GetSimple Next Version

[Draxeiro]

Renaming uploads.

More image manipulation in image manager.
Cropping and scaling with all the typical options for thumb generation.

In the same vein, an option like the current Imagizer plugin, that enables you to set maximum dimensions (without changing aspect ratio) for uploaded images, ie. the image is automatically resized to the maximum set width and corresponding height or vice versa.

Would be a very good core addition in my opinion, since users do have the tendency to upload downright HUGE images that can screw up the layout of a site. So to have that as standard functionality would be great.

[shawn_a]

User settable email template, for system emails that go out from sendmail()
User setable login template for admin.

[Carlos]

I've thought about the whole plugin manager that doesnt load plugins.
It really is essential , or at least a control panel or the ability to sequester plugins if they cause fatal errors.

This can probably be done, but needs to be well thought out.

It has occurred to me that if the plugin management page doesn't load plugins, a plugin like Multiuser won't be able to prevent access to this section, so any user could deactivate any plugin, including that one.

[yojoe]

It has occurred to me that if the plugin management page doesn't load plugins, a plugin like Multiuser won't be able to prevent access to this section, so any user could deactivate any plugin, including that one.

Including an option at login to: login with plugins disabled

Such approach should work only if debug mode is active.
Then login window would contain additional button: disable plugins during login.

But there's another problem: how to find the plugin causing problems ?

[shawn_a]

This is still a wish list thread, lets not get carried away with implementation details. We will have a much better place to discuss this very soon.

[JWH_Matthew]

In the past we have attempted to add support for more storage options. I think it's time we give it a try again. This would allow future development to be made such as a supported blog module and things like that.

I agree we need to consider revamping the mission as well. We can stil be small yet be functional.

The people stating "It's a cms not a blog" type crap. No one wants to turn it into a blog, that doesn't mean we can't add simple blog functionality.

[shawn_a]

Thats not what we are saying matthew what we are saying are responses to comments about "where GS is going"

We are saying its shouldn't go anywhere it should stay a simple CMS. The last thing we want is feature bloat turning it it to a new product entirely. That is not to say we cant add advanced excerpt archive templating and time stamped pages which is all a blog is, but it being an extensible CMS and letting users extend it is still the way to keep it SIMPLE!

Its not like people cant already make their own blog using a custom tag output component with content exceprts. I think the milestone should be how do we make it easier.

[shovenose]

In the past we have attempted to add support for more storage options. I think it's time we give it a try again. This would allow future development to be made such as a supported blog module and things like that.

I agree we need to consider revamping the mission as well. We can stil be small yet be functional.

The people stating "It's a cms not a blog" type crap. No one wants to turn it into a blog, that doesn't mean we can't add simple blog functionality.

I agree that we will need to proceed carefully and shouldn't just add features, as we'd turn into WordPress.
But the GS-Blog plugin should be built in by default and the upload manager should be more powerful

[JWH_Matthew]

I'm following you guys now, just wanted to make sure you weren't against such functionality.

Maybe we should add a module system beside the plugin system. The modules could be GetSimple supported and stored in a separate folder. So that way if a user wanted a very basic system he just deletes all the contents of the module folder.

Some modules to be include by default could be user management, calendar, and blog/news system.

It would be a way for users to destinguish between community plugins and core plugins.


This may be a stupid idea, just thought I would throw it out there.

[shovenose]

Good post Chris, I am totally with you. In fact I was composing a post along the lines of 'where GS needs to be going' myself because I don't know but it worries me that it is lacking a bit of direction atm. Aside from how 3.1.3 might fix bugs or even 3.2 be a bit better if there is no vision of how version 4 is going to blow your socks off and version 5 change the world then in the fast moving internet GS could quickly get overtaken and lost.

So: Chris's Mission Statement needs to be updated and reinterpreted, because most of that vision has already been acheived.
GetSimple needs to be 'Simple' in the sense of 'Simple to set up and use' and not in the sense of basic and lacking in features. In practice that means a new user should be able to access all the features of a modern website with a GS installation straight out of the box, and apply their chosen theme without complication including

• Blog
  
• Slider
  
• gallery
  
• Social buttons
  
• Contact Form
  
• Favicon
  
• Two /three/four/column content
  
• Custom titles
  

And theming needs to be worked on so that sample pages can be included with the theme. ATM the best themes are overloaded with instructions saying 'make three components, name them, install this plugin, alter the config file, upload an image..' and that is clumsy and complicated and should be Simple - it should just work.

Hope this helps.
Love the program and wish I could do more to help than talk about what I think someone else should do - LOL.

Of everything in this thread I think that this post is still the best. not to say that anybody's points are invalid but this post is pretty much spot on.
I think that Version 4 should incorporate many new features. However, we still need to make sure that each feature is implemented as efficiently and intuitively as possible. I'm willing to do what I can to help out.
Let's come up with a list of things and goals for upcoming versions.
3.1.3 (bugfix release)
3.2.0 (user management and blog capabilities)
3.2.1 (bugfix release and tweaked to perfection, final release in version 3)
4.0.0 (Tons of new features and built-in functionality, mobile admin theme, built in updater and plugin installer etc. )

Does this roadmap make sense?

[JWH_Matthew]

I'm gonna go ahead and say let's keep this thread for requests only. No set in stone functionality map will be released to the public yet.

[shawn_a]

Yeah a roadmap will be an enormous undertaking starting with a new versioning system perhaps and release schedules.

Maybe in a few weeks we will have an entire enhancements system written up, then we can work on a roadmap.

The goal, and I am assuming other devs will agree with me, is to organize all this stuff in a standard repo, where they can be tagged and discussed.

Form there we set milestones, and base a roadmap off those milestones.

Then we work in the bugs and critical enhancements like core updates and dependancies.

All feature enhancements that add features will be heavily discussed.

Priority releases will be refactors of the current codebase and optimizations that we majorly need before we even consider adding anything major.

[shovenose]

This forum thread is hard to keep organized. But yes, I'm not saying me need a roadmap right now but I do think we need clear goals as to what were going to do. Without goals we will not be sure what to tackle next.

[ChriS]

This forum thread is hard to keep organized. But yes, I'm not saying me need a roadmap right now but I do think we need clear goals as to what were going to do. Without goals we will not be sure what to tackle next.

I think there are two basic options after there are not many new/innovative ideas or a certain time is over:
- the admins/devs read this thread and realise what they like
- the admins/devs choose, setup a poll and ask forum users for "most wished" votes

[shovenose]

Well, we need to balance those two. We need to add things the community votes are needed.

[shawn_a]

The reality is the devs do what ever the hell we want, because there are only 2-3 of us that actually contribute. And we have to focus on bugs that popup.

We do not have full time devs that work on adding new features.

So you can make roadmaps and wishlists all day long, doesn't really make a difference.

We are very behind on refactoring and optimization. I will repeat that again.

[shovenose]

We could do a "feature freeze" of sorts and just fix bugs, if you think that's a good idea.

[Timbow]

The reality is the devs do what ever the hell we want, because there are only 2-3 of us that actually contribute. And we have to focus on bugs that popup.
[...]
So you can make roadmaps and wishlists all day long, doesn't really make a difference.

Sure. But devs need to know where the project is going the same as users do. Otherwise you will just be doing what the hell you want and fixing bugs until the wheels fall off the project.

I would really like to see the mission statement revised. There's a lot which might be obvious to you but still needs stating. Is GS going to remain open-source and free? are you hoping to get a financial return from it in some way? What is a successful year going to look like in 12 months time? More users? more developers? how many more? or just doing 95% of what WP does with 50% of the hassle. Do you want to make it good for amateurs and end users, or good for web designers to sell on to their clients?

As a user I don't know the answers to any of those questions nor a few others. Does anybody know what the key factors are which make users choose GS? Is it the flat file thing? or the ease of customisation, or that you can learn it in a day or two? Why is it so popular in the Czech Republic? Are there any niche areas where GS could excel?

This might be my last word on the subject because I am not a founder member or a developer so it isn't my place to tell anyone how to run the show, but please - Is there any strategy? Is there any strategic planning? Are there any agreed goals?

[shovenose]

Timbow, we totally appreciate your thoughts. Just because you're not officially a "team member" of "developer" doesn't mean you don't have a say - that's what's so great about open source.
GetSimple CMS stands out because it works well, and it's the perfect solution for developers/designers to make their customers websites in, so the client will not have to call every 5 minutes and be like "hey, I want to change what a sentence says".
And the great thing is, you can take an existing HTML website and, using GetSimple's easy templating system, turn it into a fully functional but easy to use CMS website, in less than hour! Virtually no learning curve for the end users/clients that don't know what the heck a computer is, and perfect for the designers/developers!
The goal? to have more people using GetSimple CMS and to grow the community so that it's continuously improving and evolving. I would have posted the little roadmap I made that I think would have made sense, but nobody wanted to see it.
I'm usually the first one to say "I hate WordPress; I don't want GetSimple to turn into WordPress." But I, once again, think we need to be a little more open minded and add some things that GetSimple has been lacking for a while now.
We've got talented developers, a decent size user base to work with, and some good plugins, but it's hindered by the leaving of Chris because he's too busy with other things, and the fact that we're being slow to add things that should really have been a part of it, simply because "then it won't be simple enough anymore"

As in the 12 months goal? It is not to have $100000. It is to simply have a great CMS, and preferably a bigger community and user base.

Our major down fall right now is that we're big on not adding features to the core because they should be done as plugins so people can choose what we want, but we only have like 10 people that regularly make good plugins that actually address feature requests. A lot of plugins are crappy and/or outdated.

And we have very small variety of themes, etc. in Extend

[bryon]

I can see why plugin developers say "Keep the core small". It is because they are afraid of losing power over their creations if their plugins become part of the base. That is sad because by handing over the plugin to the community they could then focus on flavoring (for lack of a better term) of the functionality. Example: if a certain gallery script were to become part of the core the person who initially developed it could then focus on building plugins that would actually *extend* it's functionality. This would actually enable them to serve more diverse needs instead of them trying to cram every conceivable option into a single plugin thereby making for an insanely confusing labyrinth of options on a separate plugin page.

There is no reason that anyone should have to install a plugin for internationalization. There are certain things that should simply be considered as a cms version of a common <i>human right</i>. I18N should be core functionality.

Concerning Blogs. They are here to stay. Under the skin they are just a format of content, sure. But, just look around and count the % of non-for-profit websites that use a blog format! It easily approaches 50%. And what are the alternative cms formats for? E-Commerce, artistic endeavors (galleries, photography etc), portals and what else? Apart from building an information only website (basically a folder-view reformat script) which of those proceeding options are more likely to be better served as core? E-Commerce? Do you think most people build sites to sell things? Galleries? Really. How many people do you know with $1,000+ cameras? Portals? Yeah right, keep dreaming. Dream of a team of a dozen+ devs that will allow GS to compete with WP, Drupal or even Txp.

People like GS because it doesn't use SQL. That is it. You can tell from the posts in this forum that they are expecting from it the same things that WP does by default. Trying to reinvent the wheel would be worse than dumb it would be stupid. Beyond that it gives the appearance of the core team being lazy (like: "oh, we'll just let it become a plugin jungle").

Removing the need for SQL is enough of a difference that gives GS the edge needed to make this project worthwhile. Letting it become a plugin hell because 1) some don't want to give up control of their babies and 2) a few devs are lazy bstrds... would be tragic.

Btw, it would be nice to see a template-per-page system. Having only two options 1) sidebar on all pages and 2) sidebar on no pages kind of spells out that at least 50% of the original target market was bloggers

[shawn_a]

Why would plugin authors be afraid ?
We would not cannibalize a plugin into core, never going to happen.

Also most of these plugin authors you speak of are project developers.

[jason.dixon.email]

GetSimple CMS stands out because it works well, and it's the perfect solution for developers/designers to make their customers websites in, so the client will not have to call every 5 minutes and be like "hey, I want to change what a sentence says".
And the great thing is, you can take an existing HTML website and, using GetSimple's easy templating system, turn it into a fully functional but easy to use CMS website, in less than hour! Virtually no learning curve for the end users/clients that don't know what the heck a computer is, and perfect for the designers/developers!

This is what attracts me to this CMS. I am not the type of user that is likely to take a premade template and build a website using check boxes. But I also do not want the complexity of something like Wordpress.

I love the fact that I can prep the files (create the page template in HTML then add some tiny code snippets, insert plugins, etc) pop the files on a server and it works. Hell, I can even give out an entire website in a zip file and it will install and work for them in a couple of minutes, even if another installation is on the same server (no sharing databases!).

I hope this direction never changes.

Our major down fall right now is that we're big on not adding features to the core because they should be done as plugins so people can choose what we want, but we only have like 10 people that regularly make good plugins that actually address feature requests. A lot of plugins are crappy and/or outdated.

And we have very small variety of themes, etc. in Extend

Both of those things are related to community size really. Which will of course right itself as the CMS becomes more popular. Snowball effect.

The biggest challenge this CMS faces at the moment I think, is exposure. It needs social network advertising and many fancy promotional-looking ways for a user to find and get the plugins they need.

The plugin system (within the CMS itself) is fine I think. Functionality should be customizable. But how is a new user supposed to know, for instance, that they need to go to extend and download i18n special pages, when all they want to do is add a sidebar?

The plugin extend system needs some work I think. There needs to be a featured option for the top plugins in different categories as opposed to simply the most popular.
Even better would be an "app store" style system built into the CMS itself and on this website.
A new user should also be able to pick plugins on the CMS download page for things like a blog / itinerary / forum etc.

To expand this, I think the developers need to make some plugins official. Things like Blog / Ecommerce / Itinerary plugins etc. Then upon first installation the CMS should ask what kind of site the user is wanting, and automatically download from extend the latest version of the plugin corresponding to the users choice. With of course, a message telling them that they can get new plugins at the site.


I hate to say it because the CMS itself is perfect as the focus nudges just enough towards developers while keeping things excruciatingly simple. But the road between initially reaching this site and ending up with a fully functional CMS with all the plugins desired, feels very much like it was paved by developers.

Anyway... Here is what I would like to see added to the core:

* I would like to see a simple image slider built in.
* A simple check-box type option to load some page sections via ajax (ie: load data without leaving the page).
* A simple method of adding data to different sections of a web page (I'm trying to deliver my vision right now with Simple Input Tabs).
* i18n page options built in.
* Hierarchical navigation built in too.
* Multi-user system built in for both the front end and back end. I wouldn't normally care as there is a plugin, but I feel it would be more secure if it was built into the core.
* A check-box option to toggle "developer mode" on and off (turning it off would hide tabs such as editing template code and components, and any plugin tabs that flag themselves as developer only). There is limited space and it can get cluttered.
* Built in plugin finder. A repository of sorts to search and find plugins directly in the CMS.
* Dynpages functionality built in, and with it a standardized syntax for adding component sections to content. There is too much {%...%} or (%...%) or whatever going on with different plugins having their own style. Would be nice to have it stick to one syntax and have a hook or something that plugins can use. I also imagine it would increase performance and security if the system scans once per page, rather than once per plugin. OR better yet, have a button to insert a component in the WYSIWYG editor.
* Along with this, having the component section "rebranded" to snippets and added to the pages tab. Provide with it more dialogue options to explain what the code does and how to use it, and allow templates and plugins to create "snippets" when loaded.
* Finally I'd like to have a central data storage API that uses a shared config file/folder to enforce the standard of keeping plugin config information in a predictable place.

[shawn_a]

Great list.

[jason.dixon.email]

I suspect THIS would be the closest competition to Get Simple CMS, and they do things very similar. Could be a good idea to keep an eye on them.
They do some things better and some worse than this CMS by looking at their site.

[shawn_a]

Yeah I think I evaluated that when I found GS. looks like it has evolved a bit.