[buddypress-trac] [BuddyPress Trac] #8148: Adapt BuddyPress settings to allow Admins to easily install features as a plugin (was: A new direction regarding optional components management)

[buddypress-trac]

#8148: Adapt BuddyPress settings to allow Admins to easily install features as a
plugin
----------------------------+---------------------
 Reporter:  imath           |       Owner:  (none)
     Type:  enhancement     |      Status:  new
 Priority:  normal          |   Milestone:  10.0.0
Component:  Administration  |     Version:
 Severity:  normal          |  Resolution:
 Keywords:  needs-refresh   |
----------------------------+---------------------
Changes (by imath):

 * component:  Core => Administration


Old description:

> In short: I’m suggesting to progressively migrate optional components as
> BuddyPress plugins, starting by making the BP Attachments component (I’m
> working on for 6.0.0) a plugin.
>
> Why?
>

> 1. BuddyPress is becoming a really huge plugin (zip is 3 MO which
> represent 1/4 of WordPress size), making us hesitant about adding new
> components.
> 2. Only keeping the Core + Members components in BuddyPress can open new
> opportunities for hesitant users who only need to organize users on the
> front-end (or to build on top of a lightweight BuddyPress).
> 3. We could welcome new components & contributors to improve BuddyPress
> popularity. Being listed into the “BuddyPress” Plugins sub directory
> could be very interesting for developers.
> 4. Components could evolved at a different rhythm than core and be
> updated as soon as they need to be.
> 5. Users would have a real and wider choice for their community site:
> they could trust “BuddyPress supported components” packaged as plugins.
> 6. We have a strength: the WordPress Plugins Directory API, making it
> very easy to install new components, we just need to list the ones we
> support to ease their discoverability. (Some alternative paid softwares
> do not have this advantage).
> 7. It seems the natural evolution of Components when we look at the
> Components management screen which look like the Plugins management
> screen.
> 8. With the “space economy” we could include new tools like an API to
> handle huge upgrades which would be very interesting for any plugins.
>
> How ?
>
> - A simple JSON file hosted into the assets directory of our WP
> repository
> ([https://gist.github.com/imath/5442cfa3799ee116b7cb03d3c3635b58 like
> this one]) would be enough to build the BuddyPress Components directory.
> - The BuddyPress Components directory replaces the “retired” view of our
> Components Management screen.
> - A simplified installation/activation process so that it’s not taking
> too long for users to add new components to their community site.
> - The attached patch can give you a better idea of how it could look
> like. Below is a link to a video demonstration of it.
>
> https://vimeo.com/367830458
>
> Possible steps
>
> - 6.0.0: no more new components into Core. BP Attachments is the first
> Component as a plugin. It's easily installable from the BuddyPress
> Components directory.
> - 7.0.0: the Site Tracking and Private Message components migrate as
> plugin,
> - 8.0.0: the Friends and Account Settings components migrate as plugins.
> - 9.0.0: the Notifications and Groups components migrate as plugins.
> - 10.0.0: the Activity component migrates as a plugin.
>
> Let’s talk about it!

New description:

 In 10.0.0 we'll explore 2 new features as a plugin:

 - BP Rewrites : to test using the WP Rewrite API to replace our legacy URL
 parser
 - BP Attachments : to test a new User Media component, making sure to let
 users choose to install it or not as there are already a lot of Media
 Components available for BuddyPress.

 These 2 plugins will be hosted on WordPress.org Plugin directory when
 ready and the BuddyPress settings adaptations goal is to give
 administrator a shortcut to install these plugins without having to Use
 the Add Plugins WordPress screen to search, install and activate them.

 ----

 Previous summary: A new direction regarding optional components management

 Previous description:

 In short: I’m suggesting to progressively migrate optional components as
 BuddyPress plugins, starting by making the BP Attachments component (I’m
 working on for 6.0.0) a plugin.

 Why?


 1. BuddyPress is becoming a really huge plugin (zip is 3 MO which
 represent 1/4 of WordPress size), making us hesitant about adding new
 components.
 2. Only keeping the Core + Members components in BuddyPress can open new
 opportunities for hesitant users who only need to organize users on the
 front-end (or to build on top of a lightweight BuddyPress).
 3. We could welcome new components & contributors to improve BuddyPress
 popularity. Being listed into the “BuddyPress” Plugins sub directory could
 be very interesting for developers.
 4. Components could evolved at a different rhythm than core and be updated
 as soon as they need to be.
 5. Users would have a real and wider choice for their community site: they
 could trust “BuddyPress supported components” packaged as plugins.
 6. We have a strength: the WordPress Plugins Directory API, making it very
 easy to install new components, we just need to list the ones we support
 to ease their discoverability. (Some alternative paid softwares do not
 have this advantage).
 7. It seems the natural evolution of Components when we look at the
 Components management screen which look like the Plugins management
 screen.
 8. With the “space economy” we could include new tools like an API to
 handle huge upgrades which would be very interesting for any plugins.

 How ?

 - A simple JSON file hosted into the assets directory of our WP repository
 ([https://gist.github.com/imath/5442cfa3799ee116b7cb03d3c3635b58 like this
 one]) would be enough to build the BuddyPress Components directory.
 - The BuddyPress Components directory replaces the “retired” view of our
 Components Management screen.
 - A simplified installation/activation process so that it’s not taking too
 long for users to add new components to their community site.
 - The attached patch can give you a better idea of how it could look like.
 Below is a link to a video demonstration of it.

 https://vimeo.com/367830458

 Possible steps

 - 6.0.0: no more new components into Core. BP Attachments is the first
 Component as a plugin. It's easily installable from the BuddyPress
 Components directory.
 - 7.0.0: the Site Tracking and Private Message components migrate as
 plugin,
 - 8.0.0: the Friends and Account Settings components migrate as plugins.
 - 9.0.0: the Notifications and Groups components migrate as plugins.
 - 10.0.0: the Activity component migrates as a plugin.

 Let’s talk about it!

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Ticket URL: <https://buddypress.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/8148#comment:12>
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