| Our Website Design is Terrible |
(11-02-2014, 09:39 PM)kilishan Wrote: That's not it. The 3.0 branch has more changes and bugfixes than CI has seen in many years. None of them are as drastic as you're hoping to see, but there's definitely more than you are seeing there. Again, my reaction is "that's it?". Looking at another framework, much more progress in the same timeline. Maybe its my fault. Maybe I am used to driving a porsche and you are driving a pinto. Who knows! 
(10-30-2014, 02:42 PM)Shawn P Wrote: Thanks I agree that the idea of a web design contest is a good idea, but for the release of CI3. That would allow for plenty of time to implement it. But for now, I'd suggest you go with one of the designs already posted. This could be implemented immediately allowing people to concentrate on more important things than website design. (11-03-2014, 08:16 AM)no1youknowz Wrote: Again, my reaction is "that's it?". Looking at another framework, much more progress in the same timeline. No, I agree that more could have been done, but just wanted you to realize it was more than two or three changes. You've also got to remember the history of this project. It has languished under EllisLab's hands for 2 years now. So of course, no solid direction has been formed to a future. With EL's needs, it needed to stay compatible with their products and the methods they used within those products, as well as stay compatible with as many servers as possible to be able to sell their CMS to as wide as an audience as possible. We all love new toys and abilities but, seriously, consider the history and reason to exist of the project. There are plenty of other frameworks out there if you need are the latest capabilities of PHP. And, just like a Porsche, they all come with higher costs in some areas, while delivering nicer features, true. Take a look at shared servers, though (which is where many projects that people want to sell to customers will actually run) and you'll realize only a tiny fraction of them support the latest versions of PHP which, as a business-decision, doesn't make sense. Now, if you're doing SaaS or projects for clients where you know the server specifics, or get to pick them, your choices are much broader. Every project has it's own set of needs and if CodeIgniter doesn't fit your needs anymore, that's great, move on to something that does. By the sounds of it you already have, so why you feel the need to use every post to bash this framework instead of simply move on, I have no idea. I have huge respect and gratitude for the volunteers that actually kept the project alive and actually did quite a bit of work within the framework of the project's goals. Without them, the framework wouldn't have any life left at all in it. Now, we move to the future (after v3) and see where we go from here now that it doesn't have the same restrictions and goals.
The old docs site was great, well organised and a good quick reference guide. I feel that approach should be maintained as much as possible. Frameworks are a scary prospect for fledgling developers and Codeigniters good documentation is what lead me to it many years ago and to what keeps me using it over newer alternatives.
Essentially keep it clean and simple. The updated PHP site isn't a bad example of how to do it well - if the layout HAS to change.
As a long-time Code Igniter user everything about this thread worries me.
From the design suggestions to the spec 'contest' idea. It's a conversation that may have had a place 10 years ago, but not today. The brand is incredibly important - 'just a website' is pretty dismissive for a product that's used to build websites  New users have a few seconds to judge the product, and if it looks like it's managed by a bunch of amateurs that's a serious issue (something the new owners are at least recognising…)But… we're not in a bubble here, you want good examples you don't have to look far. Look at Laravel. Clean, modern, good architecture, to the point, well presented docs - this is good design. If you're falling short of that, your conversion will be suffering, because anyone reviewing this product will also be considering Laravel (and the many alternatives) - I cam across the new site by accident today and thought it was a domain scam. The current website isn't just 'bootstrap', it's an old version of bootstrap, with a bunch of crap design layered over it. Vanilla (new) bootstrap would have been infinitely better, something like Express.js. Given the clear lack of design and IA experience from those that have posted so far (this isn't intended to belittle, nobody is good at everything, and I'm sure you're all fantastic developers) all I can recommend is reaching out to some actual UX peeps, otherwise you'll just end up with a slightly better crap website. Or just use vanilla bootstrap (the current version… v3). For the sake of Code Igniter, please, please seek professional help with the design; not just design by comity in a forum (god help me…).
mikewaldsworth
Branding, Marketing - there is no Point of such strategies in this case. Perhaps all PHP developers (with 2+ years exp.) know about CodeIgniter and perhaps most of them have tried/used it at least once.  I don't understand why you don't like the contest idea ? At the end the Staff's will select the winner .. 1 Paid vs Many Free ? what is the logic to pay for it ? Best VPS Hosting : Digital Ocean
did you just update the design?
i just wanted to add my 2cents to the discussion and realized the new design. anyways the homepage looks good imo. pages for download etc. look a bit generic (all using bootstrap panels), sure we will see some improvements there. what i find hard to use is the documentation. browsing it is too difficult. the design looks strange and oldschool. a fixed navigation-bar like on the old codeigniter page would be nice. you could just use the bootstrap3 fixed navbar.
kilishan Wrote:By the sounds of it you already have, so why you feel the need to use every post to bash this framework instead of simply move on, I have no idea. I do still have some projects with CI. I like the CI framework because its the first one I started with. So there is some nostalgia there. What you see as bashing. I see as voicing my opinion on where things can be reversed for the better. If these things I was bashing where resolved. I would have no more reason to complain. See how that works? kilishan Wrote:With EL's needs, it needed to stay compatible with their products and the methods they used within those products, as well as stay compatible with as many servers as possible to be able to sell their CMS to as wide as an audience as possible. You obviously have never worked for companies which supported various installations. I have. In the case of Codeigniter, which I have mentioned in the other forum and which I will mention now again. As you don't seem to get it. There could be the following: CI 3.0 could be the last edition on php 5.2.6. Get it out of the door and then draw a line under it. Have some resources to do security fixes but then it no longer gets any updates. It's done. CI 3.0 would be for users who are on shared servers or for applications which no longer have active development or may other cases where development has stalled. CI 4.0 could be php 5.5/5.6 only. Has all the latest features and whizz bangs. CI 4.0 could be for projects which are having active development where they can be upgraded to better frameworks. Now, do you see how this works? CI 3.0 caters for everyone. You can upgrade now and see increased features. CI 4.0 will cater for those who want a more up-to-date framework and don't want to move to another like laravel. Anyway, I'm sure you will come up with another reason to argue with me and that's fine, who knows maybe you work on shared servers or struggle to maintain an abandoned application? CI will get forked and there will be a bleeding edge version. It will happen.
|
| Welcome Guest, Not a member yet? Register Sign In |
