[development] 'old' core 6 & new 7, working together..?

[Angela Byron]

On 3-Jan-10, at 4:47 PM, Susan Stewart wrote:

> Ad,
>
> Someone suggests this every time a new version of Drupal comes out  
> -- always someone who, like yourself, is not a programmer and has no  
> idea what such a thing entails.  Get to know Drupal and its code a  
> little better, and read http://drupal.org/node/65922 which explains  
> why we don't cripple Drupal in the name of backwards compatibility,  
> or worse, create some sort of kludgy compatibility layer to hold it  
> down.
>
> If a module has sufficient interest, it will be upgraded quickly to  
> the next version of Drupal.  Anyone can do it with an investment of  
> time and programming skills, or of dollars.  You can visit http://drupal.org/project/modules?solrsort=sort_title%20asc&text=d7cx 
>  to see a list of contrib modules that have promised to have a D7  
> compatible release on the day D7 is released.
>
> I know that for non-programmers and those not familiar with Drupal,  
> this all seems strange, but that first link I gave you is a great  
> explanation of why it is part of the core Drupal philosophy.

Susan gave good resources here.

I think it's a good goal to want to make 6 => 7 transitions easier on  
people. I think backwards-compatibility layers though are the wrong  
way to do it, not to mention impossible in most cases.

The /right/ way to do it is to work on tools that make porting code  
between versions a much easier process. These tools are all  
consolidated in the Coder module: http://drupal.org/project/coder.  
There's a video at http://www.lullabot.com/videocast/porting-drupal-modules 
  which shows converting a 5.x module to 6.x in about 15 minutes using  
Coder module and some basic copy/paste/modify PHP skills. Coder module  
works by having rules defined for each API change and raising warnings  
when it encounters old code. The 7.x version of Coder even comes with  
a new Coder Upgrade module (called Deadwood in 6.x), which will  
attempt to make the changes for you.

Anyone who has the itch of making the 6.x => 7.x transition smoother  
should be hunkering down in the Coder module queue to write up some of  
the changes at http://drupal.org/update/modules/6/7 into rules that  
can then be applied en masse by everyone. Even if you don't consider  
yourself a "real" programmer, but you know enough to be dangerous, you  
could help with this task. It's a great way to get familiar with the  
changes you'll need to know in a few months, well ahead of time, and  
it helps make the transition to the new version easier for everyone.

-Angie

> On 01/03/2010 03:33 PM, Ad wrote:
>>
>> Hello,
>>
>> To my opinion, the imminent release of the 7 core might better be  
>> delayed.
>>
>> Untill today, many mods for 5 and even 4, are not available for the  
>> 6 version.
>>
>> And there are several mods that are neccesary on some websites, so  
>> in some cases one better doesn't migrate to 6 (or even not from 5  
>> in fewer cases).
>>
>> Do I propose waiting untill maybe all the mods are available for 6?
>> No; that would not change anything to the fact, that it will take  
>> many years before almost all interesting mods are programmed for  
>> core 7.
>>
>> What I propose is a bridge, cloud, integration of TWO cores; the 6  
>> and 7 core:
>> Two installations (might be on another server too).
>>
>> Waste of time that better can be used programming core 7 mods...?
>>
>> Maybe, but that bridge_cloud could serve also for 7 to the future  
>> 8, bridging and clouding the same Drupal versions, Mediawiki and  
>> many other programs.
>>
>> Especially when its written like:
>> 1) a very broad multifunctional adapter,
>> 2) with additional the 6 to 7 bridge
>> 3) and many other specific bridges to make for other programs.
>>
>> I'm not a programmer except for a blue monday and not familiar with  
>> internal details of how Drupal works. So there probably are many  
>> hughe problems to resolve to get something like this done.
>>
>> But:
>> 1) a General Bridge-Cloud-Adapter for core 7?
>> 2) then a 6_to_7_Bridge working with GBCA?
>> 3) then other bridges working with GBCA, like Mediawiki, etc.?
>>
>> If this is practically possible, my opinion is that first the core  
>> 7 software should be revised thoroughly to make this core perfect  
>> for such external connections/communications/integration...
>>
>> Related question: Doesn't there exist a uniform protocol how  
>> different programs can integrate? If so; the core better should  
>> already be build according to these characteristics. If not, maybe  
>> some developers can form a broad based group to get such a protocol  
>> into practice?
>>
>> Thanks,
>>
>> Ad
>
>
> -- 
> "We all declare for liberty; but in using the same word we do not  
> all mean the same thing. With some the word liberty may mean for  
> each man to do as he pleases with himself, and the product of his  
> labor; while with others, the same word may mean for some men to do  
> as they please with other men, and the product of other men's labor.  
> Here are two, not only different, but incompatible things, called by  
> the same name - liberty. And it follows that each of the things is,  
> by the respective parties, called by two different and incompatible  
> names - liberty and tyranny."
> --Abraham Lincoln

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