[ZWeb] Zope 2 web site

[Paul Everitt]

Lennart Regebro wrote:
> If Plone works for product listing on plone.org, it should work for
> product listing on zope.org.
> 
> Now, zope.org does much more than that, but if we combine the above
> thought, with the earlier thought of splitting into new subsites that
> one by one get "approved" by Zope Foundation, that ain't a problem.

Well said.  We need to break the big problem into smaller problems that 
don't require transient volunteers to sign up for eating an elephant. :^)

Along these lines, I think stabilizing the current dung heap should be 
*one of* the projects.  It's odd that we could make things better *right 
now*, and smart people are trying to help, but others don't want them 
to.  It doesn't have to be zero sum.

> So what do we need?
> 
> 1. A project manager.
> 2. A server to put this on.

This is probably the most important step, to improve the collaboration. 
  Offers have been made in the past by Zope hosters.  I bet we could get 
one, in exchange for the same credits given currently on zope.org.

> 3. A design.

Yep.

> Then we can put up a products.something.foo, and try to get people to
> register their products there instead of on zope.org, and if people
> like it enough, step 5:
> 
> 6. ZF can do a switcheroo so that the products on zope.org point to
> the new server, as products.zope.org.
> 
> That's one part finished for a new zope.org. One of the biggest ones,
> and not particularily painful even.
> 
> Yes, there is two steps missing:
> 
> 4. Wait for ZF to become reality.

I've seen this mentioned a number of times.  I'm concerned about the 
effect it might have.  I remember in 2003, we had spent months waiting 
on officialdom to legal things and were told:

   "I suspect this will be finished by the end of next week."

   http://mail.zope.org/pipermail/zope-web/2003-March/002509.html

"One week" turned into 5 months.  Meanwhile, all the volunteer 
enthusiasm vanished.  I feel the ZF is becoming that same kind of "Wait 
for the adults to weigh in" vibe.

Everybody says that the software of zope.org is the culprit.  Geoff is a 
core contributor to that software, a board member of its foundation, and 
the author of the caching integration to make it go fast.  He's not 
proposing a new system.  He's proposing to improve the status quo, 
without excluding other initiatives.

Having the existing site suck less, on the way to having a new non-Plone 
plan, would be great.  Geoff has said: "I'll do it."  In my book, he 
should get encouragement.

--Paul