[Republic]

Originally Posted by Rigorous i sincerely hope this was a failed effort to be humorous.

That it was.

Originally Posted by Rigorous now, i don't know because i'm not an author (nor do i desire to be), but i'd wager that these "portals" are setup by WoWI automatically when someone uploads a mod. just because it exists doesn't necessarily mean the author has to use it or has some responsibility to it, imo. i'd guess (though i could likely find out with only a few minutes of searching) that his "base of operations" is at google code (where, from what i read, a number of mod authors are), but one look at his portal here and its clear that its not being used (currently, if ever).

Indeed a problem. Fact is, I've reported to a few authors who operate here when I've found very obvious "unauthorized-looking" uploads to other sites. I think project integrity is important, and in a small way, I've tried to help in this capacity.

Originally Posted by Rigorous i do follow you. that is potentially how it begins (for me it began out of personal interest). and in that case, i would say its the guild's fault for not doing a little more hand-holding for people that may have problems. nevertheless, the newbie going to look for those mods now has a responsibility of his own to learn about what he's getting into. those things are not the authors' responsibility.

This is true. However, if you consider the fact that the presence of a "portal" also can look like a "base of operations" to some of us, you can also see how this appearance can lead to frustration following my point(s) here. I don't see how why it's so difficult to maintain "one official support site" among hundreds, or thousands of download sites. This would solve the "overworked" issue others have mentioned here. At least, in my opinion.

Originally Posted by Rigorous this site has been, imo, excellent about maintaining an exceptional level of "user-friendliness" and making it clear which mods are functional and current and which are not. that is a daunting task. but this again is not the author's responsibility. i would, however, agree that if it's not "maintained" that it should perhaps be taken down (assuming that the most recent version posted is not functioning), but would that solve this problem or only serve to make it worse?

Once again, I'd like to point out this is the best mod site on the net. I know that isn't without extreme effort by a few key individuals. I have no other real comment to make here other than this place is excellent. I always come here first, Curse second, and gaaah - IncGamers third (armed with my AV scanner) when I look for updated mods.

Originally Posted by Rigorous just because you seem to have a problem with it, doesn't mean it doesn't work for anyone. i have three FuBars on my screen and they cause me no trouble whatsoever.

You are among the lucky. What revision numbers are you running? Do you have any of the overlapping/bouncing frame/jittery casting bar issues found on the Fubar bug reporting site found on its bug reporting (Jira site)? There are quite a few people having these issues. I would like to know the personal sorcery you have applied in order to avoid the issues.

Originally Posted by Rigorous your real point seems to be "if you build it...and they come...then you gotta do even more" and i just don't think that's true. again, authors write addons as a hobby and those of us who are users have a responsibility to appreciate that fact instead of complaining with righteous indignation about how we aren't being spoon-fed updates and newer and better mods.

Bah, that isn't really my point. My point is simply I am surprised and sometimes disgusted that the two major panel mods sometimes fall (far) behind in updating to game version(s). That's all. The way I see it, if I were a developer and my mod achieved such a level of success, I would feel a greater responsbility to the community to keep my "stuff" together and keep it updated within my own personal time limitations/constraints. While these guys do great work, and I'm sure do the best they can, there are perhaps ways of increasing efficiency and making it easier on the community to continue enjoying these pieces of work. If you have issues that prevent being able to maintain updated projects, that's all fine and dandy. No one here (myself especially) is suggesting anyone needs to take on "more" personal work. I'm actually trying to simplify the process and make sense out of why things like this happen.

The bottom line is these are "major" mods. I very much appreciate the work put into developing them, and applaud the respective author's brilliance. I am not a programmer myself and can't really imagine how difficult it must be keeping up with Blizzard's rather careless practices of updating its own product(s). However, I do employ programmers from time to time and know a little about managing projects. I'm honestly trying to be constructive here, not destructive. I am not being self-righteous, nor unappreciative. I want to help address problems, or at least as I see them. Okay, maybe I just wanted to discuss the problems here as I have tremendous respect for this community and its contributors. Come on guys, most of you who read this site have to agree with some of my points.

What are some solutions? Or is this really just "the way it is and must be"? I love mods. I love mod sites. I consider each of you my close, personal friend Don't hate the player, hate the game? Okay, just kidding. Don't take my words too seriously. I'm not really griping without trying to offer something constructive. In any event, please don't be offended that I'm rather awkward in making my points.

Rather than attacking me or my style of communication, how can these problems be solved? I think we're all on the same side here.