[Typo3-dev] templa voila new version, when ?

[Robert Lemke]

Hi Jens,

Jens wrote:

> I think Robert talked about a new TV version some time ago.
> This is one of the most used extensions. But it is still in alpha stage.
> I dont get it. I saw alot of marketing news on typo3.org recently. But it
> would be nice if one of the biggest pros of typo3 would be completed.
> 
> Why is it that TV doesnt seem very important to the developers ?

It is important. And many other things are important, too. The reason why I
didn't continue developing TemplaVoila was that there were many urgent
tasks waiting.

Imagine you'd have the following tasks waiting, in which order would you
start working on them?

  - TYPO3.org gets slower and slower, we need to move the site to a more
    stable and powerful platform and develop a completely new extension
    repository. punkt.de offers to sponsor the developement financially!

  - The overall development of TYPO3 needs to be organized, a roadmap has
    to be created and development of different features coordinated. 
    Architectural improvements have to be planned which requires the 
    introduction of new programming techniques. If we don't do that now,
    TYPO3 will be old-fashioned and outdated in a few years.

  - The communication flow must be improved, because it is 
    complicated publishing news we need a centralized and more flexible
    news system. An investment into the future would be a news portal,
    news.typo3.org

  - As the project grows, it gets more and more important communicating
    the common goals, visions and values. Before we can communicate them,
    we need to find out what they are, we need a branding process which 
    starts with a search for a vision and mission.

  - TYCON3, the first TYPO3 conference gives us the oporunity to share
    knowledge and the latest ideas about using TYPO3 and making it a
    better tool. Talks have to be planned.

  - Because you don't earn any money with the above tasks, you need a
    commercial project which consumes some time, too.

  - Requests for improving your extensions arrive every day. People would 
    like to see further development of rlmp_languagedetect, 
    frontendformslib, rlmp_eventdb, templavoila, timtaw, flash detection and 
    the Documents Suite. 

  -  and so on

I don't think that it's unique in the project that I do a lot of things,
many others do great work, too. But as soon as your workload gets above
100% you have to sort out tasks and sort them, give them priorities. 

Back to your question: What happens with TemplaVoila, new version, when? As
you have seen, TemplaVoila 1.0 is announced to be released with TYPO3 4.0
in December this year. So that is possibly the answer to your question.

I plan to resume my work on TemplaVoila a few weeks after TYCON3 because I
first want to finish the new TER which is more urgent. However, I will
definately need sponsorship for TV otherwise I can't work on it. During the
next weeks I will prepare such a call for sponsorship and I am confident
that there are a few people who will support me so I can support them.

One last remark to your post: You wrote: "I dont get it. I saw alot of
marketing news on typo3.org recently. But it would be nice if one of the
biggest pros of typo3 would be completed.". That honors Kaspers and my work
of course, when you call TemplaVoila one of the biggest pros. But I have to
say that I'm really not involved in marketing, so if there are marketing
news, they don't keep me from developing.

Cheers,
Robert

-- 
Robert Lemke
TYPO3 Association - Research & Development
Member of the board
http://association.typo3.org