[plugin] [ORPHAN] zem_event [flexible integrated event management]

hakjoon · 2007-03-16 03:20:03

Google login is enough. We can start off with patches and then as you feel more confortable you can get more power.

Are you on windows or on Mac/*nix? If on Windows TortoiseSVN makes it pretty easy.

rsilletti · 2007-03-16 03:28:09

I’m using a Mac with OSX 10.2.8, I’m generating diff files with rvm_plugin_diff. I have Fedora on a laptop, but it has modem problems.

two7s_clash · 2007-03-16 11:10:13

Hola-

I’m using zem event with great glee and due appreciation. I am trying to do something a odd with the mini display… I want to display multiple instances, say maybe the past, current, and previous month. Or a separate mini cal for everymonth for now until the beginning of the year. Feasible?

squaredeye · 2007-03-16 11:30:44

two7s,
Don’t know :), never tried it.
Give it a go with the date parameters.

FYI: there are some outstanding bugs to be fixed on the minical. Should be around the corner.

:)

producemedia · 2007-03-16 11:41:06

Just a quick question.
Does the event description field support textile?
I would like to add images to the description.

squaredeye · 2007-03-16 13:35:09

producemedia,
best way to find out is too try it :)
It was textile enabled, though I don’t know if that includes images?
That might be a neat way of making an thumbnail styled calendar?

M

hakjoon · 2007-03-16 13:54:49

Rick,

I’m sure we can make whatever you are using work.

I highly recommend subversion, it’s a life saver and for a single developer pretty easy to use. There are some decent GUI’s for OSX out there although I haven’t found one as nice as TortoiseSVN, so I just command line it on OSX.

I’d be happy to help if you want, I think anyone who does anything with text should use it.

rsilletti · 2007-03-16 15:45:47

hakjoon,

I’ve had trouble finding a version of subversion I can use, it’s the old OSX I’m using. I’ll look a little more closely and see what I can find.

Last edited by rsilletti (2007-03-16 15:46:27)

hakjoon · 2007-03-16 15:51:12

Ahh That could be a problem. Like I said I’m sure we can make something work. Even if you just send us a new file, I’m sure I could probably just throw it into filemerge or something.

You can always pull the php file without SVN by just surfing to it in the repository. The google code source page has a link to it.

rsilletti · 2007-03-16 17:07:57

Patrick,

Rather than try to post progressive patches I’ll just wait until I have something more complete. I can get what I need from the repository, given that it’s small yet.

I’ll be back out here with questions I’m sure, the first and most important, I think, would be wether or not this is a functionality that is appropriate for this plugin?

squaredeye · 2007-03-17 13:49:07

I recently got this email from my friend Neil, and wanted to reply to everyone here for the benefit of all. Hope you don’t mind Neil :)

Neil Wrote

I understand the concept behind the ‘pay for’ plugin, and for something as involved as this, it’s a great way of getting quality plugins. But, speaking as a non-coding TXP user, I am baffled as to how I even go about evaluating how useful or otherwise this is to me. I’ve read through the entire thread, looked at your site examples, etc, etc – and still can’t find a simple explanation of:

1. How I create an entry and what relationship the entry has to the article it seems attached to.
2. How I display a list of entries sorted in various ways but mainly by date, with permalinks to associated articles.
3. How the minical and big calendar are used and how they work.

I understand the lack of detailed docs, but it seems (dare I say) stupid to release a plugin without such basic usage info. I reckon the forum thread would be less than half the size it is if simple, basic info was been provided.

The navigation arrows for the minical are a perfect case in point of one of the more bizarre aspects of this approach to pay-as-you-go. The problem was pointed out, a code solution offered, and yet no one (zem, you, ?) has actually fixed it in the plugin code. It seems a very strange approach to me. Instead, we’re told to cough up more cash to see it fixed. I think the other way round: I’m more likely to pay money for something that has been fixed, rather than throwing money at a project in the hope that it might get fixed at some point!

I’m more than happy to pay a reasonable price for a good, supported plugin, but at the moment:
a. I have no idea if this will be properly debugged to a useful point anytime soon.
b. I have no idea if/when usable docs will appear to help me evaluate the plugin.
And so on.
How is that encouraging me to throw money at a project that has such an indeterminate future?

This is not meant to be a criticism of either you or Alex, but I’m just frustrated and puzzled… :(

Neil,
These are all good questions, and its clear to me a few things need to be reitterated and cleared up.

My Relationship to the plugin

I am not the plugin author
I am only the person in charge of releasing it to the public
I am happy to facilitate changes, but I haven’t the coding knowledge necessary to implement them (in all cases)

Team Textpattern Plugin Development of Zem_Event from start to present

I began the work with the plugin because a client of mine needed it and I couldn’t afford the cost of develoing an integrated solution alone, hense the fundraising and donors listed in the first post.
I collected enough money to begin the process and began working with Zem to figure out basic functionality and how much that would cost.
Zem (Team Textpattern) developed the plugin according to those specs
Upon receiving the current status of the plugin, I inquired about documentation for the plugin at which time Zem let me know that it would not be included. He has shown us here and me elsewhere, evidence that this is not crazy and that his development costs are reasonable. It is however unusual for a plugin, considering what we’re used to.
We’ve discussed this on this thread and have dealt with it by providing loose and community oriented documentation. (I’ve repeatedly asked for help with documentation, and this has been the response – quite good in my opinion).

The move to thinking more publicly about the plugin (and the current track)

As mentioned a few posts back, the plugin has been routed in a slightly different direction. I will be working with Zem to facilitate bug fixes and other changes that can be accomplished with the present sum of $200.
If anyone would like to fund changes to the plugin via Team Textpattern in the future, they are more than welcome to do so, and either add the changes to the public version or keep those changes to themselves and use them as leverage with clients, or sell them, etc.
Our goal is to provide a platform for Zem_Event where the myriad developers in this community can contribute to what is potentially an uber plugin.

participating

As Neil appropriate mentions, we need more documentation. The start of which can be found here (as mentioned in the first post). It is not difficult to add to the wiki. Consider doing so, even if only in small amounts.
I could use help administrating txp.squared as a testing home for zem_event, and would be happy to take it in a different direction. I feel very little “control” over it.
There are numerous changes/patches already suggested in this thread that can be implemented for the plugin. We need to affect these changes in the code and provide an updated download link. I will be happy to change the download link when those who know code well enough can provide me with an update which I can link to :)
Bug Testing and documentation, and feature ideas should now be listed in a central location at the google code home for Zem Event (see the post above for link)

And that’s it. If anyone has any further questions, or if I’ve missed something, feel free to ask, but remember, that this plugin comes with a new paradigm. Its important that we all participate rather than just “receive” the plugin :)

Happy weekend,

Matthew

Last edited by ma_smith (2007-03-17 13:51:05)

mrdale · 2007-03-17 17:12:13

Matthew,

Thanks for the clarification. As a lurker, but financial contributor to this plugin, I too find the different approach to development a little perplexing. I have not yet used this plugin yet, as I have not needed to and have not entered the fray more than an occasional checkin.

That said, regardless of the history of the plugin’s development (thanks) and merely on the surface of things, it appears that…

This plugin has less support than most freely contributed plugins
This plugin requires payment for bug fixes, and incremental releases.
The developer response time and support for this wicked-slow.

I think this feeds the frustrations of users and participants alike. This is not Matthew’s fault, but you can see where people get frustrated. I think the grand experiment of commissioned, free software is showing it’s limitations and producing frustrations.

With all the bug fixes that need to be squashed, I don’t hold out much hope that some of my (I think very useful) pre-release requests are likely ever to materialize, unless I contribute more money. Something I’m not in a position to do right now, maybe someday…

Anyway, Thanks go to Matthew (many thanks, actually, he has made a a huge contribution) for pushing this plugin forward. It has great potential.

Software however, requires maintenance, updates and support otherwise it dies. I don’t see this plugin moving forward until someone branches it, patches it, adds documentation and actually supports it outside of a per-hour development cost scenario.

Thoughts? [steps back… takes a deep breath…]

Last edited by mrdale (2007-03-17 17:16:32)

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#205 2007-03-16 03:20:03

Re: [plugin] [ORPHAN] zem_event [flexible integrated event management]

#206 2007-03-16 03:28:09

Re: [plugin] [ORPHAN] zem_event [flexible integrated event management]

#207 2007-03-16 11:10:13

Re: [plugin] [ORPHAN] zem_event [flexible integrated event management]

#208 2007-03-16 11:30:44

Re: [plugin] [ORPHAN] zem_event [flexible integrated event management]

#209 2007-03-16 11:41:06

Re: [plugin] [ORPHAN] zem_event [flexible integrated event management]

#210 2007-03-16 13:35:09

Re: [plugin] [ORPHAN] zem_event [flexible integrated event management]

#211 2007-03-16 13:54:49

Re: [plugin] [ORPHAN] zem_event [flexible integrated event management]

#212 2007-03-16 15:45:47

Re: [plugin] [ORPHAN] zem_event [flexible integrated event management]

#213 2007-03-16 15:51:12

Re: [plugin] [ORPHAN] zem_event [flexible integrated event management]

#214 2007-03-16 17:07:57

Re: [plugin] [ORPHAN] zem_event [flexible integrated event management]

#215 2007-03-17 13:49:07

Re: [plugin] [ORPHAN] zem_event [flexible integrated event management]

My Relationship to the plugin

Team Textpattern Plugin Development of Zem_Event from start to present

The move to thinking more publicly about the plugin (and the current track)

participating

#216 2007-03-17 17:12:13

Re: [plugin] [ORPHAN] zem_event [flexible integrated event management]

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