Re: Zope3 as Zope2 Product?

Gary Godfrey wrote:
> After I read about the ArsDigita Experience (TM), it occurs to me to ask:
> can we look at Zope3 as a Very Large extension to Zope2? 

Yes, eventually.  We (ZC) are already making some initial steps
in this direction to leverage Zope 3 schemas and form-generation
facilities in a Zope 2 application.


 > They're both
> still zodb based

Yes

 > and there's likely to be some name collision issues,

Not as many as you might think since we renamed all of the Zope 3
packages last December.

> but I suspect that it might be possible to (for instance) add a Zope3
> folder which would direct requests to the Z3 engine while all other
> request would go to the Z2 handler.  Since they're sharing the same
> object space, it would be possible to slowly migrate applications over
> to the new system; a database adapter is still a database adapter.

Initially, I expsct not to share content types, but to allow
some Zope 3 facilities, especially the component architecture to
be used in Zope 2.

There are many details to be worked out. Most of this work
will be done this summer.  We are doing some thinking/prototyping
earlier because of the project I mentioned above.


> First Big Issues (off the top of my head).
>   o Python versions 

Python 2.2.x.

I also plan to create a new version of ExtensionClass based
on new-style classes. When this happens, we'll have the option
of moving Zope 2 and Zope 3 to Python 2.3.

>   o Stability / testing (Z3 might only be as stable as Z2).
>   o Security / users / naming integration.

This is a big one.  I don't even want to think about this
before the Zope X3 beta. :)

>   o Acquisition zig-zags 

I don't see this as much of an issue except for it's interaction with
security.

>   o zodb versions?

ZODB 4.x

>   o Search engine integration

I don't think that this is much of an issue.

> What this says is that the immediate Z2 action is to make the conversion
> up to python 2.2/2.3.

Zope 2.6 already works with Python 2.2. It won't work with Python 2.3
until we create a new ExtensionClass based on new-style classes.

My hope (not promise :) is that by early Fall, there will be a Zope 2
release that:

- Includes Zope 3 packages so that some (not all) facilities of Zope 3
   can be used in Zope 2.

- Has a new ExtensionClass based on new-style classes. This will allow
   Zope 2 to work with Python 2.3 and ZODB 4. It will also enable use
   of Python descriptors with ExtenionClasses.

- Uses ZODB 4.

Jim

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