Re: [platform-update-dev] Optional features

[Peter Manahan <manahan@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Off the top of my head we use optional
features for the following. This assumes the current state of 2.1.2

1) Optionally installed features. -
We are quite a large product ~ 2GB. We have some optional installed components
that may or may not exist depending on if the user chose to install them.
Things like language packs, optional runtimes etc.
2) On linux we use optional features
to handle a eclipse platform with both GTK and Motif versions available
at the same time.


The reason optional included features
are used rather than a separate root tree are as follows:
1)  Single point of update - control
of where the updates occur is in the root feature. If a component isn't
installed we have to use optional features to prevent errors and to allow
the rest of the features still be updated.
2) Nested features are used to handle
partioning of sub-components and to minimize the clutter in the update
perspective. Basically we need to allow a sub-component to contain its
code. optional language packs etc. We then pass around the sub-component
feature. The user when updateing the product doesn't update a flat set
of feature but updates the tree at a single point.

The answers on how it could be changed
 are tied in to the rest of the feature changes for update manager,
policy , partitioning, build, usability, nested features yea or nay :-)
 etc.  

For example removal of nested features
, policy about updates removed from the features making them manifests
only, and a way to id a product update from a single point so the user
doesn't see 50 features to update could mean the optional features go away.
There are probably other ways


Thanks,

-----------------------------------
Peter Manahan
WebSphere Tools
Build/Install and 
Product Architecture
------------------------------------
manahan@xxxxxxxxxx

platform-update-dev-admin@xxxxxxxxxxx wrote on 10/12/2003
02:11:04 PM:

> 
> We've had some arguments about the usefulness of the optionally 
> included features, and would like to understand where they are used,
> and what problems they were intended to solve. 
> In particular, could a different mechanism be used instead and what
> would be a better approach (if any) ? 
> Please post any scenarios or thoughts/comments on this . 
> 
> Thanks,
> -Dorian