The future of SMF

[Arantor]

Of course, I was talking about the code and not so much a bout the trademark fulcrum and all that stuff, anyone can upload a 2.0 version on any site and do with that what ever they want

I was talking about the code too. BSD is not a free pass, it still requires adhering to copyright law and passing-off laws.

Yes, it is inevitable, we pretty much need to learn to live with it, there is no choice, hiding the development process will do more harm than good (specially because of our history), we have been persecuted for that for years

Hmm. Time will tell.

I think the benefits of being open overpass the downsides of it, if people moan we can always write something on the wiki and just put a link to that whenever there is a moaner.

Personally I prefer to solve the problem rather than documenting a workaround

[Suki]

How exactly will you solved it ?  you can't denied anyone from downloading/uploading SMF.  I don't think it is a workaround, but rather an answer to a FAQ.

Thing is, being open or closed both has its ups and downs, open is the path SMF has decided and we must face any downside this path may have.

[Arantor]

Closed repo with frequent releases is the way to go, IMHO. But yeah, the path's been chosen for better and worse. Let's see where it goes.

[butchs]

The only problem with doing that is that people who shouldn't really be using it will end up using it and then complain that it isn't ready yet >_<

Give me a breaK.  It was dumb luck I to it to work....  I have  no training...

I figure anyone who can figure out how to make a copy of 2.1 or SMCore work is smart enough to understand why it isn't ready. Github isn't exactly a one-click installer.

How exactly will you solved it ?  you can't denied anyone from downloading/uploading SMF.  I don't think it is a workaround, but rather an answer to a FAQ.

Thing is, being open or closed both has its ups and downs, open is the path SMF has decided and we must face any downside this path may have.

Yea, ego is the the reason for the demise of "main_block".  That should be fixed till the end of SMF 2.0!  Multiple versions or forks alone will fail.  Divided we will fail.   United we will survive!

[Fustrate]

You can use main_block in your theme if you really want to. It's behind the times, though.

[Antechinus]

Yea, ego is the the reason for the demise of "main_block".

Actually it isn't, but you just keep going, since you seem to be on a roll.

ETA: To address the other points..........

Hey you get to moan more than everyone else.  This time it is my turn:

• Why are you changing the "main_block.png" to "bars.png" and moving all the graphics around so that it is a time consuming PITA to guess at the format and make a new one?
• What's with all the "smalltext" in displaytemplate.php?
• I am sure there is more...

1/ Because the image no longer has any point in its 2.0 form. The structure of the theme has been simplified by removing all of the spans that took up a large part of the old main_block image. The header and footer of the theme no longer need the massive chunks of graphics that made up more large parts of the old image. The rounded corners are all done with CSS3 now. Etc.

Bascially, there is no point in having the old image any more. Since a lot of people apparently found the old image confusing, both in terms of css and in terms of editing the actual image, getting rid of it is perhaps not a total disaster. Getting rid of it will also slightly reduce bandwidth usage, since the new images are a lot lighter. The number of http requests for images is not increased over 2.0, so cache times should still be good.

IF you are concerned about the actual name of the image being changed, I cannot really see why this would be problematic. However, if enough people think it is problematic then the image can be called anything at all.

2/ It's a leftover from 2.0.x. I assume you think it is equally disastrous in 2.0.x. You may be pleased to know that, since this is an alpha build, things are likely to be cleaned up a bit before the final build.

3/ It's alpha, and it still contains unnecessary leftovers from 2.0.x so yes, there is bound to be more. I already have a personal hit list of "more".

[butchs]

Nope.  I was not happy with the mystery around "main_block.png".  The master file was not made public for some time after the release of 2.0.  I wasted a day making my own version for my forum.  I do not look forward a to repeat with "bars.png".

[Antechinus]

Since it is a far simpler image, it's not a one day job. More like a ten minute job. The image that is in the repo now is actually quite a bit more complicated than the final version is going to be. I'd suggest chilling out. The PSD's for any 2.1 images will be available well before the final build.

And although I'd have to check all the old topics, IIRC the PSD for Curve was made public with RC2. It was certainly public long before the release of 2.0 Final.

[Antechinus]

Hey dude, the PSD for the Curve main_block was publicly released here: http://www.simplemachines.org/community/index.php?topic=347195.0

You replied to that topic right here: http://www.simplemachines.org/community/index.php?topic=347195.msg2352841#msg2352841

Now, you were saying?

[butchs]

Hey dude, the PSD was released WEEKS possibly months after the release of SMF gold.  Otherwise I would not have made my own!

The default theme psd was NOT released when gold was released and many had to go fish with the new psd file.  The dimensions were incorrect in your initial release and it did not work.  An actual release of the default theme PSD was really never made.  Therefore, I was forced to make my own...  Now I am pulling an "Arantor" because I remember the agony I went through...  Next, I will get a robot cat icon!

Then you will will listen...

I do not understand why no one could release the default theme psd when gold was released?  Instead it was a bug fat go fish.

Now I am on a roll...

I expect better this time around.    

[Arantor]

Now I am pulling an "Arantor" because I remember the agony I went through...  Next, I will get a robot cat icon!

That was below the belt

[Fustrate]

Rehashing the PSD issue over and over, a long time after the fact, will definitely help get it released on time...

...when we get a time machine.

I trust that Ant will follow through with a PSD for 2.1. Complaining about the past does nothing at this point

[butchs]

You pushed me to continue. I thought I was the only one... Sorry, for trying to fix the future. 

Now I am pulling an "Arantor" because I remember the agony I went through...  Next, I will get a robot cat icon!

That was below the belt

I did not know robots wore belts.   

[live627]

Maybe he implied wrestling...

[Kindred]

ummmm... butchs...   from the thread that Ant linked, it certainly seems that the PSDs were released along with the final template update in RC3 (since the templates changes significantly between RC2 and RC3)

That was well before the final release

[Antechinus]

Hey dude, the PSD was released WEEKS possibly months after the release of SMF gold.  Otherwise I would not have made my own!

The default theme psd was NOT released when gold was released and many had to go fish with the new psd file.  The dimensions were incorrect in your initial release and it did not work.  An actual release of the default theme PSD was really never made.

I cordially suggest that perhaps your recollection of events is incomplete. I made a main_block PSD for the initial RC2 release of the Curve theme. It was released at the same time as RC2. Due to changes during development, the PSD (and the png made from it) required updating for later release candidates. This was done as required. Some updates were done by me, and some were done by other people, but they were all done.

2.0 Final was released on June 12, 2011. There were no changes to the main_block between RC4 and Final, so the existing RC4 image (which was already publicly available) should have been fine for 2.0 Final. If you were still attempting to use the initial RC2 main_block PSD then sure, it wouldn't be correct for 2.0 Final.

I zipped everything that was available in the way of PSD's for 2.0 Final and posted them here exactly one week after the official release of 2.0 Final. Not weeks, plural, and certainly not months. Note that this was just a compilation zip for convenience, and only contained images that had already been made available anyway.

These were the official images, and are exactly the same images that the actual default theme was made from. If you had asked me, in the topic you had already been involved in, where the images were, I would have told you.

If you chose to ignore eveything that had been made available, nobody else is responsible for your decision. If you wish to continue your roll, from now on you will have to do so without my participation.

[emanuele]

...when we get a time machine.

That's a feature for SMF...7?

I can only say that the new image is wonderful (from my poor theme-oriented mind) and I was able to change the main color of the new theme in less that half an hour (compared to the the fact that I've never been able to do it for 2.0... ...well, there was also a good component of laziness! ).

[butchs]

...I zipped everything that was available in the way of PSD's for 2.0 Final and posted them here...

These were the official images, and are exactly the same images that the actual default theme was made from. If you had asked me, in the topic you had already been involved in, where the images were, I would have told you...

If you chose to ignore everything that had been made available...

Heres a thought for 2.1 add them to the download section under tools. 

[emanuele]

Honestly there is nothing as complex as main_block in 2.1...
Would you really need a psd for these files? (see the attachments)

[emanuele]

Honestly there is nothing as complex as main_block in 2.1...
Would you really need a psd for these files? (see the attachments)