pcplantdb

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

> For a complex mess of reasons I will not articulate at this point, I
> feel that the best direction to go at this point is to reiterate my
> latest proposal.
>
>   The project platform will start based on the Eden engine with an ORM
>   interface to an RDBMS (probably MySQL) anticipating forward porting
>   to Zope 3 in the future if funding and hosting allows.  Also, it
>   will be hosted on ibiblio.
>
> John S. and John H. I realize that this is probably pretty
> disappointing.  It is also not really what I thought was the best
> choice.  If you can see through to going with this proposal we can
> pack all of this mess into a tight little box and get down and dirty
> with some real dev... it's still python anyway!  I think everyone else
> is at least 'ok' with this decision.

Ah, where to start? How about a quote?

"When you hit a wall in development it's often time to ask not whether
you've got the right answer, but whether you're asking the right
question."
The Cathedral and the Bazaar

The thing I keep looping back to in my mind, and that John S. and Scott
Pittman have articulated is to specify the goals of Phase 1. I have been (
albeit half-heartedly ), looking through previous posts and the wiki to
find a design document that states the deliverables for the initial $10k
grant. I was also looking for the actual grant proposal that was awarded
the $10k grant.

So what *are* we attempting to deliver in Phase One? My own vision of the
software is this:

An application that assists in identifying new Guilds and exploring
existing Guilds. This application being a GPL like project can be
redistributable and users can have their own local copy for bioregional
observations. There may be a centralized "master" database of guild
entities ( Creative Commons License ), and users may be able to submit
their own local observations to the master, and/or mirror the master (or
portions of the master) to their local installation. My thinking here is
that if I am wandering around with my laptop/PDA, I have a lightweight
interface to make Guild notations that I observe and upload later perhaps.

Bandwidth issues have a considerable impact on the application, and the
application should be optimized for dial-up users.

As for the database, whether intially RDBMS or ODB, I would like to see
more in depth discussion about the schema design and serious effort made
towards normalization. I did some initial research to other university
efforts and it is indeed a complex piece of work. I belive I had posted
links earlier in the list to those resources.

Another thing I have learned in my experience of software development is
the concept "good enough for now". So based upon the goals of deliverables
for the grant, what would be "good enough for now" with considerable
thought put into future extensibility for this application?

Additionally, is the project *just* the database, or is it the front-end
to the database, or a combination of both? I am thinking if this is a
redistributable software application, what would the seed database look
like? Would it have one?

I do have other thoughts regarding the integration of GIS type
functionality and how to map microclimates, though that is a discussion
for Phase 2+ probably.

---

Again, I will loop back to my question, "What are the deliverables for the
October deadline?"

As for platform issues, I can be agnostic. My philosophy is the right tool
for the right job. It seemed like Zope was the right tool for mapping the
relationships of guilds ( mapping complexities of complexities as Scott
Pittman said ). It could also be done with mysql or some other RDBMS,
though not as technically elegant ( as Chad states ). As the project
evolves, it will most likely take on a more enterprise like architecture
with various platforms supported.

Ultimately, platform and language is a choice of the programmers. I offer
my services and hosting platform gratis, and will continue to do so in the
future if need be.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
John Howe, B.S, M.A.
http://www.arashi.com/
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The most beautiful thing we can experience is the
mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science.
 -- Albert Einstein