There has been a LOT of noise around here lately and some of it has been quite destructive. That is why I am making this post. I am no longer a "privileged" user, but there is information in my head, shared by Skalpa himself, that is only known to a small number of people.

That being that Skalpa IS indeed back, his health has improved and that development has NOT stopped.

The best way I can explain what is going on with XOOPS is with a parable.

A Tsunami...

Just before a tsunami, the sea is quiet, then the water recedes. In fact, it recedes so much that it appears that the water is disappearing. To those who do not know, the water is going away and does not look like it will return, but that is not the case. With a tsunami, the water returns, but with more force and power than ever before imaginable. When this wave hits, it washes clean the shores and clears any debris that has prevented a new beginning from being possible.

THAT is where XOOPS is right now! The water has receded in preparation for the wave of change before us. The wave of change is building. Soon, the wave of change will be upon us and it will wash away much of what has been reason for contention among us.

To put all of the above in clear, black and white English...

Straight from Skalpa's mouth, the following words came:

Quote:

Skalpa made it quite clear that the #1 objective of his team was to join the 2 branches of XOOPS and move forward. That is where XOOPS is at right now!

There are some who would say that XOOPS is "dead" but those are the people who lack patience and understanding. XOOPS IS NOT DEAD!

For those of us who have remained loyal, the best days of XOOPS are ahead of us. Remain patient and your patience will be rewarded with a XOOPS that is far superior than anything you have seen before!

That is all I have to say at this point.

Yes, at this point, I have become a messenger, but the news I bring is from the Lead Developer of this project. We are about to experience the brightest days of this project. Those who are patient and faithful will reap the benefit. Those who are impatient and move on will not know what they have missed.

To those who believe in XOOPS... Long Live XOOPS!

Best regards,

James
A Loyal and Faithful Servant of this Open Source Project

And while this change may be good, please weed out the useless modules and set some strict guidelines for module production and a beta team (just some members) to test them before publishing.

I think 'bad' modules are a contribution to Xoops' bad name today because when someone (myself included) has a problem with a module the curses go to XOOPS and not the module writer.

Glad to hear he is recovering, and that things are moving along. I think the release will relieve a lot of pent up tension!

Off topic but I couldn't resist: Tsunami rehabilitation website I built for Thailand last year. There's another one concerning ongoing rehabilitation work in Aceh (Indonesia) that will be out soon too.

JMorris,

It upsets me to see how badly things have "progressed" (and I use that term loosely) in the last few days and the consequences it brings -- you stepping down, Hervet leaving (if only temporary, etc.). It also saddens me to see the topics that are posted on the front page of XOOPS every time I visit the site lately. It does not give new users, potential new users, or existing users a "a warm fuzzy". I have to say the term "pis$ing contest" comes to mind, nothing to do with you, the developers, moderators, or users.

It is discouraging to say the least when users are told to have patience...we've been told to have patience for over a year for the new site. We are not criticizing about the time that it takes, the anticipation of a new site being released is enough to give everyone "the willies". The criticism is that users are not informed of the "behind the scenes", again, nothing against you, the developers, moderators, or users.

The XOOPS community does not require a timetable until the next release, but a roadmap is desired and it gives comfort to know that XOOPS is proceeding forward.

It is with great regret that I've had to move client sites and encourage new clients to move to other CMS applications, ones that are actively (visibly) developed, ones that are actively (visibly) supported, and MOST IMPORTANTLY, ones that do not have criticism, resignations, and turmoil posted on the front page. Good grief, I had two clients today email me about the status of XOOPS because they visit this site often!

The last few weeks have brought about MANY changes to XOOPS and the repercussions are scary, including Skalpa falling ill, losing you as a Moderator, losing McNaz and now possibly Hervet. This small community can NOT afford to alienate those who contribute time, skills and effort.

While we are glad to know Skalpa is recovering and returning to XOOPS code, there are those wondering why, if he can email you, why he can't write a small post to this community. Personally, it doesn't affect me in the least, I'm a designer not a developer. But there's still many unanswered questions amongst the users.

It doesn't matter whether I believe in XOOPS or not, it matters how I can provide the best solution for my clients in a timely fashion without worrying about the turmoil that is currently in Xoops. I love Xoops, the community (for the most part) and being an active contributor, but when the front page looks like a replica of the National Enquirer, it's time to decide what matters most.

I have spoken with Hervet and passed on my feelings about him leaving Xoops. No, I won't post my conversation here because it's a private conversation between him and myself. The bottom line is that WE ALL need to bond together and bring XOOPS back to the forefront of CMS applications. Skalpa alone can not do it, it requires the effort of all users of Xoops.

To trspice:
Quote:

Again, this should be coming with the new site. There are no "bad modules", there are modules that are outdated, but at one time they did work and still work, depending on the XOOPS version you are using. Researching the comments will help weed out the "outdated" modules until the new site becomes available. I have not seen (and can not see) a developer releasing a bad module. All modules are a generous contribution from the developer and when it's stated that it's Alpha, Beta, or for a different version, should be evaluated as such.

Yes, long live Xoops, let's just get the ball rolling

I agree 100% with msdana here. It's so disheartening to visit the XOOPS site and read these numerous complaint threads that crop up nearly every day, or threads like Herve's or James' where people have "resigned" or "quit".
I know this is not directly the fault of the devs, mods, or any one person or combination thereof - but all these threads are created for a reason, and not all are just for the purpose of causing trouble. And that doesn't include all those who contributed a lot in the past, but have slowly drifted away elsewhere. I myself have basically stopped contributing to the forum, because i'm sick of all these threads/arguments/complaints too.

I really hope you're right James. Time will tell, I suppose.

OK folks! Enough talked about! Back to the work now!

Thanks for your motivating words! After a long weekend of frustration and loss I hope that things will turn out to be for the better.

“Patience is a virtue, communication is the key”

I think we should find a way to improve communication regarding the status of the project development, as many of this community wonder about it. When you know what you can expect and very roughly when you can expect something to be there, you can plan around it. Especially in community projects like these it is not easy to give a time planning, because as a developer you never know what other priorities come up in your life. So it is okay and people accept it when there is a delay because of unforeseen elements.

Reliability and continuity are very important in choosing a CMS, and sufficient and effective communication can contribute to the perception of a reliable system that keeps progressing in the right direction. Being informed is one of the ways reliabilty and continuity are perceived.

Good news indeed

James I have to say that your post reads a bit like a sermon. Metaphors of promise and patience are all very well, but you have completely missed the point of what's happening here. You make this new version of XOOPS that is supposedly coming, to sound like a quick fix that will solve all the moans and groans that we suffer. The root of the problem is is only partly to do with development, or lack of it, but partly an insidious illness of blindness from the upper echelons of the community. When a couple's relationship is on the rocks, having a baby is not the way to fix it, they have to tackle the issues that are supporting the problems beneath. XOOPS is in an leadership and management crisis. period. msadana and wtravel have seen where it's at.

Perhaps .. but all solutions have to start somewhere.

And this is only one part of an on-going process.