Just fix what is currently broken. You are losing support, for sure.

Here's my experience:
Xoops ws described, and sounded interesting, on a review website.
I visit Xoops.org.
There is no functional description that would entice a user (as opposed to a developer, or implementor).
All About XOOPS
Author: Mamba
Published: 2007/9/8 6:00:00
describes Xoop in terms of it's internal database, the language in which it's written, its architecture. It's useless to a user, hardly of interest to a developer.
Xoops features is the same. Useless.

I want to see the installation instructions (I want to evaluate if it's a simple, user-possible installation, or am I going to need to download a framework, a compiler, and then spend a couple of hours in a terminal. Hint: I don't want it to be too complicated).
Am taken to a screen, essentially a tarted up directory index page with the following options.
Download xoops2.5.1a-to-2.5.3
Parent Directory
2.2 Modules (200)

I don't want an upgrade package from 2.5.1a to 2.5.3
I am not interested in the modules as yet. (Later I select this option, to be given an empty directory).
I am running out of patience with this website (and by extension, Xoops - never having seen it, the website is so awful, and clunky, and broken, it acts as a strong deterrent to trying out Xoops).

Needing more information, I register for the forums.
It doesn't accept my email address as valid. It will accept the gmail.com spelling, but not the googlemail.com synonym. That's crappy data validation, right there.

Email arrives, activation link clicked. No confirmation that it worked. Clicked again. No confirmation, just a login screen. Copypasta the link into address bar. No confirmation, just login screen. That's bad workflow design.

Then I cannot log in. Invalid password.
For testing purposes, I have a textexpander that automatically enters details like password, username, email address as required. There's no possibility of a typo, I change the username/password later if I don't delete the account.

Request password change. And here I am.

Please assure me that Xoops is worth more of my time to investigate further, because I am, and anyone else having this experience would be, thoroughly discouraged.

Warning: include(/Users/Fred/Sites/Xoop/mainfile.php) [function.include]: failed to open stream: No such file or directory in /Users/Fred/Sites/Xoop/index.php on line 22

Warning: include() [function.include]: Failed opening '/Users/Fred/Sites/Xoop/mainfile.php' for inclusion (include_path='.:/usr/lib/php') in /Users/Fred/Sites/Xoop/index.php on line 22

Fatal error: Class 'XoopsPreload' not found in /Users/Fred/Sites/Xoop/index.php on line 24


Why am I not surprised?

Still not surprised.

Could not copy the distribution file to mainfile.php/data/secure.dist.php


Warning: include_once(/Users/Fred/Sites/Xoop/class/database/XOOPS_DB_TYPEdatabase.php) [function.include-once]: failed to open stream: No such file or directory in /Users/Fred/Sites/Xoop/install/class/dbmanager.php on line 28

Warning: include_once() [function.include]: Failed opening '/Users/Fred/Sites/Xoop/class/database/XOOPS_DB_TYPEdatabase.php' for inclusion (include_path='.:/usr/lib/php') in /Users/Fred/Sites/Xoop/install/class/dbmanager.php on line 28

Warning: notrace:Failed to load database of type: XOOPS_DB_TYPE in file: /Users/Fred/Sites/Xoop/class/database/databasefactory.php at line 97 in /Users/Fred/Sites/Xoop/class/database/databasefactory.php on line 97

Fatal error: Call to a member function setPrefix() on a non-object in /Users/Fred/Sites/Xoop/install/class/dbmanager.php on line 48

Shouldn't there be another slash?

/Users/Fred/Sites/Xoop/class/database/XOOPS_DB_TYPEdatabase.php

In front of 'database.php' ?

The error message is exactly:
Warning: include_once() [function.include]: Failed opening '/Users/Fred/Sites/Xoop/class/database/XOOPS_DB_TYPEdatabase.php' for inclusion (include_path='.:/usr/lib/php') in /Users/Fred/Sites/Xoop/install/class/dbmanager.php on line 28


Having started a rant about how poor the website is, this has now changed to bug-reporting - which means I should repost in the correct forum.

The advice I started with holds good: Fix what is broken. Otherwise you will have no loyal users to admire the redesign.

For the sake of completeness, I'm going to answer my last question myself.

The answer is
Yes
(if we were using a consistent and logic directory naming structure)

and No
(in this one odd case. This include is an exception to the include structure of the other files - logger, sqlutility, database)

and No
(the problem is before prepending to the filename, XOOPS_DB_TYPE is not set correctly.)


Warning: include_once(/Users/fred/Sites/Xoop/class/database/XOOPS_DB_TYPE/database.php) [function.include-once]: failed to open stream: No such file or directory in /Users/fred/Sites/Xoop/install/class/dbmanager.php on line 28

Warning: include_once() [function.include]: Failed opening '/Users/fred/Sites/Xoop/class/database/XOOPS_DB_TYPE/database.php' for inclusion (include_path='.:/usr/lib/php') in /Users/fred/Sites/Xoop/install/class/dbmanager.php on line 28

Warning: notrace:Failed to load database of type: XOOPS_DB_TYPE in file: /Users/fred/Sites/Xoop/class/database/databasefactory.php at line 97 in /Users/fred/Sites/Xoop/class/database/databasefactory.php on line 97

Fatal error: Call to a member function setPrefix() on a non-object in /Users/fred/Sites/Xoop/install/class/dbmanager.php on line 48

Quote:
Correct, we were denying emails containing email.com when we should be looking for .email.com. This is fixed now.

Quote:
I'll look into this, thanks.

As for the install problem, seems you have not downloaded a full version of XOOPS.
Please get it from here:
http://sourceforge.net/projects/xoops/files/XOOPS%20Core%20%28stable%20releases%29/XOOPS%202.5.3/xoops-2.5.3.zip/download

Don't forget to make folders/files writable, as detailed in the installation process.

You are quite right, xoops.org needs restructuring.

Thanks for the reply. That is more encouraging.


As for the install problem, seems you have not downloaded a full version of XOOPS.
Please get it from here:
http://sourceforge.net/projects/xoops ... /xoops-2.5.3.zip/download


Yes. I kinda knew that as I was downloading it. But again, it's a Xoop.org problem.

The web page with the fancy index, the empty module directory states right there at the top

"If you want to latest version download here 2.5.1a to 2.5.3"

It says this again at the top of the download page.

And it is wrong. That should read

"If you want to update to the latest version .... "

As a total noob to Xoop, when I see "If you want to latest version download here" I am thinking it's the latest version - a package containing 2.5.1a and all the upgrades to take that base 2.5.1a and update it to 2.5.3 - because that's what other sourceforge projects do, offer base and bug-fixing updates in one package, until they complete a distro of a new version.

See. I knew it was wrong when I clicked on it - but I followed the advice on screen.


I gave up late last night, this morning woke with the idea of setting read/write on all files and folders in the Xoops directory. As you suggest. So I can report already done, and problem solved.

Which means that when the second screen of the install wizard lists the files and directories (uploads, data and so on) that need to be writeable, it has an incomplete list.

But seriously - the kind of experience I had thus far would send many people away, before they had even tested Xoops. That is a bad situation to be in, a redesign will not bring back disappointed people.

Do you have some non-programmers in the team? You need them.

I'm out.

I was excited by the docuwiki module. Installed. It's admin index page is blank.
http://MyServer/modules/dokuwiki/admin/index.php - entirely blank.

I was excited by DMS.
During the installation:

Unable to install dms. Error(s):
Installing Document Management System

You have an error in your SQL syntax; check the manual that corresponds to your MySQL server version for the right syntax to use near 'TYPE=MyISAM' at line 4


Seriously, guys, before i retired I was programmer, then manager for a team of 40+ programmers. I want to USE your product, not tinker with it.

What I saw looks nice.

Please let me know if I can help.
Alternatively, let me know when this poor situation has improved, I'll test again. Right now, stick a fork in me. I'm done.

you seem like the unluckiest user ever lol

Quote:
Hmm, I don't know how it happened, but this was not right. It has been now corrected, and it shows the full package XOOPS 2.5.3 as the latest version to download.

Thanks for letting us know, and I am sorry that you've got the wrong version