WebSite Mockups

[exeterdad]

rbistolfi:

Your nifty gizmo has already proved useful to me.  I'm working on some packages for VL5.9, and was building some needed deps.  I wanted to see if the deps needed have been built for 5.8 or if they were later versions.  So I went to your search thingie and WHAM.  I knew the answers.

You rock my friend!

[rbistolfi]

I am very glad Exeter! Seriously, I thougth in packagers and power users looking for useful info about packages and the way they were built. I am very happy this is useful in this way. I hope I can add the full 5.8 repo soon. And adding the 5.9 repo could be good too. Its really easy, but I am short of time right now, and I lost my internet connection a few month ago at home (I am at work right now). I hope the provider can fix it soon.
Thank you very much for your kindness.

[rbistolfi]

Hi guys, I keep working on this. The duplicated results issue is not solved yet. I cant isolate the problem, array_unique() and similar array functions did not work. I cant find the differences in both array positions so I cant explain why. I am cleaning the code so hopefuly will be more easy to me to find out the problem. I will upload some improvements when I can. The code is cleaner now and it  runs a little faster, and I am adding the others 5.8 repos now. I got an apache+php package for my PDA (a Zaurus Collie) so I can work on this even in the bus (or the train, I take it more often) .

[rbistolfi]

Hi, I was able to upload some improvements, same link.
Let me know what you think

[blurymind]

I worked on the graphic files,trying out various variations. For the code i am going to pester a friend who knows more php than me.

Also,added link button to the Package search utility:

Vectorlinux ver4
http://blurymind.googlepages.com/vectorlinux-main4.html

variations of the logo+buttons:
http://blurymind.googlepages.com/vl-top.png
http://blurymind.googlepages.com/vl-top2.png

I also have one with a blue globe.

Decided that it will be silly to use VL's official emblem there,since it is already used everywhere else (including a couple of inches lower) 
I am also working on a better looking rocket (more distinks colors,smoother shape)

Links on the big logo (navigation) will work later on. I am thinking into using java/flash to make drop down menus for the navigation.

About > VL flavours
            >how is vector different from the others
            >changes in the latest version ( a page to collect info about whats changed in latest version,new things, package versions in it (link to distrowatch  for that maybe?)...
           >Maybe these can be put on one place and about to link to it directly. Less locations>simple site>better navigation

Download> directly link to dl page (flavours,torrents,mirrors)

community> VL Forum
                   > VL chat
                    >VL wiki
                   >or link only to VL forum.We already have the links to those places

Search> package search
               >forum search
              >wiki search
              >Or only link to Package search, we already have the links to those places elsewhere.
           

My goals: Make the main page prettier
Add more info as a whole
make it more usefull and well organised
drastically simplify it

[Dweeberkitty]

Looks good, go with the blue globe. The gold thing doesn't fit. You might want to consider a completely different graphic than the globe thing, possibly, VL's default logo? I see you did that with vl-top2.png but the gold color needs to go. Keep it up!

[blurymind]

as i said above,we already have Vl's logo all over the place.I want to experiment with another graphic.Its use it or lose it  but still open to suggestions/ideas...
Dont you like the golden globe? I think it looks marvelous with the stars and ads shiny color to the blue. There is almost no contrast if everything is blue,and yellow goes well with blue.

if you want to innovate,you have to experiment , lets decide about the globe color with a poll and see which is better,eh? But the poll should be outside the forum,open to people. Lets say at kde-look or xfce-look.There is a voting system,aint it?

[rbistolfi]

Excellent work Blury! I like the golden globe with the V. I think the gold gives a nice variation and contrast with the blue. The rocket looks nice, perhaps you can use it in other place.
Metvas suggested to incorporate green to the vl color scheme, I think is a good idea, if you use a green closer to the blue.
Perhaps we have to find a way for organizing the info and improve the use of the screen size. There is a lot going on in VL, as vpackager, and vasmCC. Some writing about those things could be good. We have nice writers in the forum. One section I would like to see is something like "Meet the developers". Some kind of report or interview a bit technical, about the vl system. Goals and special features of the distro. What and why something is different or special in the vl system. I am looking for some exposure in google . The multimedia bonus disc is something to mention too. An article like "Multimedia editing in Linux" is a good way to appear in google searches and attract new users. When you have a problem and you do some googling, Gentoo is always there. Well, I am thinking in something like that. Once the site is up, could be good to write something like "Web developing in Linux", we provide the packages, the "know how", etc.
Just some ideas.   

I am thinking into using java/flash to make drop down menus for the navigation.

I like the idea of drop downs menus in those places, but I prefer some css + javascript.

My goals: Make the main page prettier
Add more info as a whole
make it more usefull and well organised
drastically simplify it

The goals are perfect, the last one specially.

[exeterdad]

css + javascript

Agreed.  Pure Css is best, but with javascript if needed to make IE play nice.  The Tri-fecta buttons are the best IMO.  It's triple Google bait.

[blurymind]

Here is a mockup of the VL-Projects page:
http://blurymind.googlepages.com/vectorlinux-projects.html

Also thought up a more live news interaction for the main page. It will be made in 3 parts:

http://blurymind.googlepages.com/vectorlinux-main5.html

>distro overview+ a screenshot
>Latest avaiable version overview (whats new-->links)
>Vector Linux Planet: Show the latest 3 or 4 blog posts of active vecteloper's blogs. For that we will need vectelopers who are willing to write news reports for what they are doing and whats cooking up under the hood lately. The posts should have entertaining value as well- news from the linux world could be included. 

Sepparatedly we should have a http://Planet.Vectorlinux.com page that shows more than 3 or 4 vecteloper blog posts,where we can have meet the developers interviews. I can also link to project's leader blog at the VL-Projects page.
I will link to VL-project page from main page's latest distro release announcement.
We can use avaiable blogging systems or set up our own. blogger is not bad.

I let this to be decided by those who are willing to write for it.

One other main goal: Make the main page dynamic and changing rapidly with new content,so people keep checking it.This is one way to do it and get some of the crowd of the forum to check on the page as well.  Active content.

Also- need i remind you fellas how important the website is for a distro? Its like the book cover, the presentation of the product,its everything!
I am curently looking for more coding help to make these mockups functional and clean up their code. Curently they are just mock ups. The final idea is not formed completely,so open for suggestions.
There are some things to be ironed out in the layout and the design. I am working on the graphic files.

[rbistolfi]

I gave a quick shot to the drop down menu. I just took one from dynamicdrive.com and made some customizations.

http://www.caleuautopartes.com.ar/temp/vectorlinux/vlmenu/menu.html

[GrannyGeek]

I'm looking forward to the redesign.

To be brief, I like the golden globe but I don't like the rocket ship (is that what it is?) As I look at it, I have no idea what it is. It looks like a growth of some sort. And is that a person encased in it? I prefer this one: http://blurymind.googlepages.com/vl-top2.png , though I'm not sure what those electron-like lines around the globe are doing.

I pretty much detest the rounded corners on the Vector Linux banner. Rounded corners say "amateur" to me. I also don't like the striped background in the banner.

Sorry to sound so negative. I know it's a lot of work to do this redesign. I think it's very much needed, as our present Home Page looks very old-fashioned, IMHO.
--GrannyGeek

[rbistolfi]

To be brief, I like the golden globe but I don't like the rocket ship (is that what it is?) As I look at it, I have no idea what it is. It looks like a growth of some sort. And is that a person encased in it? I prefer this one: http://blurymind.googlepages.com/vl-top2.png , though I'm not sure what those electron-like lines around the globe are doing.

I like both of them, but I prefer the one with the "V" too. I think is a nice variation of the vl logo, and I was wanting to see a non-real globe already. Hmm, I think there is no person there, but we don't have to be realistic, no? I like to think about it as an abstract detail, but perhaps is a window. But lets live that for the author 
I though the "electrons" were something like equatorial lines. I like them, they gives a 3d look.

I pretty much detest the rounded corners on the Vector Linux banner. Rounded corners say "amateur" to me. I also don't like the striped background in the banner.

I think that needs work too, but I looked at it as a draft, I think is a resized image and lost some sharpness, that happens in a work in progress. A suggestion could be just avoid the roundness, and make it look as a full horizontal stripe.

The striped background is indeed something new. Honestly, I love it, but I understand is not for everybody, as Zoroaster   .

[blurymind]

rbistolfi,and grannygeek> thank you for the feedback. I've taken everything into consideration and stripped off the stripes and the rocket:



Rbistolfi> Sweet  the menu looks nice

I will also make a version with proper borders and maybe do a bit more variations. The borders were a wip indeed.I was going to fix them at the end,but had no time at the time.

How about I put some borders on the buttons?   Maybe add smaller stripes in the mix..

[rbistolfi]

I will miss the stripes 
One idea for buttons border would be a big vertical plain button. Something like

|              ||              |
|              ||              |
|              ||              |
|  About    || Download |
|________ ||_________|