[Talk:RepoProposal Talk Page]
Proposal for Repo? An Incubator Subproject
10 November 2003
(0) rationale
To provide simple tooling to users of the Apache Software Repository (downloaders, publishers, maintainers).
The Apache Software Repository is a mirrored/human browsable repository that streamlines the distribution of of Apache Software. The repository is primarily a user access benefit, yet also a marketing (easier availablility) and resource cost saving to Apache. However, without tooling to automatically download (and verify) software it is unlikely that security/integrity requirement are being met, especially on mirrored servers. This proposal is for tooling that automates/combines the access and integrity checks makes the Apache Software Repository a much more viable, and secure, solution.
Tooling needs to be both intelligent and ubiquitous, to make it significantly more appealing than manually downloading with an HTTP browser. Providing focused yet intelligent capabilities within the boundaries of repository tooling, within the standard tools (Ant/IDEs) ought negate the reason to not use the tooling. Tooling intelligence might be "get me the latest 'release quality' of X" or "get me the artifacts that this project depends upon".
Having Repo done under Apache would also ensure that there is a tight communication between the developers of tooling to access/manage/maintain a repository, and the Apache Repository Standard:
http://nagoya.apache.org/wiki/apachewiki.cgi?ASFRepository
(1) scope of the subproject
Integrated Tools for automating downloading [with security checks], publishing (new artifacts) and managing the contents of the apache repository. Additionaly tools for manipulating metadata of said artifacts.
Tooling ought be in the form:
- Command Line Tools
- Ant Tasks/AntLibs
- APIs
- GUI plugins (e.g. Eclipse)
(2) identify the initial source from which the subproject is to be populated
Technologies merged from the following:
(3) identify the Jakarta resources to be created
(3.1) mailing list(s) repo-dev, repo-cvs
(3.2) CVS repositories jakarta-repo
(3.3) Bugzilla
(4) identify the initial set of committers
Adam Jack (ajack@trysybase.com, ajack@apache.org)
Anou Manavalan (anou_mana@hotmail.com, anou_mana@apache.org)
Markus M. May (mmay@javafreedom.org, mmay@apache.org)
Nick Chalko (nick@chalko.com, nickchalko@apache.org)
Open to others who wish to collaborate
Geir Magnusson Jr.(geirm@optonline.net) -- External Advisor
(5) identify apache sponsoring individual
Nicola Ken Barozzi (nicola@apache.org)