Interesting....  

Since I started using eclipse, I've come very much to like the eclipse mechanism of 
releasing updates to modules.  It's possible to publish releases via the web and a 
pre-specified format (site.xml) announcing what releases are available and the URL's 
by which they can be accessed - Unfortunately, not all the plugins that developers 
provide provide an update site :( .  Nonetheless, Michael's original idea, which Henri 
responds to below, seems to suggest something like this.... A standalone tool which 
could look at predefined (and manually definable) URLs for a list of jars available, 
and then allows the user to request a particular combination of those available jars 
into an "uberjar" with versioning information within.  

There doesn't need to be any interactive building going on.... Instead, the build only 
ensures that the predefined URL for commons is updated with a link to the result of 
the new downloadable project/sub-project jar.  The client side repackaging tool then 
allows a developer to pick and choose, from the set of available jars, whatever might 
be required for local use.  The uberjar (or combojar) generated would be versioned and 
handled by the users, rather than by commons directly.  

Of course, this sounds like a separate tool in and off itself, with all the work 
involved in developing it, but one that has a lot of potential - particularly for 
incorporating jars from projects outside commons as well....

Cheers, 
-AMT

-----Original Message-----
From: Henri Yandell [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] 
Sent: Thursday, August 14, 2003 4:38 AM
To: Jakarta Commons Developers List
Subject: Re: [combo] Commons Core release?

<snip />

> I suggest creating a small interactive utility that can be run by the 
> end user.  The utility will display some known packaged configurations 
> (such as the ones currently being discussed).  The same tool can also 
> offer an advanced option that lets the user pick and choose the 
> package and configuration they want.  Once a configuration is 
> selected, the utility grabs the releases off the net, combines them in 
> a jar, and creates a dependency README file of sorts.

The idea is great, but the reality is not. My two main reasons:

1) Resource. An interactive build will chew CPU, someone needs to code this up and 
people only code to their itches and most importantly, Apache does not currently have 
a production facing machine that runs a JVM. The last is getting closer to happening. 
There is a Sun box that does the nightly builds, I suspect the infrastructure people 
would not want it to be running part of the website.

2) Application. The best application for this would be a Maven sub-project, but this 
has issues. They don't currently record the required JVM version, they don't upload 
POM files to the repositories and it would mean mandating usage of Maven by Commons 
projects.

> This will save a lot of time and energy in the long run, and provides 
> a solution to the "biggest complaint".

Apart from those, I like the idea and would love to use said software. In a way it's a 
maven-install program and to make a Combo distribution would just be a case of a 
single project.xml with dependencies. The current feasibility is just not high.


Hen


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