[Zope-dev] Zope Futures

[Jeff Nielsen]

I'd like to chime in on this futures discussion. Let me start with a short
background:

I developed a site using IIS as the web server, Zope as the application
server and SQL Server 6.5. I used a combination of IIS and Zope to address a
couple of issues (Zope database access is much easier than IIS, and IIS can
track session variables, while Zope, at that time, didn't. Zope also did not
log, to my knowledge, at that point). My goal is to make a commercially
successful web site, not to muck around with new technologies.

In the second generation of my web site, I want to simplify things by
eliminating either IIS or Zope and use just one technology. I'm intrigued by
the object-oriented nature of Zope and the benefits it brings, but I'm also
wary of the things that I've found difficult about Zope. In the future, I'd
press to develop those things that make Zope a complete production-ready web
system and less of a geeky toy. To wit:

1. Complete , timely, non-overtly technical documentation. The Zope Quick
Reference has been a God-send recently
2. Strive for completeness in the whole package; a complete help system, a
strong IDE (Zope Studio sounds intriguing), good installs for Zope and
add-ins. Don't just launch new technology without the supporting materials.
3. Feature names and terms that are self-apparent and not techno-cute.
Especially, go easy on the Zeverything names in favor of more useful,
self-descriptive names.

I believe that Zope is adequately powerful to do most any job, we just need
to make that power easier to access.

Jeff
-----------------------
Jeff Nielsen
http://www.UgoFast.com/
"Where U Go Fast"