[wp-trac] Re: [WordPress Trac] #4547: Convert WP from magpie to Simplepie

[WordPress Trac]

#4547: Convert WP from magpie to Simplepie
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 Reporter:  technosailor          |        Owner:  technosailor
     Type:  enhancement           |       Status:  closed      
 Priority:  normal                |    Milestone:              
Component:  General               |      Version:  2.3         
 Severity:  normal                |   Resolution:  wontfix     
 Keywords:  simplepie magpie rss  |  
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Changes (by matt):

  * status:  new => closed
  * type:  task => enhancement
  * resolution:  => wontfix
  * milestone:  2.3 (trunk) =>

Comment:

 Don't forget the WikiFormatting that Trac needs so your points don't run
 together.

 >  1) It's better than Magpie

 Where "better" means different, and parsing more types of feeds. Like all
 new code, I'm sure it has bugs and security problems. It is larger than
 phpmailer, snoopy, IXR, pop3, and KSES '''combined'''. I'm sure it's fine
 code, but that's a lot of bulk for something that (1) generates very
 little complaints or support right now and (2) works for what we need it
 for.

 >  2) It makes it easier for plugin authors to write RSS-consuming plugins

 Plugin authors can and will bundle their own libraries. If the worst thing
 that happens is two RSS-consuming plugins bundle the same library, don't
 do a is_defined type check to see if it's already there, and are loaded at
 the same time, I don't see that as a big deal.

 >  3) It meets the "Code is Poetry" mantra of WP by providing clean and
 simple functions to do all the stuff a library should do. Magpie is just
 fugly.

 There is lots of nice code in the world, we shouldn't include it all. Our
 API functions in front of the library are going to stay the same anyway.

 > 4) Upgrading Simplepie is as clean as dropping an upgraded library into
 class-Simplepie.php. No fuss, no muss, no editing. Matt, why is upgrading
 hard?

 Are you saying you've audited all 300k of that code?

 >  5) Provides WP a future-proofed method of consuming feeds in new and
 different ways not yet in this iteration of WP.

 It's not actually future proof in any sense of the word. Historically feed
 formats have changed several times in the short lifetime of WP, and even
 the interpretation of feed elements have evolved over time.

 >  6) Because feed consumption in a blogging software should not be
 relegated to "second rate" functionality or as additional pieces of flair.
 Feed consumption is _essential_ to blogging and blogging software.

 Repeating yourself doesn't make it more true. If feed consumption was as
 essential as you say, and magpie was as broken as you suppose, then no one
 would use WP. Pick a side.

 Write a great Simplepie plugin, put it in the plugin dir, and we can track
 its usage. If it's popular, that shows a market demand for it and we can
 look at bringing it into core. We're at the point in WP where we need to
 focus on improving the most-used parts, rather than adding a third of a
 megabyte for edge functionality.

-- 
Ticket URL: <http://trac.wordpress.org/ticket/4547#comment:22>
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