[TYPO3-ect] Announcing TER cleanup process

[Tolleiv Nietsch]

Lol sorry for the double-post. I didn't know this newsgroup and didn't
know that I responded into it ...

Tolleiv Nietsch schrieb:
> Hi Jigal,
> 
> all this sounds great - but with whom from the T3O-Team did you discuss
> this? Seems that some of us have to do this work (adjusting the
> T3O-Search / adding the moving parts to the TER / testing the functional
> changes / ... ) and I wonder how you planned this?
> 
> Don't get me wrong, we'll fully support you with that - but all of us
> got your messages unprepared and were quite surprised. That's not
> optimal considering the fact that maintaining typo3.org is a hard job
> anyways.
> 
> Cheers.
> 
> Jigal van Hemert schrieb:
>> TER "cleanup"
>> =============
>>
>> Everybody recognizes this situation: you're looking for an extension
>> with a certain functionality and after you've installed it all kinds of
>> errors appear about missing functions or even worse, you only see a
>> blank page. Further investigation shows that the extension isn't
>> compatible with your TYPO3 version.
>>
>> For a long time extensions can set the TYPO3 version(s) they are
>> compatible with. Unfortunately not many extension authors use that
>> setting. You could take a look at the date of publication, but even that
>> won't be a sure sign.
>>
>> The plans
>> ---------
>> To reduce the chances for such problems some things will change:
>>
>> 1. the dependency setting in an extension for a TYPO3 version (or a
>> range of versions) will become mandatory; this means that extensions
>> without a dependency for one of the currently supported core versions
>> will be rejected during the upload.
>>
>> 2. extensions without a TYPO3 dependency setting or with a dependency
>> for none of the current TYPO3 versions will be marked as "outdated".
>>
>> 3. "outdated" extensions will not show up at first in the TER search
>> results; you can activate a switch to also show "outdated" extensions.
>>
>> 4. "outdated" extensions will be clearly marked in the Extension Manager.
>>
>> The schedule
>> ------------
>> - Announcements in as many places as possible (end of January)
>>
>> - Mails to extension authors to notify them of the changes (February)
>>
>> - Patches for TYPO3 Extension Manager to display "outdated" extensions
>> differently (beginning of February)
>>
>> - Rejecting extensions without valid dependency during upload (August
>> 1st, 2013)
>>
>> - Marking extensions without (valid) dependency in TER (beginning of
>> August 2013)
>>
>> - Hiding "outdated" extensions in TER search (beginning of August 2013)
>>
>> Definition of an "outdated" extension
>> -------------------------------------
>> An extension is called "outdated" if it has set a dependency for TYPO3,
>> but none of the versions it depends on is actively maintained. For
>> example: it has a dependency for TYPO3 4.0-4.3; all these versions are
>> 'end-of-life' and this extension is clearly not designed to work with
>> any current TYPO3 installation.
>>
>> Because a lot of extensions don't have a dependency set, we have to
>> expand the definition a bit in the beginning: extensions which were
>> uploaded before the release of the oldest, currently maintained TYPO3
>> version are also "outdated". If an extension was uploaded before the
>> release of TYPO3 4.5 it was obviously not tested with that version.
>>
>>
>> And in the (near) future...
>>
>> Shortly we will have a 'gap' in the range of supported versions: 4.5
>> (LTS), 4.7, 6.0. This will mean that the check will be a bit more
>> complicated, but the basic rule will remain the same:
>> check if there is a match between the range of TYPO3 versions set in the
>> dependency property and the currently maintained versions.
>>
>> Implications for integrators
>> ----------------------------
>> If you search for extensions in TER after August 1st, 2013 these
>> "outdated" extensions will not show up immediately. Only if you activate
>> the option to include "outdated" extensions they will be included in the
>> results. It is still possible to download these extensions, but you need
>> extra effort.
>>
>> If you search in the Extension Manager in the list of extensions in TER
>> the "outdated" extensions will not show up.
>>
>> If you try to install an "outdated" extension (uploading it in the EM)
>> the behavior will depend on whether the TYPO3 dependency has been set or
>> not in the extension. This is the current situation already.
>>
>> If an extension you currently use is marked as "outdated" there is
>> really no problem. It works for you, but it might not work in newer
>> TYPO3 versions. You could ask the extension author to update the extension.
>>
>> Please note that also not-"outdated" extensions might fail with a new
>> TYPO3 core version. If the extension is compatible with TYPO3 4.5 it is
>> not "outdated", but it may be incompatible with TYPO3 4.7 you want to
>> upgrade to. Checks to see if your installation is upgrade-ready might be
>> a nice feature for a new tool.
>>
>> Implications for extension authors
>> ----------------------------------
>> If you try to upload an extension without a dependency for TYPO3 or with
>> a dependency which is outside the range of currently supported TYPO3
>> versions your upload will be rejected and an error message will be
>> shown. Simply add to ext_emconf.php a dependency for the version(s) you
>> tested the extension with:
>>
>>   'constraints' => array(
>>     'depends' => array(
>>       'typo3' => '4.5.0-4.7.99',
>>     ),
>>   ),
>>
>> You can set the minimum for a version of TYPO3 which is not supported
>> anymore, but then the maximum must be within the supported range. You
>> cannot set a maximum outside the range of supported versions.
>>
>>
>> What happens with "outdated" extensions and their keys?
>>
>> Really, nothing much. They will remain in TER, but not as visible as
>> they were before. The extension keys will still remain with their owners.
>>
>> If you upload a new version of an "outdated" extension it will appear
>> again in the search results, because the dependency is set for one or
>> more of the currently maintained TYPO3 versions.
>>
>> Security issues and "outdated" extensions
>> -----------------------------------------
>> The security team will give more attention to extensions which are
>> actively maintained. If a security issue is reported for an "outdated"
>> extension the normal procedure will be followed.
>>
>> Future developments
>> -------------------
>> The information about the TYPO3 versions an extension will work with can
>> be used for other features of the TER and the Extension Manager.
>>
>> In the future it will be possible to search for compatibility with a
>> specific TYPO3 version.
>>
>> It would also be possible to show in the EM the list of extensions in
>> the TER which are compatible with the installed TYPO3 version.
>>
>> A check to see if all installed extensions are compatible with a new
>> TYPO3 version before you perform the upgrade would also be possible.
>>
>> More information
>> ----------------
>> The Extension Coordination Team [1] handles this operation. See [2] for
>> the wiki information. There is a mailing list / newsgroup
>> "typo3.teams.extension-coordination" to ask questions and discuss the
>> procedures.
>>
>> [1] http://forge.typo3.org/projects/team-ect
>> [2] http://forge.typo3.org/projects/team-ect/wiki/TER_Clean-up
>>
> 

-- 
Tolleiv Nietsch
TYPO3 Core Developer


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