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Hi all!
I have a suggestion to make to the administrators of this portal.
I believe that each ROM should have it's own forum and not just a single thread. Each ROM is a really big deal. It is a piece of software that requires support, and using just one thread - the one that the creator of the ROM started to show off his work - is not enough. There should be one forum for each ROM, with locked threads on top showing latest releases, patches and known issues etc. Just like a real software product. Currently is it not easy at all for the visitor to find an answer for something already been answered before. Search inside a thread is helpful but not enough. Also, I suppose that it's not easy for the creator of ROM to keep up and know what was answered and what was not.
This forum should be administered by the ROM creator or any other friend that he/she could choose to help him out in this difficult task.
papadi said:
Hi all!
I have a suggestion to make to the administrators of this portal.
I believe that each ROM should have it's own forum and not just a single thread. Each ROM is a really big deal. It is a piece of software that requires support, and using just one thread - the one that the creator of the ROM started to show off his work - is not enough. There should be one forum for each ROM, with locked threads on top showing latest releases, patches and known issues etc. Just like a real software product. Currently is it not easy at all for the visitor to find an answer for something already been answered before. Search inside a thread is helpful but not enough. Also, I suppose that it's not easy for the creator of ROM to keep up and know what was answered and what was not.
This forum should be administered by the ROM creator or any other friend that he/she could choose to help him out in this difficult task.
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Mate... i think that cant be applied because there may be 10's of roms then we will need 10's of forums. Its ok with topics i think... they just need good cleaning from useless posts.
And what is the problem with having 10s of forums? If the forum framework is flexible this shouldn't be much burden for the administrators.
yup, i am agree with you papaidi, but, we dont have to make a new separated forum, for a new rom, i think we just need a separated forum for the newest rom, then for the rom before, we need to move it to "upgrading" forum,. ;p
Garmin said:
yup, i am agree with you papaidi, but, we dont have to make a new separated forum, for a new rom, i think we just need a separated forum for the newest rom, then for the rom before, we need to move it to "upgrading" forum,. ;p
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I would also recommend Tags. Aren't they supported?
Take this thread for example:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=270751
How can somebody find in it if there is the answer that he is looking form. This thread has more than 2500 replies! This is not a thread! It's a history book.
i hear what you're sayin but...
that's not even a ROM thread! And he (Ikarus) has taken the trouble to write up FAQs, manuals, etc, so except for troubleshooting IMO you hardly need to look through the whole thread,
This is not a thread! It's a history book.
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but that's a nice line...made me smile at least...
regarding a forum for each ROM, it would be a nice idea, but is there really space, or a real need for this? I mean, I hate looking back at a latest ROM thread and seeing 20 pages to trawl through, but what can you do... I guess I agree with WizeMan. If there is anything that can be done, perhaps harsher moderation (e.g. of newbie's questions) in the ROM threads would help.
...or...if people really did want new forums for ROMs, one for each major cooker? rather than each individual ROM...still don't think that it's worth it/do-able though
I believe seperating ROMS and forum will add more chaos. For example, there is like 100's of ROMS released for each device like hermes, wizard etc. Some of the ROM released might not be good, and hence it might be discontinued. Also with the way people are porting ROM a new OS version is released almost daily, and the chefs, start their job again with the new OS version....so having to seperate ROM forum will add more confusion...(this is my opinion)
Also, use google to search for what you need, I agree you cannot go through the 2500 replies, but some of them do have valuable information.
That's a good idea...
Sorry, but that is probably the craziest thing I have heard. Do you even know how many ROMS are out there? This forum is huge as it is. If they started making new forums for every ROM, then you would have nothing less than 200 forums minimum.
The key is to include a "Thank You" feature for every thread. The biggest problem we have here is noobs and even a lot os senior members posting THANK YOU and I'LL TEST IT OUT messages in the threads. If you actually look at the amount of useful messages in the threads, they are quite minimal as opposed to all this unnecessary chatter.
There are a lot of forums that include this "THANK YOU" feature that I mentioned. If you want to thank the author of the thread, all you do is click on a THANK YOU button and your name gets added to a THANK YOU section in the same thread. That way everything is kept clean and messages are posted only when you have something to contribute, discuss or have a problem.
Check out the thread below... you'll have a much better idea of what i'm talking about. Also, maybe we should make this more visible. If all of us start putting this in our Signatures, then members will take notice and if there is enough of noise, then the admins will take notice and we can move towards a cleaner and more functional XDA-dev.
Thank You Threads
In my oppinion this is a difficult idea to be applied. The most simple way we can wish the moderator give a list of rom and then stick them, so anybody know where is the newer rom, stable rom, or in progress. But actually there is a rule from the rom maker, they use some order of versions which they build, so anybody know when the rom is composed Thank them for the great works.
Dear Admin/Mods
The most view Development and Hacking section is awesome for all the Phone.
we found many usefull and super apps here (VJ Uties,PocketCM, S2U, plugins, patch, hack...)
and day goes by we also found many pretty and sexy theme/skin in this section too.
It's now hard to know and find if some app or skin is update or born.
so i request may we have a section for the skin/theme to let the Development and Hacking grow like it should be (monster now ) and make our world biggest powerfull forum more romantic
Thank You.
PS: dont worry about screen resolution, just add [QVGA/VGA] to the skin Thread title
vua777 said:
Dear Admin/Mods
The most view Development and Hacking section is awesome for all the Phone.
we found many usefull and super apps here (VJ Uties,PocketCM, S2U, plugins, patch, hack...)
and day goes by we also found many pretty and sexy theme/skin in this section too.
It's now hard to know and find if some app or skin is update or born.
so i request may we have a section for the skin/theme to let the Development and Hacking grow like it should be (monster now ) and make our world biggest powerfull forum more romantic
Thank You.
PS: dont worry about screen resolution, just add [QVGA/VGA] to the skin Thread title
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That sounds a good idea, but: some themes are also developy/hacky things, and are a combination of the two...
l3v5y said:
That sounds a good idea, but: some themes are also developy/hacky things, and are a combination of the two...
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i see, i know this is my "hack" skin http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=312235 and it have more than 100.000 view
So I'm not the only on with this idea!!!
I think it'd be really useful to keep the regular dev and hacking forum clean while making it easy to find themes when I need them.
If you have a Pocket CM theme post it there. A new app or update app post it in the dev forum.
Some theme's really do involve a lot of work. I think they could just be posted in the theme forum, but it could go either way...
Also I think it'd be really useful if we had a sort of format for naming threads:
"Updated 6/16/2008: PocketCM Windows 7 Blue and Green Themes VGA/QVGA" or something like that.
1 thread per theme. Themes that only vary in color would be posted in the same thread.
this is funny.. i was just talkin about this with my boy..
i make themes all the time.. i personally dont use em.. but i make em for my freinds with ppcs. If u have a request post the pic and ill get it done shortly
+1 for theme forum, only because i don't use themes!!! And it's a pain in tje butt to keep trawling through 75 different manilla diamond clone themes everyday, takes new/old apps off the front page, even relegating the useful ones to page 10s
plz.
Hi,
I've recently got a Touch Diamond and have found certain aspects of this forum helpful however I can't help but feel that this place has an appauling forum layout.
Are you afraid of creating some sub-sections or something? I mean seriously, what's the point of all the square bracket tags on the start of topic titles?
They don't make it easier to find because the topics are still jumbled up with all the others anyway and a good topic title should let you know what it is related to in the first place. I thought that maybe at least a search for a certain tag would reveal all of those topics but alas no, the search gave me no results at all even though I can see them on the screen in the forum listing it still doesn't find them.
Take the Diamond themes, apps & s/w section for example...
Why not simply create a sub-section for related topics such as Themes and hence have all theme topics together and do away with the need for tagging the titles.
Sorry to criticise your forum but I just don't see the logic in the current system as it makes things very difficult to find, especially when the search tells me there are no results containing [THM] or 1.93 etc. :lol:
Thanks for the reply regarding the search, hopefully I'll be able to find a little more of what I'm looking for now.
I've come across plenty of forums that don't allow searches for less than 4 characters but surely [THM] is 5 characters
Anyway, that's not my main point, I just think that the forum ingeneral would be friendlier to browse and need less searching if it was better organised to begin with.
Thanks again for the reply and nice little site overview
I agree that a good forum is run in a manner that keeps the members happy though it should also be as user friendly as possible. There are always people who prefer to avoid change but they will quickly get used to changes if they are for the better.
I'm a forum SuperModerator myself and my advise is that a clear layout helps a lot with finding info, where to post questions and also getting replies for those questions as topics don't get swapmed like they do in one large general section.
As for mods being unloved I would say that depends on how much of a presence they have in the forum, invisible mods are unloved because they are unknown with no personality but if your mods are active forum members they will be known and more respected as well as being someone people can go to if problems arise.
lol, sorry I didn't meant to launch into a forum moderation tutorial there
"Development and Hacking" forum grown and the topics are kinda mixed up.. eg: ROM development tools mixed with Themes, "ported/hacked" Applications, user-made apps, etc etc.
I think that this area should be divised. It's hard to seek a topic. Maybe one is interested in ROM tools (eg: NBHextract, XIP port, dumprom, etc,etc), maybe someone in ported applications (omnia touchwizz interface, asus glide, xperia panels, xperia camera, htc album, etc), maybe others in development resoruces.. and maybe others in applications made by xda-developers.
So, one sugestion is to split create one new category Development and Hacking wich contains the following sub-forums:
- ROM Development Tools
- Homescreen Plugins (Manilla, TouchWizz, Asus Glide, BatteryMetter, etc)
- Ported Applications
- xda-dev Applications
- xda-dev Games
- Applications Hacking (?)
- Development Resources & Tips & Tricks
The name of the forums may not be the same.. also, other sub-forums may be added.. This is just a suggestion. This forum really contains valuable information but it must be more organized.
Regards
i would have to disagree myself. i think the section is fine the way it is (all the question threads removed ) If you know what you are after then you just need to search. I think splitting things up willo nly result in more confusion on the common user's part (not knowing where top ost with so many options) and further more this is a development website, not a cache of programs like a freeware website. Whats being developed at the moment will be on top, everything else will fade out behind but still accesible if you know what you are looking for.
First, sorry if the original version of this comes off the wrong way, I just noticed it might read a little snotty...especially since I started typing it before joel2009's post, but it as posted up later it reads like I'm arguing.
joel2009 said:
I think splitting things up will only result in more confusion on the common user's part (not knowing where to post with so many options) and further more this is a development website, not a cache of programs like a freeware website. Whats being developed at the moment will be on top, everything else will fade out behind but still accesible if you know what you are looking for.
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The main problem I think is that there's so much traffic in that single spot that the list of threads marked "Today" stretches into the 5th page sometimes. I'm pretty sure a lot more gets lost and many good threads aren't seen at all. It's made worse by there being a couple of different forums listed under specific models of phone which are obviously resources for many others. Examples include:
Kaiser software, which has a lot of postings that apply to several other phones.
Raphael Software/Themes Apps and Software (Diamond), both of these basically cover the same thing. I've seen a number of people make requests or ask questions that are already resolved in the other thread.
The main D&H forum, even if you ignore the little groupings the OP had (i.e. xda releases vs. ported apps), is home to at least 3 very separate postings/releases; ROM Tools, Phone Apps, and Skins/Themes. For a "simple" user who's just trying to watch for themes and skins this is a lot of unnecessary noise. Imagine a Raphael or Diamond owner looking for applications, there's at least 4 groups to watch and 3 of them are kept under specific phones. A new diamond owner won't realize all the stuff they are missing. I think that's more confusing to new users.
My suggestion, to be taken worth it's digital equivalence to a grain of salt, is to break it up into ROM Tools, Apps (both ported and user-developed), Themes & Skins. I would also put them into a major category that would be consequently named Development and Hacking, and probably move the Networking and Upgrading groups over there as well.
I'd personally also like to see a single forum just dedicated to programming. It's pretty obvious that there's a good cross-section of members who are also programmers, some of which have demonstrated more talent than most other sites can boast. There's a lot of people trying to write programs but are rooting around a lot of other forums which aren't too suited to answer their questions. The other thing is that it might give more inspiration for some of the people who are good at UI and some people who are good with system/functional programming to talk to each other or even work together on apps. Many others have pointed it out, for a site to have 'developers' in the title, it's really strange that there's not even a little conversation about one of the main forms of development.
joel2009 information must be organized..
some things are contradictory in your post. you say "I think splitting things up willo nly result in more confusion on the common user's part" and "this is a development website". If it's a development website than the development area must be extended, not limited to one sub-forum that contains different kind of stuff.
Also, maybe some of us want to learn from other developers experience.. (see "Development Resources & Tips & Tricks" sub-forum)..
The way how it's in this moment create confusion not only for the developer but also for the regular users. Maybe some developers are interested only on ROM tools. Maybe some users are looking just ROM tools. It will be hard for all of us because this section of the site is constantly growing and contain all kind of stuff (themes, apps, tools, etc).
Organizing the information into sub-forums is A MUST.
+ you can add a new subforum for "Ideas for application" where people can post ideas for developers.
If detailed descriptions are used for each sub-forum there will be less to none confusion rate (additionally someone can write about these sections so everybody will understand..).
Just my humble opinion, but I think they fit well together. The difference is small between the two and it would just require me to check two boards to get the same info.
I say let's hold a vote.
DSF said:
"Development and Hacking" forum grown and the topics are kinda mixed up.. eg: ROM development tools mixed with Themes, "ported/hacked" Applications, user-made apps, etc etc.
I think that this area should be divised. It's hard to seek a topic. Maybe one is interested in ROM tools (eg: NBHextract, XIP port, dumprom, etc,etc), maybe someone in ported applications (omnia touchwizz interface, asus glide, xperia panels, xperia camera, htc album, etc), maybe others in development resoruces.. and maybe others in applications made by xda-developers.
So, one sugestion is to split create one new category Development and Hacking wich contains the following sub-forums:
- ROM Development Tools
- Homescreen Plugins (Manilla, TouchWizz, Asus Glide, BatteryMetter, etc)
- Ported Applications
- xda-dev Applications
- xda-dev Games
- Applications Hacking (?)
- Development Resources & Tips & Tricks
The name of the forums may not be the same.. also, other sub-forums may be added.. This is just a suggestion. This forum really contains valuable information but it must be more organized.
Regards
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I'v been thinking the same for a long time now.
Thats not contradictory at all. The Development and hacking section is for contributers, if you are contributing an app you are developing or in need of help dev, then that is what the section is for. Things start getting more complicated when you are trying to post your own work and there are several different sections you have to swarm though to find the appropriate one. I'm a fan of keep things simple.
If you are trying to follow a specific thread, then you can bookmark it or subscribe to it.
The main problem I think is that there's so much traffic in that single spot that the list of threads marked "Today" stretches into the 5th page sometimes. I'm pretty sure a lot more gets lost and many good threads aren't seen at all. It's made worse by there being a couple of different forums listed under specific models of phone which are obviously resources for many others.
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The list that is bold when you log on only shows the threads you have not read since the last time you viewed the page. If you are interested in reading everything than you will read on through them.
Here is an example, looking at you list of stuff:
- ROM Development Tools
- Homescreen Plugins (Manilla, TouchWizz, Asus Glide, BatteryMetter, etc)
- Ported Applications
- xda-dev Applications
- xda-dev Games
- Applications Hacking (?)
- Development Resources & Tips & Tricks
What if i ported a today plugin, then where would i put it?
This is just a small example but it illustrates my point that things can get messy upon where things go. Keeping one section keeps it simple and easy.
I understand both sides, but it seems that this point will be argued for a while longer, as it has been for the last few months.
I think the biggest problem is there are always themes coming out since newer apps are coming out with the ability to skin them. Personally, I would have to vote with the splitting of the two main sections since it is starting to grow a lot. On the other hand, they do fit together since a theme could be categorized as a "hack". But, the more and more the section grows, the harder it will be to find things. Considering all of the hard work and effort put into to these custom themes, a new section set for those who create the themes would be nice.
EDIT: lol DAMN! I thought the discussion was about themes and apps, my point still stands though.
joel2009 the list is just a suggestion - it may be modified.. What I wanted to underline is that the "Development and Hacking" forum is growing day by day, making harder to find interesting threads.
The faster you organize the information the better. If not, later the forum will grow so much that will be very hard to watch + the job to move the thousands of topics..
TheChampJT is right..
I think the real issue is that most users don't realize the amount of time it takes just to keep the forum as organized as it is. Splitting the hacking & development forum would require us to watch 7 threads instead of one, which honestly is a pretty full job in and of itself at this point.
Joel does a good job of drawing attention to how confusing it will be for users wanting to post new information. I know it's really frustrating to certain users to have to read through a couple pages of threads to find the one they're looking for, but it really is the simplest solution.
I think one issues that has been side stepped is that there really aren't a lot of developers asking us to split this stuff up. It's easy enough, and simple enough for them to use, especially after all the great work done by the Q & A team to clean it up. I find it pretty easy to find what i'm looking for in the thread now.
I think the thing that would help more than anything to simplify things for users would be for all threads to adopt the proper naming of their threads. Then it would be easy to see what threads are themes, what are apps, what are games. Unfortunately, the application of proper naming is very inconsistent.
Ultimately I feel that splitting the forums would cause more confusion, more frustration, and more work, so at this point I think it best to leave things as they are until we come up with a better solution.
Going to keep my post very short, the way XDA is split up is to help users to which commonly end up posting in the wrong sections as it is, the more sections we have the more confusion of posters, then we have the mods who have a hard enough time as it is trying to sift out the "wrong posters" so what was my point again? Lets keep things simple so simple peeps don't post in the wrong sections and the mods don't get over worked for there voluntary position
not trying to be mean or anything and probly will get bashed, but I had a thought about how to organize the forums so the questons asked would get an answer faster and with more accurate information.
what if we were to have a question and answer part in each of the roms instead of asking in the genereal q and a
you know sort of like each dev would be able to see all the problems that their rom is currently having.
and it would also help the people running those roms see all the current questions.
we should also have a section for the people who are on stock roms unrooted
I personally think it would help in diagnosing issues if they arrise.
I agree on a rom q and a but inside the development thread. Have rom thread ie bonsai and then a bonsai q and a thread with the most repeated q and a's on the op. This is more work for the devs and entirely up to them. It will help out in organization instead of cluttering a development thread with the same question. have the main thread for dl link, changelog, install instructions, possibly bug reports (some have a dedicated page for this) and that's it.
Edit: and most importantly feedback.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using Tapatalk
To do that, it would need to be reorganized such that roms would each get their own subforum. Then, they could have a "get the new version here" thread, a "general info" thread, and then all the random individual threads. If you have seen how mod forums are organized at civfanatics, you know what I'm talking about.
Lately, I've been thinking we need a "Guides and FAQs" section. Make everyone post guides being worked on in a "works in progress" subforum and then a mod can move completed guides to the main forum. We might be able to get a nice little knowledge base here if a few people wanted to chip in and write out a lot of what we have learned.
DiGi760 said:
and then a mod can move completed guides to the main forum.
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srsly? we cant even get the one overworked mod to move much around as it is.
Which is why I haven't previously suggested the idea.
But, seriously, we need a couple more good mods who want to help build a community here. I know how tough it is. I've been around a lot of forums, both good and bad. It can be hard to find people who are both willing to do the job and mature enough to do it well.