[wp-hackers] Google Summer of Code 2007

[Mark Jaquith]

On Mar 14, 2007, at 9:36 PM, Michael D Adams wrote:

> As it stands, the zip files the plugin directory produces for  
> download are made from an `svn --ignore-externals` for the sake of  
> sanity.  (I'm sure people will want to discuss *that* choice in a  
> different thread :) ).  Also, the plugin directory only knows to  
> update itself because of a post-commit SVN hook fired by the SVN  
> server.  Apparently, doing frequent `svn co` or `svn export`of the  
> entire repository puts an unacceptable load on both the web server  
> hosting the plugin directory and the SVN server hosting the  
> repository.
>
> Also, incept and update times are calculated from the repository.
>
> So there are some technical details to overcome if we want to  
> introduce different SVN repos or other means of file hosting into  
> the mix.

Ah, didn't know that.  There was already at least one plugin using  
svn:externals last I checked, so I assumed that to still be the case.

The other solution is one that could be implemented on the WordPress  
side.  Add a new parsed plugin meta line that designates a special  
third party update server.  We could publish the API so that people  
who just cannot bring themselves to have their plugins be downloaded  
from a server not under their control can still benefit from things  
like plugin update notification.

> There are social ones too.  I have no idea if wordpress.org would  
> be willing to host or even reference non-GPL stuff.  Perhaps wp.org  
> could host the parsed readme and link to the "real" location of an  
> "external" plugin, but that may not be in the cards either.  It's  
> already hosting content for which it has given up complete  
> control.  I don't know where I would draw the line, and I'm not one  
> of the ones who would draw it anyway :)

Everything I've ever heard says that wp-plugins.org was only for  
hosting GPL'd plugins.

e.g. http://dev.wp-plugins.org/wiki/GetHosted

I have no desire to change that.  The solution above would seem to  
work nicely to handle such plugins.

> Relatedly, Matt (Mullenweg) once suggested that wp.org offer a  
> widget of some kind that a plugin author could put into a plugin's  
> homepage and would talk to the Plugin Directory: reporting stats,  
> allowing rating and maybe comments.  That sort of thing.  Perhaps  
> something like that would mitigate a plugin author's reluctance to  
> host on wp-plugins.org.

That'd certainly be nice.  It'd also be nice if we somehow tied into  
Trac for bug tracking.  Maybe a link from each plugin's page to a  
nice wp.org-formatted form that submits a new ticket in Trac for that  
plugin.  Making that process more user-friendly would definitely be a  
help to plugin authors as they wouldn't have to rely on e-mail and  
blog comments or setting up their own forums for bug tracking.

--
Mark Jaquith
http://markjaquith.com/

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