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Subject: Re: [PROPOSAL] Wookie gadget "store" moved to Rave?
From: Scott Wilson <scott.bradley.wilson@gmail.com>
In-Reply-To: <4DC9571D.8080100@apache.org>
Date: Tue, 10 May 2011 19:44:13 +0100
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Message-Id: <8B4B4837-1C21-4453-A583-CE471578E654@gmail.com>
References: <4DC9571D.8080100@apache.org>
To: wookie-dev@incubator.apache.org

On 10 May 2011, at 16:17, Ross Gardler wrote:

> I'd like to propose that some of the code here in Wookie be moved over =
to Apache Rave (Incubating). I feel that it is more likely to be =
maintained and enhanced there. The code in question is present in Wookie =
in order to make Wookie usable, but it is not (IMHO) part of the core =
objective of Wookie.
>=20
> If my proposal is accepted it will mean that Wookie would not carry =
any UI code. Instead it would focus on providing a server for the =
management of widget instances. This would not change the headline goal =
of Wookie ("Apache Wookie is a Java server application that allows you =
to upload and deploy widgets for your applications").
>=20
> The issue I'd like to discuss in this thread is just where the split =
between Rave and Wookie lies. Since Rave is starting from a blank slate =
it makes sense to do this here and then discuss our conclusions with the =
Rave project.
>=20
> Rationale
> =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
>=20
> Apache Rave (Incubating) [1] is developing an OpenSocial Gadget =
potrtal-like framework. It is stated that it is intended to also support =
W3C Widgets. Scott and myself are involved with both the Wookie and Rave =
projects.
>=20
> Wookie is focussed on providing a server based environment for the =
hosting of Widgets and Gadgets. It provides the necessary infrastructure =
for clients to request a widget/gadget instance (or a wgt package if =
appropriate). It also provides a persistence layer so that =
widgets/gadgets can store preference values. Wookie does not concern =
itself with the rendering of those widgets/gadgets.
>=20
> Rave is a server that focusses on the provision of user interfaces =
built from widgets/gadgets. It provides UI features for end users to =
configure their portal pages. It does not concern itself with how a =
widget/gadget is hosted, instead it seeks to leverage OpenSocial for =
gadgets and, potentially, Wookie for Widgets.
>=20
> These two applications overlap at the point of the "widget/gadget =
store". Wookie provides a basic UI for the administration of a store, =
but also exposes an API to manage this store. Wookie also provides a =
very basic interface (and functional API) for the creation of =
widget/gadget instances.
>=20
> Proposal
> =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
>=20
> Wookie should deprecate all UI code and provide integration with Rave, =
thereby allowing Rave to host W3C Widgets as well as OpenSocial gadgets. =
Our UI will no longer be interactive. All administration activities will =
be carried out via a command line application, interfacing with Wookie =
via the REST API. We may choose to provide text based output from this =
API, although I would suggest an XSL transformation of the XML responses =
from the API would be most appropriate as this will allow data to be =
retrieved in multiple formats (CSV, text, HTML etc.)
>=20

Making sure all Wookie's functionality is exposed by REST API  should be =
a priority - some things (API key management, registering OpenSocial =
gadgets) currently aren't and we should fix that.

Second, providing XSLT to make the results of REST API calls more useful =
is a good idea.

So, irrespective of the view of the proposal as a whole, I think the =
above should be added to Jira anyway (I'll do that soon...)

> We should also focus on development of appropriate connectors so that =
Wookie widgets/gadgets are presented as part of multiple hosting =
environments. Our primary focus will be the Java connector which will be =
used to provide full integration with Rave.
>=20
> If the Rave team so desire they can adopt the API defined by our Java =
Connector to allow swappable replacement of widget servers (OpenSocial =
and Wookie being the obvious choices at this point).
>=20
> We should offer all UI code in Wookie to Rave as a starting point for =
their "Gadget Store". I imagine that the majority of this code will be =
re-written by the Rave team to suit their local needs. However, I also =
imagine that the work they do will greatly enhance the work we have done =
here and, for those people who need a stand alone administration UI for =
Wookie we can point them towards Rave.
>=20
>=20
> Thoughts?

I like the idea of making Wookie more lightweight and modular; =
delegating the whole concept of an admin client to Rave is an attractive =
thought from that perspective. I already largely manage Wookie from the =
command line anyway - e.g. dragging and dropping in Widgets to /deploy =
rather than going through the web interface. I mostly use the web =
interface for some interactive debugging these days.

I'd previously looked into providing Wookie admin functions as widgets =
(this is in the scratchapad area). These too could be submitted to Rave.

(Note also I've worked on a prototype using an Apache Solr repository =
implementation to support searching and browsing across multiple =
widget/gadget providers - this might also be of interest to Rave: =
http://iecbolton.jira.com/svn/ITEC/widget_discovery_service/trunk/)

>=20
> Ross
> [1] http://incubator.apache.org/rave