[2024-01-16] v2.14.0 - Changing the extension install process

[xgi]

With v2.14.0, Houdoku is changing the way you install and update extensions.

What’s (Not) Changing

1. You can still access the same sources as before.
2. You will no longer have to download and update extensions for individual sources. Instead, there will be one plugin that works for all sources.
3. The extension logic is being forked to a new project called Tiyo. You can learn more about Tiyo here: https://github.com/xgi/tiyo

Why

This change makes it easier for users to access content sources. Requiring users to manually install and update extensions for each source was unnecessary considering the package size of each extension and the rate that they are updated. They are now bundled into one package which users can update on-the-fly whenever necessary.

Additionally, this change makes it easier for Houdoku developers to add new features to extensions without requiring the entire application to be updated. Previously, extensions could not have any package dependencies and adding new utility functions required an application update. Now when an extension requires a new utility, we can release it directly as a plugin update.

What’s Next

• In general, most places that mention “extensions” within Houdoku will be removed. The extensions tab has been replaced with “Plugins”. The only expectation is that if you want to use any 3rd-party sources, you’ll install the Tiyo plugin.
• Some previous features, like extension-specific settings, are not in this update. The UX for this might change, but restoring existing functionality is my first priority.
• The documentation on https://houdoku.org will be updated over the next few weeks.