Message-ID: <37833A89.3C16FFE8@algroup.co.uk>
Date: Wed, 07 Jul 1999 12:31:21 +0100
From: Ben Laurie <ben@algroup.co.uk>
Organization: A.L. Group plc
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CC: apache-1.3-cvs@hyperreal.org
Subject: Re: cvs commit: apache-1.3 STATUS
References: <19990707110516.3353.qmail@hyperreal.org>
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Status: O

coar@hyperreal.org wrote:
> 
> coar        99/07/07 04:05:16
> 
>   Modified:    .        STATUS
>   Log:
>         Veto EAPI for 1.3.7 (too much confusion and controversy, esp.
>         with the KEAPI alternative); defer it until the next release.
>         Also note some platforms I can build.

Note that I am introducing further confusion by replacing the entire
module callback API with hooks in MPM.

There are various reasons I haven't used either EAPI or KEAPI but here's
the highlights:

a) efficiency
b) 100% typesafeness
c) entanglement with SSL (in at least KEAPI's case)
d) somewhat different motivation: I want to replace the whole callback
API and allow protocol independence
e) I need a way to allow modules to specify ordering, which (AFAIK)
neither EAPI or KEAPI had
f) The first great virtue of a programmer, laziness: as has been
observed, writing the hooking stuff isn't that hard. It was easier for
me to start again than to figure out how to hack things to get where I
want to go.
g) I was kind of hoping that people might contribute if I do it a piece
at a time, thus getting something everyone is happy with.

It is my opinion that extending the API in 1.3.x is a pointless
distraction of effort.

I invite interested parties to look at what I'm doing in MPM before its
too late.

BTW, the implementation of these hooks currently uses the preprocessor,
which is rapidly getting ugly. I'm strongly considering writing a custom
hook compiler to keep things readable, so please don't criticise on the
grounds that you don't like the preprocesser messiness.

Cheers,

Ben.

--
http://www.apache-ssl.org/ben.html

"My grandfather once told me that there are two kinds of people: those
who work and those who take the credit. He told me to try to be in the
first group; there was less competition there."
     - Indira Gandhi