[wp-hackers] Less than Core, More than Plugins/Themes: Proposing Optional Modules.

[Mike Schinkel]

> All plugins, on Extend at least, are GPL. Knowing this, 
> you can: - fork any plugin to meet your needs 

That presumes there is little value in an existing userbase. IMO the inertia of an existing user base is usually more valuable than the code itself.

> (this includes adopting a plugin that isn't updated anymore). 

Of course that's a good fork.

> If a plugin is really needed by many people, surely one of them will find time to update it.

Build it and they will come?  History is littered with well-meaning failures.

> make a base plugin and use it as an API (all that is needed 
> is the functionality to automatically install it when needed). 
> If it is any good, other plugin authors will use it - why work 
> more?

You make huge assumptions.  

1.) That plugin authors will be willing to invest in using the API if it is not part of the core.
2.) That plugin authors will ever even know about it if it's not part of the core.

I spent 12 years in the Microsoft-centric developer world running a company that sold components to software developers. I've since become a believer in open-source over commercial for software components, but in my prior role I learned how important standard APIs are, and also how ineffective APIs are when there are too many.

For an API to be adopted, it needs to be like The Highlander; there can be only one.

> Basically, optional modules = extensible plugins

Yes. And as you agreed a necessary capability for this is to automatically install dependencies. That could be a first step even if the Optional Module proposal goes nowhere or morphs into something else. Right?

-Mike Schinkel
http://mikeschinkel.com/

----- Original Message -----
From: "scribu" <scribu at gmail.com>
To: wp-hackers at lists.automattic.com
Sent: Tuesday, February 3, 2009 9:53:02 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern
Subject: Re: [wp-hackers] Less than Core, More than Plugins/Themes: Proposing  Optional Modules.

Some more thoughts:

All plugins, on Extend at least, are GPL. Knowing this, you can:
- fork any plugin to meet your needs (this includes adopting a plugin that
isn't updated anymore). If a plugin is really needed by many people, surely
one of them will find time to update it.
- make a base plugin and use it as an API (all that is needed is the
functionality to automatically install it when needed). If it is any good,
other plugin authors will use it - why work more?

Basically, optional modules = extensible plugins

-- 
http://scribu.net
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