Right now the main page of the nesdev website has been frozen in time for quite some time. Wouldn't be great if people could contribute to it?
My idea is, why not just move that page inside the wiki and use the wiki to edit the content of it? You put a redirect of the main page to one of the wiki page and then anybody that have time can contribute to modify the layout.
I think this could be a simple but interesting idea. What do you think Membler (and other people of the community)? Would it make sense? That way, anybody could help you to modify the main page of nesdev through the wiki edit software like a CMS (content management system for web page).
Alternatively, the main page could have it's own wiki and style. There is still another wiki installed that I didn't use yet.
I would almost think putting these forums on the wiki and having the old page for historical reasons would be the way to go.
Basically have the wiki take over. The only thing I use this site for are the forums anyway.
It's a good idea for some links are outdated and new documents deserve to be linked.
Few days ago, I was wondering how to update some links of the main page. With the wiki, the operation would be easier and faster.
I've wanted to set up something like that for a while, but haven't been sure how to. From what I've seen so far, with the Wiki it seems like for users to upload files it's a big hassle. It seems that even uploading text files has all kinds of security issues. Sure it could be put in a ZIP file, or as a wiki page, but those to me seem like annoying little barriers to access a straight text file.
I've kinda thought about opening up an incoming directory on an anonymous ftp server, but that seems decidedly oldschool (what's next, 00index and file_id.diz files? heh).
Really I'd like something like what exists at
http://2a03.free.fr/. But all the available CMS systems I've looked at look to be overly complex.
But yeah, a Wiki page seems to be closest to what I'd like to see.
As for uploading files, I would say don't let the user do it from the wiki. There is no approval of account so anybody and their dog can create one and could upload if the right is given by default. And we don't know how the files are saved so I don't like that either for archival purpose. For pictures, I don't mind much but for files I do.
Right now, the original page has been frozen for too long and there is no easy way for anybody to try to help you to update it so this is a problem. What I would suggest is I will try to do a sample page inside the wiki once I find time. The goal is to put back the original content of the page by section but wikified. This mean all links to files will be external links. I think this would make it more like a normal web page except you don't need to edit some HTML to edit the links, just the content which is a good thing. Where almost in 2010 so we should stop worrying about html tags and let the CMS do it
Once you approve the page we can put a redirect at the root folder to go to that specific page in the wiki.
Regarding upload, maybe some people lurking on nesdev have some idea of a system where you can upload then approve the file? Once the file is approved, you just put an external link inside the main page of the wiki, like when you edited the normal html webpage. Sometime some format like pure text is still better in its original form than wikified.
If we don't find a system then we can go oldschool with an anonymous ftp and a restricted folder. The only issue with that system is who will take the time to approve the file, move it to the real files folder and put it in the wiki.
Banshaku wrote:
Where almost in 2010 so we should stop worrying about html tags and let the CMS do it
That just replaces HTML tags with CMS tags. MediaWiki has MediaWiki tags, and phpBB has phpBB tags.
Quote:
Sometime some format like pure text is still better in its original form than wikified.
There's a tag for that: <pre>
Yes, you still need tags but in it simplest form, you don't need to know much compared to html. Another advantage of the CMS is that you have an history of your modification, other peoples can contributes to it live in the page without any FTP hassle.
Just for that, it's already better than modifying an HTML page don't you agree? The goal of this thread is to find a solution for the main page. If you have ideas then feel free to contributes them to this thread.
Started to import the content here:
http://wiki.nesdev.com/w/index.php/Nesdev
I'm too tired this week to convert a complete page at 1h in the morning when I just finished eating dinner. Did too much overtime to push it more.
Sorry for the triple post.
Someone named Cheesemeister is helping to make that sample page. He continued were I left of yesterday night and at the speed he's going, he will finish to convert the links soon. I'm happy to see people wanting to help for that cause.
Once the links are converted, we can think later how to improve the layout (put by section like wiki, re-organize etc). Now that it will be in the wiki, anybody can help.
The page is still raw but what do you think about it Memblers?
Edit:
I just finished converting the page available
here.
Cheesemeister verified some of the link he converted. I didn't have the time to do so. I already modified the sidebar in the wiki to show the link to the nesdev page and wiki one.
Now I need people comment about it. I think it would do the job. Now we just need Memblers's blessing
I'm liking it! The original page layout was so simple that it translates really well to a wiki page.
Great then. Once you're ready to do the move, let me know. Basically you just need to put a .htaccess with a redirect to the wiki page URL and the job is done.
What will be left to figure out is how to upload files to nesdev but I'm sure we can figure something out.
Some of the images can be converted to look more like the wiki colors, like I did for the Wiki logo but I think there is no rush for that part since now anybody can help.
I've tried out putting the documents into a
table format. Any thoughts?
That's a good idea to put documents into table. Ordered columns are very convenient
May be, it could be interesting to set two colors that alternate each rows. Thus, the reading may be easier when tables are displaying to many information. I think the two colors have to be pastel and not flashy
- Some items are really outdated!
Quote:
2004 MiniGame Compo is on-going. The closing date for entries is Sunday, August 29, 2004.
I'm aware of that. This is the reason we want to move the main page on the wiki so more recent information can be shown. This way more people can help.
The goal was not right now to put newer information in this page but to show a prototype of how the page would look like in the wiki in it's current form, no more than that. Memblers seems already happy with the current prototype.
The NESDEV logo looks terrible though. As a matter of fact the adaptation that was made for the Wiki logo does too.
A while ago I was working on a high-resolution version of the logo, with a transparent background, so it would look much better. I know it would kill the effect of it looking like something displayed by the NES, and it isn't actual 3D, it's just a 2D image drawn over the old one to look 3D.
This is as far as I got:
Then I started again because I wanted a higher resolution (this is 12% of the original) and I wanted to include the url, but I didn't finish it:
What do you guys think? Should I go on and finish this? Or does anyone who can model actual 3D want to give it a try?
EDIT: BTW, would the address "nesdev.com" redirect to the new page or would the address change?
The address would change because of account settings on parodius. In that case, it would redirect to wiki.nesdev.com/w/index.php/Nesdev.
So just the nesdev name would be enough.
As for the wiki one, I just took the original, fixed a few fuzzy pixel and added it. That was a quick hack just to make it obvious that it was related with the original NesDev site. For the current prototype page, Durda dan converted the original logo with a transparent background without adjusting the fuzzy pixel so if you check the page, you would have an idea what I did for the wiki logo to make it better.
I will try your logo to see how it comes out when I scale it down. It's a prototype page after all.
I tested the logo and tried to apply a specific CSS on a DIV. The page almost look like the original but I would like to be able to apply other style on specific element on that page only. I still need to do more research since I don't want all the wiki to be affected but just the pages for the nesdev site.
edit:
Basically I'm trying to "emulate" the style. I know, bad pun.. Too tired I guess!
Am I the only one that hates the logo and thinks its ugly? If we're doing an overhaul, might as well go the full 9 and get a new logo too.
As much as I'd love to see what the artists around here would come up with, the problem with replacing the logo entirely is that it's already a big part of the identity of this place.
I guess it may be OK to tweak it, but I feel that an easily recognizable part of it should remain, be it the color scheme, the font, whatever, but the old logo should live on.
I agree with Tokumaru on this part. It may not be the greatest logo put it's part of the identity of the site, so is the color scheme. We must keep some of it in some way.
MetalSlime wrote:
Am I the only one that hates the logo and thinks its ugly? If we're doing an overhaul, might as well go the full 9 and get a new logo too.
Yeah I somewhat agree with that, altough I don't really care about the logo.
I don't know for the logo, but I think the metroid style separator has to be kept
I like tokumaru's logo -- specifically the first one (don't like the 2nd one at all, especially the site text).
If there are server changes which need to happen to make things easier for everyone, let me know and I'll do what needs to be done.
MetalSlime wrote:
Am I the only one that hates the logo and thinks its ugly? If we're doing an overhaul, might as well go the full 9 and get a new logo too.
No, I hate it too. Doesn't look like anything even REMOTELY NES related. I realize there's probably trademark issues abounding WRT using specific iconography but yeesh...put SOME creativity into it.
I am one to talk, though...I haven't put much creativity into my own logo or icon.
koitsu wrote:
(don't like the 2nd one at all, especially the site text)
I was supposed to connect the background to the foreground like in the first pic, but I never did it, that's why I said it's incomplete. =)
If you want to see the result, it's already in the wiki page. Maybe what I would like to add is just the extra text under (red one) with the same font. It maybe not much but it still a part of the logo and it's identity.
The second one make less sense once the site will be on the wiki since the address wont be parodius anymore but
http://wiki.nesdev.com/w/index.php/Nesdev .
Later I can update the wiki logo with this one too if it get approved and I think it should.
As for the style of the page, I tried to do some CSS testing with the same color of the original page but for now Cheesemeister didn't agree with it and removed it. So my question is: should the page in the wiki still look like the original one for color (background, font etc) or it should definitively move to the wiki color style?
Banshaku wrote:
http://wiki.nesdev.com/w/index.php/Nesdev
That's pretty ugly, nobody will remember such an address. If the change is made, at least the old address should redirect there.
Of course, the old address will redirect there. In the thread it was mentioned earlier. This is done with an .httaccess file.
While I'm on a GIMP kick, here's another entry:
Right now it looks better on a light background, but I could change the AA on the "NESDEV" text for a dark background.
This could be a contender but the only problem is the resolution is low. If you could make the same one in higher resolution I think we could test it in many size and see how it look like.
tepples wrote:
While I'm on a GIMP kick, here's another entry:
Right now it looks better on a light background, but I could change the AA on the "NESDEV" text for a dark background.
What's with the [[ ]]'s? Being an engineer I think the DEV part should somehow be made distinct from the NES part. Perhaps I'll fire up Visio and give it a shot...
NES-style graphics are cool and all, but I think we can do without all the aliasing. It looks just as dated as the current logo.
I should have been more specific. By higher res I mean the image too. Not the amount of color (like the image shown below) but the size of the gamepad. Here's an example of one image I used for my editor by Deleket (sorry for the big size):
For now the image look small but there is a higher resolution that you can adapt. I used the nes pad for my about box. When resized, it still look ok (like the image shown above).
A controller represents playing, which is not our focus, so I think using one is a bad choice. I'm trying to think of something that represents programming/development, but I can't come up with anything.
tokumaru wrote:
A controller represents playing, which is not our focus, so I think using one is a bad choice. I'm trying to think of something that represents programming/development, but I can't come up with anything.
My thoughts exactly. Even a minor enhancement like some superimposed joypad-reading assembly, while a bit corny, goes in the direction I am thinking of.
This is the idea I had in mind too, put some ASM over the game pad. The nes game pad is quite iconic so you know right away that it's related to the original nes.
I don't mind a controller being here. The controller symbolises the console it connects too, and is the symbol of game systems as oposed to general-purpose computers such as PCs, Amigas, ...
Finally it have a nice "gaming" look which don't make it looks too nerdy (lines of code would turn people away).
Not that I really care anyways, I don't like the current logo but I can deal with it and don't care. If it changes I wouldn't care much either.
NESICIDE wrote:
What's with the [[ ]]'s?
Compare
this image to
this image. The [[ ]] symbolize wiki.
If someone has a photo of the NES controller's PCB, I could add a "cutaway" view of the controller that shows its encoder.
Banshaku wrote:
The nes game pad is quite iconic so you know right away that it's related to the original nes.
The carts are very iconic too, and since software (the focus of this page) stays inside them, I think it would make more sense to use a cart, the shape of a cart, or whatever.
Not that I don't think something good can be made with the controller, please keep trying if you feel like it. I'm probably gonna try drawing something with cartridges.
tokumaru wrote:
Banshaku wrote:
The nes game pad is quite iconic so you know right away that it's related to the original nes.
The carts are very iconic too, and since software (the focus of this page) stays inside them, I think it would make more sense to use a cart, the shape of a cart, or whatever.
Not that I don't think something good can be made with the controller, please keep trying if you feel like it. I'm probably gonna try drawing something with cartridges.
I think that is a great idea...perhaps add tepples' cut-away idea and show part of the cart PCB ... throw in a few lines of assembly and you've got a perfectly-if-a-bit-nerdy logo.
Actually, it'd look like a cart with the front cut open for adding socketed UVEPROMs or EEPROMs. Perfect.
If we go that far, shouldn't we just show a prototype game board or a nes original dev cart? I think I saw one before, may still have it somewhere. That would be even closer
I vote for high resolution NesDev text clipped from CHR tile noise.
tepples wrote:
Actually, it'd look like a cart with the front cut open for adding socketed UVEPROMs or EEPROMs. Perfect.
That could be the logo for the forum, if you add the subtitle, "bootleg FTW!"
kyuusaku wrote:
I vote for high resolution NesDev text clipped from CHR tile noise.
Sort of like a pixellated background with NESDev in much higher res with a halo? Hmm
I've added a list of
patents related to the NES. Comments/corrections/additions are welcome.
NESICIDE wrote:
kyuusaku wrote:
I vote for high resolution NesDev text clipped from CHR tile noise.
Sort of like a pixellated background with NESDev in much higher res with a halo? Hmm
Something like this, only more readable with real/better-defined tiles and by someone more talented:
Scaling the tiles smaller yields more character definition. It would be cool to do attribute table limitations to make it NES-like too. Probably all way too much work for a banner concept.