[Zope3-dev] Re: [Zope-CMF] Future of CMF

Paul Everitt paul@zope.com
Thu, 6 Dec 2001 22:40:52 -0500 (Eastern Standard Time)


Hi Jeff, Tres, and others.  I've had a couple of private exchanges to
clarify that interview.  I need to send Olivier a note and see if we can
get the page updated.

Comments below...

On Thu, 6 Dec 2001, Tres Seaver wrote:

> Jeff Sasmor wrote:
>
>  > I was reading the Paul Everitt atricle on Zopera.org and came across this quote:
>  >
>  > http://www.zopera.org/site/Members/odeckmyn/iv_paul_2001
>  >
>  > "Regarding CMF, we expect it to disapear in its current form, because the new component model will provide all the standard
> facilities
>  >  as Services, and you will just have to use them, and not reinvent the wheel. CMF was actually a big prototype for the new
>  > architecture."
>  >
>  > I was wondering if someone from ZC would like to comment on:
>  >
>  > 1. Whether or not current CMF-based products will be able to migrate to this new platform or will have to be completely rewritten.
>  >
>
>
> Existing Zope products will not be forced to upgrade, at least
> immediately.  Zope 3.0 will allow them to work largely as they
> have, while offering a number of advantages to component authors
> which we expect many product authors will be very excited about.
>
>
>  > 2. Whether CMF-based websites will have to be completely redesigned.
>
>
> Stock CMF content objects already go a long way toward meeting
> the expectations of the new architecture:
>
>    - They declare their interfaces explicitly
>
>    - They factor presentation and application-specific logic
>      into separate, pluggable components.
>
> We will certainly have such sites firmly in mind as we plan
> for rolling out Zope 3.

As I've noted separately, we are about to commence a number of large
engagements using CMF as it is now.  Thus, we certainly expect stability.

>
>  > 3.  Will future versions of Zope be able to support running the current or 'final' CMF codebase so that folks can update to
>  > newer versions of Zope but still run CMF and their CMF-based apps and websites?
>
>
> I don't share Paul's opinion that the CMF will "softly and silently
>
> vanish away";  rather, much of the framework which currently
> is supplied by the CMF tools will be supplied instead by what
> the component architecture calls "services", many of which will
> be available to all Zope applications.  The remaining parts of
> the CMF (content types, specific presentations and policies, etc.)
> will remain, and will support existing sites.

My point, which didn't come across well in the interview, was that CMF
lead the way for Zope3.  As such, the chances are good that much of what
CMF needs outside of Zope2 can be done officially in Zope3.

The real question is with the demo portal.  As we've stated, this part
hasn't been our emphasis.  With Zope3, it constitutes much of the portion
that isn't covered by the component model.

>  > 4.  Is this why there has been no new release of CMF in so long?
>
>
> The primary reason for the delay in releasing CMF 1.2 (tomorrow's
>
> beta will be about two months later than planned) has been resource
> contention.  The Zope 3 effort has been only a minor part of that;
> paying work, and the sales engineering which brings it in, have
> accounted for most of the demand.

Definately.

I'll snip the rest and give apologies if I've sent a bad signal.  The CMF
was developed on a different track than Zope, and now we're looking at
harvesting the good ideas back into Zope.  This is the nature of both my
"prototype" comment and my "disappear in its current form".  In both
regards, the idea is that the good ideas from the CMF will become more
official.

Please help me spread the word on this!

--Paul