Re: Plugins for Forrest? ...

[David Crossley <cr...@apache.org>]

Ron Blaschke wrote:
> Ross Gardler wrote:
> > Ron Blaschke wrote:
> 
> >> Since I got my editor already fired up, I started implementing a Perl
> >> Pod input plugin.
> > 
> > This is cool stuff and compliments the POD-output stuff extremely well
> > (not a plugin yet, still in core).
> 
> > Do you intend to make this plugin available via the auto-install 
> > features of Forrest? We just need to add the information to our 
> > published plugins.xml and have the plugin zip avialable from a download
> > site.
> 
> I'd first like to continue working on the plugin.  There's still an
> awful lot of things missing.  Actually, all that is working are
> headings and plain text paragraphs.
> 
> Once most of the basic things are working, I'd like to start
> distributing it, in whatever form you consider best.

The "best" way is generally to contribute it to the
Forrest distribution.

Perhaps you do have specific reasons to distribute it separately.
However, maybe you didn't understand the options available.

The situation is not clear when reading the plugins docs.
 Extending Forrest with Plugins
 http://forrest.apache.org/docs/dev/plugins/usingPlugins.html

Following this discusssion we should add clarification to
that documentation.

Plugins would be distributed sepearately by the author:
* If there are licensing issues which prevent its inclusion.
* To make a business out of providing specialised functionality.
* To retain absolute control over the design and implementation
and maintenance.
* It has limited appeal and so might not get maintained as a
part of Forrest.

There is the thorny issue about whether the forrest mailing
lists should be used to garner feedback and contributions for
such remote plugins. Dunno, we haven't yet talked about that.

There are many advantages to contributing the plugin
to Forrest, e.g.

* It is maintained by the community rather than by one person.
* The contributor becomes a stronger part of the community.
* The plugin will evolve along with the rest of Forrest.
* Users can be confident that the licensing issues are sorted.
* Wider distribution.
* Docs included on the Forrest website.
* Feedback via the Forrest mailing lists.
* If it is not contributed, then we may implement our own.

--David