11
Tarik
Re: Open letter to module devs
  • 2011/2/12 3:44

  • Tarik

  • Not too shy to talk

  • Posts: 170

  • Since: 2010/2/3 1


In my opinion i disagree with the fact about laziness (new GUI every time), I think a new GUI isn't always disturbing but at the contrary exiting -discovering a new world - and it's as @aph3x said annoying to have all modules with the same architecture design (not that it's bad but that architecture is bad used) like using tables .
Tables are for me the hard element to style because it doesn't give you freedom to manipulate but what make it a hell, is that there is no id or class to address a specific table because most table have some basic ids like 'form' or nothing at all so most of times when i use a modules, i always have to make some modifications on the modules templates scale and sometimes even on the PHP (not that it's hard but why to have to do it), i should give an example to make it clearer: when i first used TDMDownloads i like it but the way it look was old fashioned (the same look as mydownloads, wfsdownloads) so i had to hack the modules file to first i had to clean the tables nest ( a lot of tables) to what is easier to style so i practically changed all the templates but at the end most of the the thing has no ids and classes (not the ones in templates but element generated by PHP and displayed by one tpl variable so i had to go to PHP side to identify every thing i found so why this...
Designers make developers life a lot easier as example when coding a page displaying an error all i have to do is to echo it in a div with id=errorMsg only without further work (admin side)
In addition a new module GUI give the website a unique look




Some people like what you do,
-- some people hate what you do,
---- but most people simply don’t give a damn.

12
Tarik
Re: Open letter to module devs
  • 2011/2/12 3:57

  • Tarik

  • Not too shy to talk

  • Posts: 170

  • Since: 2010/2/3 1


@aph3x
about changing forms from tables to li elements isn't that hard only some modifications on xoopsform class will do the trick
Some people like what you do,
-- some people hate what you do,
---- but most people simply don’t give a damn.

13
fdeconiac
Re: Open letter to module devs
  • 2011/2/12 9:42

  • fdeconiac

  • Quite a regular

  • Posts: 278

  • Since: 2008/11/29


I do not understand everything about your discussion, but i'm fully agree about module :

A new move should be launch to regroup modules and stop develop new modules update just for 1 or 2 years... So much work is lost !

I'm thinking in news and xnews for exemple : first it's complicated for developpers to understand which one to choose and which one is still developped, and more over, it's imply twice developper work!!!

Why not considering a page on xoops.org, indicated the modules still followed/updated (insurrance from xoops) and the developpers in charge (studying requests and plannishing them).

I even think the module download part on xoops website is an error, lots of modules not updated being there. What for ? Will you download a module not updated for 2 years, compatible with xoops 2.0 ? This is quite pertubing.

This is to my mind the strongest default in xoops : module developpers coordination.

Hope someone will be able to reconsidering it for the best of xoops :)

Have a nice weekend

14
kerkyra
Re: Open letter to module devs
  • 2011/2/12 10:57

  • kerkyra

  • Just can't stay away

  • Posts: 553

  • Since: 2005/2/14


i think aph3x has made a good point here. Another example is the smilies or avatar table on the pop-up window. If you want to change the way it looks, number of rows etc you have to change a couple of files.

lots of forms, inputs, buttons, system (core) tables are missing unique ids, or class names. It would be nice and better for all (even us developers) if they had them, so that wont use template overiding or hack core/module php files and apply those hacks on every core/module update.

I also think that having xoops certified modules will help new users find what they need faster and in a more reliable way.

Perhaps the modules should meet some standards in order to get certified by xoops and get in the list.

Perhaps even there will be some kind of administrative thing/module/section that will show in the backend which of those modules (or the core) is uptodate or needs updating like in joomla.

If we could also make the updating, a one click process (downloading and installing) that would be awesome.

This would also help the xoops communities stay updated with less effort for the admins maintaining and checking what kind of modules are out there which versions etc.
www.guidemap.gr - Beta is out...

15
voltan
Re: Open letter to module devs
  • 2011/2/12 11:31

  • voltan

  • Theme Designer

  • Posts: 724

  • Since: 2006/12/5


@ aph3x : I totally agree whit you . Module template systems are to old . for example news module

And I think we can update module templates very easy . but can you share a template According to your ideas ?


16
fdeconiac
Re: Open letter to module devs
  • 2011/2/12 13:16

  • fdeconiac

  • Quite a regular

  • Posts: 278

  • Since: 2008/11/29


Well, i think everyone would be agree on these benefic points that would not ask too much developments, but more organisation and communication about module development.

Question is : who is responsible of such decision and who is able to organise it ? Who could help to think about the way to improve it and give some time to organise it ?

17
wishcraft
Re: Open letter to module devs

You do realizably fathom that a module when it is releases is expected to be expanded on and made into a featured systems for a website?

How have you found my modules just out of interest??

Yeah I try to stay away from tables myself but I do use the XOOPS Classes in them instead of inventing myself a new paradoxic.

You can't simply have a XOOPS Site with all the standard modules installed on it and expect to have a user-base.. They have probably seen it all before, alot of modules need to be expanding and every changing on a site.. They are normally just something like a framework you build up to being your site.

I mean I have supported xoops since 2006. And you know, I don't put my hand up to have 10Tb leeched off bin.chronolabs.coop every month or have to find my bandwidth and funds for that month; what about running a chronolabs banner on XOOPS.ORG - Mamba suggested it I sent him a link and I still don't see my banner!!. It not like I am made of money.. And a banner at XOOPS for supporting it for this long would be nice, but I get no response from people when I enquire about it..

Over the years there have been a number of things that have frustrated me, but that is part of working in a multiplicity.

I have carried the weight for XOOPS why doesn't XOOPS carry any weight of mine.. It not like XOOPS will be able to get you a Job in australia. Everyone here has heard and recruits for pieces of crap CMS Technology like drupal or joomla.. Not like they want an enterprise site or anything.

I mean I can't work out why you would even use Joomla with no class modeling or database modeling it just SQL Injection after another. And Drupal the bloat where I saw a drupal site recently with 90 tables for one news article and a publisher.



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18
Mamba
Re: Open letter to module devs
  • 2011/2/12 13:31

  • Mamba

  • Moderator

  • Posts: 11366

  • Since: 2004/4/23


Quote:
Question is : who is responsible of such decision and who is able to organise it ? Who could help to think about the way to improve it and give some time to organise it ?

XOOPS is Open Source, so anybody can start organizing teams and work together with other developers.

We've tried to promote teamwork as part of the Blue Move, and we see lately more and more of it - Voltan is doing nice job with Davide Rossi on xNews, or with Goffy from Austria on extGallery, or Culex with Andrax on the XIM chat module.

We would love to see as many teams as possible working on various modules.

I like the energy right now here, so maybe we can make it happen.

I would love to see work on the "Module Packs": let's define which modules should be in there, and then focus on updating them according to the Blue Move, and with some nice templates.

Who would like to join?

You could use the Forums set for the Blue Move...
Support XOOPS => DONATE
Use 2.5.10 | Docs | Modules | Bugs

19
fdeconiac
Re: Open letter to module devs
  • 2011/2/12 13:51

  • fdeconiac

  • Quite a regular

  • Posts: 278

  • Since: 2008/11/29


I like your answer Mamba. I'm agree we already see more and more developpers working together recently.

But we could we create a specific part on xoops.org, where we could see infos for each module :
- who is working on it
- what are the development perspectives
- which requests have been taking into account (we see a lot, and i also post a lot :), in forums, but as xoopser, i never know if my request have been read by the module developers or not, and more important, if they added it in their planning)

For now, it's just good surprise when we see a new module version, or bad hope when we never see it for some module. This informations could be usefull for xoopser.

There is a site, babylon by xoops, that was quite interesting for this, showing only last module version, ... do not remember who did it, but the idea was quite similar, communicating more on themes and modules news and objectives.

20
redheadedrod
Re: Open letter to module devs

Interesting concept. Problem would be that a lot of developers keep what they are doing private until they have something viable.

Would be nice to have a centralized location with a bug tracker system and allow information updates etc so you can have information about modules and who is developing them etc. I do agree.. But then you have to have people actually use it.


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