[platform-update-dev] Is there a need: optional features - disabled at f

[Pat McCarthy <patmc@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Goal is the ability to configure a system with more features than I might
need or even think I might ever need.  But at the same time, have
the right to install all the features that fall into the "category of not
yet" and/or  "maybe not ever" such that they are optional (works today
in 2.0.1), but disabled at first reference.

I want to avoid finding out later that a feature I did not install is now critical to my task and having to chase down the CD, find an install site, or any of all that to get the feature running on my configuration.  This would allow me to install more code, but use less at first launch.

For example,  if an install has four features: MustUse, ShouldUse, MightUse, ProbablyNeverUse

MustUse is a root feature
ShouldUse is included by MustUse (optional="true")
MightUse is included by ShouldUse   (optional="true")
ProbablyNeverUse is included by MustUse (optional="true")

I'd like to have the MightUse feature tagged with defaultEnable="false".
This could be in the MightUse feature.xml, but could also be in the include of MightUse by the ShouldUse feature.xml as well.

This way I could say this during the install:

feature            install        enable
MustUse            Yes            forced
ShouldUse          Yes            yes
MightUse           Yes            no
ProbablyNeverUse   no             no

I want to avoid finding out later that MightUse is now critical to my task and having to scramble to find a way of adding it to my system.

Or put another way, I'd like to have products that install PDE just in case, but set it up so that it is disabled by default.  When I discover that I can develop extensions - I'd want to enable PDE and get to work, at least in one workspace.

Anybody agree that this might be worthwhile?  (I'll add a bugzilla feature request if so).

What I have been able to do is mimic this by following this process:

Configure base workbench on disk and then invoke using eclipse -initialize
Then either:
1) Add link file to feature I want available but not installed.
2) Unzip/add  new features I want available but not installed into current eclipse directory
(tried both of the above using the eclipse examples as the added features)

Start Eclipse without any options, say no to Updates Pending Dialog.
If you wander over to Install/Update and request that the view show disabled features, the examples are there and ready to be enabled when you like...

On subsequent invocations for that workspace you do not get prompted by the Updates Pending dialog.

Comments?

Pat Mc.