What the fork is going on? · 2008-05-17 15:21
The last few months have been very interesting.
Textpattern was forked by xPattern
PunBB was forked by FluxBB
What now, register xPFlu.com or something to that affect?
Which teaches me not to register domain names that rely on the names of projects. Instead, I’ll grab names out of a hat or something to that affect, heck who would of thought of naming a search engine Google?
Hey, I can sell all my TxP domains to someone in Texas ;)
TxPun - Where to? · 2007-11-05 11:15
The plan was always to keep the core code intact and build upon it, via plugins, extensions or whatever mechanism a project had at it’s disposal.
The plan has changed, core code is fair game:
- Textpattern
- Use the latest SVN code from the 4.0.x branch. Crockery may be the future but I need to start coding now.
- First order of business is to jettison the commenting system in favor a forum based discussion thread. Blog commenting is so 1998.
- Retrofit the backend admin with a new look, there’s so many to choose from at this point.
- PunBB
- Use the latest SVN code from the 1.2.x branch. I really like the 1.3 branch but I don’t have the time to wait for stable bug-free code.
- Backport the MySQL full text search, those search tables take up a lot of space.
- Backport the Search Engine optimized URL’s, Connor did a nice job on this mod.
- singapore
- Use the last stable 0.10.x branch, along with the changes made by Ridgewood.
- Incorporate the administration of images into the backend of Textpattern.
- Along with regular gallery templates, introduce the picture book metaphor.
The above web applications are solid performing, stable and secure. Bringing them together, while keeping their current virtues, is my quest the trick.
When it’s ready ;)
Comment [11]
singapore - too much fun · 2007-09-20 01:17
Along the same time I started using PunBB, singapore caught my fancy. I guess I was on this small, lean, one purpose app kinda kick. Do one thing really well, get the heck out of my way.
I can remember the first time I communicated with Tamlyn Rhodes, it was via an IM conversation. My friend Joe had just bought a Nikon D70, I was uploading images from the camera, gawking at the pictures and got to talking with Tamlyn about singapore, his software. We’ve used it ever since for our galleries, I just love the drag folder over to the web server simplicity of it.
We lost communication from Tamlyn a couple years back, his 2005 gallery is our only solid lead. In IM, his avatar appears at times inviting us to see if it’s really him, but we hesitate to disturb.
PhotoStack continues in the tradition of singapore, so all is not code base lost. Another derivative is Singapore RE, a picture book metaphor, I likes.
Hold on, just in, Tamlyn was just spotted using Flickr, say it ain’t so.
PunBB - Glasnost · 2007-09-18 13:23
Glasnost, a policy of maximal publicity, openness, and transparency.
June of 2004, that’s when Radek Hulan, creator of BLOG:CMS, turned me on to PunBB. At first I thought he was joking, it looked too spartan, but then I installed the forum on my server and have used it ever since.
PunBB was the second project I became involved with, mainly hung out on the forums and later became a moderator. For one release, I helped Rickard and Paul with the docs and I was officially named part of the team.
Ultimately, I became the PunBB cheerleader, everywhere I went, I brought along my pom poms.
June of 2007, that’s when Rickard announced to the developers that he was approached by SoftDeluxe, a company based in Russia. SoftDeluxe wanted to buy the rights to PunBB, keep the present developers, all would be the same, etc.
In my 25 years in IT, I’ve written just as many lines of code that have gone live as those lines that some pointy haired boss decided to scrap. That’s why I wanted to get involved with Open Source, I knew that what I did would see the light of day, no matter what.
The SoftDeluxe news hit me the wrong way, I decided to resign from PunBB rather than argue against it.
3 months have passed, I guess the sale went through, though there is no official word. The SVN commits have been few, only Rickard and Smartys doing the coding, the other 5 developers, silent. On the support forum, again it’s Smartys with Paul chiming in every so often, the other 5 developers, quiet.
Thanks Rickard, it was a nice ride.
Comment [4]
Textpattern - Where's Alex? · 2007-09-17 19:14
Anyone who follows Textpattern, knows by now that Alex Shiels, the lead developer, left to work for Wordpress. But, the Alex that I’m wondering about is Alexandra Labudda of TXP Magazine fame.
I started following TxP in November of 2005, I had just come off another project where I had hit a wall, so I was careful not to get too involved, I just wanted software to run my sites. But, I didn’t follow my own advice: TxPlanet, TxPun and TxP IDE were all launched by me.
Let’s just say I was enthusiastic in the face of adversity. Like asking what the future held for TxP on the dev list and being told that the developers work on stuff when they have a chance and there is no roadmap (which translated to Alex only works on stuff that generates monies for his pocket).
Yet, I hung in there, building sites, moderating the support forum and touting the virtues of a small code base to any and all who would listen. But like Alex, of TxP Mag, you reach a limit, a stage where you feel that what you’re doing is making no difference. You speak and there’s no one listening, they’re all too busy wondering how to make money and a community project is dieing in the process.
There has been hope of late, Ruud van Melick has been very active on SVN and has a nice demeanor on the forums. Along with Ruud, there’s Mary and Wet in the developer spots. What does the future hold for TxP? I don’t know, I dare not ask and I don’t really care at this point.
My advice to Ruud, put a fork in it.
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