http://www.cotonti.com/articles/org/technical_concepts:
The exact areas of the site are provided by modules. A Module is a root-level script which includes the core libraries and most often consists of several parts united with the same goal: implement the exact kind of functionality such as Forums, Private Messages, Pages, Polls, Galleries and so on.
Modules are quite large and they would not be flexible enough if there was no such a thing as plug-ins. Plugins are smaller packages consisting of parts which can hook into exact parts of modules and extend them. And there are enough hooks to get almost any behavior you need without hacking the core or rewriting the modules themselves. Plugins also can have standalone, popup and ajax parts which are often needed too.
As for langfile names, prefixes can be easily put back if it's more comfortable for translators.
Added 10 minutes later:pieter:
- each module can have its own tpl's. Can they be different for each skin?
I mean for skin X I want a TPL like this, but for skin Y a different? Does it work like the tpls works for plugins at the moment? First look in the skinfolder/plugins and if it is not present there looking in the plugin folder.
Yes, exactly. It looks for them in skin folder first, then in the default skin folder and falls back to module tpl folder if none were found in skins.
