As part of the planned migration to git [0] it's been suggested that we combine some of the existing components into larger groups [1] so that it's more manageable in terms of checking out sources and tagging/branching [2].

Because 25 is a large number, and 1 is a small number, and we need some happy compromise.

Here's my proposal for how to divide the JBT 4.0 sources into 7 github repos (chunks), comprising 4 tiers of dependency. This is akin to the +0, +1, +2, +3 labels assigned to projects within the annual Eclipse release trains [3], used to define delivery times based on dependencies between projects.

Base = tests + common + usage

AppServer = openshift + as + archives + jmx + ws
  -> depends on Base

Hibernate/Birt/Freemarker = hibernate + birt + freemarker
  -> depends on Base

Visual Editing = vpe + xulrunner + gwt + struts + jsf + jst + cdi
  -> depends on Base

Forge = forge
  -> Depends on Base

Seam/Runtime = Seam + Runtime 
  -> depends on Hib + Vis + AppServer + Base

Central/Examples/Maven/Portlet = central + examples + maven + portlet
  -> depends on Seam/Runtime + Hib + Vis + AppServer + Base

I'm not thrilled with the names of the chunks, as something like "Central/Examples/Maven/Portlet" doesn't exactly roll off the tongue. If you have better names for the chunks, please suggest them.

But regardless of name, I think the above separation of concerns, and the implied build sequence workflow makes a lot of sense.

[0] http://tinyurl.com/git-migration-plan
[1] http://ether-man.rhcloud.com/p/build.next
[2] http://ether-man.rhcloud.com/p/jbosstools-2012-08-23
[3] http://wiki.eclipse.org/Juno/Simultaneous_Release_Plan#Milestones_and_Release_Candidates - "These delivery times are based on the dependencies between projects. They are labeled +0, +1, +2, and +3, with +0 coming first (the Platform) and +3 coming last (EPP). Projects themselves decide if they are +0, +1, +2, or +3."