TracX vs. Trac

Trac is a python based Open Source project-management-system.

This project attempted to reduce integration, setup and maintenance effort for trac users and developers.

TracX (the main part of the "Base Project Infrastructure") is a standard plugin for the open source trac project management tool (version 0.11dev).

It contains several extensions and demonstrates how to build a user-friendly product by bundling several trac-plugins into a "super-plugin" or "product-plugin", which is loaded by the standard trac-extension mechanisms (plugin).

TracX demonstrates how an elegant architecture can help a product to comply to different contrary requirementslike e.g.

  • keep the core product (trac) lightweight
  • provide user-friendly and complete functionality

Development Currently Halted

Sadly, several Issues which were filed within the trac-project (in order to enable this functionality) remained unprocessed.

Even a dedicated Issue remained completely unprocessed (see trac:#4446), although users would clearly benefit from this construct (and from the resulting cleanup of the code).

This was the main reason to reduce the further efforts for this project to the minimum and to start the LANG Project, in order to move away from the python language.

full details within case:wiki:TracAudit

Installation

  • no need to fight alone with updates etc. (simple svn checkout / update)
  • no need to install/maintain many plugins, as it's done by the project
    • A typical ready-to-go trac-setup is provided
  • dedicated Product Support for initial users

Functionality

  • Liberal integration of commonly used functionality
  • Working Example of website integration contained (and further refined)
  • Example of server configuration (apache) contained (and further refined)
  • Ability to sponsor Working Plans in order to bring functionality sooner into the product:
  • higly simplified UI customization (e.g. removal of navigation items)

Project

  • possibility to contribute, in order to bring functionality sooner into the product.
  • possibility to to 'claim subsystems' (guided by project lead, component lead)