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Links 3.2.0 release Status

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Links 3.2.0 release Status
I am seeing all kinds of conversation but nothing solid as to how stable this version is. With each upgrade there are bugs, fixes and template changes. Does anyone have the status on this situation? Also does anyone have a list of what’s upgraded, is it worth the upgrade or more prudent to wait for the next upgrade?


Sandra Roussel
Chonsa Group Design - Fresh Start Housing
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Re: [SandraR] Links 3.2.0 release Status In reply to
I'm not sure of how many people have upgraded to 3.2, but so far, I haven't gotten many bug reports. As usual, you can see a list of the changes in the announcements forum. The 3.2 changelog is here: http://www.gossamer-threads.com/...orum.cgi?post=293406

Adrian
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Re: [brewt] Links 3.2.0 release Status In reply to
WOW - lots of changes - I look forward to working on the upgrade this weekend and will annotate any bugs I find [IF] any bugs are found.

By the way IMPRESSIVE update - I've been using AJAX as a CSS add-on, looks like this is going to be fun.

Thanks Brewt for the thread reference.


Sandra Roussel
Chonsa Group Design - Fresh Start Housing
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Re: [SandraR] Links 3.2.0 release Status In reply to
If you subscribe to the Announcements forum, you can get notification of updates as soon as we post them.

Edit: Actually, the subscribe feature only notifies of new posts once a day...

Adrian

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brewt: Sep 7, 2006, 8:31 PM
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Re: [brewt] Links 3.2.0 release Status In reply to
FWIW I know it's a bit late, but the 3.2.0 update has been a good one, though I haven't really stressed it.

The AJAX category system is a really nice feature for picking categories, but it's a little less descriptive than it needs to be on the template side for the users. I know I keep forgetting to pick a category when adding a site. It's got a more modern feel that goes well with the Luna/CSS template sets. I have yet to use it on a larger site, but I'm sure the advantages there are what people have wanted for a long time.

There are still a lot of "quirks" in the core system that have not been addressed, but when this system is compared to a lot of others (mostly in PHP) that I have been forced to use on other sites, there is no comparason. The other sites simply pale in comparason. I'm less interested in the bells/whistles than I am core functionality, stability, and performance, and FLEXIBILITY -- and the other systems have sacrificed so much of that to add in flash, js, advanced css, and such that they have forgotten you need a FOUNDATION to build on. Their changes cause entire rewrites of their code base.

I have made substantial changes to my sites, and have been able to have them carried through all the upgrades to Links/GL3 with minor changes to headers or a few template tags.

I've also made substantial changes to how the sites look, feel, and operate, without having to rewrite any core code. Only template changes and some plugins.

I remember I was able to "clone" the ebay auction/item page in Links 2.0 in a day (there was no payment gateway at that point, so that's where it all hung up). This summer I was able to do some pretty amazing things with the template parser (GForum has been using the power of the templates a bit more than the other GT programs, possibly because it was not a legacy item), and I'm still impressed how by creating stub-subroutines you can let the templates decide what to do (and thus, have complete control over your sites look/feel without programming). Using <%function%> and loops you can do pretty impressive things *WITHOUT* changing any code (for example, I have been able to allow a user to change the way images in a category display from list format to slide-page format by setting a preference in their profile or clicking a link). Almost as significant a change to the look-feel as a new .css file could be.

I compare that to other sites that have had to rewrite their entire "logic" from the ground up to move on to the next stage, or to handle the traffic they are getting ,and their sites have been down or crippled variously from months to even years.

So, sometimes slow and steady wins the race. We all waited a *long* time for the 2.x system, and upgrades, and none of us using the system can honestly say it wasn't worth it. The template parser is an awesome piece of code, and if used properly can do everything PHP does and more (because you have a perl and GT backend).

I haven't upgraded all my sites to 3.2, and I'm sure there are a lot of people who are still considering it, but FWIW I don't remember a single upgrade from GT that people had to roll back from because it wasn't working. (or which wasn't fixed immediately).

So, just another comment on keeping current, and sticking with the GT engine products for site development.


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