You know, once you realise (as I just did, in a comment on my last post) that this easytags idea is actually just about giving wordpress.com users the ability to edit themes without the ability to execute PHP directly — the proposed tags will only be used in the online editor, and are therefore pointless for anyone with FTP access — the knicker-twisting on wp-hackers gets exponentially more amusing.
None of the people involved in that discussion have even mentioned wordpress.com. I find that split interesting. It’s like every coder not on the Automattic payroll has forgotten it exists. This is probably because they can’t chuck any code in here so it is basically worthless to them.
Matt 2:43 am on May 12, 2006 Permalink |
Give the tin-foil hat a rest. Executing PHP directly is not the primary concern about having people editing templates, PHP has a built-in lexical parser and it’s relatively easy to whitelist functions and arguments that you want. There are much bigger issues, particularly with usability and support, which means it makes much more sense for us to focus our time on things like Regulus-type functionality for all themes. I’m really interested in it primarily for the segment of WP.org users I described on the list.
wank 5:15 pm on May 13, 2006 Permalink |
Let me get this straight — you’re not letting people edit or upload themes because it’s too much hassle to support them, and letting us mislead people on the forums that it’s all to do with security and centralization of the template files? Will the same rationale apply to paid users, or will the ‘money can’t buy you support’ ethos of wp.org carry on over here? As a support volunteer, I guess I should be thanking you because I’m one of those who’d be swamped by the deluge of theme questions on the .com forums. That said, the .org volunteers seem to handle most theme-related questions reasonably well, and you don’t seem too bothered by the possibility that they won’t cope with the deluge of questions a dual templating system would bring about.
Would you at least agree that wordpress.com has been a factor in this sudden championing of easytags, which you’ve been saying ‘no’ to for years ? I can see how working here, where you believe your target audience will freak out if confronted with XHTML and CSS (and whether this is true or just patronising is a whole different issue) might clue you in on what a huge jump it would be for such a user to move to wp.org (primarily in order to customise their blog) and suddenly have to look at PHP functions. If you won’t admit that, fine. I can also see why you might not care to mention wordpress.com in the context of general WP development, but that’s another story.
Theme options are fine, as far as they go. Mostly they don’t go anywhere near far enough, at least not if you’re seriously looking to compete with the majority of free blog hosts who do offer full customisability. I can change my header image, sure, but I can’t change the colour of the text on top of it so I’m fairly limited in what images I can use. I can’t change my link or header colours either. If this is the ultimate functionality you’re prepared to give us, I’m inclined to advise you not to bother screwing with the other themes. And it’s difficult to see how you’d introduce options to some themes anyway (change the colours and header on Dusk?)