Is this a real community?
- Sunday, May 25 2003 @ 08:31 PM EDT
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- Contributed by:
- matted
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- Views:
- 3,874
Hi Geeks
Ok.. so 3 developers and myself, are still trying to decide on whether to go with GL. They have their techical issues, I have my feature and cultural issues. I thought I would share my.
1) How can Geeklog present itself as this geewhiz cool community, if it can't even mount a forum? You have a plug in. Why not use it? 90% of all board traffic at probably 50% of the sites on the planet are forum driven. So why is this tool not even present on your main site? And using articles as a primary question and answer forum--especially with newbies--is a mystery beyond my ability to fathom.
It's almost like you're worried that real discussion threads would make ya look bad. A week ago, I pointed out that you had no feature list anywhere. Can't someone among you find a moment to even put up a bad one?
Why not not create a section called "About Geeklog." With your cool system, that should take rougly 20 seconds. Then you have at least an area for people like me to say "where the hell are the forums?"
There isnt' another CMS out there that lacks a forum on its site that I recall. Just you folks. I'm sure you have your reasons. I'd love to hear them.
2)How many users does a member have to scroll through on their preferences screen, before you provide a new page to handle the list. It's dumb enough on Slashdot. But to them, that's cool. Here, it's just silly. I have never seen a more insulting slap at a user. All I want to do is change my password or settings. If I wanted to shut off authors, I am a big boy, and can find the "Select Authors" button.. if only you'd provide one.
3) Since you refuse to provide any summary of features and core modules, could someone please tell me if ANYONE has written any kind of storefront/ecommerce solution?
If I sound cranky, it's only because I like this product. But the sheer number of silly things disturbs me, given that you present yourself as so sensitive to your geekers. I'm not seeing that. I'm seeing people impressed with what they've done, but not pushing things forward with much discipline or drive. I know all too well that open source initiatives are not easy, and the time can be hard to find. But there is all this talk of the future, and frankly, the past still needs a LOT of work.
I'm just giving you my gut right now. I do respect your project, efforts and goals. I would love to see this project really soar. To get there, I think you need less pilots, and a few more good mechanics with an eye for detail.
Regards!
[Addendum sent by the author]
Sorry.. in my post I said "change my password at" personalize. I mean't theme.
Doesnt' matter though. The author list is ridiculously long to be embedded in someone as general as "preferences".
The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.
Forum: I think I already mentioned that we're planning to use the forum on this site. Give us some time to implement that, okay? We're only a handful of people anyway and have other things to do besides Geeklog. Not to mention that switching a site with some 4000 users and over 3000 stories on it does need a little planning ahead, which is what we're doing at the moment.
I don't see where your "It's almost like you're worried that real discussion threads would make ya look bad." claim comes from. We had enough controversial discussions here on the site - it doesn't make a dfference whether they're happening in a forum or in the comments to a story. We're certainly not afraid of discussions and we have nothing against them, as long as they're not only flaming.
"About Geeklog": There is a "Whats is Geeklog?" block on the right. The "more" link takes you to the documentation that has a feature list. Actually, that links to an iframe which doesn't seem to work in Mozilla at the moment (at least not in my 1.3.1 version), so I'm going to change that to a proper link to the documentation as soon as I'm finished with this comment ...
Yes, the long user list in the preferences is not a nice thing. How about submitting a feature request that points out a nice solution to this problem?
Don't know why you claim we "refuse to provide any summary of features and core modules". As I said, a feature list is in the documentation and it's next to impossible for the core developers to stay up to date with all the add-ons that are being developed for Geeklog. That's why we have sections on this very site where you can announce your plugins, blocks, or whatever. Or ask for them, as you just did.
bye, Dirk
We make binary versions of Mozilla available for testing purposes only!
We now have an addon for a forum with GL which I think is a better solution as not every site wants to add a forum anyway. How many users of GL use every inbuilt facility. There are many that I have disabled and would not use. I use GL as it's interface is easier to use than most others - try adding pictures to a PHPNuke and Postnuke site at 2 am in the morning when you have been at it 16 plus hours.
Yes, I have found numerous faults and shortcomings in GL but feedback from users may remedy this in future issues along with further items I won't use.
Err, this is not exactly the tone I had in mind when I wrote that we're not afraid of discussions here on the site :-( You may want to look up "Godwin's Law" ...
bye, Dirk
Dirk, you have the patience of Jobe. I don't with his type. You and the other developers don't need yet another person trying to play nagging supervisor. If he wants to save Geeklog so badly, then he should leave his big fat ego at home, roll up his sleeves, and help implement his ideas. We don't need a hot air windbag barking at others unless he wants to start paying people here money to tolerate this.
anonomity.
Since you appear to support matted, you Wayne Johns better get busy and start producing everything he wants. He will be back in another week to check on your work.
Wayne
I'm tired of jerks like him who suddenly drop in with all these complaints and will not lift a little finger to help out. Before you cast a stone buddy, I have yet to see your name on anything either. Do not give me the line it is because 'I do not know php'. There are many other things a non-developer can do. You cater to the Filipino people yet have not contributed even a Tagolog translation. Perhaps if you move from the leech department into a doer you too would get irate with these jerks. I am active in another open source project and these non-do'er flamers piss me off. Until you become a doer, you won't understand the feeling of having someone else give you a laundry list of things to do but won't help out. Those of us who work on open source code are not your damn slaves.
I do look forward to having the Forum up on this site. It will make much more sense than using articles for posting questions (IMO).
Several people have seen my family site and have asked how I did it, but when they tried to install GL, they ran into issues and did not stick it out and get them resolved. Most have ended up with PostNuke their sites look identical to all the othe PN sites out there. They like their own sites, but envy mine.
Dirk, I am php impaired, but I do own a hosting company. So, if you need any free hosting, I will gladly contribute to the cause in that way.
about to use a CMS on two others thought I would evaluate PHPNuke I
installed 6.5 on a test bed and have just had to pay $10.00 to receive 6.6 a
security bug fix upgrade.
I have always found Dirk helpful and all the other developers yes if we
are all pre[pared to put into the community what we take out of it ... even
if it is only thanks 'yes GL is real community'.
We may want to recruit you for our project to develop the new geeklog.net site and content. We have a lot of ideas ourselves and we were motivated before the recent articles and comments regarding the site, structure and contents.
As dirk has noted, we try our best and have been talking about a number of changes. There are many challenges and time, coordination and agreement on the final product are part of the it. We are actively working but let us know if you are as willing to participate and we can find a role for you.
Blaine
I believe that posts of the type that started this thread are wholy inappropriate. If one has to ask things, then there is a way to do it, and this was certainly not one of them.
I appraciate greatly the effort of the whole open-source community, the philosophy behind it, the helpfulness of the people who do it and can undertand if they are sometimes fed up with answering repetitive questions (I know I would be too). What I believe has no place on sites like this is complaining but rather suggestions for improvements and offers to help.
I do hope to one day be able to help, but am affraid that due to my current lack of technical knowledge this is not possible right now (unless there are non-technical things that need doing - perhaps user or admin manual?). Will be in touch when I learn a thing or two and see if there is anything I can do. In the meantime - keep up the good work and let me know if you want any manuals done. Oh, yes. Am tester by trade, so maybe testing is something I could do too.