On Jun 12, 2008, at 9:33 AM, Hernan Cunico wrote:
Hi All,
I'm looking back into the sample apps (samples and docs) and I think
we are missing the point of the samples.
We kinda had this discussion some time ago and I thought we were
going to go in a different way.
The purpose of the sample applications was to demonstrate Geronimo
support/implementation of the different functionalities and
features. To provide some sort of transition path from any other app/
platform to Geronimo. Start easy with the basic requirements,
understanding the Geronimo specific deployment plans, etc. and then
gradually involve the different G specific "goodies".
If we require all users to understand and be familiar with Geronimo
plugins and maven so then they can get their hands on a sample
application for Geronimo; I think we are adding unnecessary barriers
for new users.
In the past, we provided the samples source and in most cases the
binaries ready to install, all along as part of the full sample
documentation. Users were not required to use svn, plugins, or maven
if all they wanted to do was to get familiar with how to implement
JAX-WS in Geronimo for instance.
Plugins are a way to distribute these applications, a convenience to
install the sample binaries once the samples get released. Plugins
should not be a requirement for sample applications, it should be an
option.
what do others think?
I think some realism about our capabilities for maintaining the
documentation is called for. If the samples had been being kept up to
date, working, adapted to latest geronimo, etc, I'd say you might have
a point. However they didn't work, the documentation was full of
misleading statements and errors, and they didn't demonstrate best
practices in geronimo. One of my main goals working on the samples is
to produce something simple and automated enough so we have some
slight chance of keeping it up to date: even with the simplifications
I've introduced I don't have a lot of hope for this.
When the samples are released, if we stick with the current setup
based on plugins, we will be publishing the javaee application
artifacts and the plugins. The plans to deploy the artifacts
independently are inside the plugins. While this is not the most
convenient location the plans will be available.
I also don't think that requiring users to build the sample projects
with maven is unreasonable. We certainly don't provide any other way
of building the applications, and I don't see any reason or argument
why we should. If you build the apps you get the plans in <sample>-
[jetty|tomcat]/target/resources/META-INF/plan.xml. I've tried to state
this clearly in the top level samples documentation.
If you are suggesting including source and binary attachments in
confluence I think that is a bad idea -- they will never get updated
-- but could be considered after we release the samples. We certainly
can't do that before a release vote.
thanks
david jencks
Cheers!
Hernan
