Core Programming Direction (Project)

Directory and summary page for Codev discussions related to the development of the core TWiki code base: modularization, Plugin API, native language, system requirements, use of third-party add-ons, workflow - basically, a collection of dev philosophy/policy considerations (at best, extra perspective for Peter, though he's obviously on top of all this)

• (a separate ModularizationProject? is proposed for dev issues, once there's a jump forward in TWikiOO)

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Codebase: Style

On the code design, critiques of the the codebase are started in Codev from time to time, but none finished to date. There is general agreement with and movement toward an increasingly modular architecture, with Object Oriented TWiki aw the ultimate evolution in that direction.

Quality: Efficiency & Style

Developer input here definitely required.

Modularization

• TWikiOO - the object oriented revision of TWiki, still in Perl?
• HowShouldTWikiBeModularized

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Perl: Is it right?

Is Perl the best development language for TWiki? There are WikiClones for just about every other possibility. As a Web-based application, though, Perl has been the overwhelming choice from the beginning (challenged only now by PHP). Technically, there seems to be no compelling reason why Perl can't power a TWiki installation of any size and complexity. At the extreme, this would depends on the quality of the code, and what path to performance improvement is taken - tight integration with the Apache Web server, for example.

Perl Points

• Overall Perl performance apparently improves steadily, and complex, high traffic sites like the Internet Movie Database and Slashdot, with a live database handling 40,000 comments at any one time, seem to do fine with Perl.

• Corporate acceptance - buy-in - may be affected by Perl in TWiki's primary target of high-end corporate intranets (see: TWikiMission) - Perl may not be considered a "real" programming language: performance, security, and support issues may come up. __Is this a significant factor?

• [re: go Java] Agreed - don't do it. Perl stinks as a team development language (personal opinion) but it's still the most approriate vehicle for TWiki. ... TWiki is a server-side application, and the language used on the client side is irrelevant. ... Client side applications can and have been successfully written in Java to interact with TWiki - e.g. TWikiDraw? -- CrawfordCurrie - 01 Jun 2001 : ImplementationLanguageChoice

• As far as I can see, there is zero chance of switching TWiki development to some language other than Perl - this comes up occasionally, but it's just a distraction as there would be an enormous effort to re-write the 13,000 plus lines of carefully evolved and debugged Perl code (not even counting plugins) in some other language. TWiki is doing just fine in terms of corporate acceptance, technology, etc, using Perl - if anyone wants to use another language they should just join one of the many Wiki projects that use other languages (see Wiki:WikiEngines). This discussion should be moved outside CodeBaseProject. -- RichardDonkin - 18 May 2002

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Cross-platform

Windows skewed because of corporate target? Scripted Web-based applications usually developed either for *Nix/Apache - and theoretically compatible with Win - or developed using Windows tools. Compiled applications ported.

• Why such a hard time with TWiki and Windows...

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Current issues & proposals

The Non-Technical Developer

A new class...

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Open Source issues

Stuff kept internal... Compared to other OSS products related by collaboration or Wiki...

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Development Roadmap

Is there one?

-- MikeMannix - 17 May 2002

Of sorts: TWikiRoadMap

-- SamHasler - 15 Feb 2005

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General comments

Do you want to talk about the coding style in here as well? -- MartinCleaver.

Sure. Since Oct, I haven't caught up on everything, but I believe Hans is continuing with is TWikiOO contemplations; Nicholas is tied up outside of TWiki. So, depending on Hans, and Peter, if an OO move materializes, that'll split off into separate project, I guess. Meanwhile, everything to do with scripting and related goes here. I could use help in gathering tags! It's soothing! They go in INCLUDES, and a topic can be put in more than one if necessary. FUN! :) -- MikeMannix - 20 Nov 2001

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