I think this is a very good way to discuss these kinds of issues. It 
allows us all to think about what is being proposed and respond after 
careful consideration. I, too, agree with Dimitry that there are some 
real benefits that can be realized by refactoring some of the most 
commonly used modules. Many different people, with different ideas, have 
made changes, and each person had a different level of understanding of 
the entire system. As a result, the most important modules are now very 
tightly coupled together, more than they need to be.

To provide a concrete example: when I looked at the problem of creating 
a small mind map panel that could be used to preview format changes, I 
was stumped. It appears impossible to create such a panel without using 
the FreeMindMain interface, which seems like overkill. Perhaps my 
understanding is still insufficient, but if so, that too demonstrates 
that the program may have grown more complex than it should be.

Please don't take this the wrong way. This kind of complexity is a 
natural occurrence. The only way I know to keep this sort of thing from 
happening, is for only one person to do all the maintenance, and doesn't 
always work, since over time we all learn new skills and may forget 
details of what we've done before. So, I don't mean any disrespect to 
the maintainers who have worked so hard on the program.

However, I believe it is important that structural changes should 
initially be functionally neutral, meaning that when you change the 
structure of the program, you shouldn't be adding new features or even 
changing bugs. That way, you can test the restructured program against 
the original, to make sure no mistakes were made while reorganizing the 
code. It should be a lot easier to make changes and fix bugs after the 
code restructuring.

Ray

Dimitry Polivaev wrote:
> Hello,
>
> after 0.9.0 is released I would like to revisit the current program 
> design. Now I have created a wiki page for discussing the related 
> issues. If you have some time please visit
>
> http://freemind.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/Talk:Program_design
>
> and write your ideas. I think that many central issues should be changed 
> if we want the program to remain maintainable and expandable. Whether 
> you agree or disagree with the points, do not hesitate to express it  there.
>
> Dimitry
>
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