Re: [Phpgroupware-developers] Addbook vs addressbook

[Adam Hull]

I apologize. I must not have made it clear that this was not a criticism. I
understand the goals of this project. And I look forward to the final product. 
But
since this project is so ambitious, it seems that it will be quite some time 
before
it is finished. So, what I was trying to accomplish with my previous post was to
explain my situation with hopes to contribute in a way that was in line with my
needs. I did have a look at the devteam wiki. (for those of you who are not 
aware,
phpgw now has a wiki here: http://www.phpgroupware.org/devteam/wiki/index.php )

What I am trying to establish is whether it is the intention to write the new
addressbook from scratch, build it on addressbook or addbook. It would also be
helpful to know what the expected timeline is on it. I know timelines are a
sensitive issue in the open source community but, with business it is a 
necessity.
So, I just wanted to touch base with you guys with the hope we can work 
together. If
not, that is fine, I will just have to make my own interim addressbook solution
until this one is ready. That's all.

I am sorry if I offended you by not offering a solution.
I was trying instead to offer assistance.

-adam

Alex Borges (lex) (address@hidden) wrote:
>
>IM sorry ive been away and not answering much.... ill be back in active
>duty shortly, hopefully with some workforce too....
>
>
>
>Adam. Phpgroupware or axisgroupware are not, cannot be, just hubs for
>applications. An simple addressbook as an inventory of contacts is not a
>groupware app. Hell, its not even a groupware component.
>
>The important part about this addressbook discussion is NOT addressbook
>vs addbook, it is the contacts backend and what can be done with it to
>really give features of a groupware api to other applications, one of
>them could be a nice contact management app, or a CMS, or a simple
>contact inventory.
>
>If you need just a contact's inventory, BY ALL MEANS, grab addbook. This
>doesnt mean that those contacts can have any mapping to users, or that
>the organizations in the org table can be phpgw groups (or categories),
>or that the solution youll be deploying can be integrated into an
>existing corporate directory. Just a contact inventory, thats it.
>
>
>Thats what this discussion is about, and i have been following, just
>havent had the time to participate actively (and responsively, i just
>dont want to keep moving the mud without being an active code
>contributor, and this past weeks i just couldnt).
>
>So i take this oportunity also to state my position on the matter. I
>agree with ralph in all repsects:
>
>Normalized Data Org -< ppl relationship (at least), somehow mapped as
>good as possible in ldap, giving priority to the usability of the
>contact's backend, regardless of ldap's data representatiuon
>limitations. That is, let the ldap users (and im one of them, or wish to
>be anyhow) worry about having the CMS working fine with an ldap as
>backend. The important part to consider is the desing of the app, the
>CMS potential and the correct integration of the contacts to the
>userbase (user - contact relationship, for which ldap is ideal, for
>example).
>
>The fact is that no groupware api/suite can be independent of a central
>directory of contacts (thus, you cant go and implement your coporate
>directory in sql, have api/backend integrated in the framework that
>bases upon the directories data, and still claim the deployed solution
>will scale to solve other problems). I think ralph is correctly assesing
>and accepting the existing problem with addressbook,  the reasoin why
>addbook was created and is popular, but i also think that in this list
>he has been talking about a solution. He also put up a wiki for
>discussion (which i havent been able to revise either), and i suggest
>all interested go there asap and read it before engaging in efforts that
>dont offer a general solution.
>
>
>
>El jue, 20 de 03 de 2003 a las 17:32, Adam Hull escribió:
>> I have reread through this thread and wanted to add a few things, but first 
>> I want
>> to say that the following is in no way a criticism, I am simply stating my
>> perspective on the addressbook situation.
>>
>> I have personally given up on LDAP. This is mostly because I just do not 
>> need it. I
>> am mostly using phpGroupware for small groups. So, I do not need LDAP auth 
>> since
>> none of my installations will span more than one server. I was hoping to 
>> have an
>> addressbook with LDAP support so users could use an LDAP client if they 
>> wanted to,
>> but I can live without that. I just cannot wait any longer for it to be 
>> implemented.
>> And from the sound of this conversation, the problem with storing relational 
>> data in
>> LDAP is going to make this exceedingly difficult, delaying this project even 
>> more.
>> So, not having LDAP as a requirement, my needs are much simpler.
>>
>> I have detailed my needs in the phpgw wiki page under "addbook" here:
>> http://docs.axisgroupware.org/index.php?page=phpgroupware0916
>> If you would like to add your needs, feel free to do so there, but I will 
>> list my
>> needs here as well:
>>
>>           o CSV file importing directly into addbook with field mapping
>>           o Ability to add custom data fields
>>           o Improved interface along the lines of how infolog works
>>           o A preference for the user to use a mail client or phpgw email 
>> which
>> changes the link from "mailto:"; to a link to phpgw email when email 
>> addresses are
>> displayed
>>
>> These needs are based on "addbook". For my purposes, addressbook is 
>> unusable. I need
>> person/organization separation like many others do. So, it would be easiest 
>> for me
>> to make a few modifications to addbook to reach my goal. But, I have no 
>> interest in
>> maintaining my own application, so I would like to contribute to this 
>> project if
>> possible.
>>
>> Correct me if I am wrong, but it sounds as though development will continue 
>> with
>> addressbook, merging addbook's features into addressbook. This sounds a 
>> little
>> backwards considering addbook is more normalized. And a migration path has 
>> more or
>> less been written for moving from addressbook to addbook. Wouldn't it be 
>> easier to
>> build on addbook?
>>
>> What exactly is the roadmap for this? Will the new addressbook be built from
>> scratch? built on addressbook? or built on addbook?
>>
>> Please let me know if I can help.
>>
>> Adam Hull (fixe)
>>
>>
>>
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>
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