U++ forum: Welcome to the forum

Ideas for design, and structure of the web site [message #17400]

Wed, 13 August 2008 18:35

amrein
Messages: 278
Registered: August 2008
Location: France

Experienced Member

Hi,

There are a few things wrong for me in the website design. I hope what I wrote will help you.

1. The main menu (left side) should be:

------- 8 < --------

About
Overview
Screenshots
Download
FAQ
------
Manual
Examples
Status & Roadmap
Comparisons
Forums
Wiki
-------
Funding Ultimate++
Authors & License

------- 8 < --------

- Why? Because here is how it goes in most newcomers:

What this? An overview? Can I see it in action? I didn't understood something or have an issue downloading...

- Then, after the first steps (installation, ...):

Want to learn deeply. Are there simple examples? Cool, where do the wall project go next, I want to be sure Utimate++ will still exist in a few years. Now, I want to see how to ask questions directly to the authors. Ok, let's put forum answers into the wiki F.A.Q.

- And finally:

Good software. I want to give money.

Note that "Authors & License" should be in the first list but everyone always search for it at the end of the menu list.

2. When clicking on the left menu, most right page don't have a title.

You could add it, and change the selected menu bar background. Add an arrow or change the menu like a left tab view.

3. When clicking on the left menu, most right page don't have any index.

The idea is to let people in one click to know where they are and the plan of the page they will read.

4. Now, one by one. "Examples" bar is not ordered.

It's a mess because there is no title, no subtitle, no plan. How to get to an example using the button class? Wink

There are two sections, but "application examples" should be the last one.

5. "Screenshots" bar is ordered but doesn't answer the user request.

TheIDE screenshots, Chameleon screenshots, U++ examples should have at least one screenshots on this page. The best ones. The reader must have an overview just there. If he wants, he will be able to click on "more..." to see more screenshots about TheIDE, Chameleon...
Other concern: TheIDE Ok. Chameleon, a newcomer doesn't know already that this is U++ theme engine.

6. Comparisons tab. Nothing to say.

7. Download tab, is not up-to-date?.

Well, I will be happy to help for the Linux port (rpm mainly). I will add a message to another topics about why I think Ultimate++ doesn't have a wild audience.

8. Documentation

Most Linux developers first search for the documentation before the reference. They use the documentation to lean. They use the reference to learn one class at a time or to find details.
This is why people like to have documentation for the wall library in one section than a 2nd section with all references.
FOSS developers are used to have reference with doxygen (www.doxygen.org). Try it, just install doxygen than run doxywizard to see the output (I know topic++ exist)

9. Roadmap

We see "Current release 2008.1" but no future road map. I read for example in the forum: Ultimate++ is stable, miss a better Linux and MacOS port, miss easy rpm compilation, miss better documentation, ...

10. Authors & License

Who has done this and what licence should I use for my application? In the case of Ultimate++, you also need to tell more about the Ultimate++ BSD licence and other BSD included libraries.
Even after reading a few pages, I was frightened with the LGPL/GPL licence because I didn't understand if Ultimate++ was linking with a LGPL/GPL library or not. If so, they would be a licence problem.

I like the way the licence appear on the website (black, white, yellow,...).

Regards

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