Brandon Frohs

I’ve changed my mind a bit regarding the themes. I was originally going to have the themes set up similarly to other forum software, with a bit more functionality. Today, while working on another website, I came up with another idea. The new idea is similar, but a lot different as well. Other forums separate it like this…

• /cf-themes/[theme-name]/[theme-files]

Consummo will be set up similar to this…

• /cf-templates/[template-files]
• /cf-themes/[theme-name]/images/[image-files]
• /cf-themes/[theme-name]/css/[css-files]
• /cf-themes/[theme-name]/media/[media-files] e.g. Flash

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If you have an answer to any of the questions below, please leave a response and help to add some more competition to the forum sector.

What are some features you couldn’t live without in a forum?

The following features will most likely be available in the application or as an add-on.

• none

What are some features you would like to see, but don’t really need?

The following features will most likely be available as an add-on.

• none

What are some features you don’t see a point in having?

The following features will most not be included in Consummo, but possibly as an add-on.

• none

What are some features you absolutely hate?

The following features will most likely not be included in Consummo.

• none

After much thought, I’ve decided to code the main theme of Consummo in (X)HTML5. Although I have not decided which route I’m going to take when it comes to (X)HTML5 (HTML5 or XHTML5), I am positive I will be using (X)HTML5. HTML 4.01 is too unstructured for my taste, XHTML 1.0 is old, and XHTML 2.0 isn’t friendly at all (to coders or visitors). (X)HTML5 seems like the proper choice, especially since I have been active in the development of it (not so much recently, but I’m getting back into the game slowly). If you want to learn more about (X)HTML5, check out the differences between HTML 4 and 5.

Note

Although Consummo will be released with an (X)HTML5 theme by default, I will release an XHTML 1.0 theme as well (and possibly even an HTML 4.01 theme). It won’t come out right away of course, but I will get around to it.

Have you ever noticed how you have to upload a new display picture for every forum and blog you create an account at? Well, there has been a system in place for a while now to make this no longer a problem. It is called Gravatar (Globally Recognized Avatars). Gravatar allows you to upload a display picture on their site (up to 512×512). This Gravatar is then used on any site that uses the gravatar system (all you have to do is use the same email!). There will also be an option to change the default Gravatar icon to that of Identicons, MonsterIDs, Wavatars, or your own custom image! The Gravatar system also allows each theme to use a different size of display picture without ruining the look of the entire site.

Other Benefits

The use of Gravatars also make the application more secure as there is no need to upload a display picture. All uploads are done on the Gravatar website. There is also less server space taken up as well as less server load (all images hosted, resized, and served up by Gravatar).

I’ve come across a situation where I would like to ask the public for some input. It’s actually quite simple. Just comment on this post (you don’t have to have an account) and let me know which choice you prefer (feel free to come up with one not listed). The choices refer to a template system I’m setting up on Consummo. As for the question/poll, which of the following (please only choose one total) do you believe would be the easiest to use (in terms of reading/recognizing and typing)?

{template-variable} (and all variations) can and will be replaced by other variables ( {error-code} for example)

None

• {templatevariable}
• {templateVariable}
• {TemplateVariable}

Hyphen

• {template-variable}
• {template-Variable}
• {Template-Variable}

Underscore

• {template_variable}
• {template_Variable}
• {Template_Variable}

I’ve been working on a project of my own for quite a while now and I believe it’s about time I officially announce it here… this is an appropriate place to announce it after all.

The Project

Imagine a forum with the customizability of Lussumo Vanilla and the simplicity of a do-it-yourself website service under the BSD license. That is Consummo in a nutshell. All that I will require is that you keep the copyright notices intact. And as always, a link back to my website is always appreciated!

I will be releasing more information about Consummo in the near future. For now, just imagine the easiest templating system imaginable mixed with a user-friendly back-end (or front-end rather, depending on the function you want to achieve) on a resource-friendly codebase.

A day late, but that gave me the chance to test out Google Chrome for myself. At first glance, it doesn’t look like much, but Google has always had a way of doing that. To start off with, the entire interface is different from any other browser. It doesn’t even have the normal title bar. They basically (literally actually) started from scratch when they created this application. Google definitely just made the browser wars more interesting.

Going against their normal routine, they made Chrome open source. I’m not complaining at all, but it surprised the hell out of me. If that’s not enough, they’re encouraging others (Mozilla for example) to use Chrome’s code to make their browser better. So even if you’re not going to use Chrome, you will still benefit from it’s release.

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Something I’ve never been able to understand is why people get upset if a blogger or website displays a picture from their website or article along with a link to their article/website. I mean, isn’t that what the web is all about? Personally, I would be ecstatic if someone wrote an article on one of my websites or blog posts. I wouldn’t care what image they used from my site, so long as they provided a link to my site. What can I say, I love free advertising.

The reason this has been on my mind lately is because I’ve gone to several news websites and noticed copyright notices left and right. They even want to charge if you use the article regardless of where you use it. My first thought was ‘Oh, they don’t want people copying the article for their own use.’ Well, I was right and wrong. Not only do they not want people copying the entire article, but they don’t want people to use even a snippet without paying for it. If you’re really that desperate to make a  little money, why not try unobtrusive advertising? Get people to pay to advertise in one of the side columns. You’ll begin pulling in money in no time, especially if you have a commonly used website.

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Even if you’ve never created a website in your life, you can notice a few major things about the WHATWG’s website.

1. Their blog, which is powered by WordPress, is using the default theme with no noticeable changes.
2. Their FAQ/Wiki, which is powered by MediaWiki, is using the default theme with no noticeable changes. Even the logo looks like it was thrown in there in a hurry. It’s a nice white square with absolutely no transparency. Five seconds would have made it look much more professional.
3. Their forum, which is powered by PHPBB, is using the default theme with no noticeable changes. Once again, they just threw in their logo.

I understand that they would like to rely on a well-tested application rather than a custom build alternative, but can’t they at least make the pages flow together a bit more? It really isn’t that time consuming. I installed and set up this blog (custom theme/widgets/plugins) in one night. So, in 3 nights, they could customize the look and feel of the entire site and make it look less like it was just thrown together. This would help people to take their standard a bit more seriously. Well, that along with ignoring backward compatibility. Just tell people not to use it for 5 years. After the 5 years, browsers should be up-to-date. If they aren’t, I won’t feel bad when people abandon them because their favorite websites don’t work correctly.

I remember when I first learned of the work being done on (X)HTML5. I had mixed emotions toward the entire project. Although I’ve been a fan of Firefox, Opera, and Apple for a long time, I don’t agree with the direction they’re going with (X)HTML5. Along with the creation of the Web Hypertext Application Technology Working Group (or WHATWG) came the return of the slow progression of HTML.

As a designer/developer, I believe (X)HTML5 is a step backward in the development of the primary web language. One of the major reasons for the creation of (X)HTML5 was the fact that many of the websites on the WWW didn’t switch to well-formed XHTML. They blame website owners, but I blame the major browsers (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera, and Safari). It may just be a pet peeve, but I’ve always used well-formed HTML. Even before I knew XHTML existed, I was putting quotes around all of my attributes. I’ve also always used lowercase tag and attribute names. When I began using XHTML, closing empty tags made perfect sense. What doesn’t make sense is why others don’t follow suit. And I just can’t get myself to believe that browsers refuse to conform to a standard that’s been around for years.

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