reusable versus packaged apps and introducing Tabula Rasa

James Tauber

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May 6, 2008, 4:34:27 AM5/6/08

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The excellent 42 Topics blog has a post entitled Popularizing Django —
Or Reusable apps considered harmful

http://42topics.com/blog/2008/05/popularizing-django-or-reusable-apps-considered-harmful/

which makes (or attempts to make) the case for packaged apps over
reusable apps.

He raises some good points, although of course the packaged apps he's
talking about still use reusable apps so he's not actually talking
about there being a problem with reusable apps per se, just that there
should be packaged apps *as well*.

I mention this list in a comment on that post as I'd really like that
discussion to take place here.

I also, in that comment, mention something I'm working on tentatively
called Tabula Rasa which is highly relevant to this list.

Basically, the goal of Tabula Rasa is an out-of-the-box website with
everything *but* the domain-specific functionality.

So far it's just my new django-email-confirmation app tied together
with password change and reset, login/logout, with the beginnings of a
tab-style UI. There's a ton more I want to refactor out of my existing
websites to put into it as well as adding support for OpenID and the
stuff I'm starting to do for django-friends.

Even if one doesn't use Tabula Rasa as the starting point of a
website, I'm hoping it will prove very useful for another goal, namely
a "host" project to develop and tryout reusable apps.

One of the challenges I know I've always had with writing or trying
out reusable apps is the need for a project to provide the scaffolding.

So Tabula Rasa will hopefully serve that dual purpose.

I hope to have the initial code available later today as well as put
an instance of Tabula Rasa online.

James

James Tauber

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May 6, 2008, 5:34:27 AM5/6/08

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On May 6, 2008, at 4:34 AM, James Tauber wrote:
> Basically, the goal of Tabula Rasa is an out-of-the-box website with
> everything *but* the domain-specific functionality.
>
> So far it's just my new django-email-confirmation app tied together
> with password change and reset, login/logout, with the beginnings of a
> tab-style UI.

[...]

> Even if one doesn't use Tabula Rasa as the starting point of a
> website, I'm hoping it will prove very useful for another goal, namely
> a "host" project to develop and tryout reusable apps.

[...]

> I hope to have the initial code available later today as well as put
> an instance of Tabula Rasa online.

It's now available at

http://code.google.com/p/django-hotclub/

under

trunk/projects/tabularasa

Running instance to come.

James