Acemods Change

[Redgar]

If you have been using WoWAceUpdater (http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=178751) or the JWoWUpdater (http://code.google.com/p/jwowupdater/) (A java version usable on any OS) regularly to update your mods than you have probably noticed a change in a number of them when you go to change the options.

This change is called the Rock. On the surface it looks like a new options menu for a lot of the Ace mods, notable among them are FuBar and Cartographer (to name a few). It is more, it is actually the new framework and libraries that they are being coded on. Technically speaking they are now Rock addons.

If you have your mods working, and don't run the updaters often you may not have noticed a change (3 weeks or more), but if you have updated recently you probably have.

There have been some people reporting that the change to Rock has changed the layout of some of their mods. Personally it didn't change a thing on mine. Just be prepared. Make sure you backup your mods, which with the new patch might be interesting.

I thought I would give a heads up because of the high probability of the patch tomorrow, and didn't want a bunch of people wondering what happened.

[Potpie]

Thanks Red!

[Skydog]

Thanks Redgar for the update; I was wondering where the rock thing came from.

[Potpie]

OK I have spent some time researching what is going on with this new Rock framework.

What addons are now based on Rock?

Pit Bull
Fubar - the Core aspect.
Parrot
CowTip
Cartographer

What the heck is Rock really?
http://wowace.com/wiki/Rock
"Rock is an addon framework written from scratch with the hindsight of Ace2, Dongle, Cosmos, and all the other addon frameworks for WoW out there.
Rock is not Ace3, it is a separate project, with separate goals and leadership. Either way, it is designed to be a successor to Ace2.
Rock used to be called Joker, but was renamed."

Basically, there is a core group of the Ace devs, ckknight being one of them. He has split off on his own, and is developing the Rock framework. There are basic philosophical differences in the Ace dev group - Rock is a product of those differences.

What the heck is Ace3?
http://wowace.com/wiki/Ace3
From what I can gather, the Ace developer group has split: Rock = cknight; Ace3 = everyone else.

More Infos about differences:
http://wowace.com/wiki/Differences_from_Ace2_to_Ace3
http://wowace.com/wiki/Differences_in_Philosophy_between_Ace3_and_Rock

So, what does this all mean to me, Joe AddonUser?
Nothing really! Just use the addons you like, and don't worry about whether they are based on the Ace2 framework, Ace3 framework, or Rock framework.

It will be interesting to see how this split in Ace development philosophies works out - my gut tells me that for the majority of us here who are just addon users, this split will generate competition that will be good for us - the consumers in all of this. ;)

Have fun!

-PP