[Nodedb-interop] Frontend for common node database

[Clemens John]

Hi Joseph,

Sorry that I´m late today. You where not online in skype some minutes ago so I 
started to continue by email where we have been interupted by my damn internet 
connection yesterday. First: I read all your last emails now, they are verry 
detailed and I really can use them. Thank you.

I will also send a copy of this to the nodedb-interop list because it may be 
interesting for the people who are redaing this list too and gives the 
opportunity to start an open discussion.

Your question was if the common node database will have a frontend. I really 
would like to see a frontend, but finishing a frontend is not the main goal of 
this GSoC. The main goal of this GSoC is, to get to know how all the existing 
node databases work, how they are designed, to get to know how each community 
works and then to design a database shema that fullfills everyones needs. In 
this shema features will be marked as "must have", "should have" and "may 
have" to see which features are basic features and which features will be 
outsourced maybe in plugins or which features have low priority.

(I´m not shure about this point) Then we will write conversion mechanisms so 
that the data can be imported and exported from other node databases to the 
common node database.

As a second verry importand point is, that on top or with the help of the 
sheme design we want to design an api. We do not want the data of each 
community in one big database, but we want the data of each community to be 
available in a common format so that people can build applications which can 
use the data (a global map for example or image builder).

I´m not really shure if this will be possible, but my personal goal is, that 
each community does not need to make the software work twice. In Germany we 
have a lot independent Freifunk Communitys (think you know this) and every 
community does the work on a database or other tools twice because no one 
can/wants to use the tools designed by other communitys because they are not 
good enough or something like this.

So I would be verry happy to see a frontend for the common node database and I 
would like to participate in the development also after GSoC. Aaron is 
planning a code sprint (or "only" a meeting?) in August. I have already seen 
that you are planning to rewrite WiND in version 2. Maybe this can be the 
point to merge development and to design something that fits the need of every 
community? As developer of our node database (Netmon, http://netmon.freifunk-
ol.de) I would be verry happy if this can happen.

In the introduction mail Aaron already wrote that at the end (at the end of 
evaluating how the atabases and the communitys work) we will have to discuss 
with the networks the steps which would be needed to replace the current DB 
with a commonNodeDB. If you have ideas on this you are welcome.

For me concerning AWMN everything is clear at the moment (thanks for your 
emails :D) so we don´t need to skype today. I will use your answers now to 
finish my "business model" of awmn/WiND now and will ask you to take a look at 
this document when I have finished it.

Regards
Clemens

P.S. Aaron and Amir: if I got something wrong please correct me ;)
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