[support] questions

[Mohammed al-shar']

larry,
thanks for answering. I do think some clerification is needed:
in my second point I didn't mean to sound that firy, and I don't think anyone would get here if he / she doesn't already understand the spirit of open source software. I was trying to make the point, that unlike other open source cms, drupal isn't so much focused in intigrating some basic modules in the distribution. how can you explain this policy? may be you core developers have some inlightening thoughts. in what ways does drupal try to be different from other cms systems? I am just seeking knowledge, no fights are needed. I already use drupal alot and is a big fan, and so no flaming is meant.
as for registration, well, I already know that, but the trouble is that many users would register and never come back to the sight, but their accounts would still be active. I saw a module specific for 4.7 which automatically band users who exceeds some set time. I am still using 4.65 and I think I'd stick to it until somebody voulenteers to make goofy a php templet theme.
again, thanks for taking the time to answer.
regards,
mohammed.
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Larry Garfield 
  To: support at drupal.org 
  Sent: Sunday, March 12, 2006 11:22 PM
  Subject: Re: [support] questions


  On Sunday 12 March 2006 08:56, Mohammed al-shar' wrote:

  > hello all.

  > 1st, once drupal 4.7 becomes a reality, will version 4.65 still be

  > supported? and for how long? what is the policy. 


  Current policy is that a release is given legacy support for one release. That is, 4.5.x is supported now and will be until 4.7 is released, 4.6 is the current stable and will be supported until 4.8 is released, 4.7 will soon be stable and will be supported until 4.9 is released, etc. (Of course, we could skip numbers, but you get the idea.) "Supported" in this case means "gets security patches periodically". 4.7 is also going to get non-breaking-things bug fixes too, if I recall its release maintainer correctly.


  > 2nd, I see that drupal 

  > already is a powerful platform and has been maintained for long, yet, I

  > must say I don't like the attitude of some of the core developers "if you

  > don't like it, creat it" or something of the sort. I am saying this

  > because, we drupal users deserve to get basic functionality available in

  > drupal, like a web-link directory, a more secure guestbook, a faq, etc. not

  > all of us know how to code modules. 


  There's nothing Drupal specific about that. Any volunteer-based open source project has the same statement: "We write what we feel like, or what someone pays us to write." No developer owes you something unless you've given or agreed to give him something in return; that could be money, could be time spent reviewing patches, could be time spent writing documentation, could be time spent answering questions on the forums... There's lots of ways you can do a tit-for-tat with open source developers, but very few will give you a tit without getting some tat in return. 


  Talking about how you "deserve" their time and energy without offering something in return for it is a sure-fire way to get them upset and make them not want to do anything you ask for.


  That's still more than you get with any proprietary program, where "give us money and maybe we'll think about it if the marketing execs decide to" is the only option.


  > 3d, is there a way we could make the 

  > registration to drupal based sites more secure, mainly by making users have

  > to activate their accounts via email, like most other cms? please, don't

  > say captcha. thanks in advance.

  > mohammed.


  Users already have to go to their email to get their initial password. If you want more restrictive accounts, you can set Drupal to require admin approval of new accounts before they become "real". Is that sufficient? 


  (If you're trying to avoid spambots, then a "click here to activate your account" link in an email is no more secure than emailing the password in the email. Both are easily scrapable by a bot that can then use either one to fake its way in.)


  -- 

  Larry Garfield AIM: LOLG42 

  larry at garfieldtech.com ICQ: 6817012 


  "If nature has made any one thing less susceptible than all others of exclusive property, it is the action of the thinking power called an idea, which an individual may exclusively possess as long as he keeps it to himself; but the moment it is divulged, it forces itself into the possession of every one, and the receiver cannot dispossess himself of it." -- Thomas Jefferson



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