Drupal without modifications (Re: [development] Extend database abstraction layer, to include table creation.)

[Gary (Lists)]

"Gary (Lists)" wrote:

> There currently is no way to use Drupal without modifying code.  Period.

schreef Earl Miles:

>> This is patently untrue. Only my very first Drupal implementation has
>> modifications to core code, and I later learned how to do those things I
>> wanted without core code.

"Bèr Kessels" wrote:

> I just did a very quick CVS diff over my 21 sites multisite installation:
> Core is omdified, but only because of security reasons (I dont want PHP eval
> stuff).
> But 17 of the 21 sites contain one or more modified modules.
> 6 of the 21 contain modules that I wrote specially for them
> 15 of 21 contain newly built or modified themes.
> 
> Conclusion: I am NOT able to deploy a Drupal site without touching PHP or
> hacking up the system.


I believe that you make my point very well.  These numbers are useful.

And my point is not to be taken as "just a complaint", for it is not.  It's
a real barrier, most especially, to keeping things up to date and
implementing new features as they become recommended.

> I think we should recognise (a lot of devels already do that) that Drupal is
> not just a Ready To Run system, but a developers platform.

And this is the most important distinction that could be made.

This could really stand to be addressed, even from those loudly advocating a
"Who Cares" attitude on this list.

Those folks (or that folk) really makes his own point:  If you don't want
people messing about in the code, then make the system useful to those who
would rather not, anyway.

The best way to increase the slope of the adoption and retention curve (for
any product, actually) is to make the barrier to entry very low and to
provide incentive to retain.

Open source does not need to mean "must open source".
--
Gary