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Summary

Following the success that Ubuntu has had with automatically suggesting the package that provides the command the user is trying to execute[1], bzr could similarly suggest the plugin needed for a command the user is trying to execute, and provide a trivial way to download and install it.

[1] https://wiki.ubuntu.com/CommandNotFoundMagic

Rationale

This feature is consistent with bzr's goal to make the overall user experience the best possible, and would emphasize bzr's marvelous plugin infrastructure.

Further Details

Robert Collins proposes:

  • We have the core of bzr support this concept & it be hookable so that plugins can be provided in different ways

  • the debian/ubuntu package of bzr depend on a plugin 'bzr-debfetchplugins' which will provide plugin fetching via apt and kick in when bzr has been installed via debs
  • Ideally, all plugin management should be done through bzr, so this should also provide a way to remove/uninstall plugins.

Assumptions

Use Cases

  1. James is used to his bzr installation of bzr and runs a non-standard command on a fresh install
  2. Jane read about a specific bzr plugin that she wants installed
  3. Joe would like to update a particular plugin to it's latest version
  4. Tim wants to remove a particular plugin without diving into an obscure directory and deleting a folder
  5. Hillary would like to know what additional plugins are available

Implementation

What it would provide

  • A hook that checks if the command executing is available as a plugin if all else failed, telling the user how he can install it (ie. bzr fetchplugin plugin-name)
  • Install new plugins from a trusted source
  • Install plugins from a possibly arbitrary URL with a switch like --url
  • Update one or all plugins
  • Remove any installed plugins
  • List all plugins available
  • Be pluggable to add a per-platform plugin that handles possible external dependencies

How

  • All plugins would be installed by doing a lightweight checkout into the users plugin folder, avoiding having to use a new transport method
  • Plugins can then be updated using a simple "bzr update" internally
  • Would allow for the plugins to live in different locations rather then a central one (although it's probably best if we do have a central repository, that would also mean delays in keeping the plugins up to date)

  • Have an XML file hosted on the bazaar-vcs.org server which contains the information of all available plugins with the necessary information (commands it provides, description, etc) - Which format to use is under discussion --MartinAlbisetti

UI Changes

Suggested UI by Mark Shuttleworth: 

If you shipped a plugin which intercepts a command-not-found event, and checks an internal dictionary of commands and plugins, then you could get this sort of experience:

  peregrine%  bzr shelve

  'shelve' is not a standard bzr command. However, 2 certified plugins provide this command:

     bzrtools
     bzrwhizz

  To install a certified plugin, type:

     bzr --fetch-plugin pluginname

  peregrine%


This way, bzr can avoid bloat, and people have an incentive to get their plugins approved for a particular release.

Code Changes

Schema Changes

Data Migration

Discussion

Initially discussed in: https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/bazaar/2008q1/036876.html

Unresolved Issues

Questions and Answers

  • I'd rather see "bzr fetch-plugin" than "bzr --fetch-plugin" as it is more consistent with the way bzr is usually invoked. -- JelmerVernooij

  • As I raised in the thread, I don't think bzr should ship with a database; it should ship with the ability to access a database and packagers should customise that appropriately (this avoids bloat and allows updates post-release cleanly). Also bzr should not have its own installation method, rather that should be keyed to the plugin that offers the database; this allows clean integration with Ubuntu and correct external dependency management. -- RobertCollins

CategorySpecification