I'd like to continue this discussion.
In my opinion there two issues which may be touched here:
- So called "Script showcase" which in fact is a collection of "script repo".
- Standalone Central Script repo.
Ad. 1. Open questions:
- What are the criteria for script / library to be placed in category "Script showcase" of official AutoHotkey documentation?
- If piece of code is already a part of "Script showcase", does it means it was tested? Against what? Is it malicious or not?
- How often this list is updated?
- etc.
The
help page does not answers to those questions, what is a topic by itself. Maybe it's not the right thread to discuss it, but I wanted to point out relationship to "central script repo" at least.
Ad. 2. Some thoughts about "central script repo" concept.
- I have a dream to use such a "central script repo" and I love the idea. This idea is big, I know, but let's think big.
- I have seen it working in another open source project. This project is called Joomla!. This is CMS (Content Management System). It works in a way that central / core of the software is extended by third-parties or non-commercial authors. The extension library is here. Project is lead / managed / guided by Joomla Foundation. By the way the word joomla means "together".
- Maybe we (?) could use their best practices to establish the same idea / web portal dedicated to "central script repo"?
- What I personally like at most is open way to commercialize code snippets / applications based on AutoHotkey. Currently from my perspective this is quite tedious task to do it alone, without external support and...
- ... till now one of the vast Linux advantages is central repository of files. I know, there is a similar idea for Microsoft Windows called Chocolatey. From the other hand Microsoft itself is not only thinking about such concept as a "shop".
- How many examples of successful commercially available applications based on AutoHotkey code do I know? As I recall now: Quick Access Popup just to name anything.
- Without such a central repository AutoHotkey oriented projects have to find a way to attention of potential user alone. In the nineties and two thousand we saw plenty of web pages. Almost everyone could for a penny start its own web page, so called "private" web page. They're in general gone. Nowadays we have "subinternet": Internet in Internet like Facebook, Instagram and similar "portals" containing in fact individual web pages. So... why go back? Why not centralize?
- I'm really afraid that without easy, straightforward way to commercialize code snippets AutoHotkey will not develop much more than it is right now: bunch of friendly, helpful, openminded individuals gathering their thoughts at this forum. Dot.
Of course I should start from myself: how can I support my idea? The very first idea is to share my thoughts with others. This is what I do right away. Next I'm thinking about arguments provided in this thread already:
BUT FIRST we would need someone to develop such a system for AHK
The system is developed by Joomla Foundation already. As far as I know (not sure of that) it earns at the moment for itself: if you run a company and offer your solution in such a repository, you have to pay a fee. Thanks to those money Foundation maintain this repository. Even if my presumption is wrong, we can do it this way, I suppose.
then host it get server/storage space, backups incase stuff happens. Which is a LOT of work.
Can't it be hosted parallel to the AutoHotkey forum? Maintained in the same way? This work is now done voluntarily then, I suppose? So where is a limit? I mean: voluntary support of forum is fine, but central repository is too much?
Kind regards, mslonik (
)