[DISCUSS] Future Roadmap, Technical Improvements and Community Growth

[psxjoy]

Hi community,

We are considering a new Apache Fesod(incubating) release around mid-August. The timeline is still tentative and will depend on development progress, testing results, and community feedback.

The upcoming release is expected to include routine improvements, such as:

• Dependency upgrades
• Bug fixes
• New feature enhancements
• Improvements based on community feedback

Besides the upcoming release, we would like to start a discussion about the future roadmap and development priorities of Apache Fesod(incubating).

The following items are initial ideas for discussion. We welcome feedback and suggestions from the community.

---

1. Introduce fesod-doc Module

Currently, Apache Fesod(incubating) mainly focuses on spreadsheet processing. As the ecosystem evolves, document processing capabilities may become a valuable extension.

We are considering introducing a new module:

fesod-doc

Potential goals:

• Provide document processing capabilities within the Apache Fesod(incubating) ecosystem
• Reuse existing Apache Fesod(incubating) design principles where applicable
• Keep the module independent from the core spreadsheet functionality

Topics for discussion:

• What document formats should be supported first?
• What capabilities should be included in the initial version?
• Should common abstractions be shared between different Apache Fesod(incubating) modules?
• What is the right timing to introduce this module?

---

2. Add Benchmark Module

Performance is an important aspect of a data processing library.

We propose adding a benchmark module to provide a consistent way to evaluate:

• Read/write performance
• Memory usage
• Large file processing capability
• Performance changes between releases

The benchmark module would:

• Be maintained as part of the Apache Fesod(incubating) project
• Not be included in released artifacts
• Provide reproducible performance tests for contributors and users

Possible implementation:

• JMH-based benchmarks
• Different data size and usage scenarios
• Performance regression tracking

Topics for discussion:

• Which benchmark scenarios are most meaningful?
• Should benchmarks run periodically in CI?
• How should benchmark results be shared with the community?

---

3. Gradually Reduce CGLIB Dependency

Some parts of Apache Fesod(incubating) currently rely on CGLIB.

Considering:

• Long-term dependency maintenance
• Compatibility with newer Java versions
• Simplifying project dependencies

We would like to gradually reduce unnecessary CGLIB usage.

Possible approaches:

• Replace CGLIB-based implementations with standard Java mechanisms where possible
• Evaluate lightweight alternatives when needed
• Ensure compatibility and performance are not negatively affected

This would be a gradual improvement rather than an immediate breaking change.

Topics for discussion:

• Which components currently depend on CGLIB?
• What migration approach would minimize compatibility impact?
• Should this be treated as a long-term technical improvement?

---

4. Establish Regular Community Sync Meetings

As the Apache Fesod(incubating) community grows, regular communication may help contributors stay aligned on development progress, roadmap planning, and community activities.

We would like to discuss establishing regular community sync meetings, such as:

• Bi-weekly community sync meeting
• Monthly community meeting

Potential topics:

• Release planning and progress updates
• Roadmap discussions
• Technical proposals
• Contributor onboarding
• Community activities

Possible formats:

• Open community meeting
• Optional attendance
• Meeting notes shared publicly for transparency

Topics for discussion:

• What meeting frequency works best?
• What topics should be covered?
• Which timezone and communication channel would be convenient?

---

Open Discussion

The items above are only initial proposals.

We would like to hear feedback from the community:

• What features or improvements should Fesod prioritize?
• Are there any pain points in current usage?
• Are there areas where Fesod can better support users and developers?
• Are there contributors interested in leading specific roadmap items?

Your feedback and ideas are highly appreciated.

Thanks!

[delei]

Support Apache POI version 6.x

I suggest that we could add a support plan for Apache POI 6.0.0 in the roadmap, which is currently under development.

It should be noted that the target of POI 6.0.0 might be Java 17. Once it is officially released, we will continue to discuss the version support and release maintenance policies.

References

• https://lists.apache.org/thread/s51bl07ormq7566ryt57zlo3qhxctfsf

[delei]

About the CGLIB library

As discussed in issue #531 , and the approach based on the SAXParserFactory class.
I suggest we try using byte-buddy as an alternative to cglib, but there are a few points to consider:

• Design a well-structured API that enables users to select the supported ASM framework.
• Ensure that there is no significant performance loss.
• A transition period is needed.

I believe our ultimate goal is not to remove support for cglib entirely, but to replace the default implementation. Ultimately, users will be able to choose from a range of supported ASM frameworks.

[bengbengbalabalabeng]

About the fesod-doc Module

Some of my thoughts on fesod-doc have been compiled here: #946

Main content includes: format support, capability boundaries, and some of my thoughts on API-Style. To avoid repetition, please refer to the link for specifics.

[nkuprins]

About the fesod-doc Module

For the fesod-doc module, are you also considering a native data bridge with fesod-sheet? It would be amazing to be able to stream a massive Excel file row-by-row directly into a Word template to batch-generate thousands of documents (like invoices) on the fly, without ever loading the whole dataset into memory.