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Re: to plone or not to plone



On Sun, 2005-01-02 at 22:20 +0300, Abdulaziz Al-Arfaj wrote:
> I've been trying to find as much info on this new solution as I can on
> the web. One pro I see is that, since this is a mature CMS, it'll have
> the functionality accelerate our mission to Arabize the website. That
> really has been my top priority. So even if I hated everything else
> about plone, I'm thinking it might be worth it just for this.
> 

Yes, it is mature and industrial strength (whatever that means). 

> However it has to be said that Arabeyes.org has some very specific and
> specialized needs. Like the voting system. There are things that have
> to be absolutely tailored to fit our needs. We do need to secure a
> Python hacker besides Elzubeir...

So, learn Python. How long did it take Youcef to pick up Python and
start writing scripts that we still use? I don't accept this as a
problem. Is everyone all of a sudden assuming that no one is willing to
learn anything new? Who's going to be working on ReportLab [1]? Do you
think that having someone raise their hands and say, here, I will help
with it will actually mean they will? Really? Is this the assurances
that will make one feel all warm and fuzzy at night? Not me. 

I think of things differently. Yes, there is a shortage of python
hackers in our communities. Yet, Python is -steadily- gaining popularity
and acceptance. Yes, there is virtually no one other than myself who has
worked with Zope and it's famous CMS Plone. Why does that mean that
people wouldn't all of a sudden take an interest in it -- simply because
Arabeyes.org would be running it? 

I would understand the 'conservative' approach had it been made by a
company with limited resources and the need to train and spend on
training their employees.. and yes it _is_ a _gut_ thing. Conservatism
means, keeping the status quo and not taking any bold steps. 

No, we don't have those 'finance' modules in Plone. Who in their right
mind would write things the way Nadim would have it? Yes, if I were to
implement it, it would be different. Yes, there are several polling and
surveying modules just like with any other CMS. Are they _exactly_ what
Nadim wants? Probably not. Is it what I want, or what I can live with?
Probably with slight modifications. I am not singling you out Nadim..
but what you see as 'the way to do things' for some of those modules is
quite different from how I see it -- I simply don't have the energy (or
the motivation) to argue through them.. since I am mostly indifferent.

The reservations are that you don't want one person to be tasked with
the entire migration? I don't mind it. It's not like I would migrate
overnight. It is a long process that would not happen until everything
is ready. In fact, I wouldn't migrate until Plone 2.1 is officially
released. The gallery? There is a gallery module for Plone (so that too
would be consolidated). 

I am not really going to go and list the pro's and con's for it on a
separate thread. If you want to know what Plone is, visit their website.
I'm sure you all have had a peak. The con's are quite obvious from this
thread (ie. the perception that it would result in a lock-in with no one
to upkeep). Like I said, this premise assumes that no one will learn
anything new -- a basis that I refuse to accept in an Open Source
community.

[1] http://www.reportlab.org/

Regards
-- 
-------------------------------------------------------
| Mohammed Elzubeir    | Visit us at:                 |
|                      |  http://www.arabeyes.org/    |
| Arabeyes Project     | Homepage:                    |
| Unix the 'right' way |  http://elzubeir.openius.com/|
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