Posted by greggles on March 28, 2007 at 4:08am
In some recenty discussion on the development list about update_status ( http://drupal.org/project/update_status ) and how it should be included in distribution profiles so that admins know what to update.
If we look at this page about helper scripts variable_sets to run during install ( http://groups.drupal.org/node/2828 ) then we can see that pathauto and logintoboggan are two modules that at least some folks feel might be commonly included in distros.
So - what are the modules that you feel are "must haves" for a distro? Are there any that are universal like this?
One that I would like to enable by default is the drupal module for statistics reporting, but other than that - what should be included?
Comments
Must?
It all depends on what kind of distro you are trying to put together....
While I do often install LoginToboggan, it's not really a necessary module IMHO.
And yeah, Pathauto is pretty much a must have.
Update Status? Well...more advanced distros will have some update helpers. It will, after all, be like a full download. And if you just use your install profile for helping you make lots of sites that start out pre-configured (either mass hosting or one at a time in a multi site config), then you've got processes in place for updating 'em all.
good ideas
I guess I should clarify that this would be a distro for "end users" as opposed to a distro that a company uses to create multisites or as a base for all their projects. So, update_status (or some other mechanism) seems important because it allows them to know when they're profile is out of date. My concern is that profiles make it easier to install/configure Drupal so these admins are likely to be less savvy and need more assistance with everyday admin tasks- hence update_status.
That said, my goal was a list that doesn't depend on the kind of distro putting together.
I think you've got a couple that are pretty important/useful. I wonder what other ideas folks have for general and consistently useful modules. If we go strictly on download frequency then Views and CCK are two additional modules that people really like.
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Knaddisons Denver Life | mmm Free Range Burritos
knaddison blog | Morris Animal Foundation
Trying to minimize
I was trying to minimize, so I left off Views and CCK since those are more "advanced" concepts and not strictly necessary.
The Bryght Basic profile is pretty darn close to what I consider minimal plus Views and CCK and a handful of CCK field modules.
So....rather than starting with modules, starting with some user stories might be more useful: three different personas trying to build a website for purpose X.
None...
I don't think that any modules should be included by default.
not defaults, just commonly used
I'm not talking about defaults that the packaging script would always include (though I think it should include all of core) but rather modules/themes that are so popular/useful that it's likely all distribution profiles will include them.
Given that, anything?
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Knaddisons Denver Life | mmm Free Range Burritos
knaddison blog | Morris Animal Foundation
clarification about drupal.module and update_status.module