[wtp-dev] Re: FW: [platform-webdav-dev] It's time to put it in the SDK

[Michael Valenta <Michael_Valenta@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Ed (and the WebTools mailing list),

It is a bit premature to propose moving the FTP/WebDAV plugins to the webtools
project. I suggest it as one of several possiblities (another being as
you suggest: to make it part of the SDK). My main concern is not really
where the plugins should live so much as what the status of the plugins
should be. 

As it currently stands, the FTP/WebDAV support that is provided by Eclipse
is little more than a tech preview of the FTP and WebDAV clients and examples
of some of our Team synchronization support. As a summer project, I have
been refactoring the plugins to allow their use in an RCP application.
This involved removing the dependency on IResource by defining a simpler
resource API that is suitable to use for resource deployment. This has
lead to the number of plugins growing from 2 to 8 which are kept in the
team area of the Eclipse repository (i.e. they are accessible but not part
of the eclipse repository proper). My motivation for addressing this issue
now is that I want to make sure the these plugins are in their proper home
(wherever that is) before these plugins are introduced into a main repository.

My rational for considering the WebTools project is that, it seems to me,
the products build on top of the WebTools components would want a resource
deployment API and FTP and WebDAV bindings to that API. As I mentioned
above, my involvement in the FTP/WebDAV support is more through my own
interest and not part of my main reponsibilities (and I am really the only
person contribtuing code to these plugins at this time). Once the Eclipse
Platform 3.1 plan solidifies, I will have to give priority to items that
are on that plan. Thus, if things stay as they are, the status of these
plugins will not change (i.e. they will not be included in the SDK and
will not be product quality). 

If my assumption is correct, then those involved in the WebTools project
who feel that the products they are planning to deliver require product
quality FTP or WebDAV support will need to take steps to ensure that the
FTP/WebDAV plugins become product quality. My feeling was that, if there
were community members in the WebTools space that wanted to contribute
to these plugins, it would be easier for them to do so if the plugins where
in the WebTools project. However, before moving the plugins is considered,
I suspect that there are discussions that must take place (most likely
at the PMC level) to decide if the status of the plugins should change
at all. Once a decision is made on this, a decision about where they plugins
should live can be made given the resources available, etc.

I am planning on bringing this topic to the attention of the PMC in order
to start the discussion there. I would be curious to know what others think
of this topic as well. Is my assumption correct or is deployment in the
WebTools space done using other tools? Is there any plans for a resource
deployment API for use by WebTools? 

Michael

"Ed Burnette" <Ed.Burnette@xxxxxxx>

17/08/2004 10:48 AM

To	<wtp-dev@xxxxxxxxxxx>
cc	Michael Valenta/Ottawa/IBM@IBMCA
Subject	FW: [platform-webdav-dev] It's time to put it in the SDK

Michael Valenta proposes moving the FTP/WebDAV plugins
over to the Webtools project because it is related to deployment. What
do you think?

-----Original Message-----
From: platform-webdav-dev-admin@xxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:platform-webdav-dev-admin@xxxxxxxxxxx]
On Behalf Of Michael Valenta
Sent: Tuesday, August 17, 2004 10:28 AM
To: platform-webdav-dev@xxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [platform-webdav-dev] It's time to put it in the SDK



Ed, 

I'm glad to hear that the FTP/WebDAV support is working well for you. I
must point out though that there are many for which it does not work well,
one reason being the large number of FTP server types with their own file
listing format. Also, these plugins lack a test suite which would need
to be created as well. But, by all means, log a bug report against Platform
Team so all interested parties can track this issue and add their comments.

I personally do not feel that the FTP/WebDAV support should be part of
the SDK. I think they should live somewhere where the contributors to the
project have a vested interest in the use of FTP/WebDAV. This would allow
those that use the plugin to maintain it as well. There are very few users
of these plugins on the Eclipse Platform team so it is a poor home for
these plugins. I would suggest that the WebTools project would be a better
home since that is an area where FTP/WebDAV (and possibly a general deployment
API) will be an intregal piece. 

On a side note, as an RCP user, you may be interested in the refactoring
that has begun in order to make FTP/WebDAV usable in an RCP application
(i.e. independant of IResource). The new plugins do not yet have an official
home in dev.eclipse.org but you can access them through the following URL.

http://dev.eclipse.org/viewcvs/index.cgi/%7Echeckout%7E/platform-vcm-home/plugins/target/target-project-sets/readme.html

Michael 



"Ed Burnette" <Ed.Burnette@xxxxxxx> 
Sent by: platform-webdav-dev-admin@xxxxxxxxxxx 
17/08/2004 09:46 AM Please respond to
platform-webdav-dev

To<platform-webdav-dev@xxxxxxxxxxx> 
cc
Subject[platform-webdav-dev] It's time to put it in the SDK







I'd like to request FTP/WebDav be incorporated into the 3.1 Eclipse SDK
and the separate download be removed. In the past the argument was that
it wasn't as well tested or up to the quality standards of the rest of
the SDK, but it has been working great for me and others for a couple of
years.

There are too many separate packages on the download page so this would
help a little to reduce clutter there (and I'm tired of downloading it
over and over with each build :). If this needs a bugzilla entry opened
I'll be happy to do that.
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