Hi everyone,
I have made a post late laster year with same idea, I am happy to see this one picked up people's attention.
I thinks we need to separate the modules that are updated and working from the dead ones by date of last release. let's say all modules that were released in 2007 (new/and updated mod releases) are not to be considered dead. All releases in 2006 and backwards are to be considered dead. So we will test all modules released in 2006 and before then. After this the list of the dead modules should be identified.
So after these dead modules are fixed as mentioned before they are released and placed under the working modules list, which of course has to be maintained as well. So new users/comers will be directly using working modules only increasing wider/quicker adoption of XOOPS and mods. Also we need to make sure to state the compatibility or backward compatibility, if any, of the modules with the version of php and mysql, preferably the latest versions.
of course we have to think about using PHP5 and MySQL 5 for dev as well as the latest version of XOOPS when testing all these outdated modules, so all testers and developers should be using the latest/recent versions for development and testing environment.
So lets all forget the php4 and MySQL 4 concerns, do we want to leave those using these versions behind, well that will be a decision for those users to updgrade or stay where they are currently. Most hosting now offer the latest version of php5 and mysql5, there has to be a starting point somewhere for XOOPS to continue improving and stop the setbacks.
I read XOOPS : The XOOPS Project in 2008 article
https://xoops.org/modules/news/article.php?storyid=4090 it is very promising, we all should read it to be on the same page.
I have tested mostly the latest modules and have a hand written list with notes and comments I made, i'll do my best to revise it and then post it soon.
I certainly would like to ask that module developers state precisely the capabilities of the modules so as to make it easier for people to make a choice of use.
Also License is one of my concerns. I believe that we all have the aspiration of building/making something for xoops. I personally encourage all modules to be released as open as possible where license is concerned. This is one of the main reasons why XOOPS is widely adopted.
By the way I see Joomla CMS has a nice modules listing system. maybe we can use their idea and improve on it. All I can say to end is that XOOPS is by far the BEST CMS compared to Joomla, mambo, etc. which I have tested of course, they have even worse problems. XOOPS is way ahead of the pack. XOOPS rocks!
btesec