Zope 3 Alpha 1 Released

nosse_elendili writes "These are exciting times for those of us who use Zope, because the long anticipated Zope 3 Alpha 1 has been released! For those who don't know, Zope is a powerful but somewhat obscure free, open-source, cross-platform web application server built around Python. Zope 3 is a complete rewrite and rethinking of the Zope platform so it looks and operates quite differently than previous releases. However, if you have never played with Zope before you should probably just read about Zope 3 and stick to the stable version with the Plone content management system installed. This is only an alpha release after all and Zope3 looks and acts alot like Zope2 + Plone."

Comments

Zope Wanabe

[cornice]

This is a stupid question - I hope. I have used Zope before and I understand pretty much how things work. I'm also big Python fan so that's not a problem. However, I still find Zope ugly, inflexible and tedious. Maybe it's because I don't think in Zope but I find, for example, the PostNuke world to be more useful, robust extensible, etc. I think the best example of this is the Zope websites. Why are they so hard to navigate? Why do they look so plain? Why does everyone have a useless calendar stuffed to one side? Don't get me wrong. I _really_ want to like Zope. The concept is exactly what I want - an object oriented web framework built on Python. I just can't seem to get all that excited about it without facing the prospect of writing an entire system from scratch. Am I missing something or is it really that hard to create a highly functional, good looking portal site from Zope? I currently run a couple sites on PostNuke and I incorporate news, a photo system, a BBS style forum and a group calendar. I know Plone looks pretty cool but it still seems cumbersome and difficult to taylor to specific needs. What am I missing?

Re:Zope Wanabe

[cow ninja]

I think the point that you are missing is that Zope is a development environment, not an out of the box BBS or portal.

Zope is a tool to create very powerful web based applications. I have developed several applications that do not fit into the a PostNuke type system. A few of them include a tracking system for help calls for our help desk, a tool for our software engineers to operate at SEI level 4 (we won't get into that here), and a system for my assistant sysadmins (FAQ's, server information, How-TO's etc..).

As far as all the Zope sites being hard to navigate, I'm sure that is because a programmer created the site and not a web designer. (I don't want the frills, just the info)

What will it do for me?

[Randolpho]

I am a big fan of Zope 2, and have written several products and complete websites in that framework (such as cookeville.com and tnproperties.com), but I am still confused about Zope3. Since there seem to be a few people in the know about Zope posting here, I thought I would pose the following question: What, exactly will Zope3 do for me that I cannot do in Zope2?

At the moment in Zope2, I can access databases, template my data, or index data directly on the server. I have a powerful security framework built in, as well as fast dynamic scripting.

Other than a user recognition system that does not require simple http authentication (which forces me to use Cookie Crumbler if I absolutely *must* allow my users to log in via form) and the ability to turn off transactions when I don't want or need them, I have just about everything I need to build powerful dynamic websites.

What will I get in Zope3 that I can't do in Zope2?

So far, hype over Zope3 is centered around integrating CMF/Plone. That's all well and good, if you need that, but CMF and Plone are heavy for a content management when I can easily roll my own better-performing sites with ZPT, DTML, or a custom Python Product.

The features that Zope *really* needs seem to be out in the dust in the rush to make a CMF for non-programmers.

So I repeat: What will Zope3 do for me that I can't do with Zope2?