[Qgis-developer] Convert core plugins into core features

[Nathan Woodrow]

Hey all,

What are peoples thoughts about making some of the core plugins into core
features of QGIS.  To me I think that most of the core plugins would be
great additions into the core feature set of QGIS.  Some of the advantages
for me would be:


   - Allow us to give some of the excellent features a C++ and Python API.
   - API could be used by standalone QGIS applications not just QGIS
   Desktop.  Currently if I build a standalone QGIS application using the
   Python libs I can't get access to the core plugins and the functions that
   they hold.
   - More visibility - some users don't even know about the offline plugin,
   or delimited text plugin
   - Always on features.  Things such as raster interpolation, delimited
   text support, topology, should be built in features not have a add on feel.
   - Python API can be used with Sextante

I think the plugin system makes a lot of sense for user contributed
plugins, and in fact this is quite an attractive feature of QGIS, however I
don't think core plugins make much sense. Unlike the user contributed
plugins core plugins are on the same build and release cycle as the main
core application so the user doesn't get them any faster or easier.
Things like the functions being built into the topology plugin [0] should
be core functions of QGIS itself.

I can see some merit in having core plugins for testing purpose, or for a
staging ground with possible new features during a release cycle, however I
don't see much use for them outside of that.

I would like to propose that we move, over time of course, most of the core
plugins into the core feature set itself and discourage core plugin
building.

[0] https://github.com/qgis/Quantum-GIS/pull/356

Regards,
Nathan
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