Future Development Plans

Perfection!. Sound a bit lofty? Okay, I agree. Let's dispense with my Nirvana and get back in touch with reality.

RavenNuke™ started out as an extension to the public of what I use when I install sites. As I continued to add and to hone, and through various contacts and discussions with others, I saw even more of a need for a standard phpnuke package that would be as ready to go, out of the box as possible, and as secure as my own site. I wanted to endeavor to keep as much of the core code as possible to aid in upgrades. That, of course, is one of the biggest challenges, as base phpnuke has many challenges due mainly to the inadequacies of the core code and maintainer. So, some change is inevitable, but I don't believe that a full fledged "fork" is the way to go either - yet. That's not to say that a fork or even a brand new CMS is or would be bad. I'm just saying that I am intent on staying with what I believe was the last safe release and making it better, safer, and then adding in the most sought after add-ons and tweaks that are not the easiest to install, especially with adding patches, NukeSentinel™, etc. This could, however, lead into a Fork just through osmosis :)

So, with that as the background as to why I'm even here, let me throw out some Future Plans. These Future Plans are in no way ground in granite. This is a living document, if you will. It is prone to change due to changes in the community and observed needs.

• Development will continue as life and time allows.
• There is no set schedule for releases, but at the beginning they will be more often as we integrate add-ons into each release.
• Through Quality Assurance Testing (QA) we are not expecting to release interim bug fixes every time a bug is found. Instead, we will have a forum or some other mechanism set up to make interim fixes available.
• There may be a Bug Tracker and/or CVS eventually.
• While I am leading this, I am working with others to integrate their scripts into the distribution. I am not trying to do this alone; it's too big. If I can easily drop it in, then I will. Otherwise, they will be working to get it integrated, if need be.
• There is no intention of setting up a bloated distro with every addon known to man. Through surveys and focus groups, if you will, we will endeavor to pick the cream of the crop and establish a core based distro.
• Version numbering scheme: This is so non standard and can be misleading. In many ways it is a necessary evil. I hope and expect to stay at v2.x.x for a while. Just adding functionality, add-ons, etc., should not, in my mind, require a major revision change. I went to 2.x from 1.x because it marked the beginning of add-ons to the core distribution. I would expect that when I release the next release with functionality it will be something like v2.1.0. Then if there is a bug release to that it will be v2.1.01/02/03, etc.

• Q. - What guarantee does the community have that this project won't just die on the vine like so many others?
  A. - None. Life happens, things change. But, at this very moment I and others have committed to it.
• Q.- Will it always be free, in terms of $$$?
  A. - Don't know. Probably; possibly; maybe - maybe not. The GPL does allow a reasonable "delivery" charge. Right here and now, as long as contributions continue to come in, I have no intention of charging or operating a "Club" of any kind. I do reserve the right to change this policy at any time.
• Q. - Can others redistribute this?
  A. - As stated in the License section, the GPL allows for redistribution. But, I would ask that you not do this. I would like to keep track of the downloads for a couple of main reasons. First and foremost, for support. If others take it and tweak and/or modify it, then support is much more difficult from our end as this is the only official support site. Secondly, by having the downloads centralized here I have a more accurate gauge as to how popular (or not) it is and that can determine future direction.
  Also, be aware that the Table Installer and this Documentation are NOT GPL. They do not require nuke to run so I can exclude them. If you do choose to redistribute RavenNuke™, you must not redistribute the Table Installer and Documentation.
• Q. - You have a script that you feel would make this a better distribution. How can you submit it?
  A. - For right now just drop me a PM and tell me about it.