Glad to see someone mentioned Content Management. A CMS (Content Management System) would be a good solution for a WIKI replacement. The problem is that commercial packages are expensive, and I don't know the progress of the open source CMS projects.
If anyone would be interested in developing a CMS for CLUG, I'm in the process of creating my own. I have an extensive data model I'd be willing to share/explain for this specific issue (for CLUG that is, but don't have the time/resources to do so for everybody who might have a personal/professional interest - sorry). This model allows template creation, content creation (and placing the content into the templates), security, grouping, owerneship of content/templates, revision control, and with a small addition I'll be making to it this weekend, it also supports workflows. The model is generic, and not necessarily platform dependant. That said, I am targeting SQL Server and .NET as my development environment. But, a data model doesn't really care about that. The toughest part of a CMS is the editor. I have seen a number of them out there - most of which use the MSHTML objects - which limits us to IE. There are a few java applets out there, but I've yet to find a free one that's worth the effort (although I haven't looked TOOOO hard either). Again though - the members of this list are very capable people - we could create our own if needed. But this does take time. Any thoughts? Shawn -----Original Message----- From: Trevor Lauder [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Thursday, December 05, 2002 2:25 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: (clug-talk) Website and Forum? For those of you that would like to see a content manager site in action you can take a look at mine. I haven't updated it in ages and it's not really a real site, just there for me to play with, etc. But you can get the idea of how it might work as a potential setup for the CLUG site, minus the news stories, etc. There are tons of modules we could use and it also have phpBB built into it as a module too. Let me know what you think. It's located at http://www.thelauders.net Thanks, -- Trevor Lauder Web: http://www.thelauders.net E-Mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > What if the forums were used for announcements for the general public > like meetings and convergence and neat Linux news, etc, while the > mailing list is for the usual discussion. We could also, since forum > traffic would be really low, have it send forum postings onto the list. > That way newbies can read about events without touching the mailing > list and those of us who don't like forums still get the information we > need. > > Jeff > > Andrew Barnes wrote: > >> There will always be problematic people who might not act (or choose >> not to) appropriately with others - mailing list or forum, it changes >> nothing. >> >> There's no reason to leave the IRC - every forum I frequent uses a >> chat of some sort of desparately wants to have the feature. >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: Jarrod Major [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] >> Sent: Thursday, December 05, 2002 12:50 PM >> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >> Subject: Re: (clug-talk) Website and Forum? >> >> >> I guess the crux of the argument is that there are many forms of >> communication. We have the mailing lists that have been informative >> and annoying. Informative from the viewpoint that folks can ask >> questions and other folks try to answer them. Annoying from the point >> that we get the odd >> over-zealous person on here who deems it necessary to flame people or >> make >> people feel bad or worse, stupid because of their questions. The >> poster in >> question does not make it better for themselves by asking poor >> questions to >> begin with before doing some sort of web search or looking through >> docs. >> >> We try to self moderate and it has worked pretty well so far. We are >> supposed to be adults here. I am proud of our mailing list. I have >> seen lots >> of excellent topics of discussion come and go on this list. And as >> Aaron has >> said lots of inane prattle (to paraphrase) as well as a few completely >> inappropriate posts. I guess we take the good with the bad. >> >> We have the IRC channel, which I would like to use more personally. >> >> A Web forum would be a welcome addition in my opinion as long as it >> wasn't >> the ONLY way we communicate. It's all about choice right. I understand >> that >> by not being on IRC I am missing some important, vital, informative >> discussions. I'm not going to cry about it. So if I only subscribed to >> the >> clug-talk list and did not check a future forum implemented on the >> CLUG site, it's no big deal, that's my choice. >> >> I would like to see us offer this anyway. >> >> Jarrod >> >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: "Aaron J. Seigo" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >> Sent: Thursday, December 05, 2002 12:19 PM >> Subject: Re: (clug-talk) Website and Forum? >> >> >> > -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- >> > Hash: SHA1 >> > >> > On Thursday 05 December 2002 11:34, Andrew Barnes wrote: >> > > At last night's meeting, the issue of moving to a UBB forum was >> broached. >> > > I wondered if there was more interest for this as there's benefits >> >> to be >> > > had - less chance of spam, >> > >> > what spam? *looks around* i don't see any spam, do you? >> > >> > > IMO easier to refer someone to a forum thread, >> > > more static viewing so a guest can browse and get the feeling of >> the community, moderation if necessary... I have used phpBB - >> it's both >> free >> > > and quite good. >> > >> > if you mean "move from email lists to web boards" the answer from me >> at >> least >> > is a resounding "Hell no!". i do not have the time nor patience for >> the inneficiencies of web boards. email is far more accessable, >> quick and >> usable >> > for this sort of conversation. >> > >> > if you mean "augment the email list with a web board" i could be in >> favour >> of >> > that. boards for things like listing hardware/software >> needed/available, >> > linux jobs/companies, discussion of the website ;-) etc... might be >> well >> > served by a bulletin board on the website while keeping that noise >> of this >> > list. >> > >> > but, in general, web boards are horrible for the sort of >> communications we >> do >> > on this email list. if you want me to rant on about why, i can. but >> i >> would >> > assume that most people here already know the reasons. >> > >> > > I am unfamiliar with how CLUG is exists on the webserver though - >> I got >> the >> > > impression that it is people sharing their bandwidth by providing >> hosting. >> > > Is that correct? >> > >> > yes >> > >> > > The reason I ask is that I would like to inquire if I (or someone) >> >> could >> > > redesign the website. >> > >> > i don't think anyone would object to a nice site design... mock-ups >> and concept previews for people to peruse are more than welcome... >> just >> post >> the >> > URL to the list and i'm sure you'll get feedback... >> > >> > > I mean no disrepect to the efforts that have gone >> > > into what currently exists, but the layout is rather antiquated >> and >> doesn't >> > > lend to easy access. >> > >> > don't worry, i don't think there was much in the way of any >> "design". it's >> > just a wiki site with some very basic HTML around each page... >> > >> > > I think the site would attract more if it were >> > > easier to browse, and the content on the main page was a little >> more >> active >> > > - more Linux related news amidst CLUG news for a portal effect. >> Not looking to re-create Slashdot but it adds to why someone would >> go >> to the >> > >> > i'd suggest that at most we have listings of the last N stories from >> appropriate linux sites using the RDFs they publish in side boxes. i >> >> don't >> > think calgary.linux.ca would be successful at nor is an appropriate >> place >> for >> > YALNS (yet another linux news site ;) >> > >> > > site. My intention or suggestion would be to move to a PHP/MySQL >> etc. >> > >> > the voting/membership system is PHP/pgsql, so i think we already >> have a PHP/database requirement. it might be nice to keep it all in >> a >> single db >> > engine if possible... >> > >> > > setup in the interest of adding email newsletter support, >> > >> > by "email newsletter" do you mean a "what's going on in CLUG" type >> thing? >> if >> > so, i'd suggest that it would be pretty small and that there are >> better places on the net to get non-CLUG related info... >> > >> > > polling >> > >> > for? >> > >> > > accounts for site administration like news posting and backups.... >> > >> > that would be nice... the reason we're using wiki right now is to >> make >> this >> > easy. of course, if there are admins, then those admins need to be >> dilligent >> > in keeping the site in shape (e.g. posting news submissions). i for >> one am >> > in favour of a more open style of a site rather than tight control >> by a >> few >> > admins: it means we rely less on those admins (and require less of >> those >> > admins; it works both ways) and ensures the site is free and open. >> > >> > in the time we've had the wiki up we've had two small incidents that >> >> were >> both >> > easy to correct. >> > >> > > The forum would >> > > provide even more of a backend to the site, with the ability to >> discuss >> > > news topics etc. and allow newcomers easy access to view the >> community. >> > >> > i think t >> > >> > > am I stepping on toes? >> > >> > no.. >> > >> > - -- >> > Aaron J. Seigo >> > GPG Fingerprint: 8B8B 2209 0C6F 7C47 B1EA EE75 D6B7 2EB1 A7F1 DB43 >> > >> > "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler" >> > - Albert Einstein >> > -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- >> > Version: GnuPG v1.0.7 (GNU/Linux) >> > >> > iD8DBQE976ba1rcusafx20MRAo4AAJ9DSgPIMaPukDxanAtfv57HsDAJsACgrKHP >> o2yWWQfyIZakrQy8HfK5izM= >> > =59Mk >> > -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- >> > >> >
