Announcing “BloxPress”: a Ajax Web2.0 Theme

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wow… unbelivably awesome senor…

Not to be a contrarian snot, but isn’t this a bit overkill? It’s cool and all, but who would use a theme like this day in day out? Who is going to have a site who’s content is that variable? It would drive readers crazy seeing elements move and shift so much.

The elements don’t move automaticly. You set this once and thats it. It is the power of choice given. It only enables people to do so in a very easy and intuitive way.

Expanding possibilities and user expirience. Thats what this is all about.

What I mean is, AJAXey stuff is great, but it seems more appropriate for elements that bear regular/ocassional rearrangement. To use it on the main layout of a blog, which should ideally be somewhat static, seems an awkward application for so much overhead of functionality.

Arlo – I think you don’t get it. That’s OK. I don’t either. Unless you are building an application where user experience is importaint, it’s useless and overhyped (in a couple of years we’ll be talking about the AJAX bubble bursting). And last I checked it was WEBMaster, not USERMaster. I see alot of this being used (as it was in this theme) to take control away from the web designer and handing it to the user, who may or may not know what to do about it. But the tragedy will come when that user happens to be some big-wig management type (PHB) who thinks “Coooool!” and directs that his company’s website employs the same technology (which then subsequently becomes the hottest buzzword despite the fact it means nothing (not so much AJAX which is an acronym, but I’m talking web 2.0 – WTF does that mean? Nothing)). And I dare not think about what this does to the searchability of websites.

But that’s just me, I tend to be under the bandwagon rather than on it.

-tg

@arlo: I see your point and i agree with you. You’re not the first and i found a way already. Also about the “you need javascript” aspect. I will make just a fallback solution.

First time visitors are confronted with the static version. (the simple loop thing from WP). On demand they switch to ajax version and can move stuff around and add more to it.

If they have no Javascript they will get a “low-fi” version with no effects.

This way google still likes the site and those who fear jscript are served aswell.. best you can get in my humble opinion.

I could say not that I agree to some of the points brought for here but that I can understand them, at least as having more years behind than before me. And seeing the rises and falls of several “hypes” and seeing all this in historical context. There was always “fight” between the “old” and the “new”.

There is really a “hype” about Web 2.0, though, I care not much about it because it means only that there is something in change, something in birth, we could not really put a finger on it, yet.
People, always try to name new things and sometimes they give a wrong name that will stick.
So, I do not bother still I can see what is going on.

But AJAX is a different beast and I do not think it to be a “hype”.
It is just a technology, not even very original but evolving to a state where it can be put to very good use.

Now, back to the subject:
The main point here, as TG said, that it seems to take away the control from the webdesigner and passing it to the user. This is just “seemingly” so, in my opinion.

1. This is just one theme out of more than two hundreds, at the present.

2. As Mentor stated, there is a static version or versions. Or presets. One column, two columns, three columns. You have, say, three layout, just in one theme.
You may use either one of the other two hundreds, use one of the presets according to your taste or simply, you may change your mind and make a rearrange according to your present state of soul ?? and degrading is granted, also.

3. It is still as open as it can be and you can hack it to death. Though, it needs more knowledge.

4. Every thing in the world, always starts the same way.
First it is for the few and devoted.
Next come the people with sharp minds and full with energy and imagination to make the best out of it.
And they do.
And in the end will come the majority who do care a damn about just anything, they just want the fucking thing to behave.
It is not nice and it is just pain for a real hacker but it is the way things go.

My conclusion is, that this particular theme is full of bridges and let all kind of people with all kind of considerations to choose their own way according to their knowledge, intents or whims.
Certainly a new approach, a new technology but not taking over the world but serving the “new needs”.

Impressive Write-up. Pretty nice conclusion.

I also wrote on this “web2.0” topic elsewhere today too.

It ain’t important how people call it. What’s important is that people get to work because that term “Web2.0” simply exists.

See it from a developers mind. He hears about Web2.0 and probably goes like: “hey, whats that? i need to know what this is all about and try it!”, which leads to: he’s building something he probably never did before, just to find out if he can make it.

Let it be a “buzzword”, but if this encourage creativity and makes people build new stuff it’s absolutly fine by me. The whole discussion about the web2.0 released so much energy, it’s simply amazing.

As a user i welcome any free new (so-called “social”) webservice/software/tool popping out of nowhere. If you are concerned about Web2.0 being a buzzword, just keep in mind that innovative things been born only because of this “buzz”.

For this project, as example, i didn’t started with the (probably already common) thought “Now i gonna build somethinig Web2.0”. I just did what i had in mind and after all, while looking around what is actually called “Web2.0” i saw there a relationship to this project.

Since there is no clear definition of Web2.0 yet, we can only trial and error. It has to be shaped by the first.

I still can’t say if that really fits to it .. but actually most people know at least slightly what to expect when they read it.

As for now ill leave it like that (as part of the description). If in about 2 years the term “Web2.0” doesn’t exist anymore (or turns out to mean something totally different), at least this piece of code does remain and can be used by everyone who likes it.

regards,
– m3nt0r

having trouble loading those sites here =/

yep – the link is down ??

yes. sorry everybody. i dont know why.. my host seemed to had problems today. any site hosted was slowis or not responding :/ it works now

This looks really impressive, I can’t wait to install it in my test system and play with it! ??

i luv ajax it really saves alot of bw and makes the pages loads very fast. when can we download this?

Holy frigging crap m3ntor! You’re absolutely freakingright! I best better get on it because it’s the latest hottest thing and God forbid I be left behind.

Ooops. Sorry, I forgot to turn on the sarcasm tags…

Sorry, but to do somethign for the sake of doing something just because I can…. not buying it.

Here’s how I look at it: A gun will let me shoot myself in the foot. But just because I CAN, doen’t mean I SHOULD. Now, I’m not knowking those who are giving it a try. More power to them. However, there should be a legitimate reason for it. Playing with something is one thing, but when it comes to practical use, it shouldn’t be used for the sake of being used.

And as for what it’s called, it IS very importaint. Let’s say 5 years from now, I’m looking to hire a developer and he puts Web 2.0 as his list of tricks. WTF does that mean? Nothing. The term and anything it contains is too nebulous. As you pointed out, it isn’t defined. and any search for its meaning leads to some vague references that it includes feature X and functionality Y. All very vague.

EPIPHANY: I think I’m going to start a new movement myself. And I’m going to call it Programming 2.0…. oh wait, it’s got a name noe, revising version number: Programming 2.1

-tg