JoomlArt Forums 32,862 posts

[Omar Ramos JAEC Omar RamosJoin date: September 2014Posts: 93Downloads:154Uploads:12 Thanked: 15 times in 1 posts]

#128668

To comment on another thread (I can’t remember which forum I read it in) on Joomlart’s 2 templates per month…I actually think it would be better if you went back to the 1 template per month system because two templates per month is a lot of work. With the reduced workload that would give you guys time to make each template as feature-filled as possible (for example, I think many people would appreciate MyBlog, Community Builder, and Fireboard, DOCMan, SOBI2, and VirtueMart style integration and additional color variations for each template).

Then, every now and again you could throw in a real kick-@$$ bonus template for us to use and it would definitely be appreciated :-).

I remember that when you went to the 2 templates/month system you doubled the price of the developer membership so I think if you went back to the 1 template/month system and gave all current subscribers a year free (and lowered the price to a little bit above what it used to be before) then I don’t see why anybody should be upset :-).

Just some suggestions but I think you guys do an excellent job. Keep up the fantastic work!

Comments are welcome, I’d love to hear what other people have to say about this :-).

[tempusserbia Friend tempusserbiaJoin date: January 2008Posts: 270Downloads:0Uploads:5 Thanks: 29 Thanked: 32 times in 8 posts]

#249640

Oh, my God. This will be long disscusion.

[instantinlaw Friend instantinlawJoin date: February 2007Posts: 1646Downloads:6Uploads:28 Thanks: 68 Thanked: 210 times in 62 posts]

#249643

tempusserbia;54098Oh, my God. This will be long disscusion.

LOL:laugh:
Here we go again :p

[bigrk Friend bigrkJoin date: February 2007Posts: 1425Downloads:0Uploads:2 Thanks: 39 Thanked: 45 times in 15 posts]

#249645

They just won’t leave this topic alone. It’s a trail often traveled. 😉

[instantinlaw Friend instantinlawJoin date: February 2007Posts: 1646Downloads:6Uploads:28 Thanks: 68 Thanked: 210 times in 62 posts]

#249646

bigrk;54104They just won’t leave this topic alone. It’s a trail often traveled. 😉

Hey bigrk, remember this thread I posted way back when?
http://www.joomlart.com/forums/topic/suggestion-for-joomlart-owners/
Deja vu all over again. 😀

[Omar Ramos JAEC Omar RamosJoin date: September 2014Posts: 93Downloads:154Uploads:12 Thanked: 15 times in 1 posts]

#249667

I went ahead and read through all of your thread and most of the one that Hung created at the end of yours:
http://www.joomlart.com/forums/topic/change-to-1-template-month-ja-need-your-feedback/

And I didn’t really find any conclusive decisions made except for the change from the old forum (I can’t remember if it was SMF or phpBB before) to vBulletin (which is a nice change, I’ve always liked vBulletins search feature and I like the new downloads page).

Anybody want to comment on any other improvements they’ve noticed since the last post on that that thread (03-23-2008)?

I had gotten my developer membership back when Joomlart was still offering the 1 template/month and I remember that when they said they were going to begin offering 2 templates/month, and I would get to benefit from that change for free, I was ecstatic.

Personally, I had let my membership expire when it came up. Partially because I wasn’t making that much money freelancing at the time (in-between finishing school and starting my job here as webmaster for our local community college) and every month I kept on checking in to see if there was something that caught my eye enough to make me renew my subscription. That happened this month when Teline II came out and I’d like to see more templates like it. There’s just something about the Teline templates that attract people, I don’t know if it’s the clean design or the versatility, but it doesn’t make me feel as if I’m running a Joomla site anymore when I use them (not that that is bad haha, but the feel of the site changes).

Also, I have posted a few questions in the Teline II forum, but something I really liked in Teline II is how the main menu gets created automatically with all your sections/categories. Since I’m working on a redesign currently for our site I’ve been working with Teline II for the last few days and something I noticed was that Joomla is missing an Articles module. So the last two days I’ve been working on an Articles module that you can publish which will show all of the articles for a current category (I think it’s pretty cool :-). You can follow that thread if you’re interested here:
http://forum.joomla.org/viewtopic.php?f=231&t=292997

I’m currently finishing up some final cleaning up of the code so if you do try out the module check back in a few days for the final cleaned up version :-).

Thanks for your replies guys!

[jonatha1 Friend jonatha1Join date: September 2006Posts: 14Downloads:0Uploads:0]

#249677

Part of the problem is, they really can’t go back to 1 now. They’ve sold new subs and renewed subs for many customers on the premise they were buying 2 a month. There’s a lot involved with going back to just 1. Including possibe refunds, free subs/extensions. They would probably lose more than they would gain.

[instantinlaw Friend instantinlawJoin date: February 2007Posts: 1646Downloads:6Uploads:28 Thanks: 68 Thanked: 210 times in 62 posts]

#249679

It’s nice to see a returning member omarram. Welcome Back.

You are correct about that thread petering out, but from what I can figure out, it was the consensus of the JA staff and Hung that the 2 templates per month would continue as the JA business model.

The reason for that thread was because of the increasing lateness in the release of new templates. I got used to the new template being released on (or about) the 1st and 15th of every month and when JA started getting late, and the quality of the templates (in my opinion) went down, I took it as a problem that could be solved by JA switching to a one template per month business model, thereby giving them extra time to produce better templates.

Many people here echoed my opinion but Hung decided to keep the 2 templates.

Upon thinking about it more, I decided that even though I was the one that started that thread in the first place, I still come running back every two weeks (or so) to see what new and exciting templates the JA team has come up with.

If I wasn’t able to do that in the middle of the month I would be ready to explode with antisipation by the 1st of the next month. So, I am glad JA has not changed, and besides, they still produce a spectactular template every couple of months anyway.

I am sure that this (your) thread is going to generate tons of responces, just like my original thread did, but I have changed my mind and I hope Hung keeps the current business model.

On another note,

I read all your posts on Joomla.org and you appear to be a very smart and Joomla savy person. I will be happy to beta your module. It sounds like a great addition to Joomla and I hope you continue to make more useful add ons for the community.

I also hope you stick around the forum to help out some of the people here that are new to Joomla or are struggling with modifying thier templates. People like you are what makes the Joomla community such a great place, so welcome.

[Omar Ramos JAEC Omar RamosJoin date: September 2014Posts: 93Downloads:154Uploads:12 Thanked: 15 times in 1 posts]

#249687

Thank you for the hearty welcome back and comments instantinlaw!

I look forward to contributing more back to the Joomla community now that I don’t have to keep on my toes quite so much looking for work all the time. Having a job has its perks :-).

There are a few small mods I’d like to make to the JA News module already :-).

Here’s an idea: Has there ever been a poll that allowed JA to tabulate which of their templates have been used by each club member and for what purpose?

For example I’ve used the following JA Templates:

1. Procyon
2. Pluto
3. Pollux
4. Xenia II Gamer Magazine
5. Teline I
6. Olyra
7. and now Teline II

The following RocketTheme templates:

1. Carbonite
2. Mobius
3. PixelPerfect
4. BentoBox Dark
5. Colormatic
6. Firenzie

And here’s a synopsis of the type of site each Joomlart Template was used for:

1. Procyon->Magazine/Club/Image Gallery Type Site
2. Pluto->Content/Informational
3. Pollux->Product/Virtuemart Site
4. Xenia II Gamer Magazine->Auto Parts/Accessories Virtuemart Site
5. Teline I->Informational/Organization Site
6. Olyra->CBEST (Test for California Teachers) Tutoring Site
7. Teline II->Community College Website

Each RocketTheme Template:

1. Carbonite->Graphic Designer website (designs flyers/business cards)
2. Mobius->Concert Site
3. PixelPerfect->Business Site
4. BentoBox Dark->Small Music Label Site
5. Colormatic->Craigslist-like Clone Using Mosets Hot Property
6. Firenzie->Real Estate Site

I’ve also used one Joomlashack Template (Voodoo) to create a site for a Fair Concessionaire.

I’m sure people have used all of the various templates for dozens of different purposes, and it’d be interesting to study the usage and see what could be learned by it :-).

Should we put the other information in another thread to separate it from this thread’s topic?

Thanks again!

[ErikThorsen Friend ErikThorsenJoin date: December 2005Posts: 1098Downloads:0Uploads:7 Thanks: 22 Thanked: 10 times in 1 posts]

#249728

Personally I don’t think it is a question about 1 or 2 templates per month. The question is, can JA handle this many clients with their current staff?

I remember back in the days, they had no trouble delivering 2 templates per month. Of course, now they have to deliver for both J 1.5 and J1.0.15 but still, with enough staff you can easily deliver 2 templates per month.

If you have 1 creative designer and 2 developers working on each template, it means that these 3 people would have to deliver 1 template in 30 days. If you have another creative designer and 2 other developers working in parallell with another template, they could also deliver in 30 days. And swooosh, 2 templates per month. .But with 1 designer and 2 coders, it is hard to deliver all this in 30 days.

So to me it is not about securing the quality of work by reducing the number of templates, it is about hiring enough people and of course also the right people. 🙂

Anyways, JA still rocks the Joomla world…. Just saying this because even though they rock they still have room for improvement…

[Hung Dinh Friend Hung DinhJoin date: September 2014Posts: 4408Downloads:11Uploads:189 Thanks: 309 Thanked: 3310 times in 3 posts]

#249731

Thank you for this dicussion. It have gave me a better picture if we schedule a change to the the number of template released for each month.

I have been brainstoming about this change for a few months now. Although I have not come to the final decision but it is 80% percent that we will reduce the quatity to focus more on quality.

However, the change will be annouced about 12 months before so we will not break any promise in our adverstising.

[mfcphil Friend mfcphilJoin date: September 2007Posts: 2866Downloads:3Uploads:218 Thanks: 211 Thanked: 388 times in 133 posts]

#249741

This has been discussed hundreds of times and never been sorted out. To find a solution which keeps everyone happy is going to be impossible.

I am pleased you are up to 80% sure of switching to the 1 template a month Hung but will be even more pleased when JoomlArt finally reach the 100% mark and decide on the ONE A MONTH 😀

[tempusserbia Friend tempusserbiaJoin date: January 2008Posts: 270Downloads:0Uploads:5 Thanks: 29 Thanked: 32 times in 8 posts]

#249747

<em>@Hung Dinh 54203 wrote:</em><blockquote>
…

Although I have not come to the final decision but it is 80% percent that we will reduce the quatity to focus more on quality….</blockquote>

That’s a way to success. Quality on very 1st place and before everything else. Better to have one with great quality in design and functionality, then 10 or more with poor solutions. My vote goes to your thinking.

[instantinlaw Friend instantinlawJoin date: February 2007Posts: 1646Downloads:6Uploads:28 Thanks: 68 Thanked: 210 times in 62 posts]

#249752

ErikThorsen;54200Personally I don’t think it is a question about 1 or 2 templates per month. The question is, can JA handle this many clients with their current staff?

I remember back in the days, they had no trouble delivering 2 templates per month. Of course, now they have to deliver for both J 1.5 and J1.0.15 but still, with enough staff you can easily deliver 2 templates per month.

If you have 1 creative designer and 2 developers working on each template, it means that these 3 people would have to deliver 1 template in 30 days. If you have another creative designer and 2 other developers working in parallell with another template, they could also deliver in 30 days. And swooosh, 2 templates per month. .But with 1 designer and 2 coders, it is hard to deliver all this in 30 days.

So to me it is not about securing the quality of work by reducing the number of templates, it is about hiring enough people and of course also the right people. 🙂

Anyways, JA still rocks the Joomla world…. Just saying this because even though they rock they still have room for improvement…[/quote]

I agree with you here Erik.

Like many posts on this subject state, JA has kept it’s lead by providing 2 templates per month.

We all know who the leaders in the template game are, and if JA swithches back to 1 template per month there will be nothing to destinguish it from the other top clubs.

with over 19040 satisfied members (and counting)… JA should (and has) hire a couple more people to handle the work load.

Hung has done a great job making changes around here and he shouls be applauded for doing so, but your suggestion is right on target.

instantinlaw wrote:

Thank you for the hearty welcome back and comments instantinlaw!

I look forward to contributing more back to the Joomla community now that I don’t have to keep on my toes quite so much looking for work all the time. Having a job has its perks :-).

There are a few small mods I’d like to make to the JA News module already :-).

Here’s an idea: Has there ever been a poll that allowed JA to tabulate which of their templates have been used by each club member and for what purpose?

For example I’ve used the following JA Templates:

1. Procyon
2. Pluto
3. Pollux
4. Xenia II Gamer Magazine
5. Teline I
6. Olyra
7. and now Teline II

The following RocketTheme templates:

1. Carbonite
2. Mobius
3. PixelPerfect
4. BentoBox Dark
5. Colormatic
6. Firenzie

And here’s a synopsis of the type of site each Joomlart Template was used for:

1. Procyon->Magazine/Club/Image Gallery Type Site
2. Pluto->Content/Informational
3. Pollux->Product/Virtuemart Site
4. Xenia II Gamer Magazine->Auto Parts/Accessories Virtuemart Site
5. Teline I->Informational/Organization Site
6. Olyra->CBEST (Test for California Teachers) Tutoring Site
7. Teline II->Community College Website

Each RocketTheme Template:

1. Carbonite->Graphic Designer website (designs flyers/business cards)
2. Mobius->Concert Site
3. PixelPerfect->Business Site
4. BentoBox Dark->Small Music Label Site
5. Colormatic->Craigslist-like Clone Using Mosets Hot Property
6. Firenzie->Real Estate Site

I’ve also used one Joomlashack Template (Voodoo) to create a site for a Fair Concessionaire.

I’m sure people have used all of the various templates for dozens of different purposes, and it’d be interesting to study the usage and see what could be learned by it :-).

Should we put the other information in another thread to separate it from this thread’s topic?

Thanks again!

It’s probably best to start a new thread on this omarram, as it could become a long thread.

[Omar Ramos JAEC Omar RamosJoin date: September 2014Posts: 93Downloads:154Uploads:12 Thanked: 15 times in 1 posts]

#249783

New thread started for the other question I had in post #9 (How are you using JA Templates?):
http://www.joomlart.com/forums/topic/is-extensions-manager-useful-for-my-site/

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