Recent Travails of SMF Team and Friends

[Rowdy]

Just playing devil's advocate, and not speaking as if I want SMF to split up, it could be advantageous to have another free forum software driving competition. Especially if SMF has so much talent that they are tripping on each other, if they are, then perhaps some of that talent will be more productive going their own way. Freedom is a wonderful thing.

[Deaks]

Rowdy: the Phoenix is rising ... keep an eye out for it

[David111567]

Just playing devil's advocate, and not speaking as if I want SMF to split up, it could be advantageous to have another free forum software driving competition. Especially if SMF has so much talent that they are tripping on each other, if they are, then perhaps some of that talent will be more productive going their own way. Freedom is a wonderful thing.

Well...it wouldn't be adventagous to those of us who put our faith and our time and efforts into building websites around SMF.  It would be a disaster for many many of us to have to start over...lose what we got and possibly lose our member base to top it off.  Freedom is a wonderful thing...granted...but if SMF folds because of petty immature squabbling, I swear as God is my witness I will never go with any product that any one of their dev team worked on.  Reliability is a good thing, too.  Leaving thousands in the lurch, stopping developement and breaking your word to the people who have backed you (in some cases, thru donations) for years simply because you have petty in-fighting...would be a realllllly crappy, immature thing to do, and would not do their individual reputations any good, either.

It's nice that you don't have so much tied up into SMF that you can dismiss this as "freedom is a wonderful thing".   I have a dog you can kick now, too, if you like.

[Rowdy]

LOLOL. What can I say? I just have a little more trust in my fellow Man than you do I think. Change is inevitable and so is the fact that Man will adapt. It is clear SMF is going to continue being developed so keep using it if you want. My guess is a new project might have a converter also, to predict one possible future.

[forsakenlad]

There's a passion for SMF.


If that passion wasn't there, people wouldn't feel so strongly about it.

Well there are different types of passions. Before I used to have passion for SMF as a father would have for his child, now I feel like I have a passion for my investments.

[kat]

I guess we've all invested, whether it be time'n'effort, or hard cash.

[erutan]

I haven't been active in the community but have been using the forum on a few sites for quite a while (1.1 beta) and evangelicalize it to those who are looking for one.

Hope you guys sort everything out and everything is on track!  Best of luck in what is sure to be a difficult experience for all...

[feline]

That what's going on currently, is a disgrace for SMF and all the people who are involved in the development or were involved.

Hundreds of charter members have invested your money to support the development of SMF, with the result that it held out to the users with constantly new excuses and that now for two years.

It is now high time that SMF makes a clear statement what happens next, because this discussion will help the users anything.

If not enough people for an effective development are in place .. Here, there are certainly enough people with enough skill and certainly with more than a few of the former team members, otherwise I can not explain the long development time.

Fel

[C4G-TK]

Thanks for your explanation Nao.  I do agree with David111567.  If Amacythe is more concerned with her own power or relinquishing her power than the thousands of people who use the product for their businesses (not to mention their community members), it does paint her in an awful light.

As admins of our own communities, we hopefully strive to be fair regardless of our personal likes/dislikes with people whom we are in business.  When our thirst to control and dictate gets the better of us, it is better for us to step down than to continue and do ourselves and others a disservice.  If Amacythe agreed to step down when someone else returned, then this is what should be done.  (Of course, I follow through when I give someone my word.)  It isn't to say that we don't appreciate Amacythe for her time at the helm, but an agreement is an agreement.

Also, if Amacythe did not fulfill her job requirements by gathering other partners, than this product, contributors, and community were done a disservice.  I'm not familiar with the structure of SMF, but if this is the case then those financial backers (contributors or charter members) should be able to choose/replace this person.

Sounds like someone is really putting the a** in passion for SMF?


It's no wonder we're seeing so many responses saying that SMF is looking for new talent.


If what Nao says is true, my opinion of those in charge and SMF has really taken a hit.  Prior to this, I looked up at you guys and gals for being able to come together and work together as a team.  But, broken promises and people grasping for power really changes all of that. 

For shame.

[Orstio]

That what's going on currently, is a disgrace for SMF and all the people who are involved in the development or were involved.

Hundreds of charter members have invested your money to support the development of SMF, with the result that it held out to the users with constantly new excuses and that now for two years.

It is now high time that SMF makes a clear statement what happens next, because this discussion will help the users anything.

If not enough people for an effective development are in place .. Here, there are certainly enough people with enough skill and certainly with more than a few of the former team members, otherwise I can not explain the long development time.

Fel

Good post. 

I always appreciate an honest opinion from a person's own perspective.

[EricTheRed]

This news is slightly disturbing to me. I really do hope resolve is found since my freshly built SMF site is about to launch this week. This thread is huge, so I honestly didn't read the whole thing.

Let's just hope things get worked out, otherwise I will be looking to convert to new software before I even launch :/

[gisfreak]

This news is slightly disturbing to me. I really do hope resolve is found since my freshly built SMF site is about to launch this week. This thread is huge, so I honestly didn't read the whole thing.

Let's just hope things get worked out, otherwise I will be looking to convert to new software before I even launch :/

yep mate, same for me

i just love SMF recently as i find it suits for me than phpBB, and i change my phpBB to SMF, hum, maybe just for couple month

and this problem arise and make me feel sad. honestly i dont know exactly what is going on in here , since so many rumors on that

the only thing i can do is just WAIT and HOPE 

[vbgamer45]

For users just wait and see. I plan on support SMF for as long as I can and it is still my #1 choice for forum software

[Sabre™]

For users just wait and see. I plan on support SMF for as long as I can and it is still my #1 choice for forum software

x2  Though my vote doesn't mean much

[EricTheRed]

as long as a community that is still willing to support a product exists, then it's all good! It still concerns all of us who love SMF though. This is, hands down, the best community software I've ever worked with.

[青山 素子]

If Amacythe is more concerned with her own power or relinquishing her power than the thousands of people who use the product for their businesses (not to mention their community members), it does paint her in an awful light.

Many of the people spreading this word don't actually know the situation, so I'd take that kind of stuff with a grain of salt. Some actions that were done might have felt that way, but nobody can really speak to the true reason except for the person who did those actions. I prefer to believe in the best in people. I honestly think that Amacythe did what she felt was the best for the community and the project.

If Amacythe agreed to step down when someone else returned, then this is what should be done.  (Of course, I follow through when I give someone my word.)  It isn't to say that we don't appreciate Amacythe for her time at the helm, but an agreement is an agreement.

I was on the team for some time, and never heard of any sort of agreement. This is the first I heard of it. Was this said by someone who would know about such a thing, or was it some more unfounded rumors?

[IVIIVI4ck3y27]

The bad part about a situation like this is that it can spiral out of control with heresy and rhetoric that is patently untrue.  People become passionate and jump to conclusions without even having a shred of the facts.  I'd personally like to urge everyone to take a wait and see approach to what is going to happen with SMF but don't add to the problems yourselves.

[Orstio]

I honestly think that Amacythe did what she felt was the best for the community and the project.

There's a clear difference between doing the right thing (emotional perception), and doing things right (logical correctness).

I always wonder about statements like this, because you can always mirror the context, and the statement still holds true:

I honestly think that Hitler did what he felt was the best for Germany and the world.

Can anyone argue that he felt any differently?  ( I apologize for using such an extreme example, just needed to demonstracize the comparison to show that it's the same failing logic on a different scale.)

In the end it is our actions, not our emotions, that define us.

How we feel about what we do is insignificant.  The only thing of significance is the action unto itself.

Feeling like she's doing the right thing doesn't make it any less wrong.

[Orstio]

The bad part about a situation like this is that it can spiral out of control with heresy and rhetoric that is patently untrue.

I'm almost certain you meant to say "hearsay".  This sort of thing rarely ever involves heresy, though it may involve heretics, just not in the same sense. 

[Dannii]

Where are the scholars of the Book of Unknown? They will tell us who the heretics are!