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Re: Blog platforms design critique
colak wrote:
True, but will it not encourage hackers?
Depends if a) the site’s worth hacking, b) what there is to gain by the act. I don’t know many hackers that would think “ooh, a new TXP site has popped on the radar, best hack it”. Perhaps I don’t know enough hackers :-p
At the end of the day security through obscurity is no security at all (copyright Bruce Schneier, probably). The weak link in the chain has been and always will be lazy users/admins who choose weak passwords.
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Re: Blog platforms design critique
maniqui wrote:
I moved your paragraph about Textpattern First Steps to a place below, outside the “suggested task list”. I think newcomers would like to get into the admin side and start doing things (trial and error, the way to go), rather than being pointed to another tutorial to be read.
The trouble with trial and error, is that you can make so many errors you get lost because you don’t really have a clue at first. You often see confusion over pages, forms, sections and articles in the forum from newbies. Some people prefer to be told what to do at the beginning. Then they go to trial and error. That’s why I wrote the First Steps, and for people who prefer learning by doing. There are many kinds of learners, however, so they need options. First Steps needs a clean install and might not make sense after they’ve written some articles and changed a few tags around etc.
uli has also commented on the writeboard about hcg_templates. I’d like it adding to the 4.0.7 install but don’t know if it will be, although I think it will be in the xpattern first release (Bert?)
I also think thebombsite’s comment about chewable chunks is very important. And I too think the live txp.com site should be built using the default txp templates, although CSS could be quite different if necessary.
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Re: Blog platforms design critique
zero wrote:
Some people prefer to be told what to do at the beginning. Then they go to trial and error.
I agree that there are different types of learning and that First Steps is very much designed to be run from the outset. To that end, how about something like:
——
Welcome to your site.
If you would like a structured tutorial that introduces Textpattern and its conventions, follow the First Steps so you can learn by doing. Otherwise, what would you like to do next?
… and then the rest of the article as it is?
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Re: Blog platforms design critique
+1
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#65 2008-05-16 20:05:38
- uli
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- From: Cologne
- Registered: 2006-08-15
- Posts: 4,319
Re: Blog platforms design critique
yup!
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Re: Blog platforms design critique
I changed the writeboard and then I just read your comment Stef. It’s now a bit like you say but still plenty of room for improvement
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Re: Blog platforms design critique
Nice; more succinct than my rubbish earlier attempt, thank you.
In fact, your new intro made the entries that uli and I put in obsolete, so I’ve removed them and simply copied the links to page/style/form admin areas up to your new bit.
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Re: Blog platforms design critique
maniqui wrote:
"admin":/textpattern/@ instead of "admin":textpattern/won’t this break if a user installed txp in a subdirectory?
Last edited by sthmtc (2008-05-16 20:55:43)
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Re: Blog platforms design critique
zero wrote:
uli has also commented on the writeboard about hcg_templates. I’d like it adding to the 4.0.7 install but don’t know if it will be, although I think it will be in the xpattern first release (Bert?)
Having plugins installed at run time is not the Textpattern way, at least that’s been my impression. Though I see no reason you can’t have bundles other than the default install available for download.
May I say that this thread has been very entertaining.
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Re: Blog platforms design critique
won’t this break if a user installed txp in a subdirectory?
"admin":./textpattern/ should do it.
Last edited by jm (2008-05-16 21:08:47)
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#71 2008-05-16 22:14:41
- uli
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- From: Cologne
- Registered: 2006-08-15
- Posts: 4,319
Re: Blog platforms design critique
Having plugins installed at run time is not the Textpattern way
No, not installed on delivery! Put it in the zip (& mention it in the ReadMe). This will open up the chance to explain a little about installing plugins (there’s often enough people asking questions about what they’re doing wrong/funny looking code), turning them on and off, getting help, peeking into the code; and once installed one can happily experiment on TXP-tags, trusting on a dependable fallback system.
The more important information the introduction holds, the more important becomes a backup of working templates!
In bad weather I never leave home without wet_plugout, smd_where_used and adi_form_links
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Re: Blog platforms design critique
Instead of bundling plugins with the main software, simply add a link to TXP.org.
The information in the introduction should be available elsewhere, not just in the introduction.
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Re: Blog platforms design critique
It’s important to nail down who we are talking to and what their goals/questions will be coming to txp
wet’s description of “designers + web builders” is near the mark. I would say its people wanting to build small-medium size dynamic websites. Not as big as a web application (framework), but more complex than a blog (wordpress).
- So in general that would be designers with a bit of technical knowledge (HTML, CSS), looking for a tool to build websites for clients. I would say this is probably the biggest group. Of course that could also be ‘the web person’ in a biz/org.
- After that is individuals looking to publish their stuff — photographers, bloggers, designers etc. Though there are so many easy ways to put stuff out there now (hosted blogs etc), and more focussed tools (wp), its maybe a losing battle trying to sell this point. Unless you push the idea of “owning your own content”.
If we know who, it will be easy to figure out what to say.
—
Some things txp.com should be/do:
- One click to download txp
- Link to txp demo
- Help new user get started
- Bring new people into the community
- Be a hub for all the txp sites
—
PS. New thread for shortlisting txp sites that should be featured
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#74 2008-05-17 11:21:53
- uli
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- From: Cologne
- Registered: 2006-08-15
- Posts: 4,319
Re: Blog platforms design critique
ruud wrote:
simply add a link to TXP.org.
No objections, just … it isn’t listed over there.
milkshake wrote:
Be a hub for all the txp sites
Good point! That’s what almost everyone might be stumbled upon at least once when gathering necessary information and not knowing, where to get them. textpattern.com could cover a far more helping function for this objective.
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Re: Blog platforms design critique
Some good thoughts there, William. I’ve copied your ideas for txp.com over to the other thread, as this one has gone onto other topics.
Re audience. I think there’s probably many people who will get fed up of their predefined templates or hosted blogs and want more options. Although txp code and flexibility is very sophisticated, txp can be presented in a simple easy way so these people will try it out. As I’ve stated here if the default templates can be made more solid, usable, semantic etc then simply changing the css can produce completely different looking sites. I think this would appeal to people wanting to dip their toes into web design. Just like most people fancy themselves as a great dj because they have taste in music, I think it’s the same with web design – everyone fancies they can produce something really great because they have their own special taste in web styling.
Oh and by the way, I don’t think a lot needs doing to the default templates, but definitely one or two things can be improved
Last edited by zero (2008-05-17 13:13:29)
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