Simple Machines Community Forum

Simple Machines => SMF Developers' Blog => Topic started by: live627 on July 01, 2014, 05:32:18 PM

Title: Yet another monthly summary
Post by: live627 on July 01, 2014, 05:32:18 PM
So now it's summertime, and time for another monthly update.

We've added some features:
Gravatars
Members can specify an email address to use. As admin, you can choose the allowed rating (G, PG, R, X) and a default image to show when an email address has no matching Gravatar.

User-selectable timezones
No more mucking around with hourly offsets.

General theme improvements
Curve2 looks much, much better now, thanks to the resident Evil Black Cat (http://www.simplemachines.org/community/index.php?action=profile;u=183330).

SSL and image proxy
Native support for SSL, with an image proxy so you don't get warnings about unsecured images linked by your forum  members.

You can also opt to only allow SSL for authentication (login and sign up).

Other things worth mentioning:
- Alerts system now almost done (it's a complex beast)
- Register got renamed to sign up
- Quick Reply shares the same interface as the full posting screen
- SQLite has been removed
- Tons of fixes

You can see our progress on GitHub (https://github.com/SimpleMachines/SMF2.1), as always. Thanks for reading.
Title: Re: Yet another monthly summary
Post by: Mikasa on July 03, 2014, 03:18:46 AM
Nice job! :) Are there gonna be any changes to database structure, specifically members database or it will stay as it is right now?
Title: Re: Yet another monthly summary
Post by: margarett on July 03, 2014, 04:01:58 AM
Nice job everyone ;)

Quote from: Mikasa on July 03, 2014, 03:18:46 AM
Nice job! :) Are there gonna be any changes to database structure, specifically members database or it will stay as it is right now?
I'd say that's anyone's guess at this point ;)
Title: Re: Yet another monthly summary
Post by: NekoJonez on July 03, 2014, 04:35:50 AM
Here is another request for the next version~

Favicon support?
Title: Re: Yet another monthly summary
Post by: Illori on July 03, 2014, 05:35:36 AM
what about favicon support? almost all browsers support picking it up if it exists, so what do you want smf to do?
Title: Re: Yet another monthly summary
Post by: mashby on July 03, 2014, 07:32:34 AM
Quote from: NekoJonez on July 03, 2014, 04:35:50 AM
Here is another request for the next version~

Favicon support?
Yes. :)
Title: Re: Yet another monthly summary
Post by: Irisado on July 03, 2014, 09:08:56 AM
Thanks for posting another update and for the changes.  Great work :).
Title: Re: Yet another monthly summary
Post by: marcusslavorum on July 03, 2014, 09:27:37 AM
Can we have a option for different forum layout as well in some possible future?

instead of

[profile][post]

to

[profile]
[post]

It eases up a lot in order to have sidebars and such things.


Also on topic great job! Really hyped out that you guys are working that hard on future of SMF!
Title: Re: Yet another monthly summary
Post by: Kindred on July 03, 2014, 12:54:13 PM
That is a theme thing and you can pick any theme you want...

The default theme will be as the current dev build is working... And we are removing options in many cases where they just complicate issues, so, no... Sidebars will not be an option in the default. ;)
Title: Re: Yet another monthly summary
Post by: Robert. on July 03, 2014, 03:25:34 PM
Great work guys. :)
Title: Re: Yet another monthly summary
Post by: marcusslavorum on July 04, 2014, 03:17:44 AM
Quote from: Kindred on July 03, 2014, 12:54:13 PM
That is a theme thing and you can pick any theme you want...

The default theme will be as the current dev build is working... And we are removing options in many cases where they just complicate issues, so, no... Sidebars will not be an option in the default. ;)

Indeed i know it's about the theme. Thought as i am aware, you're developing curve and responsive theme in general so i thought if you include such thing in default all others that will build premium themes will follow the concept on which the default themes are made. Anyway with or without i'm happy for smf. Just even thought smf is a forum software that is great you have to battle wordpress+vanilla popularity which are more and more taking the % of users.
So i would suggest at one point developing some official portal open source addon for blogging/news purpose in order to encourage premium theme makers to work on that as well. I mean i really want smf to succeed, and i think we (i count myself as smf fan and part of community) should go in a direction that general mainstream population of webmasters are looking for, i think that's common logic.

Also is there any at least possible official date of release?
Title: Re: Yet another monthly summary
Post by: Kindred on July 04, 2014, 07:19:26 AM
Quote from: marcusslavorum on July 04, 2014, 03:17:44 AM
Also is there any at least possible official date of release?

as always - when it is ready
Title: Re: Yet another monthly summary
Post by: NekoJonez on July 04, 2014, 08:40:23 AM
Quote from: Illori on July 03, 2014, 05:35:36 AM
what about favicon support? almost all browsers support picking it up if it exists, so what do you want smf to do?
I mean that you can change it yourself.
Title: Re: Yet another monthly summary
Post by: margarett on July 04, 2014, 08:55:18 AM
Just add a favicon.ico to your forum root ;)
Title: Re: Yet another monthly summary
Post by: stmaxx on July 06, 2014, 06:55:08 AM
Did A fresh install on a test site and all is looking good so far, the emulation options, seems to be working great, ( checking some Portals out) looks like, they only have minor errors during install, but do not recommend (security issues with the portals) anyone to install them until they get  fixed and the SMF beta is out. however things are look very nice.

On the theme congrats on that also looks nice.. (I'll start testing custom themes again there :) )!

I say thanks and good going!

regards,
Maxx
Title: Re: Yet another monthly summary
Post by: shadow82x on July 06, 2014, 12:29:19 PM
Quote from: stmaxx on July 06, 2014, 06:55:08 AM
Did A fresh install on a test site and all is looking good so far, the emulation options, seems to be working great, ( checking some Portals out) looks like, they only have minor errors during install, but do not recommend (security issues with the portals) anyone to install them until they get  fixed and the SMF beta is out. however things are look very nice.

On the theme congrats on that also looks nice.. (I'll start testing custom themes again there :) )!

I say thanks and good going!

regards,
Maxx
Pretty sure every mod will need to be reworked to properly install and function on SMF2.1. It's no surprise you're running into issues with that. :)
Title: Re: Yet another monthly summary
Post by: Illori on July 06, 2014, 12:43:27 PM
Quote from: mcblaber on July 06, 2014, 12:29:19 PM
Pretty sure every mod will need to be reworked to properly install and function on SMF2.1. It's no surprise you're running into issues with that. :)

depending on the mod and its coding they may work without issue on 2.1.
Title: Re: Yet another monthly summary
Post by: Colin on July 06, 2014, 01:08:30 PM
Well done Devs.
Title: Re: Yet another monthly summary
Post by: jsx on July 07, 2014, 06:32:06 AM
Are you close to release SMF 2.1 Beta1? Or it's long way for it?
Title: Re: Yet another monthly summary
Post by: Kindred on July 07, 2014, 07:12:23 AM
it will be released when it is ready -- sorry, but that is all that you get.
Title: Re: Yet another monthly summary
Post by: NanoSector on July 07, 2014, 09:26:29 AM
Quote from: Illori on July 06, 2014, 12:43:27 PM
Quote from: mcblaber on July 06, 2014, 12:29:19 PM
Pretty sure every mod will need to be reworked to properly install and function on SMF2.1. It's no surprise you're running into issues with that. :)

depending on the mod and its coding they may work without issue on 2.1.
Internally they may still work, but the front end will need rewriting to take the new theme into effect.

Nice job, devs.
Title: Re: Yet another monthly summary
Post by: Antechinus on July 07, 2014, 06:24:50 PM
Ha. Half the mods available always need front end rewriting anyway. Always have. Modders tend to focus on functionality, and to not be so good at presentation, even with the default theme. Once you bring custom themes into the equation it gets even messier. I tend to regard front end rewrites of mods as par for the course.
Title: Re: Yet another monthly summary
Post by: Matthew K. on July 25, 2014, 09:44:57 AM
Okay, that all sounds great to me except for one thing. Changing "register" to "sign  up". I'm really curious to see the discussion on that, or hear a brief summary of why in the world that change would be a good one...
Title: Re: Yet another monthly summary
Post by: Arantor on July 25, 2014, 09:47:49 AM
Aside from the fact it makes it friendlier to less technical types, there are... other benefits I'd prefer not to talk about in a public setting but let's just say there's a large number of things pre-programmed to think a certain way and while it won't fix anything, every little helps.
Title: Re: Yet another monthly summary
Post by: Matthew K. on July 25, 2014, 09:53:06 AM
I honestly think it makes things way more complicated. Leaving other software and websites out of it, SMF has always had "register", so first of all you aren't making it "friendlier" for SMFers. Can you see the support questions rolling in. How do I register? Where did register go? Then, adding in other software and websites, where recently on big sites have you seen "Sign up"? Which isn't necessarily a reason NOT to do it? To be like other people? *HOWEVER*, the argument is, that's what people are used to seeing. They understand the terminology, and what applies, etc.

I think that changing the linguistics on something so basic and elementary is not smart. But good luck...
Title: Re: Yet another monthly summary
Post by: Justyne on July 25, 2014, 09:56:44 AM
You mean totally unknown websites like say twitter, facebook or pinterest?

It's "sign up" in a lot of places.
Title: Re: Yet another monthly summary
Post by: Arantor on July 25, 2014, 10:01:03 AM
Honestly the whole 'because we've always done it this way' is one of the worst justifications for anything, because it presumes that your current way of doing things is ideal and that any change is automatically for the worse.

I think changing the linguistics for something so basic from a semi-formal to a slightly more approachable form is smart personally.
Title: Re: Yet another monthly summary
Post by: mashby on July 25, 2014, 12:54:47 PM
Wow, such debate over synonyms! :)
https://www.hightail.com/
Justyne's list is good too. I don't think Support will be flooded at all over an issue like this. :)
Title: Re: Yet another monthly summary
Post by: Illori on July 25, 2014, 12:56:49 PM
if people have an issue with it, a mod could be created or just edit the language strings, it is not that hard to change back.
Title: Re: Yet another monthly summary
Post by: Matthew K. on July 25, 2014, 01:22:29 PM
Quote from: mashby on July 25, 2014, 12:54:47 PM
Wow, such debate over synonyms! :)
https://www.hightail.com/
Justyne's list is good too. I don't think Support will be flooded at all over an issue like this. :)
Sign up feels more for a service...
Title: Re: Yet another monthly summary
Post by: Arantor on July 25, 2014, 01:55:40 PM
And 'register' doesn't?

Also, the team didn't believe me when I told them that arguments got started over the tiniest of details for, frankly, no good reason. Apparently that was all in the past.

Are you listening, Kindred, CoreISP? THIS ISN'T JUST THE PAST ANY MORE.
Title: Re: Yet another monthly summary
Post by: kat on July 25, 2014, 02:00:55 PM
The only good reason that I can see, for keeping it as-is, is that we have things like, for example, "Registration agreement" and the like. "Sign-up agreement" just looks... odd.

Not that that's a particularity good argument for sticking with it, I guess. But...
Title: Re: Yet another monthly summary
Post by: Illori on July 25, 2014, 02:07:14 PM
the wording registration agreement has not changed.... nor has the text registration form
Title: Re: Yet another monthly summary
Post by: kat on July 25, 2014, 02:08:32 PM
Hardly matters what it's called, then, really, ay? :)
Title: Re: Yet another monthly summary
Post by: Matthew K. on July 25, 2014, 02:27:01 PM
Except now it becomes inconsistent.
Title: Re: Yet another monthly summary
Post by: kat on July 25, 2014, 02:33:56 PM
There is that, I guess.

It's all just a question of semantics, though, really.

I don't think, myself, that it matters, much, either way. :)
Title: Re: Yet another monthly summary
Post by: Arantor on July 26, 2014, 04:04:12 AM
Quote from: Labradoodle-360 on July 25, 2014, 02:27:01 PM
Except now it becomes inconsistent.

If you're really going to pull that argument, there are many more important - and much more blatant - inconsistencies throughout SMF than that one.
Title: Re: Yet another monthly summary
Post by: kat on July 26, 2014, 04:29:44 AM
[devil's advocate]

If such inconsistencies exist, maybe they shouldn't and we ought not instigate yet more.

[/devil's advocate]

Really, this kinda thing doesn't bother me, at all. I can see both sides of this coin, too, which is a bloody nuisance. ;)
Title: Re: Yet another monthly summary
Post by: Arantor on July 26, 2014, 04:43:52 AM
Or maybe we could fix the inconsistencies instead.
Title: Re: Yet another monthly summary
Post by: kat on July 26, 2014, 04:47:54 AM
That was kinda what I was hinting at, with "maybe they shouldn't". :)

Doing that might cause phun, in upgrades, though, I guess?
Title: Re: Yet another monthly summary
Post by: NanoSector on July 26, 2014, 04:52:16 AM
Fixing such things in 2.1 doesn't really matter, since at this rate the 2.0 compatibility flag doesn't go up anyway.