[development] One core, many distributions

[Jose A. Reyero]

Adrian Rossouw wrote:

>
> The install system makes provisions for this.
>
> You can create virtual packages, which have no actual modules / code 
> of their
> own except for depending on other packages and having some configuration
> and possibly an installation wizard.
>
That's great!

> When I said that the forms api is a key component of the install 
> system, I wasn't joking.
>
> The new form api (only in 4.8 though. the 4.7 forms api is only phase 
> one)
> will allow us to record macros, (ie: record all the forms you fill 
> in), and create install profiles
> programmatically. It will also be possible to auto-create 
> configuration wizards from
> these recorded macros, as wizards are just macros that have 
> configurable values.
>
You're scaring me a little bit ;-)

> I have a feeling we might even be able to clear up some of our menu  mess.
>
> >> Just as an example -and I have nothing against forum module: At some
> >> point, we are duplicating the taxonomy interface to handle a forum
> >> specific vocabulary. Then, this causes some bug -like this one, again
> >> just an example: http://drupal.org/node/24274 -, and then we have a
> >> *core bug*, module specific, but as it is a core module,  this
> one   has
> >> the same importance -in the bug tracking system- as any other critical
> >> bug -like a basic API not working properly.
>
> I would like to see the relationship API take over forum, taxonomy 
> and book.
> So we have one system instead of all these disparate implementations 
> of the same thing.
>
> The same with the aggregator module which implements it's own node 
> system,
> and taxonomy.
>
> The same with the project module which implements it's own comment  system
> and taxonomy system.
>
> Whenever we need to implement something like this, it means our core 
> system isn't
> flexible enough.

Well, I think our core system is flexible enough -because all that
implementations don't need to patch the basic taxonomy system.
Only that our core system 'is not user friendly enough' but it shouldn't
have to be that anyway. It's the whole thing of 'Flexibility/options' vs
'usability for end users'

>
> And you have it wrong.
>
> The Drupal mantra is 'we should write an API for that'
>
Ok,  we should write an API for having one smaller core and may
distributions :-)

>
>
> >> But, anyway, that's an old idea. Just look at Linux.... Could you
> >> install 'Linux' --properly understood as the core OS- and pretend you
> >> have a nice OS ready to play with your computer?
>
>
> I'd love to see core only be a handful of modules, but I really don't 
> see it being an option before
> the install system is finished. Once 4.7 is out, I'm going to be 
> putting together the DEP's for the
> rest of the install system, so we can discuss them (I actually have 
> started writing my first DEP, it's
> just kind of hard since I don't have a format to follow, I am just 
> playing it all by ear.)
>
Well, me too. I want to see Drupal 4.7 out. I din't mean changing
anything now, but start thinking about it before it grows more and more.
What worries me is that, at the end, we may have that install system
with a lot of profiles in core too, so it will grow bigger after all :-(

I have some DEP in mind too, but I'll wait to see your DEP first.
Btw, did you know that 'DEP' is Spanish for 'RIP',  --Anyway I'm not
superstitious and see a good future por DEPs ;-)

>
>
> --
> Adrian Rossouw
> Drupal developer and Bryght Guy
> http://drupal.org | http://bryght.com
>
>