[Zope3-dev] How does Zope.Configuration work?

[R. David Murray]

On Tue, 26 Mar 2002, Guido van Rossum wrote:
> Better get used to it.  It's a papal edict that making "hello world"
> simple is not one of Zope 3's goals.

However, this does *not* preclude making it "simpler" than it
currently is <grin>.  I think it's just that ease of modification
and integration comes ahead of hello world simplicity.

> This bothers me.  I think it's a mistake to think that site admins
> should be given control over every little detail of every app they
> install.

I think the primary audience of the .zcml files should be the
application integrator, not the site admin.  The site admin's needs
can/should be addressed by tools layered on top of the zcml, such
as a GUI interface to let you add, activate, deactivate, and
delete Products, which behind the scenes would modify the
nicely parseable zcml files.

> While it's OK to give site admins the ability to tweak apps, unless
> they understand the app very well that's not going to do them any more
> good than giving them the ability to edit the python source codes
> comprising the app.

Agreed.  It's the application integrator who will want to play
with the .zcml files directly.  Of course, in many cases that will
turn out to be the same person, but conceptually it's a different
audience.

--RDM