OT: OpenSource WebObjects...
OT: OpenSource WebObjects...
- Subject: OT: OpenSource WebObjects...
- From: Christopher Pavicich <email@hidden>
- Date: Thu, 15 Jan 2004 00:50:42 -0500
Hi All.
I apologize for the OT post to the list. Lately, I have been pondering
the wisdom of Apple open sourcing WebObjects.
Off the list I've been debating the topic with friends, and I wanted to
cast a wider net, and see what the community feels about the idea.
Arguments in support of OS'ing:
1. Faster turn around for defects.
With more eyes on the code, and the source available, the number of
bugs with
each release should drop. I am not trying to suggest that the WO team
writes bad code, quite the opposite, but with each
release, we all do play the 'what won't work when I migrate this time'
game. The hope would be that the development community would care
enough to improve the product that they use.
2. No more re-inventing the wheel.
A good deal of developer energy on WO projects (especially starting a
new one) goes into making sure that previous bugs or issues are not
repeated or are worked around. Most seasoned WO developers end up with
a pretty solid toolkit of code that goes from gig to gig. If this could
be rolled into the WO codebase, everyone would benefit from the lessons
learned. A further benefit would be the reduction of 'subtle' bugs in
WO. Problems that not all developers are likely to run into, but that
do exist.
3. Integrating some really great WO add-ons directly into the codebase.
I am specifically thinking of the WOnder and WOLips teams. These people
have written some great code, and a good deal of it needs to (should)
make it into the WO codebase. The same argument could be made for the
'toolkit' type code that most WO developers carry from project to
project. Not everyone has the time / inclination / commitment to
contribute to a project as large as WO or Wonder; a code submission
system for these people might also help the community.
4. The power is in the libraries.
Facing facts (and Apple seems to know this) the battle for the app
server market for the enterprise is over. We have seen servlet
deployment options, and some really cool JBoss integration from Apple.
This is a smart move. Pushing WebObjects as a really brilliant set of
libraries might be smarter still. Convincing some Enterprise Software
Manager to deploy under WO is a hard sell. Convincing his software
engineers to use EOF as a library is simple.
5. Use the Darwin model.
One concern with OS'ing WebObjects might be Apple's loss of control
over the direction of the product. This is where I think that the
Darwin model could shine. The code is open, and the developers are free
to tweak and fix as they need; but Apple still retains control of the
products direction.
Arguments against OS'ing WebObjects:
1. MOST OS PROJECTS FAIL. The failure is mainly do to lack of support
in the community. Would WebObjects survive being OpenSourced? Is the
developer community strong / committed enough?
Would you, as a developer, contribute?
I would be interested in any feedback that the community wants to
provide. Please keep the flames to a minimum.
CMP
email@hidden
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