[mapguide-internals] RE: RFC 111 - Deploy Viewer Code with Subversion Attributes

[Zac Spitzer]

I'd suggest that anyone who is using mapguide to any interactive extent
beyond basic static maps requires some programming knowledge, thus
using subversion should be no barrier.

Using this is entirely *optional* and is intended as a mechanism to deliver
quick fixes/updates for the web viewers.

The whole point of using a SVN repository is that:

1. you can check for modifications and choose whether to update
2. If something goes wrong, you just can simply roll back
3. bug fixes can be surgically applied to tweaked viewer code, some of which
some time affect upwards of 5-10 files in many places.

This is an opt-in system. If you don't like it, you don't have to use
it. People who
 don't use it (or don't want to use it) will not see any differences
to their installation
other than a bunch of .svn directories that do nothing.

If you want a standalone installer, are you willing to (develop/fund) it
to the extent where it's reliable enough to handle myriad of potential
hurdles that merging changes into a modified code base will contain?

Why reinvent the wheel when a mature and proven tool (albeit a
programming-centric one) does the job? The viewer code is
HTML/JavaScript/php/jsp/aspx pages, all *plain-text* content that tools
like subversion are already very good at handling.
We're not talking about updating any binary files here.

As for the end users, if we announce that minor bug fixes on the mailing list,
it's just a matter of explaining this when announcing the on the mailing list.

z


On Tue, Mar 29, 2011 at 11:59 PM, Martin Morrison
<martin.morrison at edsi.com> wrote:
> Late response due to being on vacation a few days.
>
> Here are the differences as I see it.
>
> Subversion:
>
> 1) Need to install client.
> 2) Need to know how to use said client.  Do you really think users will RTM vs ask the list?
> 3) SVN repository can change without warning.  (been there, done that.  the programmer said it was a minor formatting change, too bad he had a typo.)
>
> Standalone app.
>
> 1) User downloads and runs.
>
> Yes, in theory one could use a programmer's tool to make changes to a production system.  Is it the easiest for the enduser?
>
> Martin Morrison
> Application Engineer
> Engineering Design Systems, Inc.
> 3780 Peters Creek Rd Ext SW
> Roanoke, VA  24018
> 540.345.1410
> gis.edsi.com
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: mapguide-internals-bounces at lists.osgeo.org [mailto:mapguide-internals-bounces at lists.osgeo.org] On Behalf Of Zac Spitzer
> Sent: Thursday, March 24, 2011 11:22 PM
> To: MapGuide Internals Mail List
> Subject: Re: [mapguide-internals] RE: RFC 111 - Deploy Viewer Code with Subversion Attributes
>
> Yes this is only intended for minor updates & fixes
>
> But seriously, as Jackie said, your describing exactly what a
> subversion client does?
>
> On Fri, Mar 25, 2011 at 1:34 PM, Martin Morrison
> <martin.morrison at edsi.com> wrote:
>> No, I'm talking about a standalone updater.  Not using a subversion client.
>>
>>
>> ________________________________________
>> From: mapguide-internals-bounces at lists.osgeo.org [mapguide-internals-bounces at lists.osgeo.org] On Behalf Of Jackie Ng [jumpinjackie at gmail.com]
>> Sent: Thursday, March 24, 2011 10:00 PM
>> To: mapguide-internals at lists.osgeo.org
>> Subject: [mapguide-internals] RE: RFC 111 - Deploy Viewer Code with     Subversion      Attributes
>>
>> Uh, I think you've just described what subversion (and any other SCM) can do
>> for you, which is the motivation of Zac's RFC.
>>
>> To include the .svn directories as part of the viewer installation (these
>> are currently excluded when building the installer). That way you can pull
>> in updates/fixes to these files if you have a subversion client.
>>
>> - Jackie
>>
>> --
>> View this message in context: http://osgeo-org.1803224.n2.nabble.com/RFC-111-Deploy-Viewer-Code-with-Subversion-Attributes-tp6187586p6206335.html
>> Sent from the MapGuide Internals mailing list archive at Nabble.com.
>> _______________________________________________
>> mapguide-internals mailing list
>> mapguide-internals at lists.osgeo.org
>> http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/mapguide-internals
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> mapguide-internals mailing list
>> mapguide-internals at lists.osgeo.org
>> http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/mapguide-internals
>>
>
>
>
> --
> Zac Spitzer
> Solution Architect / Director
> Ennoble Consultancy Australia
> http://www.ennoble.com.au
> http://zacster.blogspot.com
> +61 405 847 168
> _______________________________________________
> mapguide-internals mailing list
> mapguide-internals at lists.osgeo.org
> http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/mapguide-internals
>
> _______________________________________________
> mapguide-internals mailing list
> mapguide-internals at lists.osgeo.org
> http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/mapguide-internals
>



-- 
Zac Spitzer
Solution Architect / Director
Ennoble Consultancy Australia
http://www.ennoble.com.au
http://zacster.blogspot.com
+61 405 847 168