Asp Forum - WANTED: need a real web API for rubyforge.org

Ryan Davis

1/5/2009 10:44:00 PM

I just released version 1.0.2 of the rubyforge command line client. It
sucks. We could do a lot better. In particular, we really need a real
API for rubyforge, not a web scraper. It is too error prone.

It would need to support everything the current command line client
supports (basically: login, logout, add group, add package, add
release + some project data gathering) and conform to gforge's schema.

Is anyone up for the task?

37 Answers

Tiago Nogueira

1/6/2009 12:54:00 AM

Ryan Davis escreveu:
> I just released version 1.0.2 of the rubyforge command line client. It
> sucks. We could do a lot better. In particular, we really need a real
> API for rubyforge, not a web scraper. It is too error prone.
>
> It would need to support everything the current command line client
> supports (basically: login, logout, add group, add package, add
> release + some project data gathering) and conform to gforge's schema.
>
> Is anyone up for the task?
>
>
>
Ryan, I´m in!
I really like to participate and help in everything you need.
Regards,
- tiago nogueira

Trans

1/6/2009 5:03:00 AM

On Jan 5, 5:43=A0pm, Ryan Davis <ryand-r...@zenspider.com> wrote:
> I just released version 1.0.2 of the rubyforge command line client. It =
=A0
> sucks. We could do a lot better. In particular, we really need a real =A0
> API for rubyforge, not a web scraper. It is too error prone.
>
> It would need to support everything the current command line client =A0
> supports (basically: login, logout, add group, add package, add =A0
> release + some project data gathering) and conform to gforge's schema.
>
> Is anyone up for the task?

How do you plan to implement this? I've thought about too. I believe
GForge provides a SOAP-based API, but I'm not sure Rubyforge is up to
date with the latest and greatest. (Not to mention yuk! SOAP). I've
suggested to Tom Copeland that the current rubyforge gem code could be
converted into a server side REST API, although obviously that's not
ideal. So I am curious as to what you have in mind.

Going further. Doesn't it seem like it's about time for Rubyforge to
run on Ruby?

Tiago Nogueira

1/6/2009 11:08:00 AM

Trans escreveu:
> On Jan 5, 5:43 pm, Ryan Davis <ryand-r...@zenspider.com> wrote:
>
>> I just released version 1.0.2 of the rubyforge command line client. It
>> sucks. We could do a lot better. In particular, we really need a real
>> API for rubyforge, not a web scraper. It is too error prone.
>>
>> It would need to support everything the current command line client
>> supports (basically: login, logout, add group, add package, add
>> release + some project data gathering) and conform to gforge's schema.
>>
>> Is anyone up for the task?
>>
>
> How do you plan to implement this? I've thought about too. I believe
> GForge provides a SOAP-based API, but I'm not sure Rubyforge is up to
> date with the latest and greatest. (Not to mention yuk! SOAP). I've
> suggested to Tom Copeland that the current rubyforge gem code could be
> converted into a server side REST API, although obviously that's not
> ideal. So I am curious as to what you have in mind.
>
> Going further. Doesn't it seem like it's about time for Rubyforge to
> run on Ruby?
>
>
>
Trans wrote:

"...Going further. Doesn't it seem like it's about time for Rubyforge to
run on Ruby?"

And i agree !

- tiago nogueira

Gregory Brown

1/6/2009 3:41:00 PM

On Mon, Jan 5, 2009 at 5:43 PM, Ryan Davis <ryand-ruby@zenspider.com> wrote:
> I just released version 1.0.2 of the rubyforge command line client. It
> sucks. We could do a lot better. In particular, we really need a real API
> for rubyforge, not a web scraper. It is too error prone.
>
> It would need to support everything the current command line client supports
> (basically: login, logout, add group, add package, add release + some
> project data gathering) and conform to gforge's schema.
>
> Is anyone up for the task?

Though we haven't really advertised it yet, the source for RubyForge
itself (which is indeed almost entirely GForge) is now up on
RubyForge:

http://support.rubyforge.org/svn/trunk/support/...

This might help those interested in integrating such a feature.

-greg

--
Technical Blaag at: http://blog.majesticseacr...
Non-tech stuff at: http://metametta.bl...
"Ruby Best Practices" Book now in O'Reilly Roughcuts:
http://rubybestpra...

Gregory Brown

1/7/2009 3:55:00 PM

On Tue, Jan 6, 2009 at 6:08 AM, Tiago Nogueira <tjnogueira@oomaster.com> wrote:
>
> Trans wrote:
>
> "...Going further. Doesn't it seem like it's about time for Rubyforge to
> run on Ruby?"
> And i agree !

Yeah, you guys get started on that. And when you have a very stable,
broadly appealing project that you're willing to maintain and help Tom
manage serverside, come talk to us at RubyForge.

(100% serious, though it may sound snarky ;)

-greg

--
Technical Blaag at: http://blog.majesticseacr...
Non-tech stuff at: http://metametta.bl...
"Ruby Best Practices" Book now in O'Reilly Roughcuts:
http://rubybestpra...

Tiago Nogueira

1/7/2009 4:07:00 PM

Gregory Brown escreveu:
> On Tue, Jan 6, 2009 at 6:08 AM, Tiago Nogueira <tjnogueira@oomaster.com> wrote:
> >
>> Trans wrote:
>>
>> "...Going further. Doesn't it seem like it's about time for Rubyforge to
>> run on Ruby?"
>> And i agree !
>>
>
> Yeah, you guys get started on that. And when you have a very stable,
> broadly appealing project that you're willing to maintain and help Tom
> manage serverside, come talk to us at RubyForge.
>
> (100% serious, though it may sound snarky ;)
>
> -greg
>
>
>
>
Ok. I'm here waiting for instructions sir :-)
-tiago

Gregory Brown

1/7/2009 4:22:00 PM

On Wed, Jan 7, 2009 at 11:07 AM, Tiago Nogueira <tjnogueira@oomaster.com> wrote:

> Ok. I'm here waiting for instructions sir :-)

we would need a system with comparable functionality that can run on
our hardware and be generally preferred by the community.
If you are serious about working on such a thing, I'll put you in
touch with Tom, and he could fill you in on the details.

But this has come up about 1000 times before. I was even one of the
people who suggested it in the past. ;)

-greg

--
Technical Blaag at: http://blog.majesticseacr...
Non-tech stuff at: http://metametta.bl...
"Ruby Best Practices" Book now in O'Reilly Roughcuts:
http://rubybestpra...

Tiago Nogueira

1/7/2009 4:39:00 PM

Gregory Brown escreveu:
> On Wed, Jan 7, 2009 at 11:07 AM, Tiago Nogueira <tjnogueira@oomaster.com> wrote:
>
>
>> Ok. I'm here waiting for instructions sir :-)
>>
>
> we would need a system with comparable functionality that can run on
> our hardware and be generally preferred by the community.
> If you are serious about working on such a thing, I'll put you in
> touch with Tom, and he could fill you in on the details.
>
> But this has come up about 1000 times before. I was even one of the
> people who suggested it in the past. ;)
>
> -greg
>
>
>
Greg , i'm really talking serious. I really want to contribuite with our
community and i have time every night to dedicate
and to do it.
:-)
-tiago

Marcelo

1/7/2009 5:09:00 PM

On Wed, Jan 7, 2009 at 10:07 AM, Tiago Nogueira <tjnogueira@oomaster.com> wrote:

> Ok. I'm here waiting for instructions sir :-)

If you are serious...

Basically:

1. Create a Ruby clone of Trac (http://trac.edg...)
1.1. Make it easy to support multiple independent projects.
1.2. Don't waste time supporting SVN, go for Git from the start

By this point you have an issue tracker (which doubles as a project
manager tool) and a wiki, both hooked up to a RCS, which provides
source browsing. Look at Basecamp for inspiration.

2. Integrate this with a documentation browsing tool.
3. Add some sort of peer review system.

By this point you've got something akin to CPAN.

4. Add mailing list / forum support.

By this point, you are 90% done, I'd say.

Very roughly, that's about it,

Marcelo

Ben Bleything

1/7/2009 5:20:00 PM

On Wed, Jan 7, 2009 at 9:08 AM, Marcelo <marcelo.magallon@gmail.com> wrote:
> 1. Create a Ruby clone of Trac (http://trac.edg...)

There already is one in RedMine.

> 1.1. Make it easy to support multiple independent projects.

RedMine does.

> 1.2. Don't waste time supporting SVN, go for Git from the start

What? No.

Here's the problem with converting RubyForge from GForge to something
written in Ruby.... you can't take features away, because they're all
in use. That means that whatever gets written needs to support CVS,
SVN *and* Git. It needs to have integrated forums and mailing lists
with management for both. It needs a news system, bug trackers and a
file release system and a built-in gem indexer/server. It needs wikis
and web space, file download and scm statistics.

This is an extremely difficult problem to solve. GForge is a very
complex piece of software used by tons of people whose needs all need
to be balanced. I feel pretty strongly that anything other than a
feature-for-feature clone is doomed to failure, and then we'll have
nothing.

Ben

comp.lang.ruby

WANTED: need a real web API for rubyforge.org

Ryan Davis

Tiago Nogueira

Trans

Tiago Nogueira

Gregory Brown

Gregory Brown

Tiago Nogueira

Gregory Brown

Tiago Nogueira

Marcelo

Ben Bleything

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