pcplantdb

["John Howe" <warlock@arashi.com>]

> Hi Folks,
>
> 1) Everything seems to be placed in a giant object database
>       Zope-Instance\var\Data.fs
>     thats the page templates, scripts, and our actual data.

http://zope.org/Members/shh/ExtFile

> 2) All work needs to be done via the web interface.

There is an extension called ZShell @
http://www.librelogiciel.com/software/ZShell/action_Presentation

> 3) It does not (by default) work through the web server, instead
> creating its own server with a different port.

or run as a cgi ( fastcgi )

> As an old unix hack who likes to keep things close to the metal this
> approach make me go ug.
> At the moment it seems like using zope, I loose all the power of unix
> instead I'm stuck with the html forms textarea widget which has all the
> facilities of notepad. And I can only have one edit window open at a time.

http://www.zopelabs.com/cookbook/1054240694
http://www.zope.org/Members/Caseman/ExternalEditor

> Some I feel important questions
>
> 1) can we easily extract scripts from zope so we can back them up to CVS.

Yes, there are a few Zope CVS products:

http://zope.org/Members/philikon/RevisionManager
http://zope.org/Members/arielpartners/CVSFile

> 2) Can we make it work with content outside the Zope sphere, for
> instance I'd quite like to index the permaculture mailing lists archive,
> which are stored in their own manor without having to import the whole
> lot.

It wouldn't make sense to use Zope in that context IMHO. Mailman is much
better suited.

Using ExtFile for mass uploads:

http://zope.org/Members/shh/ExtFile

> 3) I have 1000 photos to upload. Can I automate the process?
> I'm going to get very board (and give up) if I need to use a
> file upload 1000 times.

See ExtFile above

> 4) What if the database gets corrupted? With a monolithic file we could
> be in danger of loosing everything.

The same could be said for mysql, as the db is stored in flat files per
table/index generally. Or Oracle loosing it's control file. This is part
of disaster recovery procedures.

> 5) Can my rich client (say a java applet) easilly extract data from
> zope. I might for example want to find the height of all the different
> willows, but rather than using stateless protocols (http) use a unix
> socket which will keep the connection alive.

XML/RPC

> There may be stuff which at first seems to be easy using zope, but could
> have unforsean consequences. For instance in the Zope tutorial (leason 8
> on images) it happly let me upload a non image file (warez.exe). This
> could be a gaping hole.

Code for security, allow only valid mime types.

I myself, am a CLI person. I do have a constant axiom, "the right tool for
the right job, you wouldn't use a chainsaw to slice a birthday cake".

Admittedly, the Zope learning curve is steep, so seem the benefits.

And back to the right tool for the right job, enterprise systems do not
use single applications to serve all content. And this weaves back to how
Zope fits into the software guild of HG/Eden?

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
John Howe, B.S, M.A.
http://www.arashi.com/
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The most beautiful thing we can experience is the
mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science.
 -- Albert Einstein