STEP:State of STEP/2017-02-3: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 18:17, February 3, 2017

Template:State of STEP

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 === New Server ===
-That's right! We're going to be moving to a new server soon! This is one of the necessities of our planned redesign of the project. Currently we're running on an older server in terms of features and technology. We only recently received a free upgrade to SSD drives; however, the rest of the server is still lacking for our needs. We're going to be moving to a server with 64-bit support and 8GB of memory to better support the growing demands of the site. Once this move is complete, we shouldn't run into any of those older issues of the site going down due to the demand being placed on the server.
+That's right! We're going to be moving to a new server soon! This is one of the necessities of our planned redesign of the project. Currently we're running on an older server in terms of features and technology. We only recently received a free upgrade to SSD drives; however, the rest of the server is still lacking for our needs. We're going to be moving to a server with 64-bit support and 8GB of memory to better support the growing demands of the site. Once this move is complete, we shouldn't run into any of those pesky issues of the site going down due to the demand being placed on the server.
 === Drupal ===
-We're redesigning the front-end of the project! For quite some time we have wanted to move away from just being a forum and wiki project. Therefore, we're moving the project into the modern age and building a front-end website which will house much of what the wiki now houses. The STEP Guide and various other guides on the wiki will likely be our first targets to move to the front-end and off the wiki. News releases and articles such as this State of STEP article will also be produced and released on the front-end rather than the wiki. Much of this is will be done to eliminate unnecessary processes taking place on the wiki which are better suited for other platforms. Our platform of choice being Drupal.
+We're redesigning the front-end of the project! For quite some time we have wanted to move away from just being a forum and wiki. Therefore, we're moving the project into the modern age and building a front-end website which will house much of what the wiki now houses. The STEP Guide and various other guides on the wiki will likely be our first targets to move to the front-end and off the wiki. News releases and articles such as this State of STEP article will also be produced and released on the front-end rather than the wiki. Much of this will be done with the goal of eliminating unnecessary processes taking place on the wiki which are better suited for other platforms. Our platform of choice for the front-end is Drupal. We will be designing what we need from the ground up.
 === Mod Picker ===
-Probably one of the biggest changes to our processes will be to stop using the wiki for Guide development. After much testing, we've decided to take Mator up on his challenge and use Mod Picker as the core of how we put together our Guide releases. No, this does not mean users will be required to have a Mod Picker account to use the Guide. Through the magic of APIs, we'll be creating our Guides using Mod Picker and pulling them together on out front-end to present the Guides on our website.
+Probably one of the biggest changes to our back-end will be to stop using the wiki for Guide development. After much testing, we've decided to take Mator up on his challenge and use Mod Picker as the core of how we put together our Guide releases. No, this does not mean users will be required to have a Mod Picker account to use the Guide. Through the magic of APIs, we'll be creating our Guides using Mod Picker and pulling them together on the front-end to present the Guides on our website. Mator has graciously offered to help will this development and will be personally heading up most of it where the Guide and Mod Picker is concerned.
 === Forum ===
-The forums will remain mainly in the state they are in now, besides possibly getting an upgrade to the latest software version. The look may also change depending on the design theme that we go with. This would only be to bring the forums, wiki, and front-end into a more unified theme across the three platforms.
+The forums will mainly remain in the state they are in now, besides possibly getting an upgrade to the latest software version. The look may also change depending on the design theme that we decide on for the front-end. This would only be to bring the forums, wiki, and front-end into a more unified theme across all three platforms.
 === Wiki ===
-Like the forums, the wiki will not change much besides getting an update to the latest software version and possibly a theme change to match the rest of the platforms. Certain aspects of the wiki will be changed, however. For example, the CSS Extension which allows for the inclusion of external CSS via a special wiki page will be removed. This will be done to keep the theme of the wiki consistent. Inline CSS will still work for users who feel the need to changes elements on their user pages.
+Like the forums, the wiki will not change much besides getting an update to the latest software version and possibly a theme change to match the rest of the platforms. Certain aspects of the wiki will be changed, however. For example, the CSS Extension which allows for the inclusion of external CSS via a special wiki page will be removed. The main use of this feature has been on third-party guides hosted on our wiki such as Skyrim Redesigned and Fear & Loathing. The elimination of this extension will be done to keep the theme of the wiki consistent. Inline CSS will still work for users who feel the need to changes elements on their user pages. Other systematic processes will also be eliminated to bring the wiki into check. The last thing which has already started taking place is the removal of images hosted on the wiki which are better suited hosted elsewhere or are not being used at all. Users wanting to post images to the wiki are encouraged to use a third-party host such as Postimage for there personal use. Images meant for guides and community knowledge are okay and should be uploaded to the wiki so they can be retained over time.
-|SoSstaff=;Z
-: Z has mainly been focusing on life and has taken a seat on the "back-burner" for a while. He will be around for the redevelopment, but will not likely have a large presence on the forums as he once had. This torch has largely been past on to Tech. Z will still pop in from time to time, but will mainly be handling the financial side of the project. Servers do cost money after all.
+=== Donations ===
+As always, if you like the project consider donating to us so that we can keep things up and running for all. We now have two options for donating. One option is a one-time donation via PayPal of any amount desired. The second option is a reoccurring donation that is being called a "Subscription". You can find this link at the top of the forums. It will allow for a reoccurring $1 donation on a time period that you choose. Even if only 100 of our 10,000+ members signed up for a reoccurring $1 monthly donation, the majority of our monthly operating costs will be covered. STEP members take none of these funds. We do what we do for free because we love to do it! All donations go directly towards our operational costs and nothing else!
+|SoSstaff=;Z929669
+: Z has mainly been focusing on life and has taken a seat on the "back-burner" for a while. He will be around for the redevelopment, but will not likely have as large of a presence on the forums as he once had. This torch has largely been past on to Tech. Z will still pop in from time to time, but will mainly be handling the financial side of the project. Servers do cost money after all.
 ;Stoppingby4now