[Zope3-dev] Big import blocks

[Phillip J. Eby]

For these sort of "internal interfaces", I tend to use the term "SPI", or 
Service Provider Interface.  I stole the term from the J2EE world, where 
the interfaces that a framework requires of service providers are defined 
as SPI's, in contrast to the API's that end-users call.  It would still be 
a nice short TLA.  :)

At 07:38 PM 3/20/03 +0200, Steve Alexander wrote:

>>  > Assuming this data is roughly correct, we can cut the number of this
>>  > particular kind of dead chickens roughly in half by creating a module
>>  > with a short name (e.g. "zapi") that imports the 120 most popular
>>I think this is a useful analysis, and would love to see something
>>like this done instead of continuing the current import hell.  A
>>script to perform the analysis would be good; additions could be made
>>to the API module when something becomes popular enough.
>
>An API is an Application Programming Interface.
>
>Shouldn't the names for inclusion in this API be taken from an analysis of 
>what names a typical Application needs?
>
>I don't think the Zope 3 application is a typical application.
>Zope 3 is made up of many layers. There are lots of cross-references 
>between these layers that are not so pertinent to other applications.
>
>(The plumbing of a building serves the insides of the building. Some 
>buildings have the plumbing on the outside, but that's not an invitation 
>to hook up to it from the street.)
>
>I'm concerned that an API modeled on what the Zope application needs from 
>the Zope application will be skewed from what other applications will need.