Kubuntu site and ubuntu sites in general lack designers touch :\

[moonscar]

Ok the main sites and forums are ugly and thus a turnoff, also they are fractured :\, separated and do not provide a unified front on the whole Ubuntu system. Ubuntu name has marketing value :\ u see Kubuntu and think..."What is that?" -.- most ppl don't know and will not try to figure out.

How to fix this? Answer: unify all the buntus under one main site presenting clearly the goal of Ubuntu and what it represents in a colorful way.

News and all the non specific stuff can also be handled by this main collective site much like the ubuntu site handeles it today.

Upper most part of the website should contain big tabs with logo/color and name of the Ubuntu variant(Mythbuntu, Ubuntu, Kubuntu, Xubuntu,Ubuntu Studio, Edubuntu..and so on). Once one is clicked the general description text part should switch to the specific buntu description with well designed button link to:

1. It's main website (which all buntus should redesign to be more inviting IMHO.

2. To the respective buntu forums.

3. To the general ubuntu forums.

4. To it's wiki.

Example: I want Ubuntu because i heard about it from a friend or watched it on youtube and liked what i saw/heard. Naturally i will use google and what is the first site that pops up and i will go to? Ubuntu.com Sadly that is the main site for the GNOME version! I wanted the KDE or the XFCE...or the studio version or Mythbuntu perhaps?

Those things atm are just small links on the right side hidden somewhere am i wrong?

Now most ppl get confused at this point give up and just use GNOME ubuntu which they will like or possibly dislike.

A centralized main website which clearly presents all variants and has links to their respective sites forums and wikis could be very useful simple tool to promote the buntus even more.

[askrieger]

Re: Kubuntu site and ubuntu sites in general lack designers touch :\

I think that you will find that there are very real differences between the Ubuntu Forums (UFO) and Kubuntu Forums sites. Aesthetics aside, (although I don't think either site is ugly), there are distinct differences in both philosophy and emphasis between this site and UFO.

The primary difference is that the two forums are owned and operated by different people with different philosophies. A secondary difference of some importance, is that UFO is officially recognized by Ubuntu. KFN is entirely independent with no official recognition from the distro. I don't know whether that results in a greater tendency among our members to criticize the powers that be, or not. I should point out that there are some Ubuntu Developers who frequent this site and they are extremely helpful.

The most obvious, and important, difference is the length of threads. I haven't done a count, but I feel confident in saying that threads of more than 100 posts are less frequent on KFN than threads of 100 pages on UFO. I believe that is because Open Source (our founder) made an excellent choice (which I disagreed with, at the time ) to separate the forums by release. Not only are there large differences in the behavior of particular apps in different releases, but it saves users from having to guess about the applicability of a particular solution to their problem.

The color scheme is also a secondary difference. Have you noticed that both sites reflects the color scheme of the two major varieties of *buntu?

[GreyGeek]

Re: Kubuntu site and ubuntu sites in general lack designers touch :\

It's pretty much an "eye of the beholder" thing.

Personally, I like the layout and functionality of this website and it's SMF engine. It's easy to track topics you've posted msgs on, to track specific forums, etc..., and ignore ones you aren't interested in.

The only thing I'd change is hosting it on a Linux machine, but I am not going to argue with free since a generous person is offering the site free gratis.

[toad]

Re: Kubuntu site and ubuntu sites in general lack designers touch :\

[rant] Hm, this seems the right place to gripe about the dreadful Ubuntu forums which simply do not work if you have the No Script add on in Firefox enabled. I applaud the Kubuntu forum for a no nonsense, non distracting, matter of fact appearance which is not littered to oblivion with that dreadful thing called java script.[/rant]

[Ole Juul]

Re: Kubuntu site and ubuntu sites in general lack designers touch :\

Ok the main sites and forums are ugly and thus a turnoff,

I am not very geeky and prefer text whenever possible, so I would tend to agree. No, I am not being sarcastic - but I live with what others make for me if I want to use it.

. . . also they are fractured :\, separated and do not provide a unified front on the whole Ubuntu system. Ubuntu name has marketing value :\ u see Kubuntu and think..."What is that?" -.- most ppl don't know and will not try to figure out.

I think what many people do not understand is that FOSS is not a sales pitch and it is certainly not a competition - there simply isn't anything to compete against. The world of cooperation and free will can seem very strange when first encountered.

How to fix this?

People just do what they want to do.

A centralized main website which clearly presents all variants and has links to their respective sites forums and wikis could be very useful simple tool to promote the buntus even more.

Go for it!

[MetalHellsAngel]

Re: Kubuntu site and ubuntu sites in general lack designers touch :\

SMF Is a great forum system, that said MKportal is not a great portal system, it's difficult to customize and you can always tell that a website is using MKportal. I have also found that MKportal is slow in development. In my experience with SMF a better portal system is Tinyportal. It's allows for full website & forum integration and works consistently with the SMF themes. It was also built specifically for SMF. The portal itself installs just like any other SMF extension.

[Open Source]

Re: Kubuntu site and ubuntu sites in general lack designers touch :\

Thank you, I have been looking at TinyPortal and I just need to schedule some site maintenance time and take down the forums to do the conversion.

[dibl]

Re: Kubuntu site and ubuntu sites in general lack designers touch :\

Thanks for your work to keep our forum up and running, OS.

[MetalHellsAngel]

Re: Kubuntu site and ubuntu sites in general lack designers touch :\

Thank you, I have been looking at TinyPortal and I just need to schedule some site maintenance time and take down the forums to do the conversion.

If you need any help, I have the time and am willing to contribute, just let me know

[Qqmike]

Re: Kubuntu site and ubuntu sites in general lack designers touch :\

I like the look and feel here of Kubuntu. Don't want any integration with Ubuntu ('cept we share the same OS!). Like Ole Juul, I focus on the text. But then ... I don't even use a splash image in my GRUB boot menu. This forum is fine; better than that, it is great.

[Qqmike]

Re: Kubuntu site and ubuntu sites in general lack designers touch :\

(cross posted in passing)
That is a nice of Mrs_Angel_D to make such a nice offer. Again, like Ole Juul, I'm fine with whatever is put into place to use here

[Guest]

Re: Any plans for an Air theme for the login?

The login dialog is kinda between ugly and nice. Why?

Take a look at it the next time you log in.

The edge is ok, but everything inside is flat and square and could just as well have been part of a DOS based application in the mid 90ties

Where is the depth of the boxes? Where is the look and feel of the Air theme reflected in it? This dialog box should get some serious work and it can not be that hard to move some of the design elements over there?

[Ole Juul]

Re: Kubuntu site and ubuntu sites in general lack designers touch :\

I see this is your first post. Welcome!

The edge is ok, but everything inside is flat and square and could just as well have been part of a DOS based application in the mid 90ties Grin

Where is the depth of the boxes? Where is the look and feel of the Air theme reflected in it? This dialog box should get some serious work and it can not be that hard to move some of the design elements over there?

As a DOS user, I don't find that particularly funny. I prefer TTL monitors such as the great 5151, but fashion dictates that I have no such personal freedom if I want to play along. I compensate by judiciously going through KDE and eliminating all shading and making everything as flat as possible. To me it makes it clearer. Clarity is my idea of beauty. Each to his own I guess.

BTW, why are you seeing the login screen? I haven't seen mine in months. Grin

[Ole Juul]

Re: Kubuntu site and ubuntu sites in general lack designers touch :\

Thank you, I have been looking at TinyPortal and I just need to schedule some site maintenance time and take down the forums to do the conversion.

Thanks OS! I'm looking forward to it.

@Mrs_Angel_D: good for you to volunteer!

[askrieger]

Re: Kubuntu site and ubuntu sites in general lack designers touch :\

@Mrs_Angel_D: Yet another thank you.