Architecture

							                                 Wiki Roadmap 4.1

This document is written to represent the thoughts behind the wiki roadmap 4.1 and to reflect
on discussions in irc.
It is also a representation to an alternative Roadmap 4.1

The ultimate goal is to present everthing in an understandable overview to give everyone
involved a clear mind over what's to come and to open up discussion.
                     The inherited architecture of Compiere.

                                    Client
  Internet Browser                             AD GUI Engine

                                                      PO - model Package

                                                         dbPort Package


     WWW                                         Swing GUI

                                     Server

                JBoss


  Webstore           Web


model Package    Compiere ServerBean

           dbPort Package


                         Database (Oracle, Postgresql)
                   The inherited architecture of Compiere
                                 Comments
There's something to say about that ...

About the web application (WWW)
* Both Java Servlets and JSP are used (why using 2 solutions in the same project ?)

About the GUI (AD)
* Web package is used to check if the AppsServer is online
* GUI uses server objects to manipulate the database
* GUI talks via AD data models directly to the database

This is clearly not such transparent architecture and the question is why there are 3 routes
used to talk to the server and 2 ways to talk to the database.
                     Wiki Roadmap 4.1

                          Client
Pentaho reports                             AJAX GUI

                     JSR (Script API)




   Reports                                    GUI




                          Server

             SOAP (XML messages service)
                  JPA (Persistence Model)
                    Hibernate or Toplink


             OQL (Object query language)

                  Database (Any DB tool)
                                   Wiki Roadmap 4.1
                                      Comments
There's something to say about that as well ...

* AJAX: can this technologie be implemented AND let AD survive “as is” ?
  I don't think we want to throw away AD, after all AD IS the project.
  What we want is to improve AD.
* Pentaho reports: ?
* JSR Script API: the big advantage is that it can talk to other script languages then just Java.
  Great. But why should we need that for ?
  It will slow down Adempiere already under review for sqeezing better performance out of it.
* SOAP (XML messages): that would replace the current server running ADempiere server ?
  Why replacing the technology we have with this one. SAOP is slower then what we have.
* JPA (Hibernate or Toplink): would replace the current PO classes in Adempiere.
  I'm not opposed to new technology or a new standard.
  If someone can deliver proof that one of these gives better performance and is as easy to
  undersand and use as the current PO, I can see no problem in that.
* OQL: advantage is that it talk to any database tool.
  Great, but we don't use just any database tool.
  The disadvantage of OQL is that this fact is slowing dramaticly because
  - it has to translate to the specific database
  - it takes no advantage of special features a database tool has
  We better serve a few databases with good performance then all database with poor
  performance.

And, last point .......
I assume Compierians/ADempierians know their database and Java technology.
     We can not assume they know the new technology that would be used.
   Let me blank out what most of us don't know and will have to learn ... (click)

                                    Client

         Pentaho reports                                AJAX GUI

                               JSR (Script API)



             Reports                                       GUI

                 You got the point .....
                                    Server

                       SOAP (XML messages service)
                           JPA (Persistence Model)
                             Hibernate or Toplink


                        OQL (Object query language)

                            Database (Any DB tool)
       New proposal (still under revision, it's very early release ...) click ...

                                        Client
  Internet Browser                                 AD GUI Engine

                                                         PO - model
                                                 PO - model Package Package

                                                             dbPort Package


     WWW                                             Swing GUI

                                        Server

                JBoss                   JBoss


  Webstore            Web


model Package     Compiere ServerBean            Compiere ServerBean

           dbPort Package           dbPort Package


                           Database (Oracle, Postgresql)
                                      New proposal
                                       Comments
* unify the way the application is talking to the database, only one way instead of 3
* get rid of the web package, this isn't doing much usefull ...

And most important:
don't change technology just for the sake of the technology.
We already have great technology, and we understand it (or should),
we all joined this community for a reason ...




                            It's not the technology
                            It's what you do with it