CLucene 'core' package requires no external dependencies 'contrib' package uses a limited number of dependencies

http://clucene.wiki.sourceforge.net/ApacheProposal

Preamble

CLucene is a port of the Lucene search engine to C++. Most of the Lucene 1.4.3 features are available. The project aims to be attractive to people who like to use Java Lucene but want to increase performance or reduce the overheads of using a JVM. Future plans include a long list of SWIG wrappers (currently only Perl and Python wrappers are available), more performance enhancements as well as a catch up to Lucene 2.0 when it is released.

The project would be part of the Lucene top level project and *** would serve as a sponsor.

The project has 7 developers, but only about 3 or 4 are currently active. We hope that joining the Apache Lucene project would expand the number of people involved as well as keep the CLucene community in better contact with the Lucene project as a whole.

For more details, including where to get the current release or development versions of the code, please visit http://clucene.sourceforge.net/

Ben van Klinken

CLucene Proposal

Proposal for new project - CLucene

Submitted by Ben van Klinken -- ustramooner at users dot sourceforge.net

Rationale

CLucene is a port of the Lucene search engine to C++.

CLucene tries to stick closely to the Java API in order to simplify porting, reduce the number of bugs and make it easier for new users to get on board. CLucene has been reported to be faster than Lucene and is attractive to people want an increase in performance or who want a native c++ solution.

CLucene was first registered on sourceforge in April 2003 and has seen a lot of active development since then. In the month of June 2006 there were 1480 downloads of CLucene. The CLucene source code is currently licensed as a LGPL/Apache because of the incompatibilities of Apache and GPL sourcecode. It or when the Apache license is determined to be compatible with GPL/LGPL, the license will be changed to just Apache. The CLucene developers have discussed a move to the Apache foundation with an agreeable result.

CLucene is still officially in Beta status, but we have been considering calling the next release a stable 1.0. The slow change to 'stable' is not really a reflection of the stability of CLucene, but rather the maturity of the API.

CLucene has several sub-projects, including bindings for Perl and PHP.

Criteria

Meritocracy:

CLucene has had a successful development period while at sourceforge. There have been no notable conflicts.

Community:

CLucene has an established and active community on sourceforge.

Core Developers:

CLucene has a number of developers, each contributing when time permits. All CLucene listed developers on sourceforge are well versed in open source development.

Alignment:

CLucene tries to be as cross platform and 'dependent-less' as possible. The 'core' CLucene package requires no external dependencies, while the 'contrib' package uses a limited number of dependencies.

Warning Signs

Orphaned products:

CLucene 0.9 is not an orphan.

Inexperience with open source:

CLucene committers are experienced with open source. A few of the developers have been working on CLucene since near the beginning. Several developers on CLucene are involved in other open source projects.

Homogenous developers:

CLucene committers do not all share an employer or nation. All decisions are made openly on public mailing lists.

Reliance on salaried developers:

Ben van Klinken is occasionally salaried by Voltix Incoporated for work on CLucene, but also spends much of his own time on the project.

No ties to other Apache products:

CLucene has strong ties to Lucene because it is a port of it.

A fascination with the Apache brand:

CLucene is a direct port of Lucene and supports a common license. The developers believe that by joining the ASF, the CLucene community will continue to grow and continue to attract top-grade developers. The developers respect and admire Apache products and would like CLucene to become one.