[Zope] - Zope/filesystem issues

[Amos Latteier]

With all this talk about wanting to use the filesystem to store Zope
objects rather than the object database, I just wanted to underscore a
point that has been mentioned, but mostly passed over.

Zope objects are much more than simply text files.

They are Python objects--so storing them in general requires something like
a  pickle. Documents and Folders can be approximated with filesystem
directories and text files, however, they don't capture a lot of
information like Zope object properties, permissions information, etc. In
addition many objects like Database Connections don't map very well to a
filesystem object at all.

I've been thinking about these issues while working on FTP support, since
FTP uses a filesystem metaphor for communication with Zope. For example,
when you FTP an object in and out of Zope, you probably won't be putting
and getting the complete object. You will be most likely putting and
getting the textual or binary 'content' of the object.

So while being able to import and export partial representations of Zope
objects to and from the filesystem is an important convenience, I see big
problems with it being a complete replacement for through the web editing.

-Amos