[Hamwise]

http://bantermarket.com/drupal

This is a sandbox link for a new home page, something we have been meaning for a year to install and get working.

It's based on Drupal, a leaner alternative to the rather sluggish Joomla!. It has a lot of advanced caching and compression features for quick page loading, is very easy to configure (unlike Joomla's ridiculously complex and elaborate setup), and has some pretty superb themes with great style configuration.

If people approve of this, then, as it is a content-management system, we could start incorporating certain project websites, such as Labs, within this. It also has good blogging support.

[Amps]

I think the homepage only needs very minor changes such as:

• Container graphic for the text/links.
• Spelling of "surprise" in the ? box link generator fixed.
• Small log-in box, which would ideally use your forum credentials for every aspect of the site. One cookie to rule them all.

Aside from that, it's pretty great the way it is IMO. This could come in useful for Labs though.

[smr]

Yeah, the one cookie to rule them all is a little awkward for me, I'll have to change my office password

I would be sad if the ? block went away tbh.

[Hamwise]

Small log-in box, which would ideally use your forum credentials for every aspect of the site. One cookie to rule them all.

Let me applaud your PHP-wizardry in integrating both the forums, the Lab project that you worked on, and other aspects of this site with a single login. Well done.

However, integrating phpBB and a content management system? Look, we really need a good CMS - it helps streamline web design, good looks and provides a single, easy to set-up interface to our website. I don't think any of us can really be bothered piecing together a HTML and CSS effort. If you can find, or indeed code, a solution that would allow one cookie to fit all sizes, if you will, then that would be great. But implementing a CMS on top of what is a very basic front page won't hurt what we already have.

The CMS is still a work in progress, and there are definitely some design issues to resolve there. I will back up our existing front page (which is what, a PNG and an HTML file? Lol), and then implement Drupal on top of it, if no one objects.

[Amps]

If you can find, or indeed code, a solution that would allow one cookie to fit all sizes, if you will, then that would be great.

It's really not feasible anyway man. phpBB3 uses a custom hashing algorithm for passwords, this conflicts with the methods (probably MD5) by which the other systems encrypt, and would require recoding the login system for every other section to be integrated. Needless to say, I can't be arsed with that.

As for implementing Drupal on top (Drupal likes to be in control), experiment away. Just try to retain the glorious simplicity of our current homepage.

[smr]

Ideally to the point of leaving that random link button, which I think is awesomesauce.

[Starky]

I think the problem is just that the homepage is pointless. I, for one, never go to it because it's never updated. If we made, say, a feed with recents updates from the various parts of BM or small pages with info on the site, labs or /office etc. it would be both more useful and more professional-looking.

That's not to say I'm against the background and randomlinkage.

[smr]

Yeah, I agree with that. I think the current page just doesn't have enough content to make it worth going to very often but the bits that it does have are quirky and lovely.

[Hamwise]

We can still keep the background image/random link page for the sake of silliness.

The great thing about Drupal, like the old (2006-2007) Bantermarket, is that it too supports blogging and news updates. It's a decent CMS without the implied weight.

[Hamwise]

The home page now has Drupal installed and operational. All the original data from the old front page is now located in http://princeofthailand.com/home.backup/ .

We can start work on this CMS whenever we can be bothered. I still maintain that we integrate several existing services - such as Labs - into Drupal. You can log in with administrative privileges using the currently existing FTP/SSH login information.