[Moin-user] Compatibility (was: to-do list?)

[Thomas Waldmann]

> There should be a well defined plugin API.

Yes. And that API should be stable, great-from-the-beginning and never
needing a change.

So much for the theory.

Problem is that real world looks different:

Often you need multiple iterations until things are right and as
flexible as you need them.

Some bugs need API changes for a good fix.

Thus we currently have no big choice, we have to change things to
improve them.


So the only suggestions I can make for 3rd party stuff are:

Try to avoid badly maintained stuff. If a plugin is still at 1.5 (or
even older) while we have had 1.6.x, 1.7.x and 1.8.x, it simply means
that the community is not working for it - neither the author has
updated it, nor anybody else, nor has anybody given enough feedback at
the right places that anybody had cared.

You can choose such a thing, but in that case be prepared to fix it
yourself. And upload the fixed version of course, to avoid (see above).


OTOH, there are 3rd party plugins that are rather recent (it usually is
no big issues if it is 0.1 behind - either it works or it only needs
very minor fixes). There are plugin authors responding if you edit their
plugin wiki page or write something on the mailing list. That is the
stuff you should use.

BTW, even if you are no moin or python developer, you can sometimes fix
stuff yourself. If it worked for 1.6 and stopped working for 1.7, you
just have a look at the traceback it produces and at the 1.6 and 1.7
source.
You'll usually find that just something was renamed or added or removed
- if you do the appropriate thing in the plugin, it'll work again.

If that doesn't work out, just file a bug on the wiki page and provide
enough information about versions and attach the traceback.html.