Proposal: The AnimeSuki Forums Theme Change

[NoemiChan]

How many days would it take if such changes will be made? Will AS still be accessible during those times?

[relentlessflame]

Originally Posted by GenjiChan

How many days would it take if such changes will be made? Will AS still be accessible during those times?

First you'd have to find someone to actually do the design work and coding, so we're nowhere near that point yet. But, that aside, you'd do all the work on a test server and there'd be no downtime.

[NoemiChan]

Originally Posted by relentlessflame

First you'd have to find someone to actually do the design work and coding, so we're nowhere near that point yet. But, that aside, you'd do all the work on a test server and there'd be no downtime.

So its the programmer that is the only missing now... so changing ain't disapproved?

[relentlessflame]

Originally Posted by GenjiChan

So its the programmer that is the only missing now... so changing ain't disapproved?

Well, yes, I think it was said all along that adding a new theme as an option is possible, but someone would need to design it. But like I said, finding someone willing to make that commitment isn't necessarily going to be easy.

[NoemiChan]

Originally Posted by relentlessflame

Well, yes, I think it was said all along that adding a new theme as an option is possible, but someone would need to design it. But like I said, finding someone willing to make that commitment isn't necessarily going to be easy.

The payment?

[HasuMasu]

Originally Posted by relentlessflame

Of course, it'd be easier if you found a vBulletin skin/template that you liked already out there, license it, and use it as a base for tweaking. But it's still not a trivial affair.

*puts on salesman hat*

vBulletin 5 looks pretty cool.

[relentlessflame]

Originally Posted by Hasumi

*puts on salesman hat*

vBulletin 5 looks pretty cool.

Yeah, as was already said, we're not switching to vBulletin 5 at least until it's more mature and stable. At this time, some of the base functionality we depend on is not even implemented either in the core or as plug-ins... so not ready enough for primetime for us. Maybe in a year?

If we do a new theme, it would be in vBulletin 3.8.x.

[GHDpro]

Originally Posted by Hasumi

*puts on salesman hat*

vBulletin 5 looks pretty cool.

Looks aren't everything. Trust me, if we were to convert the forum to vB5 now a lot of people will be unhappy. Not only regular users, but mods as well.

Like vB 4 when it was first released, vB5's current status is a joke. They really simply just took the "Beta" tag off in March and named it "5.00" instead. They didn't put the refraction system back in until version 5.01, lol.

As vBulletin.com themselves use vB5 I have used it for a bit, and I'm not impressed. For example pages in threads are loaded using ajax. Cool. But it also means you have to expressly search for the back buttons on the page rather than using the back button of your browser if you want to back up a page.

Anyway, there are many threads on vBulletin.com I could quote, but how about this one:
http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/forum...-customer-poll

I think it speaks for itself. So no we will not be upgrading to vBulletin 5 anytime soon (not within the next year certainly).

Now as for vB4... upgrading is technically possible. While also a joke at the start, the current version (4.2.1) supposedly isn't bad. But I fail to see which killer features would make the effort of an upgrade worthwhile.

Now as for new themes (including a mobile theme)... I haven't forgotten this, but it's going slow. I want to setup a test installation of the AnimeSuki forum. We had one, but it was a test-conversion of the forum to vB4 (very incomplete with none of the custom plugins we use and incomplete AS style). Anyway I hope to be able to setup the test installation by the weekend, and then I'll have a place to experiment with styles/themes.

[Haiprbim]

Originally Posted by GHDpro

Like vB 4 when it was first released, vB5's current status is a joke. They really simply just took the "Beta" tag off in March and named it "5.00" instead. They didn't put the refraction system back in until version 5.01, lol.

That may sound as a joke, but it is the truth.
I am still unable to see what got into them to make such changes, if any, and then in the end even release the version.

Now as for new themes (including a mobile theme)... I haven't forgotten this, but it's going slow. I want to setup a test installation of the AnimeSuki forum. We had one, but it was a test-conversion of the forum to vB4 (very incomplete with none of the custom plugins we use and incomplete AS style). Anyway I hope to be able to setup the test installation by the weekend, and then I'll have a place to experiment with styles/themes.

Making a test replica of the forums is something pretty easy.
All you need to do is copy the structure and change from "public" to "private".
However, it would be good if a few other members could get a direct access to it as well. More people, different styles, we can find different possible bugs.

[relentlessflame]

Originally Posted by Haiprbim

Making a test replica of the forums is something pretty easy.
All you need to do is copy the structure and change from "public" to "private".

No... if you do this, you'd still be working on the same database, and thus defeating the whole purpose of a test site...

In any case, we've set up test sites before; we know what to do and what's involved in doing it properly.

[Haiprbim]

I'm sorry for a quite late response, again.

Originally Posted by relentlessflame

...and thus defeating the whole purpose of a test site...

I'm sorry, but if that is so, could you tell me just what is the purpose of a test site then?
If it is accessible to everyone (is public), it is basically the same as in-planting it directly.

If we would post an announcement regarding it, everyone will be notified about it.

I only see two differences:

• More members would overall check the testing out. [Good]
• A Bug could occur that we could prevent before in-planting the whole thing on the "Official Display". [Not so good, but this way, we could find the bugs faster]

Anyhow, as long as it is efficient and not hard to perform, I leave the methods to you 100%.

[Owlman]

Originally Posted by Haiprbim

I'm sorry for a quite late response, again.



I'm sorry, but if that is so, could you tell me just what is the purpose of a test site then?
If it is accessible to everyone (is public), it is basically the same as in-planting it directly.

The ideal "test site/environment" would be separate from a production site, and will not affect it in any way since things may go wrong, hence the word test.

Anyhow, as long as it is efficient and not hard to perform, I leave the methods to you 100%.

This sounds pretty arrogant, its already up to them 100%, the choice of methods were never yours to "leave" to anyone.

[Haiprbim]

Originally Posted by Owlman

The ideal "test site/environment" would be separate from a production site, and will not affect it in any way since things may go wrong, hence the word test.

That's basically what I've said: "A Bug could occur that we could prevent before in-planting the whole thing on the "Official Display". [Not so good, but this way, we could find the bugs faster]".
But I seriously doubt things can go so wrong that it will effect someone else's computer... Hmm.

This sounds pretty arrogant, its already up to them 100%, the choice of methods were never yours to "leave" to anyone.

By that I meant that I won't even bother with suggesting to what their ways of doing test are, although I very much like to see a lot of "Behind the Scenes".
On the other hand, arrogant or not, this response was truly unnecessary and did not bring anything positive nor efficient up.

[Ledgem]

Originally Posted by Haiprbim

But I seriously doubt things can go so wrong that it will effect someone else's computer... Hmm.

I believe the concern is more about corrupting or otherwise damaging the forum's database.

[Haiprbim]

Originally Posted by Ledgem

I believe the concern is more about corrupting or otherwise damaging the forum's database.

So basically, they are doing a copy after all, just releasing it in a sort of a "Beta/Test" version.
Yeah, seems simple and logical enough... My post's main focus was just a small request to allow other members to access the Test site out as well, if that was not considered already.

[relentlessflame]

Anyway, I'm going to lock this thread for now. If anyone would like to come forward and volunteer to help us design/customize a new theme for the website, please feel to contact myself or another member of the staff. I think that's really the starting point at this phase.

If something else new comes up and there's a need to re-open this thread, please also let someone on the staff know.