[development] One core, many distributions

[Andre Molnar]

Adrian Rossouw wrote:
> I agree, but I believe that pathauto like functionality should be  part 
> of our default install, and we should emphasise it.
> It's one of our more powerful features, and the improvements in  
> usabilty and browsability are amazing.
> Plus google loves you much much much more.

Okay - people have lost their minds (sorry don't mean to single you out 
here Adrian - especially considering your comments later on in this 
thread - and all the work that you do, but this comment just floored me 
enough to end months of silence).

What floored me is the irony that the topic should come up in a thread 
about creating a leaner core that can support multiple distributions.

Path auto is the epitome of a contributed module.  It serves a purpose 
that many people may find useful, but is NOT REQUIRED and does not serve 
a CORE purpose.

(Core module = module absolutely required to make the 
software/development environment work.)

I've more or less given up trying to define what Drupal is.  Its a lot 
of things to a lot of different people.  (I'm finally coming around to 
thinking of it as two distinct things: 1) a rapid software development 
platform 2) a Drupal Branded CMS that uses has the rapid software 
development platform at its core).  But I can define what Civicspace is 
- I can define what DrupalArt is - I can define what Drupal Blog is - I 
can define what DrupalEd is etc.  And I know that Drupal is at the CORE 
of all of them.

So I'm in full agreement with Jose's idea of 'one core to serve them 
all'.  If something doesn't 'serve them all' it has no place in core.

Take this idea to its logical conclusion and Forum.module should be 
dropped from core.

"HERESY!!!," the masses rise up and shout.  "That's where drupal all 
began. BURN THE HERETIC."

Fine - light your torches - but when your done and Drupal 5.0 comes out 
with a full installer that starts with a lean core and adds only 
whatever users need and/or want - you'll realize that your already on 
the same page.

andre

p.s. As for multiple contributed modules that do more or less the same 
thing.  If people don't want to work together it doesn't matter. 
Natural selection will take place.  Competition is good.  The module 
that adapts the quickest to the needs of the community will become the 
defacto standard - until a new competitor comes along.

Why did someone write Drupal when there was another forum tool available 
at the time?  Why do people improve Drupal when they could be working on 
phpNuke ;-)?  The multiple contrib module issue is a non-issue.