On Mar 11, 2010, at 11:08 PM, The Editor wrote: > On Thu, Mar 11, 2010 at 4:32 PM, Markus Weimar > <[email protected]> wrote: >> [if time]read[else]postpone[if] >> >> tractor.php... first thought this to be a joke. :) >> >> If I had to decide between cookbook/recipe and plugins, I would choose >> plugins. Might be rooted in studying nutrition... To plug something in is >> straightforward. Recipe is okay because it's quite generic. Cookbook is just >> alien in the context of a CMS. > > The problem is not all solutions involve plugins. Some are simply code > snippets that do something useful. Others may involve changing some > site.config settings. Some are php extensions for sure, but others are > simply special pages (action or otherwise), or css settings, or some > combination. The nice thing about a recipe is it has a list of > ingredients (which may be any of the above), and step by step > instructions for using them.
Blueprints! What a metaphor! And no food connotations... This is excellent! It does cleverly position ABOVE the naming mess of plugins, extensions and add-ons, solutions, snippets... We could have several subtypes of blueprints to finally and for ever end the confusion of extensions, plugins, solutions, code snippets and you name it: --- Blueprints --- built-in - code snippets -- isolated code to achieve something - code pages -- whole pages to achieve something - guides / walkthroughs -- explain how x can be achieved with built-in BoltWire functionality not built-in - plugins -- PHP files to be installed, explain what can only be achieved with added functionality And you cannot confuse 'blueprints' with any of its subtypes. >> One thought concerning color. I think this should be the last benchmark to >> use. Colorful or colorless: what counts are users that understand what the >> farmers talk about and that quickly. > > Yes, but what about entertainment value? Even programmers need a > chuckle now and then--as long as it doesn't get in the way of meaning, > of course. I can only speak for myself. The farm metaphor was a one-time chuckle. Seeing how terribly complex things can be achieved with BoltWire with amazing ease and elegance lets me chuckle all the time. >> To summarize my ideal that might totally scare Dan because of it's >> non-specialty: >> >> /boltwire >> /boltwire/system >> /boltwire/system/scripts >> /boltwire/system/pages >> /boltwire/shared >> /boltwire/shared/extensions >> /boltwire/shared/images >> /boltwire/shared/public >> /boltwire/shared/looks >> /site >> /site/config >> /site/files >> /site/catalogues or indexes >> /site/pages >> /site/stamps > > I have to admit Markus, you make a very compelling case. Perhaps in > 4.xx we will move this direction. I like plugins better than > extensions and indexes better than catalogues. And I'm not sure about > looks, but I like it. Everything else is excellent. Love the shared > and site particularly. Hm, after thinking a second time about it I also prefer plugins to extensions. And yes, catalogues is bulky. Forget about it. Maybe it is because I am not an English native speaker but I never understood how one could talk of skins and themes. Do you create a new theme when you change five colors? Do colors really make a "theme" in the common meaning? Does bigger line spacing make a theme? Does it need images? Skins? In my world, skins cover stuff. Does the skin cover your web page? Is it transparent? And is the text tattooed? But colors, line spacing, images and whatever have one thing in common: They change the look. >> My questions of today: >> >> - Which terms have more in common: "BoltWire" (read: "bolts and wires") and >> "farm" or "cow" and "meow"? >> >> - Is Dan a farmer or an exceptional engineer? >> >> "BoltWire" makes me think of engineering. Do you see the relation to >> construction "sites"? To "public" buildings? To "shared" buildings? To >> electricity, heating or water "systems" that give life to buildings? Who >> made "stamping" text possible? Farmers or engineers? > > This is the icing on the cake. Excellent point. Particularly on the > branding side. At one point BoltWire was a wiki primarily, about > "growing" collaborative sites. But it's definitely become much more a > web development engine. Engineering/Architecture is much more > appropriate. And of course as you say--bolts and wires. We may need to > just think about ways to reinforce the connections in this alternate > metaphor so we get the benefits of clear terms and analogy. Right on. BoltWire is so close to intelligent engineering, building and construction that the primary sector metaphor does not fit. Maybe it would fit if everybody had a realistic picture of today's farming processes in their head. But we don't. We think of green pastures, mooing cows and happy kids playing in the dirt. > For example, instead of a cookbook with lots of recipes, how about a > bunch of blueprints? That's more along the lines of what I have in > mind for the solutions area than just plugins. Like it. We could > probably find ways to reword the docs to use more construction > vocabulary to explain things. Just thinking out loud. But maybe this > really is the way we should go. Esp if we can make it a bit of fun for > the new user. I said it above but I need to stress it. "Blueprints" is ingenious. Good thread! :) Markus >> This has MUCH MORE related metaphors than the current naming theme and MUCH >> MORE consistency! And it does not even demand users to think through the >> analogies and metaphors... > > Bingo--all the way around. > >> Regards, >> "Butcher of the sacred cow" > > Engineering a better BoltWire together... > Dan > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "BoltWire" group. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected]. > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/boltwire?hl=en. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "BoltWire" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/boltwire?hl=en.
