Release packaging

CesiumJS
1

All,

Somewhat related to the asset paths for the simple widget discussion, I also wanted bring up packaging released zip files. The current packaging requires users to have Java installed to build with ant, and doesn’t lend itself to a simple and obvious way to write a first app. We’re all about ease of use - we can do much better.

Based on discussion so far, the consensus is to have two zip files per release:

Cesium-bX.zip - for getting started quickly:

  • Cesium.js, workerfiles.js (minified and not minified versions)
  • Assets
  • Documentation
  • Skeleton example

Cesium-amd-bX.zip - for AMD users:

  • As it is today

We’ll also need doc (like this but simpler) for running a local webserver. The Quick Start will include a tutorial on building the simplest possible Cesium app. Finally, we’ll write a deployment tutorial for AMD users.

Thoughts?

Regards,

Patrick

2

I opened a pull request for release packaging changes here: https://github.com/AnalyticalGraphicsInc/cesium/pull/584

If anyone has feelings on improving our packaging or easy-of-use in getting up and running, let us know.

3

The new organization looks good and inline with what we previously discussed. Dare I call it one of the best contributions of the year. +1.

For the skeleton (which we should probably call hello world or just index, despite my original name), I’d drop the UI elements. That can be a separate example, perhaps widgets.html. Users need the simplest thing to get started.

After GDC, I can do doc for running a local webserver, update the Quick Start, write the intro tutorial, and work on CDN hosting. Others are, of course, welcome to beat me to it.

Patrick