Re: [Boost-users] The Boost Community

From: JOAQUIN LOPEZ MU?Z (joaquin_at_[hidden])
Date: 2005-05-03 14:27:22

----- Mensaje original -----
De: Fernando Cacciola <fernando_cacciola_at_[hidden]>
Fecha: Martes, Mayo 3, 2005 6:41 pm
Asunto: [Boost-users] The Boost Community

> Hello people,
> 
> In 1998, Bemans Dawes wrote the "Proposal for a C++ Library 
> Repository Web 
> Site" (you can find the paper in (www.boost.org/more/index.htm), 
> which 
> lunched the Boost we all know and love today.
> The focus of the site was and is the production of high-quality 
> peer-reviewed C++ libraries.
> Over the years, Boost grew as a community of experienced C++ 
> developers with 
> the will and means to share their expertise and work contributing 
> to the 
> highly respected Boost Libraries. Today, Boost is a somewhat 
> recongisable 
> part of the C++ programming community at large.
> 
> Today, the way I see it, Boost as a community encompases only the 
> boost 
> developers, which are just a fraction of the larger C++ crowd. 
> There are 
> certainly Boost users, but I don't think we can say both 
> developers and 
> users form a community. I think is worth and in-the-spirit to 
> reach out for 
> ALL C++ programmers of ALL LEVELS around an "extended" Boost 
> Community whose 
> main sharing point is not just the submission of high-quality 
> libraries but 
> also the efficient and effective use of the language.
> 
> 

I violently support the creation of such a site :)
Let me throw in the following issues:

1. Name of the site. As I see it, it should mention the
word "Boost" so as to stand clearly among other C++-devoted
sites. Something like "Got Boost" (not that I particularly
love this name, but you get the idea.) I propose that we
do *not* launch a contest to find the name, lest we
end up spending three omnths on the issue like it happend
witht he Boost logo.
2. Hosting. Dave Abrahams volunteered to host the site.
Is he still holding his offer?
3. Technology. I've been doing a small survey among my
workmates and some of them are ardent fans of Plone
(www.plone.org), an off-the-shelf community product
built on top of a content management system called Zope.
I lack direct experience with Plone, but from the info
I've been able to gather it supports the following
features:
  * Site structuring using the Zope backend.
  * News sections.
  * Forums (with a component called CMF.)
  * Look&feel tweaking thru CSS. If you want to
  dig deeper, Zope provides a scripting framework
  using Python.
  * Built-in hierarchical database.
  * User management.
  * Updating workflow, meaning that everybody can
  contibrute entries (submitting an HTML doc or
  with a built-in WYSIWG editor) wiki-style, but we can
  make these pass thru a moderating filter.
  * Built-in search.
  * Open source, free. Preferred deployment platform
  is Linux, but works on Windows and Mac boxes.
As I said, I don't have direct experience with
Plone, so if anybody out there does maybe she
can assist us on wether this is a suitable
product to build the site on.

I pass on less tecnhical questions like what kind
of content we want to include: IMHO once we
have some site prototype set up, it is easier
to propose ideas and let the the thing evolve
organically, so to speak.

Best,

Joaquín M López Muñoz
Telefónica, Investigación y Desarrollo