Forum and Plugin Availability

[McBainUK]

While we're at it, have you noticed the MVP & NMT sub forum mentions GB-PVR in it's description?

[imilne]

I generally like bgowland's suggestion, but 4 deep sounds a bit extreme. I'm never going to browse through that reading posts, and I'm sure others aren't too.

GBPVR is pretty much gone now, so you could simply it putting 'GBPVR Legacy', 'NextPVR Skin', 'NextPVR Plugin', 'NextPVR Utility' directly under 'Add-ons (3rd party plugins, utilities and skins)'.

Does it really need separate forums for plugins, skins, and utilities though? I could see that eventually, but the point I was trying to make was that there's so few of them just now it doesn't seem worth it. Far better to have them discussed together under "Add-ons" with perhaps a single sticky that lists them all and links to their wiki pages. If "Add-ons" is a top level forum, then people are more likely to go into it and read what's there. Having to then visit a whole bunch of other sub-forums would put me off.

Iain

[bgowland]

Does it really need separate forums for plugins, skins, and utilities though? I could see that eventually, but the point I was trying to make was that there's so few of them just now it doesn't seem worth it.

My suggestion for having separate forums was a case of designing for the future rather than simply recreating what we have now with everything lumped together. When you say "I could see that eventually" you're suggesting simply relocating now and then re-designing everything later i.e., you agree with the idea in principle but why do it now? That seems like just delaying things and requiring two-stages rather than an initial design. My suggestion to separate things is because the wiki does it like that. Even if a novice user doesn't understand, for example, the difference between a plugin (integral to the NextPVR UI framework) and a utility (usually external), it seems sensible to differentiate between them.

If "Add-ons" is a top level forum, then people are more likely to go into it and read what's there. Having to then visit a whole bunch of other sub-forums would put me off.

My point #2 of having a sticky with links to the various areas of the wiki was particularly so a new user who wants to see what's available can quickly jump to the wiki and see screenshots, descriptions, usage etc.

Surely the point of the current plugin/skin forum (and a possible new add-ons forum) is primarily for support issues and casual browsing isn't something I'd expect (in my personal opinion). Whilst a dev might create an initial post with a screenshot or two, the real explanation and usage of a plugin/utility/skin should really be on the wiki. I've personally never gone browsing the current plugin & skin support forum to find out what's available - I go to the wiki for that.

Cheers,
Brian

[imilne]

Ok, you've convinced me

Iain

[steeb]

While we're at it, have you noticed the MVP & NMT sub forum mentions GB-PVR in it's description?

Yes I had, but I am so pleased for now that people are looking at ways to improve the plugin/skins/utilities section

There is some good stuff here, I am so glad it was not just me

cheers

steeb

[steeb]

I have not had a chance yet to read back through all the suggestions/comments.

I suppose my biggest one is this:

however I continue to have some aversion to the wiki (and wiki's in general), so I'm not likely to be the one to help.

I have so much respect for Mr Johnson, I do not want to persuade him to use the wiki. Some of us like it some of us don't

As you all know I love the wiki and try to do my best. But when I try to find a plugin entry in the forum what I do is go to the wiki first, find the plugin page and the author thread entry on the page, find where it is discussed on the forum, click the link and find the plugin thread.

Now am I thick? If I am fine

I would like to quote Mr Johnson again:

I think a big part of the problem is that the plugin forums are very disorganized. about half of them are so obsolete they've not seen a post all year (or perhaps even last year!). many of the remaining active forums have obsolete titles that no longer reflect the plugins being supported there. I have no idea how I'd figure any of this out if I were a new user.

I see some good suggestions from bgowland as later posts and more discussions coming!

cheers

steeb

[steeb]

For now I would definitely give a + 1 for the restructuring to at least separate out the old (GB-PVR) from the new (NextPVR) Plugin etc thread.

I still believe that the whole plugin/skin/utility structure is a mess for GB-PVR. I am so glad that we got the new wiki for NextPVR. I would suggest that the forum got the same kind of make over, eventually. I am still surprised that it all has to work from one forum. But that is me.

At least the main forum got a distinguisisation with the initial NextPVR release and the (what is now) old GB-PVR legacy thread.

Nothing like this happened for the plugins etc.

IMHO it is a total mess.....

But how can it be solved?

Really it does take a community to come together and decide the way, or a leader to stop faffing about and make a decision.

cheers

steeb

[sub]

I'm happy with the rest of the forums as-is, and it's working pretty much as I'd hoped. I dont see the need to change it. The only area I saw as messy was plugins/skins, and I'm happy to change that if the developers seem happy with a new proposed structure.

You just seem to be saying things are mess, but not actually offering any concrete suggestions for what you think would improve it.

[steeb]

You just seem to be saying things are mess, but not actually offering any concrete suggestions for what you think would improve it.

No, deliberately. I did say at the start of this thread:

I would not be looking at this time for me to suggest what would work better. I could offer suggestions to the community but they would be pointless without even knowing what the community thought....

Yes of course I have ideas. But some/most/all of them are crap!

That is why I posed that question!

I wanted to know what the community thought, then may be through a process of a 'boil pot' we can work out a solution.... and offer it to you ......

cheers

steeb

[Jaggy]

I'm all for a change for the Plugin-Skins sub forum but PLEASE not like it has been done for this Documentation forum, the extra layer down to get into & out of the current (NextPVR) messages is a right royal PITA!!