Simple Machines Community Forum

Customizing SMF => Bridges and Integrations => Topic started by: 72 454 on November 19, 2009, 05:46:51 PM

Title: Dream Portal
Post by: 72 454 on November 19, 2009, 05:46:51 PM
Anybody set this portal up yet? Looks great on their site.

http://dream-portal.net/index.php

Title: Re: Dream Portal
Post by: Afro on November 19, 2009, 05:53:20 PM
Dont see much difference between that and simple portal.
Its pretty nice though.
SoloGhOsT & Group PLC. 8)
Title: Re: Dream Portal
Post by: H on November 19, 2009, 05:55:33 PM
No. Downloads are not yet public
Title: Re: Dream Portal
Post by: 72 454 on November 19, 2009, 08:29:27 PM
So what's with the rash of portals lately? For years, nothing but Tiny, and now they're everywhere. Not complaining, mind you, as I think it's a great thing. Just being able to log into a site and get a summary of everything on one page without having to peruse the entire site is the cat's meow! Can even use iframes! I'm using Simple Portal on one of my sites, but having these others around is also comforting that there's this kind of interest. Great job to all of 'em for providing this a terrific service.

I've used many portal/CMS packages over the years, including the recently defunct MKPortal and the commercial Subdreamer, as well as Joomla, Mambo, Sambo, and Rambo 107 the revenge. I think it's great that packages like Simple Portal have nearly eliminated the need for 3rd party software (for me anyway) that wasn't totally dedicated to SMF.

8)

Title: Re: Dream Portal
Post by: Afro on November 19, 2009, 08:33:55 PM
Quote from: ncvettes on November 19, 2009, 08:29:27 PM
So what's with the rash of portals lately? For years, nothing but Tiny, and now they're everywhere. Not complaining, mind you, as I think it's a great thing. Just being able to log into a site and get a summary of everything on one page without having to peruse the entire site is the cat's meow! Can even use iframes! I'm using Simple Portal on one of my sites, but having these others around is also comforting that there's this kind of interest. Great job to all of 'em for providing this a terrific service.

I've used many portal/CMS packages over the years, including the recently defunct MKPortal and the commercial Subdreamer, as well as Joomla, Mambo, Sambo, and Rambo 107 the revenge. I think it's great that packages like Simple Portal have nearly eliminated the need for 3rd party software (for me anyway) that wasn't totally dedicated to SMF.

8)



wow! you have used them all.
you must own myspace of facebook.
Title: Re: Dream Portal
Post by: 72 454 on November 19, 2009, 08:47:28 PM
Haha. I've been playing with computers since the Vic20 days, then onto the C64 before finally graduating to the C64 with a tape drive! Man, I was king back then... Started one of the first BBS's before the web was ever invented by Al Gore. This has nothing to do with portals, but it's fun reminiscing.

;D
Title: Re: Dream Portal
Post by: Afro on November 19, 2009, 09:11:31 PM
Quote from: ncvettes on November 19, 2009, 08:47:28 PM
Haha. I've been playing with computers since the Vic20 days, then onto the C64 before finally graduating to the C64 with a tape drive! Man, I was king back then... Started one of the first BBS's before the web was ever invented by Al Gore. This has nothing to do with portals, but it's fun reminiscing.

;D

lol
not familiar with those names. c64
vic20. sounds like jet fighters and explosives to me.
Title: Re: Dream Portal
Post by: Kindred on November 19, 2009, 11:31:52 PM
Ha! I out geezer you...   I had a TI 99/44A with a tape drive and a heathkit!

I ran a BBS on WWIVnet myself (had a mustang s/w wildcat board for a while too)

Compuserve and prodigy dial-up!
Nethack!

lol...  those were the days.

Anyway... I really like ezportal (mostly because I use vbgamers OTHER mods which all sync in nicely with his portal. I like Bloc's TinyPortal and Feline's portal is nice. I haven't tried simpleportal.

Personally, with the articles, gallery, links and affiliates, I have no need for anything except SMF mods any more.
Title: Re: Dream Portal
Post by: 72 454 on November 19, 2009, 11:55:47 PM
Wow, talk about times past with TI and Heathkit. Loved their amps. Reminds of my ham radio days. Took both the advanced and extra class license tests at the FCC center in Norfolk on the same day and managed to pass both. Barely. I had the electronics and math problems figured out, but the 20 wpm code nearly got me for the extra class. I haven't messed with the stuff in years, but keep my license current. After all that I'm not about to let it expire. Wildcat, CS dial-up. Too funny. I'll bet we're about the same age. Really old!! lol... The name of my board was Bandit BBS.



Title: Re: Dream Portal
Post by: Ken. on November 20, 2009, 05:35:59 AM
Choices are nice to have and all these different portals give us those choices.
My preference is TinyPortal and I love it but some of the others are nice as well.

Ps: Since we're doing a little OT posting here about 'old' computing here are a couple of pics of one of the first computers that I worked in. (yes that's in, not on!)
Title: Re: Dream Portal
Post by: Afro on November 20, 2009, 06:19:32 AM
Hey ken, nice pics of the days past.   
Looks like you were in the Espionage business, thus the first picture.
i thought i was one of the oldest here. lol..
Title: Re: Dream Portal
Post by: Ken. on November 20, 2009, 07:05:48 AM
Quote from: Afro on November 20, 2009, 06:19:32 AM
Hey ken, nice pics of the days past.   
Looks like you were in the Espionage business, thus the first picture.
i thought i was one of the oldest here. lol..
;)

I actually started in the late 50's... back in the days of vacuum tubes and when transistors were the size of an eraser on your pencil and you hand soldered them into circuit boards. 
Title: Re: Dream Portal
Post by: Kindred on November 20, 2009, 08:59:57 AM
well, Ken, you out geezer me there. My first computers were actually "personal" computers.
My dad did work on the vacuum tube computers...   and I had a part-time job stripping wire-wrap circuit boards for his company.

BTW: My BBS was Omega BBS @5809WWIVnet. :)
Title: Re: Dream Portal
Post by: Ken. on November 20, 2009, 12:30:22 PM
Kindred, me dear old Mom out geezers us all... but that's a whole 'nother story. (she's 91+ and luvs her some PhotoChop)
Title: Re: Dream Portal
Post by: Oldiesmann on November 20, 2009, 09:04:48 PM
Ken, tell your mom to check out www.seniorsandfriends.org. She'd fit right in there :)
Title: Re: Dream Portal
Post by: N3RVE on November 20, 2009, 11:19:40 PM
Quote from: ncvettes on November 19, 2009, 05:46:51 PM
Anybody set this portal up yet? Looks great on their site.
http://dream-portal.net/index.php

I've had the opportunity to obtain one of their development packages. It appears to be doing very great and has a very clean and understandable code base, certainly a project to keep an eye on :).

ETA: Default Install (http://n3rve.us/index.php) :)

-[n3rve]
Title: Re: Dream Portal
Post by: hadesflames on November 20, 2009, 11:23:37 PM
To clarify things, Dream Portal utilizes Ajax and a Drag and Drop feature to distinguish us from any other portal out there, and receive information from the server in real time, as well as make customization of the portal that much easier for the Forum's Administrator. Users will also be able to create and save multiple layouts by name which will allow different layouts for different member groups, users and the ability to change between several different configurations at will.
for more information visit our about page:

http://dream-portal.net/index.php?action=about;sa=about
Title: Re: Dream Portal
Post by: Afro on November 21, 2009, 12:10:51 PM
Quote from: hadesflames on November 20, 2009, 11:23:37 PM
To clarify things, Dream Portal utilizes Ajax and a Drag and Drop feature to distinguish us from any other portal out there, and receive information from the server in real time, as well as make customization of the portal that much easier for the Forum's Administrator. Users will also be able to create and save multiple layouts by name which will allow different layouts for different member groups, users and the ability to change between several different configurations at will.
for more information visit our about page:

http://dream-portal.net/index.php?action=about;sa=about

......impressive.
though, i will stick with SP
Title: Re: Dream Portal
Post by: ოկtђ on November 21, 2009, 12:17:08 PM
ı think it's will be ordinary
Title: Re: Dream Portal
Post by: Trekkie101 on November 21, 2009, 01:59:25 PM
Looking good :)
Title: Re: Dream Portal
Post by: bloc on November 21, 2009, 05:18:09 PM
TBH, the block approach is a bit limiting. While its useful to add more info into SMF, it isn't really very useful beyond that.

Why, do you ask, would someone that has worked on "blocks" for more than 5 years now say something like that? :) Well, thats just it, in those years I've come to the conclusion that it serves its purpose alright - but in many ways keep things stagnated if we agreed that it should expand your forum.

It seems today's web are going toward simplicity. Less info on each page, more focused content and better navigation. Who needs 20+ infoboxes around the forum, when you can have a simple 6 page system that gives you total freedom with them - and lets SMF's forum part do what it does best?

That would be your typical CMS actually. I think a mod to transform SMF into such a lite CMS will be much more useful than all the blocks in the world lol. :) In additon, the possibilities in themes are very underestimated. You can do a lot with themes that would not need to go into the CMS - or portal - at all. And give you the freedom to make it work for your own content, whatever that might be.
Title: Re: Dream Portal
Post by: SoLoGHoST on December 26, 2009, 05:55:08 AM
Strange as this topic has eluded me until now.  Guess I'm a bit slow on these things sometimes.  All apologies for bringing a Dead Topic back to Life.  Anyways, I have to agree with Bloc as to why Blocks are just not as needed anymore.  Though, I think it's mainly because all they do is display information, nothing more, and perhaps a bit of functionality as well.  In any case, it's just not that interesting anymore.  It pollutes the forum more than it helps it.  Well, this is a restriction based on Portal's themselves, that hopefully Dream Portal can overcome and bring back the beauty and usefulness of a Portal into an SMF forum.

Quote from: Afro on November 19, 2009, 05:53:20 PM
Dont see much difference between that and simple portal.
Its pretty nice though.
SoloGhOsT & Group PLC. 8)

Actually there is a big difference that will become clear when it becomes public.  Though, if I talk about the difference, I suppose there won't be any difference since there are always those thirsty for ideas to take and use for themselves and their projects.  No Offense to Simple Portal.  But don't take my word for it.

And there are still quite a lot of obstacles that we'll need to overcome before it will be ready.

Cheers :)