[pmwiki-users] it's time to change pmwiki default skin!

Chris Cox ccox at endlessnow.com
Sun Sep 11 17:25:43 CDT 2011


On 09/11/2011 02:35 PM, Forgeot Eric wrote:
> Hello,
>
> why not proposing a new default pmwiki skin?
>
> - for the default installation
> - and for the http://www.pmwiki.org website?
>
> The current one is not attractive at all (blue, underlined links), it looks like it was designed in 1992, and therefore, it give the impression PmWiki is backward technology, and not powerful at all.
>
> Visit http://wordpress.org/ and http://www.pmwiki.org
> Which one is giving more confidence and self confidence?
>
> I think a skin like this one could be great: http://www.pmwiki.org/wiki/Cookbook/AlalikeSkin
>
> Or you could drive a contest for a default skin: it would give not only a better default skin, but also several new ones for the skin collection!
>

I agree that it might be time for another reorganization of how information is 
presented.... with the caveat that "good" reorganization would break linkages... 
so you can only go so far if that's important.

With regards to "the skin"... I like the simplicity of the skin... IMHO, what we 
need is BETTER documentation about skins.  I've created non-public skins that 
are absolutely amazing for PmWiki... skins which actually exploit PmWiki 
itself... something the current skin doesn't do too much of.  Of course, there 
are also features of PmWiki that did not exist at the time of "the skin"... so 
there is even more than could be done.

Perhaps what is needed is some "fun"... maybe a contest for skinning the site?

Just my opinion, but there still isn't a good skinning doc at PmWiki... and... 
(and I'll get dinged for this)... the contributed skins don't really do PmWiki 
justice either.  Just saying.  I think there are too many people that try to be 
raw HTML/javascript... and not enough that think PmWiki with regards to their 
skin designs.  Again, just saying.

As an example... the logo... it should be an included page.  In fact it could be 
a multi-fall back included page... so that it could change based on context 
even.  And the same could be done for page banners and the like.  All of this is 
DEFAULT PmWiki... skins should be SIMPLE... customizations should be elegant and 
leverage the power of PmWiki... again... just saying.

For me, if people could see the elegance of a skin design that truly leverages 
PmWiki instead of HTML (again, the current skin does some work to present a 
SearchBox... and in all fairness, that can be DONE using PmWiki markup...)... if 
people could see that elegance of design.... IMHO, it helps truly sell it... 
anyone can create a bunch of blinky lights and hard coded HTML and javascript... 
but NONE of that is really PmWiki.  Just saying...



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