[development] Moderation bit behavior

[Mark Fredrickson]

On the subject of bits on nodes, I would advocate for the least  
number of hard wired fields as possible. Hardwired data conflicts  
with user configurable systems and makes administration harder and  
more confusing for end users. Instead, I would advocate for  
dynamically added data (from modules) where needed.

In more specific terms, let me argue for removing a large portion of  
the current node object (feel free to disagree):

 From the node table:
nid  - keep
vid  - keep
type  - keep
title  - remove. Titles should be set by node modules (and stored  
where the body and teaser are), not stored in the node table.
uid   - keep
status  - remove. Let a module like workflow control the state of the  
node. Or, don't have a state. Let the admin decide. Node_access is a  
better solution than an all or nothing published state, in my opinion.
created - keep.
changed - keep
comment - remove. Why would I want this data if I don't allow  
comments? Spareness should be avoided if we can help it.
promote - remove. Let's move nodequeue into core and make a default  
"front page" queue. This more extensible.
moderate - remove. As this thread shows, no one is sure exactly what  
moderate should do. Let a moderation system control node moderation.
sticky - remove. Again, let the nodequeue system decide what is first  
in the order.

I would also like to see us move away from body and teaser fields in  
the node_revisions table. If I only use CCK nodes in my site, these  
fields will be useless for every single node I have. If we do move  
towards an "everything is a node" or at least "most things are a  
node" model, the body and teaser fields will seem anachronistic.

Yes, this position does require more joins. I understand there is a  
penalty. I think that penalty is worth the simplicity and can be  
overcome with better caching.

My (inflammatory) $.02,

Mark Fredrickson
E-Advocacy Manager
Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota
1200 Lagoon Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55408
Ph: 612.821.6154
Fax: 612.825.3522
Email: mfredrickson at ppmns.org

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