[xwiki-devs] Component vs Plugin

Hi, I'm just getting started with xwiki development and could use a little guidance. The docs talk about components and 'plugins'. It would appear that 'components' are replacing plugins? For my application I need to have a servlet interface for external access as well as a macro for special rendering within the wiki. Also, the component DevGuide - http://platform.xwiki.org/xwiki/bin/view/DevGuide/WritingComponents says that the dev team is working on a new VelocityBridge technique but the 'plugin' example seems a lot easier. Should I be using the component example or the plugin example? Can someone point me to an example of a 'component' or 'plugin' that might do something similar for learning purposes? Thanks, Glenn