Hello, I´m a XOOPS user for quite some time. I´m not a developer neither an expert.

There are somethings that could be improved in the user module:

1 - there are no need for username. We need just NAME.
2 - the login should be: e-mail / password
3 - avatar is a old word. Photo is better.
4 - Pixel limitation to your photo prevent most people to be able to upload their photo. This should have a resize feature, like many other systems do.
5 - PM is an unknown word for many people. Send Message is more easy to understand.
6 - we need a buddy list feature
7 - There should be a shortcut at the user page to add any type of contend available on the system (news, links, articles, dowloads) This improve a personal sense for the user, like he is adding his own contend.
8 - You need to re-think the user menu concept. View account/Edit account is a old concept. Eg: My page/profile is better


I know that someone could reply: just change the "translation" messages or make a hack, make your own module, XOOPS is a development framework, and so on

But the fact is that XOOPS is getting old and not looking at the new conepts and paradigms involvind internet today

Regards

ozp11

Hope you don't mind, but I've changed your topic title to reflect the meaning of your post better.

Anyway, I think you have a point here; however

1 - There is a need for a *real name* in addition to a username. XOOPS is beginning to be used for commercial systems and real names are important for user verification.

2 - That's a personal point of view I think. Looking around the internet, there are as many systems that require email as username to identify users. However, you shuld also bear in mind that XOOPS can use user verification systems other than its own (i.e. LDAP) which may force the use of a username rather than email

3 - Agree

4 - Agree

5 - The problem is that PM is an internal system. 'Send Message' has a connotation that an email will be sent. I agree that PM is misleading but what is really required is the facility to notify a user via email that a PM is in their inbox.

6 - Only for community sites. This is a nice to have feature as long as it is switchable. Actually it doesn't need to be in core but could be built as an addon module.

7 - Again, an addon module could do this. Actually, I think I saw that someone had done this but can't remember where.

8 - Agree

You can indeed change the text in the language files, and this is what you should do. Whatever default settings the developers make, and bearing in mind they come from many different cultures, someone is not going to agree with some of it.

Regards
A

Hello akitson!

I was not aware that LDAP need username instead of e-mail.
So this should be ok

By Name I was thinking about "real name", but if we need to keep username so its just a matter of words (name or real name)

My worries relly on the fact that XOOPS is loosing the track.
Because it is not going on with the development of the web 2.0.

Xoops is quite the same as some years ago, and this is very bad.

This topic did not got many replies, because even the community is blind about this topic

The result is that XOOPS will loose users.

Take a look at Alexa.com and see the XOOPS visitors along 2002 and 2006.

in 2006 the usage is unstable and not growing so fast

Now take a look at drupal, is growing very very fast

Because drupal is going along the web 2.0

Your suggestions are good but not totally applicable to all the sites that can be created with Xoops.

I'd like to see more options added to help customize the appearance of sites. Instead of having to edit a file to change the names, it would be super duper nice to be able to edit them from within Xoops. Maybe something along the lines of this:



I'd like email address to be added as an OPTION to login so users can use their username -OR- email. This allows backwards compatibility as well as a lot less typing for those that are stuck with 20+ character email addresses. It's a whole lot easier for me to type Speed than it is xxxxxx.xxxxx@xxxxx.xxxxxxx.xxx.... Making XOOPS recognize both as valid would be ideal and it could be set as either/or/both in the admin section.

As far as Drupal (Mambo, whatever) popularity rising while XOOPS is falling or remaining constant, it's all about buzz and the latest new toy. Most people try the latest CMS that is being talked about and don't shop around to see whether another one would better fit their needs. I'm sure once the next major release of XOOPS hits the net, there will be a spike in XOOPS installs again. I'm not really interested in popularity contests. I want a solid, secure CMS with a strong dev team and good support. I've found it.

3. i disagree.. an avatar is not a photo, nor was it ever intended to be a photo. an avatar is a graphical representation of yourself or something.

a photo is a photo, (see my photo hack for user profiles)

i also disagree with 8.

my page/profile in my opinion is amateurish and child/teen based.

view account/edit account is much more professional and to the point.

6. buddy list, as mentioned, it's ok for community sites, but should not be in the core.. there is modules available for that..

7. i prefer to only see the add content links when i'm viewing the actual module.. i don't need to see them when i'm looking at the home page.

again it's all subjective & opinionated. although you have some good points.. i think some of them can be omitted.

Speed

You can change the display names of modules and blocks already. Modules in module admin and blocks in blocks admin (edit the block and change its display name.)

As Profiles and messaging are seperate modules (in 2.2.x and what will be 2.3), then that only leaves the system module, and I agree, if it were possible to change some of the titles by editing online that would be nice to have, but not imho essential as you can still edit the language files.

To do what you and others are suggesting would require a fairly radical rethink of the way in which XOOPS handles languages. I guess they are done the way the are becuase of performance; it is faster to load a text file containing constant defines than load all the language strings from a database, which is potentially where they would need storing if the adminuser were able to change them interactively (OK, I know you can write out another file and use that, but that's a subject of another discussion.)

Quote:

I'm baffled by that one. XOOPS requires a username, so perforce it is likely to be shorter than an email address. See also my earlier comments about authentication systems.

Quote:

I agree 100%

mOnty

Quote:

I use some very serious *professional* sites and I don't feel offended by them using the term 'My Page', 'My Profile', etc. Nor do I think that they are amateurish in the sense I believe you mean it. As has been alluded to elsewhere, the terminology used by a site is down to personal preference. The point being made by the original poster is that we should be able to change them easily to what suits us.

Quote:

I agree. I use multimenu.

Regards
A

Ok guys!

But what about you reply saying what points do you AGREE?

interesting post :)

it's not difficult to modify some words in language files, but it'll give xoopser more "fresh air" and confidence

here is what i agree with..

2. optional. system pref.. enable- 'e-mail address login' (for MySQL user database) -Agree
GIJOE's auto-login hack has a username or email address login hack with it. so thats is something to look at.
4. scaling of the submitted image. -AGREE
i remember when i uploaded my avatar.. i had to crop it and modify it a bit so it fits right and scaled right.
7. hmm.. that would resquire a core hack.. and modifications to modules's xoops_version.php .. like

$modversion['menusubmit'][]['file']=relative link to the link.php file;
$modversion['menusubmit'][]['description']=_lANGUAGE_CONSTANT;

and the user menu will also have to be edited.. so.. it has a section for submitting stuff.. and the link below

Submit:
-News
-Images
-blah.

(thats how i would imagine it done) -Agree, but as a user option.

Well, all this and something more is alread posted in XOOPS Brasil Forum

The problem is ozp11 want the XOOPS like a copy of Orkut (from google).

As i said in XT, XOOPS is a CMS. And in this case, "C" is from Content, not Comunity...

Xoops is made for content sites, so if you want to use the XOOPS for work like orkut you must to adapt he to your needs...

Quote:
This is what im talking about to adapt: Like i said before in XT: Go to admin blocks, make a custom block with links to the page of news send, downloads send, etc. Put a name in block like: Send:, Help us sending:, Contribute with us:

So you will have a block (and the advantage of a block is you can show in wharever page you want, even in all the site, and to an especific group, like just for members) like this:

Help us sending: (this is the block title)
News
Download
Article

I told you to see the block of contribution in XT, is like this example. Is so hard to create a block like this?

And if you want to add an option to user save pages in favorites, install the module shortcuts, so each user can save your own favorite pages, even some user acount page (so you can use this as a buddy list too).
You dont need to wait for buddy list feature in CBB or other module, just install the module shortcuts...

Another example of bad adaptation: In XT, you told "Im having many problems because users put realname in username and than dont put real name in the real name area".
And why you dont edit the registration template page and include there an explanation of what users must do in the fields? Is so simple: put a text like "Bellow you can see the fields. In field 'username' put your nickname or your first name. In 'real name' put your real name."

Again, is so hard to add this little text in reg. form?
And is your users making confusion, so YOU need to adapt the XOOPS explaning better, because other sites dont have this user problem (almost sites dont care about real names...).

In my case, users was having problem with hotmail, yahoo, etc. because hotmail send the email of registration like spam. So, i edited the text about to confirm registration, including a text telling to check the spam area if using hotmail or yahoo.
I was having this problem, so i made an adaptation to tell for the users about this...

About core, you can't ask to include everything in core. Must be the inverse: the core (kernel) must be only for make the modules and themes to work. The core must be invisible, all the visible areas in the site must be made with modules and themes.

You must take a look in Linux, as i said in XT. What is linux? Linux is just a Kernel. So, you can use a linux saved in a little 1.44 MB old disk. This little linux can be used like a firewall in a pc 386 for intranets.
Or you can take a full Debian distribuction, with a lot of GB.

In xoops, must be like this, so i think its better exclude from core things like comments, banners, private message and even the system module in future (gijoe already making another system module, than the actual can be just an option in future).

So, instead you ask to include things in core, i think you must ask for new modules or ask to include some functions in actual modules...


I asked you in XT about the drupal and you dont answer: Why drupal is web 2.0 and XOOPS is web 1.0? I dont use drupal, so i want to know why he is so better.

You dont answer another question in XT too: You told there about "Today Sites dont use anymore this", "Today sites are like that", but you dont show any site like you want to your own... The only site you use for comparison is Orkut... So i ask you again: Which CMS "Today" is like orkut?

Content Management System is Content Management System. Orkut is Orkut. I think if you want a CMS to work as far as possible like orkut, you are using the wrong "C". Try a CMS (Comunity Management System)

And about the text used (avatar, private message, etc.) i dont understand why you are posting here if you use the portuguese language... About tems of language, you must ask to those who make the portuguese versions. Contact the Barroca, he is one of the most active traductor for portuguese. Go to www.XOOPS.org and tell about your preferences.

Most important: i think you dont understand, but the text of languages are just DEFAULT text. YOU define what is better in your site. Is impossible to make an "universal default", each one adjust to your needs.
I think its a waste of time discuss about the better default text... Default is default (in english, portuguese...), nothing more...