[Bro-Dev] CBAN naming

[Jan Grashöfer]

>> 3) CBAN becomes something like “Bro Plugin Manager” because it is dealing with plugins, not packages.  In fact, “plugin" is probably more descriptive about what is going on. In general, a plugin just means any form of extending a software’s functionality without having to directly modify that software.  That could mean shared libraries, scripts, etc.  This is exactly what is going on here and I don’t see how we can get any more clear or consistent than the existing names.

>From my perspective scripts do not extend Bro. Scripts get executed by
Bro to provide extended functionality. Calling Bro-scripts plugins for
Bro is somehow like calling python-scripts plugins for the python
interpreter.

> Alternatively, what I earlier proposed is that we call directories of related scripts bundles, plugins are called plugins, a plugin+metadata that fits them within our package manager a package, and the whole system the Bro Package Manager (BPM) with the tool named bro-pkg.

I really like that naming. What should also be defined in that context
is the term module. My understanding is that a module is a functional
unit that groups script-layer functionality (defined by scripts or
plugins) in a dedicate namespace.

Regarding the discussion about the term "package" I recommend not to
think too much about details of other software and its implications for
that term. A package is "a wrapper or container that covers or holds
something" [1]. Some people might assume that a Bro-package looks like a
python-package. But Bro is not python so their assumption might be wrong ;)

Best regards,
Jan

[1] http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/package