This is as much for my sake in keeping track where I am as for any kind of public purpose. Don't expect updates often, as development is extremely sporadic, and is expected to take "a really long time."
[hyperminimalist] is a new template for Bulldrek v3, one which will be strikingly different from my previous two efforts [three if you count the default theme for X]; specifically, no attempt is being made at widespread compatibility, no efforts are being made to make this theme useable for a broad spectrum of users. [bulldrek] and [stripped] needed to be used by everyone, with all sorts of different screen sizes and browsers and lighting conditions and whatnot, so the themes were tested and tweaked and altered on the basis of user trial.
There are no such concessions in [hyperminimalist]. Since everyone doesn't /have/ to use it, it can be exactly what's wanted by a small spectrum of people, who want a more focussed experience on the board. I mean, if [bulldrek] sucked, a lot of people were screwed; if [hyperminimalist] sucks, people can just use something else! That's giving me a design freedom I haven't had in a long time, which is nice. That doesn't mean I won't make changes according to user feedback, but it does mean I'll be more cautious about implementing them.
The first release of [hyperminimalist] will feature a color never before seen on the board, Bulldrek Red. While Bulldrek Blue has been the standard for a few years, there are actually three Bulldrek colors, two of which I never got around to using. If I get ambitious after I'm done with the template, I'll make themes in Bulldrek Blue and Bulldrek Green, as well.
Development so far
- I've installed PHPTriad and the latest version of phpBB, and begun stripping index_body.tpl.
- overall_header.tpl and overall_footer.tpl have been cleared and rewritten.
- The first image, Eye of Horus, which will be the basis for the New Topic image and the No New Topic image, has just been completed. Well, "completed" probably isn't true, but the first version of the first image is done, so I feel pretty accomplished.
Well, jeez, everything else, I suppose. All the images, stripping viewforum and rewriting viewtopic and all the other pages, like the search page, userlist, posting screen, and so on.
I'm looking forward most to posting_body.tpl, as I've always felt it was cluttered and filled with unnecessary information, and lacked empasis on the real purpose of the screen, entering and editing information. I'll be removing the smilies interface, as well as all the buttons for bbcode; [hyperminimalist] assumes you've been using the board long enough to know how to make text bold or add the desired smilie. It will instead focus entirely on a larger and easier-to-use text input window, sized to match the eventual display on viewtopic.
That's about it for now. More as I [slowly] progress.
