed in its framework, I think that we need such a kind of "automatic" mechanism that, at least, prevents the load of incompatible applications or plugins in a core XE installation.
Thanks!
Ricardo