Zikula Community

• **unknown user**
  
  

  • Rank: Helper
  • Registered: Mar 16, 2002
  • Last visit: Oct 21, 2009
  • Posts: 752

  Posted: Jan 16, 2006 - 05:52 AM

  Hey guys,
  I have read over the faq's on openstars site. I see they have picked up a few dying modules, but I am still perplexed as to what the added value is or what exactly is Openstar and how they relate to postnuke?
  
  Is it a re-write of postnuke? a re-write of the modules app? what added value is there if its a addon app?
  
  Are they just bundling different modules in Postnuke 750??? How is that a added value if that is the case?
  
  Do the modules they fix/create work in a regular postnuke environment?
  
  Sorry for the questions, i just don't understand what it is/does.
  
  Can someone help?

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• **unknown user**
  
  

  • Rank: Expert
  • Registered: Mar 16, 2002
  • Last visit: Apr 02, 2010
  • Posts: 1208

  Posted: Jan 16, 2006 - 07:05 AM

  I'm no expert, but I do know that many of their modules work once you install their v4blib files and, in some cases, some other v4b modules for categories and such. In fact, I am using their version of PostCalendar and other modules in a base PostNuke site (http://www.rplsonline.com) without installing all of Openstar. Also, it seems that some of the modules they offer have been updated and templated via pnRender.

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• rgasch
  
  

  • Rank: Team Member
  • Registered: Jan 05, 2003
  • Last visit: May 28, 2010
  • Posts: 775

  Posted: Jan 16, 2006 - 07:27 AM

  Quote

  or what exactly is Openstar and how they relate to postnuke?

  
  We're basically an extended PN version which remains compatible to PN. How do we relate to PN: we will serve as a testing ground for advanced/new ideas which can then be merged back into PN ...
  
  

  Quote

  Is it a re-write of postnuke?

  
  No, it's basically PN + additional modules + development libraries. The development libraries are being merged into PN 0.8 as they make developers' lives significantly easier ...
  
  

  Quote

  Are they just bundling different modules in Postnuke 750???

  
  Actually we're based on 0.760 by now ...
  
  

  Quote

  How is that a added value if that is the case?

  
  How is it not? We're providing PN preconfigured with a bunch of extra modules bundled in. Some of these modules are readily available on the internet, some we've written ourselves. If you don't perceive this to be added value, you're welcome to cobble together your own PN distro rather than downloading ours.
  
  

  Quote

  Do the modules they fix/create work in a regular postnuke environment?

  
  Modules we fix/include run in a standard PN environment. Modules we've written ourselves depend on our devlopment libraries (v4blib). As stated above these are being merged into PN for the 0.8 release so once 0.8 has been released, they will be 100% PN compatible.
  
  Greetings
  --> R

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• **unknown user**
  
  

  • Rank: Helper
  • Registered: Mar 16, 2002
  • Last visit: Oct 21, 2009
  • Posts: 752

  Posted: Jan 16, 2006 - 02:14 PM

  rgasch

  
  
  

  Quote

  How is that a added value if that is the case?

  
  How is it not? We're providing PN preconfigured with a bunch of extra modules bundled in. Some of these modules are readily available on the internet, some we've written ourselves. If you don't perceive this to be added value, you're welcome to cobble together your own PN distro rather than downloading ours.
  
  

  Quote

  Do the modules they fix/create work in a regular postnuke environment?

  
  Modules we fix/include run in a standard PN environment. Modules we've written ourselves depend on our devlopment libraries (v4blib). As stated above these are being merged into PN for the 0.8 release so once 0.8 has been released, they will be 100% PN compatible.
  
  Greetings
  --> R

  
  
  Sorry wasn't trying to give you a hard time for your work.
  
  I guess I was thinking Postnuke was trying to thin out its core system and not add more modules/libraries to get the same modules to work.
  
  Does the Openstar make the modules faster, cleaner, more compatible with future releases?
  
  You said that it make the life of developers easier, How much coding is there to code a module to Openstar rather then to postnuke? I am confused,
  
  my limited understanding of Openstar is that it is some kind of third party modules add on that allows other module developers to connect to it (to run modules), and I assume you will continue to update Openstar to the latest releases of postnuke and the module developer won't have to update as often because it links back to you?
  
  Does it allow you to update your postnuke site without having to update all your modules or go searching for new compatibile verisions of your modules? Kind of like a module engine? meaning you can keep the core of postnuke up to date, and the engine handles the interfacing with modules, backwards and forwards compatibilty. I am still grasping at straws here.
  
  Is that anywhere close to what you guys are doing?
  
  I think it is a great idea having custom tailored postnuke distro's with features built in.
  
  I am really not trying to give you a hard time. My questions come because I am trying to find ways to slim down my site and hearing that I had to install a custom library to get the same modules to work seems like a step in the opposite direction.
  
  My site currently has over 1000 mysql tables and over 100+ custom blocks, I didn''t want to have to update postnuke then a new library system, and then the thought of trouble shooting two systems just seemed like a lot of work. But again, i was uninformed to what you guys were trying to accomplish so thus my questions.
  
  Thanks

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• markwest
  
  

  • Rank: Team Member
  • Registered: Mar 18, 2002
  • Last visit: Oct 21, 2009
  • Posts: 6606

  Posted: Jan 16, 2006 - 09:51 PM

  rixride

  I guess I was thinking Postnuke was trying to thin out its core system and not add more modules/libraries to get the same modules to work.
  
  Does the Openstar make the modules faster, cleaner, more compatible with future releases?
  
  You said that it make the life of developers easier, How much coding is there to code a module to Openstar rather then to postnuke? I am confused,
  

  
  
  Rick,
  
  The core postnuke distro will be leaner but by removing excess functionality into optional modules not by limiting the functionality of the core. What the Openstar libraries do is enhance the functionality of the core.
  
  The libraries make things easier for module developers by a) reducing the amount of code they have to write and b) reducing the compexiity of the code they have to write. An example is the example module.... The user API of this module is 265 lines (heavily commented) but rewritten using the Openstar libaries the same API's come down 168 lines where the vast majority is commenting.....
  
  Currently Openstar = PN .761 + Libraries + additional modules but, in the future, it will likely be PN .8x + additional modules since the libraries are being folded in making it clearer that Openstar is a postnuke distro not a fork, a modified version or anything that might affect compatability.
  
  This addition to the core code came about last summer at our dev meeting in stuttgart where Robert came along and we all got to meet, share our thoughts and ideas (and a few beers!). Robert gave a good presentation of what Openstar is and does and also where the Openstar libaries fit into things. Robert's presentation impressed everyone and so we decided that both PostNuke, Openstar and other PN distros (see the article on postnuke.com about packaging and distros) would benefit from these development libraries.
  
  I hope this helps clarify things a little....
  
  -Mark
  
  --
  Visit My homepage and Zikula themes.

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• rgasch
  
  

  • Rank: Team Member
  • Registered: Jan 05, 2003
  • Last visit: May 28, 2010
  • Posts: 775

  Posted: Jan 16, 2006 - 10:32 PM

  Quote

  Does the Openstar make the modules faster, cleaner, more compatible with future releases?

  
  We clean things up from time to time and fix things we perceive as broken. We've converted some old code to be API compliant in order to make sure it runs smoothly on new releases. As for speed, I've coded up some core patches which yielded a 10% performance improvement but had to back them out of the PN core since they broke the installer. There's a good chance that the installer-related bug has been fixed by now, so I'll be attempting to merge those changes one of these days again. I've also contributed some patches which simplify and standardize some of the core code in an attempt to make the system a bit cleaner. Together with what the other core developers are doing, this means lots of little (good) archtecture changes to PN for .8.
  
  

  Quote

  You said that it make the life of developers easier, How much coding is there to code a module to Openstar rather then to postnuke?

  
  The fundamentals of module development remain the same, but our libraries take most the database-related complexity out of module development. We also have an object layer which provides a component framework although so far we're the only ones who are really using that. Please see http://openstar.post…=2&pid=4&cm=6&cb=16 for info on this.
  
  

  Quote

  am really not trying to give you a hard time. My questions come because I am trying to find ways to slim down my site and hearing that I had to install a custom library to get the same modules to work seems like a step in the opposite direction.

  
  Like I said, this is a temporary development. All those custom libraries will be in 0.8 which means that whatever we code will run in stock .8 PN.
  
  

  Quote

  My site currently has over 1000 mysql tables and over 100+ custom blocks,

  
  OK, I understand where you're coming from. Openstar won't fundamentally help you with managing this monster
  
  BTW, I just tried to add an entry for Openstar on your site directory and received a Pagesetter error about "user" missing when submitting the article. So then I figured, "OK, maybe I have to register & login" but registration failed with "You are not authorized to carry out this operation". Just thought you might want to know ...
  
  Greetings
  --> R

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• ainigma32
  
  

  • Rank: Helper
  • Registered: Jan 29, 2004
  • Last visit: Oct 21, 2009
  • Posts: 852

  Posted: Jan 16, 2006 - 10:53 PM

  Okay let's try a comparison: if PostNuke 0.8 is the Linux kernel then Openstar (without the devel libs) is RedHat or Slackware or Debian or ....
  
  Which would mean we can look forward to other PostNuke distributions targeted at specific needs: ExtraLite, ExtraSecure, ExtraAccessable....
  
  That about right?

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• markwest
  
  

  • Rank: Team Member
  • Registered: Mar 18, 2002
  • Last visit: Oct 21, 2009
  • Posts: 6606

  Posted: Jan 16, 2006 - 11:23 PM

  Pretty much... With .8x we (or 3rd parties) can package the PN core and various modules to create distros for many specific areas. See Packaging PostNuke -…istribution Methods for a more in-depth discussion.
  
  -Mark
  
  --
  Visit My homepage and Zikula themes.

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