Simple Machines Community Forum

Customizing SMF => Graphics and Templates => Theme Site Themes => Topic started by: StathisG on October 09, 2010, 11:29:44 AM

Title: Clear Mind v2
Post by: StathisG on October 09, 2010, 11:29:44 AM
Link to the theme (http://custom.simplemachines.org/themes/index.php?lemma=2269)


Clear Mind is a modern theme, based on the default (RC3 Curve) SMF theme. It is XHTML 1.0 valid and compatible with SMF 2.0 RC3. It was released on September 30, 2010.

Try it out (live demo) (http://www.stathisg.com/smf2/) or visit Clear Mind homepage (http://stathisg.com/projects/clear-mind/).

You can find the 1st version of Clear Mind, which is compatible with SMF 1.1.11, here (http://custom.simplemachines.org/themes/index.php?lemma=1361).
Title: Re: Clear Mind v2
Post by: bloc on October 09, 2010, 04:00:13 PM
A very clean theme, a bit dark perhaps - but nice touch with new topic participation icons there.
Title: Re: Clear Mind v2
Post by: Nolt on October 09, 2010, 06:46:30 PM
Nice job with this :)
Title: Re: Clear Mind v2
Post by: Crip on October 10, 2010, 10:47:13 AM
Very nice theme! ;D
Title: Re: Clear Mind v2
Post by: StathisG on October 14, 2010, 04:35:33 PM
Thank you all for your comments.  :)
Title: Re: Clear Mind v2
Post by: bladesb on December 10, 2012, 06:20:47 PM
Looks like a nice theme and I am considering using it for my forum. But, I noticed that there is only a separator between every other post in the thread view. Is there a way to add a separator between each post? I am not proficient in html or php but I can scroll down and cut and paste bits of code.

Title: Re: Clear Mind v2
Post by: StathisG on December 15, 2012, 06:27:20 AM
@bladesb:

Wow, I didn't expect a question about the theme 2.5 years after it was released! :)

Before answering your question, I have to confess something: I spent some time reading the theme's files to remember my way around, and I have to admit that its markup and CSS are bad! I have no idea why this happened (it's possible that I used the core theme's code and just made alterations on top of them), but that doesn't change the fact that they are bad! :-[

Therefore, use the theme if you want (it still works; I still use it in a couple of private forums that I manage), but don't try to learn anything about html & CSS by reading its code.

Now, to answer your question, edit the index.css file, find the ".windowbg2" rule (line 483) and remove the following line:

padding-bottom: 1px;

Afterwards, find the ".windowbg2 span.botslice" rule, remove the following line:

margin--bottom: 0.2em;

and add the following:

padding-bottom: 0.2em;
border-bottom: 1px solid #1F1E1C;


Hopefully, this will replicate the effect you're looking for.
Title: Re: Clear Mind v2
Post by: tealhill on February 10, 2013, 10:30:42 PM
Hi.  Thank you for creating Clear Mind.  Nice theme:  monochromatic yet a bit edgy.

Clear Mind v2.0's index.css file says:


a:link
{
   color: #000;
   font-weight: bold;
   text-decoration: none;
}


Bold black non-underlined links are kind of bland and hard to notice in post body text.  But bold black non-underlined links are almost impossible to notice on the theme's dark gray background.  When I'm reading a long thread, this makes unvisited links in SMF's thread-page selector ("Pages: [1] 2 3 ... 5") almost impossible to see.

Mind to please change to using plain-weight #0033FF instead? Everyone knows that "blue" means "hyperlink".

Another thread elsewhere which also discusses this issue:  "Please change clear_mind-v2/css/index.css a:link { color:#000; } to #0033FF" (ontariofurs.com/board/index.php/topic,5040.0.html).
Title: Re: Clear Mind v2
Post by: StathisG on February 16, 2013, 05:37:59 AM
Hello tealhill,

Thanks for the feedback, but that's one of the beauties of open source software; if you know how, you can change whatever you want.

Therefore, since you know what works best for you, and you clearly know how, feel free to change it. :)

If you need any more help, let me know.

PS: The thread you mentioned is probably visible only to registered users.
Title: Re: Clear Mind v2
Post by: tealhill on March 04, 2013, 01:11:26 AM
Quote from: StathisG on February 16, 2013, 05:37:59 AM
Hello tealhill,

Thanks for the feedback, but that's one of the beauties of open source software; if you know how, you can change whatever you want.

Therefore, since you know what works best for you, and you clearly know how, feel free to change it. :)

Black links on a dark-gray background are hard for any creature to see:  even an owl or a rabbit, let alone a human.

So, as is, your theme is attractive but has such a major flaw that it would be unwise for any site to adopt the theme.  By offering a theme for free download with such a major flaw, you're actually doing a disservice to the SMF community, not a service.

I would not like the link color changed just on one website:  I would like it changed for all sites that will ever download the theme in the future.

I'm not sure that your theme qualifies as true open-source software.  And even if it does, then your declining to push a small change into the zip file makes it seem like it may be "abandoned" or "orphaned" open-source software:  not a good thing.  As the former maintainer of two separate pieces of real open-source software, I tend to avoid downloading such abandoned software as yours.

Quote
PS: The thread you mentioned is probably visible only to registered users.

You're right.  My mistake.
Title: Re: Clear Mind v2
Post by: StathisG on March 04, 2013, 02:47:43 AM
How something whose source is open... does not qualify as open source? Can you read and modify the code? Then, it's open source! ;)

Apart from that, since you were a maintainer of two "real" open source pieces of software (as you claim), then you should know how things usually work: People make requests all the time. Sometimes good, sometimes bad; either way, the maintainer/creator/whatever may decide not to fulfil some of them for any number of reasons. So, if someone really thinks something would contribute a lot and he/she actually knows how to change it (as I mentioned in my previous message), then... he should change it!

After he does, then he can actually send the change/fix to the maintainer/contributor/whatever, save him some time, and ask him to include it in the main project. Sometimes it will be actually added and he will have contributed to a piece of software that someone else built and he uses.

Anyway, I agree that the colour of some of the links would be nice to change (I disagree with adopting the blue colour site-wide, but that's another discussion), but I won't change it, at least not now, for a number of reasons (mostly time-related).

Finally, if you read the theme's details you will see that it was last modified at the end of 2010 (we are now in 2013) and it states that it's compatible up to 2.0 RC4 (SMF's last version is 2.0.4). Therefore, it's quite clear that it's not maintained, but it does not do any harm to the SMF community. Anyone can pick up and use it, modify it, extend it, maintain it, etc. and they get exactly what it's described: An old theme for a previous version of SMF, that may or may not work properly with the current version.
Title: Re: Clear Mind v2
Post by: Arantor on March 04, 2013, 10:34:10 AM
QuoteHow something whose source is open... does not qualify as open source? Can you read and modify the code? Then, it's open source!

vBulletin. XenForo, most of IPB. Their source is directly viewable if you own it. But they're not open source.

Technically not even SMF 2.0 RC4 was open source if you're going down that road (but that depends on exactly what you consider open source; but no derivative works, no onward distribution as all SMF versions prior to 2.0 final were... they weren't open source not even when the team said 'well, we think otherwise')

Also, just because something is open source doesn't mean it should be the onus of downstream users to fix what is perceived as a valid complaint. Grey on black is hard to read, even for users with good vision.

QuoteAnyone can pick up and use it, modify it, extend it, maintain it, etc.

Actually, no they can't. You haven't given - as far as I can tell - a licence for the theme, meaning that technically no-one has any rights to do anything with it.
Title: Re: Clear Mind v2
Post by: StathisG on March 04, 2013, 04:13:45 PM
Quote from: Arantor on March 04, 2013, 10:34:10 AM
vBulletin. XenForo, most of IPB. Their source is directly viewable if you own it. But they're not open source.

Technically not even SMF 2.0 RC4 was open source if you're going down that road (but that depends on exactly what you consider open source; but no derivative works, no onward distribution as all SMF versions prior to 2.0 final were... they weren't open source not even when the team said 'well, we think otherwise')

You already gave the answer: "that depends on exactly what you consider open source". I believe it's completely subjective.

Quote from: Arantor on March 04, 2013, 10:34:10 AM
Also, just because something is open source doesn't mean it should be the onus of downstream users to fix what is perceived as a valid complaint.

I didn't say that they must fix it, or that it's their responsibility. I merely explained that it's a valid option (which is very common in my experience), especially if they consider that something is important and the original creator doesn't want / doesn't have time (or any other reason) to fix it.

Quote from: Arantor on March 04, 2013, 10:34:10 AM
Grey on black is hard to read, even for users with good vision.

As I already wrote:

Quote from: StathisG on March 04, 2013, 02:47:43 AM
I agree that the colour of some of the links would be nice to change (I disagree with adopting the blue colour site-wide, but that's another discussion)

Quote from: Arantor on March 04, 2013, 10:34:10 AM
Actually, no they can't. You haven't given - as far as I can tell - a licence for the theme, meaning that technically no-one has any rights to do anything with it.

You're correct. My mistake.
Title: Re: Clear Mind v2
Post by: Arantor on March 04, 2013, 04:25:24 PM
Quote
You already gave the answer: "that depends on exactly what you consider open source". I believe it's completely subjective.

Except for a small matter like the licence agreement. XenForo and vBulletin and IPB aren't open source. People can't just randomly take over and write extensions and things reusing their code. And that was also true of SMF prior to 2.0 final.

(Which is why there are now multiple forks out there, and most of them are doing better than SMF itself is in terms of development)

QuoteI didn't say that they must fix it, or that it's their responsibility.

No, you didn't, but you suggested that it wasn't your responsibility to fix it either, thus making it their problem.
Title: Re: Clear Mind v2
Post by: StathisG on March 04, 2013, 04:41:38 PM
Quote from: Arantor on March 04, 2013, 04:25:24 PM
Quote
You already gave the answer: "that depends on exactly what you consider open source". I believe it's completely subjective.

Except for a small matter like the licence agreement. XenForo and vBulletin and IPB aren't open source. People can't just randomly take over and write extensions and things reusing their code. And that was also true of SMF prior to 2.0 final.

I've never used any of the above, so I'm not familiar with their licences. So, from what you're saying, I assume that if I use them and I want to change something to their code for my own purpose (in my own project; I'm not talking about redistribution, extensions, etc.), I cannot. If that's true, then ok; they are not open source.

Quote from: Arantor on March 04, 2013, 04:25:24 PM
QuoteI didn't say that they must fix it, or that it's their responsibility.

No, you didn't, but you suggested that it wasn't your responsibility to fix it either, thus making it their problem.

I never said that. I suggested that they can do it as well (I already explained that in the last post), because -at least now- I won't.
Title: Re: Clear Mind v2
Post by: Arantor on March 04, 2013, 04:46:45 PM
QuoteI want to change something to their code for my own purpose (in my own project; I'm not talking about redistribution, extensions, etc.), I cannot. If that's true, then ok; they are not open source.

You can change it, yes, but that doesn't make it open source.

It is clear to me that you have no idea what the difference between visible source and open source is.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_source - open source is when it is not merely accessible but that it is encouraged to be developed, typically not for profit, and that the community is involved in development as well as other things.

XenForo et al are paid systems. They are visible source, not open source. Open = open not just to modification but redistribution and derivative works.
Title: Re: Clear Mind v2
Post by: StathisG on March 04, 2013, 04:58:42 PM
I thought that we already agreed that the term "open source" is open to several interpretations.

Therefore, from my own perspective, open source is not necessarily free. Apart from that, if you are allowed to modify the code for any purpose, I personally consider it open, and not just "visible".

Finally, another sentence from the wikipedia page you provided:

QuoteGenerally, open source refers to a program in which the source code is available to the general public for use and/or modification from its original design.

Generally, but not exclusively.

Anyway, there are already a lot of endless discussions covering the topic of what open source really is, so I would suggest that we won't continue another one.