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LombudXa
«eS][Clan Leader»
![«eS][Clan Leader»](/modules/Forums/images/ranks/leader.jpg "«eS][Clan Leader»")
Joined: Jul 07, 2004
Posts: 2583
Location: omnipresent
Status: Offline
Clan: «eS][Clan»
Nick: «eS][LombudXa»
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 Posted: Mon Jul 10, 2006 8:08 am Post subject: Modules/Addons which should be removed/added |
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Heya
Since there will be an overall update of the site taking place during the next months, I wanted to know what things we can remove so we can make our site more focued on things we really need and things we really like to provide to the public. Of course, if you think we should add a certain mod or module, we also can discuss about that.
As you may know, I have added a lot of stuff to the site also to test it out because I had fun to do so and because I wanted to see what we actually want and need for our clan. Most pages we provide within the site are somehow useful to either the clan members or the publics so it's not that easy to reduce it really. Though, there are things which I'm pretty sure we don't need anymore. For that I would like to hear your opinion as well so we can make the site more interesting for all of us and also to keep the performance of the site in mind.
Keep in mind, this is my preference but also reflects the stats of our website. The plus list are the mods/modules we should keep and which are useful. First is most important:
- + Forums including Your Account/Profile, Private Messages
- + Main page with News, Game Server, Navigation, Shout Box, Welcome and User Info block
- + Quick links for admins to maintain either the site, game servers or both on the main page (i.e. «eS][Admin» block)
- + Downloads and Web Links section
- + Knowledge Base Articles (-> the ones under UT2004 in the Main Menu)
Following the list with the things I think we maybe can or should remove. If there's a question mark (?), I'm not sure if we should do it so please let me know  :
- - Projects?
- - Calendar?
- - Thumbnail Map Preview?
- - Gallery?
- - Feeds? (Can be found under News in the Main Menu)
- - vWar? I thought as long as we don't activily use it, why having it.
- - Remove Spyware block on home page?
- - Arcade Mod? Actually, I like it and would keep it but maybe we can remove some games? Well we can make a new topic for that but let me know already what you think about it
- - Recommend us
Things I probably will change:
- Main Navigation: Further reduce it and remove certain links
- Remove Survey block (surveys will remain but just not visible on the main page anymore)
- Integrate the Link to us banner into the footer, well maybe will see
- There would be the possibility to remove all the left blocks when you access the forums so you only see the forums. This would make the forums load faster and would you keep focused on it. Also nice for those who only stay on the forums anyway. Let me know if you like to see it how it works or if you want it
- Removing the UTStats block on the main page and replace it with something more useful like a module where the status is shown as well as other details. There we could also add such a link where you can see the stats. Think that would be better but first have to find something suitable
If I got more ideas etc. I will update the above lists.
Keep in mind that removing/changing things doesn't mean it couldn't be added/changed back again. I will keep a backup of the mods/modules we used as far as possible so we easily can readd things.
Of course, if you have ideas etc. as well, please let me know but try to be as specific as possible, thanks |
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Last edited by LombudXa on Mon Jul 10, 2006 3:08 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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ScorpioProX
«eS][Clan Member»
![«eS][Clan Member»](modules/Forums/images/ranks/member.jpg "«eS][Clan Member»")
Joined: Aug 21, 2004
Posts: 955
Location: Within darkness you will find me.
Status: Offline
Clan: «evolved Systems»
Nick: «eS][ScorpioPro»
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| Posted: Mon Jul 10, 2006 12:18 pm Post subject: Re: Modules/Addons which should be removed/added |
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hey i'm fine with all the stuff you wanna keep. bout the stuff you wanna lose.
- Projects? dont even know what its good for or what it does and the module is not active atm so lose it lol (dont tell me what it does or i might wanna keep it.)
- Calendar? Well this is nice as long as some one fills it in.if no one gonaa fill it in when events happon we can lose it imo.
- Thumbnail Map Preview? this is just nice.
- Gallery? We hardly use it but we might again in the near futureits a nice feture.
- Feeds? (Can be found under News in the Main Menu) whatever...
- vWar? I thought as long as we don't activily use it, why having it. i dont mind losing it never liked it but when this is up to our war arangers....
- Remove Spyware block on home page? what now???
- Arcade Mod? Actually, I like it and would keep it but maybe we can remove some games? Well we can make a new topic for that but let me know already what you think about it
think lot of ppl on this site are here onlty for that mod.
- Recommend us we dont need it lol ppl can do that by them selfs...
k just some feedback do whit it as you plz. |
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Safety, the feeling you have before you realized I'm there too.  |
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LombudXa
Joined: Jul 07, 2004
Posts: 2583
Location: omnipresent
Status: Offline
Clan: «eS][Clan»
Nick: «eS][LombudXa»
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| Posted: Mon Jul 10, 2006 3:22 pm Post subject: Re: Modules/Addons which should be removed/added |
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Yeah, we don't need the Projects thingy. We used it in the beginning a bit to show certain progresses we did on maps, site etc.
The calendar would be useful but we hardly used to so far. Well, modules doesn't hurt the performance because that will be only loaded if you actually access the calendar so dunno yet if I will keep it or not. I could install it but deactivate it. Would be a solution too.
I think the map preview is nice too and some people like it
About the gallery, I agree somehow. It's nice to have it and we also got already quite a lot of pics there but it's a bit buggy right now and there seems to be no acceptable portation of a recent release available. Well, there are other solutions but I like that Gallery module most. I can take a look for other example and post links so you can take a look if it's any good and we can replace the current one with something new.
Feeds we don't need really I think. Well, you can read certain news such as BeyondUnreal within our website without the need to go there. I've also added UT specific feeds about map and mutator releases etc. but I know that it's hardly used even though it's pretty handy. Though I don't like that module so probably will remove it.
I think I will leave vWar installed but deactivated for now. If we need it, I can activate it quickly.
Well, is it any useful to have a spyware block on the main page? I know it's pretty nice but I see that it's not really used since we should have anti spyware installed anyway. Guess we will remove that too.
Yeah, I also think that the Arcade mod is nice and suits our site pretty well but maybe we just have too many. We got a list over here with some buggy games and maybe we find other bad or unpopular games so we can reduce our site.
Recommend us is a built-in module and it's not really useful IMO. Will just deactivate that. Also, there are other ways to do that.
BTW, I have added a new point to the 3rd list above. |
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FMC
Senior Member
Joined: Oct 07, 2004
Posts: 612
Location: Germany
Status: Offline
Clan: «eS][Clan»
Nick: «eS][FMC»
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| Posted: Mon Jul 10, 2006 4:17 pm Post subject: Re: Modules/Addons which should be removed/added |
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* - Projects?
IMO this block was used in the beginning of eS only to show the site development progress, I don't mind if you remove it.
* - Calendar?
I don't need such a calendar here on the site.
* - Thumbnail Map Preview?
It may be useful, although I hardly use it.
* - Gallery?
It's nice to have one, but there were no new pictures for month. Maybe we can use it for screenshots of wars in the future.
* - Feeds? (Can be found under News in the Main Menu)
No clue for what it's good for  I remember we used it in the past.
* - vWar? I thought as long as we don't activily use it, why having it.
Maybe some wants to challenge us by using vWar.
* - Remove Spyware block on home page?
No clue again 
* - Arcade Mod? Actually, I like it and would keep it but maybe we can remove some games?
No, please don't remove it, my wife wants to play all the games there
* - Recommend us
Leave it, it's not that big IMO. |
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LombudXa
Joined: Jul 07, 2004
Posts: 2583
Location: omnipresent
Status: Offline
Clan: «eS][Clan»
Nick: «eS][LombudXa»
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| Posted: Mon Jul 10, 2006 4:28 pm Post subject: Re: Modules/Addons which should be removed/added |
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Feeds are usually only text files with dynamic content such as news, downloads, forums etc. See the orange/white images at the bottom of our page? Those are feeds. With the reader we got on our site, you can access such feeds and load it into a program or page on a site so you can read it more easily. The feeds get updated automatically from the specifics sites I've added there. Just check it out, I'm sure you see what it's about. Anyway, since it's not like it should work. For example it doesn't list the news properly. The reader just takes them and puts them in a list instead of latest news on top and so on.
Well, if I find something better, I will add that instead. Otherwise I just will remove it.
Lol, ok. Well, as I said the Arcade mod is something pretty nice and I like it too. But still I'm sure we can remove certain games and maybe add some better ones instead or something.
About recommend us, well yeah that's true and it doesn't hurt the performance or anything really. Since it's built-in by default, we can leave it as is. |
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LombudXa
Joined: Jul 07, 2004
Posts: 2583
Location: omnipresent
Status: Offline
Clan: «eS][Clan»
Nick: «eS][LombudXa»
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| Posted: Mon Jul 10, 2006 10:14 pm Post subject: Re: Modules/Addons which should be removed/added |
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Ok, I've removed the left blocks when you visit the forums for now. The same goes for Profile and Private Message.
The forums load a bit faster and I think it's pretty k that way. Let me know if you like that too. |
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Diddle
Ex. «eS][Clan Member»
![Ex. «eS][Clan Member»](/modules/Forums/images/ranks/ex_member.gif "Ex. «eS][Clan Member»")
Joined: May 28, 2005
Posts: 282
Location: The Netherlands
Status: Offline
Nick: Diddle
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| Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2006 2:56 am Post subject: Re: Modules/Addons which should be removed/added |
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| LombudXa wrote (View Post): | Ok, I've removed the left blocks when you visit the forums for now. The same goes for Profile and Private Message.
The forums load a bit faster and I think it's pretty k that way. Let me know if you like that too. |
I love it. The forums load a lot faster for me and it's really the only thing I ever used on this site, so for me it's perfect. The dynamic menu is indeed the best solution to keep the length of the menu acceptable imo, looking good.
One small thing, maybe it's an idea to have the entire header link to the homepage and not just the homebutton, because that's a flashbutton and I therefore can't open the link in a new tab/window. Only do that if others have problems with it, because if I'm the only one, it's hardly worth the effort and I can work around it if necessary.
I like this new trend, I always found the site a bit crowded and with all the hiding of (in my eyes) pointless features it becomes better each day now. And the reason I think they're pointless is not because they're not useful, but because there are plenty of alternatives on the internet. Most of them are dedicated to one function only so they're usually better and faster at what they do.
Having that said, that rant covers the main 'problem' I have with sites made with PHP-Nuke/Nuke Evolution. Everything is integrated into one site which makes it a very crowded site. If I had to choose between having a MP3Player, Phone, Organizer, Camera and Handheld Gameconsole or a 5-in-1 version, I rather choose the 5 seperate devices so I can choose which one I want to use when and where and have a dedicated device for each function. Because usually, the dedicated devices are better at their respective function than the one that combines all functions. (Phone with camera => Camera is crapquality. Camera with MP3Player => Shitty interface and too bulky to just play some music. Organizer with gaming capabilities => Crap image quality, etc) And that's exactly how I think about sites that combine a lot of functions like this one. But apparently others appreciate a site with tons of functions, so me having something against it, is no reason to feel attacked. I just prefer dedicated sites, that's all. And that's why I like the new forum without sidebars. |
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LombudXa
Joined: Jul 07, 2004
Posts: 2583
Location: omnipresent
Status: Offline
Clan: «eS][Clan»
Nick: «eS][LombudXa»
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| Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2006 9:24 am Post subject: Re: Modules/Addons which should be removed/added |
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Do you mean those links?: Home Downloads Forums Arcade Games Your Account. If so, yeah the buttons are made with flash but not the actual link within it since it's dynamic. I can open that with right click. Or do you use the chromo theme?
Yeah I know, the site is pretty crowded but again this was also to see what we really can use. And one question, how you want to use alternatives if you don't like to have something which integrates the features we actually use  Not to have integration is just stupid since you would have to manage each software on its on with its own user management etc. Take the gallery we had for example. You can have this as standalone version and as a PHP-Nuke integrated version. Of course, you go for the integrated version since you can a) cut down on maintainance b) makes it a lot more user friendly since they don't have to register for each feature you provide c) unlike devices, it makes it a lot faster since you can merge functions (code overall) such user management, security, theme and a lot of other features together into a few functions making it not only faster but easier to maintain, d) security is improved a lot since you don't have to make sure that each feature you provide is patched. Patch the user registration on the CMS and it's fixed on every feature which got user registration unlike with individual solutions where you would have to go through each of them and most likely you will miss one, e) you will have the same layout on every module (page) you use f) installing new things is just a piece of cake and g) it wouldn't be easy to remove left blocks while viewing forums if there wouldn't be some kind of integration, is it?  If you need more advantages, just let me know A site isn't limited to devices like a phone for example since it's only software so there is no way to compare such things with each other. It's like you would say it would be better to get Windows as a one tool solution and you buy each tool you use which is just pointless, not to mention unpayable.
Anyway, even with devices, the trend is really to integrate many features within one device. I agree, the multi-solutions suck today but you will see, having 10000 devices is just pointless if you can integrate many things within one device like power supply for example. Why having devices doing the exact same thing if you could merge that within one device. Reduces on space, makes it more user friendly and most important, no ones goes out with 10000 devices...
Other than that, you seem not to understand the idea of a CMS. A CMS is exactly to integrate certain features within a comfortable user and admin interface to manage and use the site. Also, I could remove almost everything since it's a CMS, meaning it has merged features which you easily can delete (modulized). So basically I could remove everything but just leave the forums without much of work. That's how software can work but not a device. So your comparison there is a bit off.
Nuke is free of charge and for that it's really nice. If you want me to get something better, you know where the donation button is since payed solutions are really expensive. Ou, and don't come with other free CMS. Their all work the same way. Features integrated within one package Only forums isn't enough as I can see daily. Again, having features available gives you the freedom for example to only go to our forums and ignore the rest but the management works under one system. Even though, you don't use everything else, you could within a few clicks without the need to register for each thing you want to do again. But yeah, that sucks in your eyes
Finally, let's take Linux as another example. Let's say Debian since I know that best. Even though almost everything has been done as individual programs by individuals, some people decided to make Debian which means, they put a lot of useful programs (features) within one solution and they called it Debian. Guess that was also a pointless idea then But the downloads proves otherwise. Anyway, there is no discussion needed about having integration or not.
But thanks for the constructive critics now and not like last time |
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ScorpioProX
Joined: Aug 21, 2004
Posts: 955
Location: Within darkness you will find me.
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Clan: «evolved Systems»
Nick: «eS][ScorpioPro»
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| Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2006 1:05 pm Post subject: Re: Modules/Addons which should be removed/added |
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well about the all links gone i the form...By me lol
First off i like the speed...BUT lol as like diddle i only use the form to navigate to our site stuff and all, when i type somthing i somtimes use the links we had on the left also the shout box i miss now. can imagian it not beeing used if it stays like this.also it makes all the features less used...cause now i have to go specialy 2 the main page to do stuff were i could use the links for..more work more load time and less use of the functions we got on this site. 
I liked it more whit the dynamic links on the forms thought the speed inpact was not that big. Actualy improved alot since we started...now i have 2 use 2 pages to do all that i want lets combine it in one again plz  
well final; I liked the old way better but also can live with this cheap solution |
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LombudXa
Joined: Jul 07, 2004
Posts: 2583
Location: omnipresent
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Clan: «eS][Clan»
Nick: «eS][LombudXa»
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| Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2006 4:12 pm Post subject: Re: Modules/Addons which should be removed/added |
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| I'm more experimenting around with it and like to see the reactions of the people. So it might go back again as it was |
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FMC
Joined: Oct 07, 2004
Posts: 612
Location: Germany
Status: Offline
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| Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2006 7:00 pm Post subject: Re: Modules/Addons which should be removed/added |
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| I cannot say if I like the new appearance It loads faster and there's more space for the posts, but I miss the left menu a little bit. Well, give us a week or so and then lets see how it worked for all. |
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Diddle
Joined: May 28, 2005
Posts: 282
Location: The Netherlands
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| Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2006 10:24 pm Post subject: Re: Modules/Addons which should be removed/added |
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To be honest, I miss the shoutbox as well. And I indeed do get the feeling I'm not on the eS site anymore because the sidebar (and with that, all notion of the rest of the site is gone).
But leave it like this for a while and we'll see next week. |
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