Warrick isn't the last... I also had an affair with K2... She was after all so complete, so stable, flexible and just plain sexy... Now she has let her self go and although I still love her I'm just not getting anything out of the relationship either, so, with a tear in my eye I must also move on. I wish her the best of luck but we just don't seem to communicate or want the same things anymore...k2: You're dumped.

 

Rashid Lakhlu said:

another fan lost =(

nooooooooo..... dun leave me here all alone!!!!11

Chris James said:
Warrick isn't the last... I also had an affair with K2... She was after all so complete, so stable, flexible and just plain sexy... Now she has let her self go and although I still love her I'm just not getting anything out of the relationship either, so, with a tear in my eye I must also move on. I wish her the best of luck but we just don't seem to communicate or want the same things anymore...k2: You're dumped.

 

Rashid Lakhlu said:

another fan lost =(

Well I'm still here for now!

 

Just started another project with 1.5 and K2 as it does the job so well

 

I'm still hoping they can pull something decent out the bag for 1.7 but its' getting critical now

They will for sure, since some of their partners like gavick release their extensions with 2.5 support

 

the only problem so far is time....

 

i have fixed few critical bugs for k2 on j1.7 but cant manage get the Category linking to work when enabling sh404 =(

@Rashid If you havent, please put the bug fixes you made in the report bugs section.

Thanks for your good work

Will do so tomorrow evening after work, its a night time at my place

 

Whats been done:

1) made k2 seacrh function to work on joomla core search

2) little css fixes, (had some probs with pixellove template with k2 2.5)

3) fixed the problem when registred users couldnt comment when "Registred users to comment" function is on

4) fixed the search according to tags function

 

To do:

1) sh404 category linking integration

2) tag cloud

 

William White said:

@Rashid If you havent, please put the bug fixes you made in the report bugs section.

Thanks for your good work

I'd love to stick around Rashid... But lack of official comment has just made many of us twitchy as our own businesses USED to rely on K2 (see older comments) and are exposed to a degree by this lack of 'support'.

I may come back IF it's ever sorted but why bother when i have learned a new and (currently) superior system.
Rashid Lakhlu said:

nooooooooo..... dun leave me here all alone!!!!11
Chris James said:
Warrick isn't the last... I also had an affair with K2... She was after all so complete, so stable, flexible and just plain sexy... Now she has let her self go and although I still love her I'm just not getting anything out of the relationship either, so, with a tear in my eye I must also move on. I wish her the best of luck but we just don't seem to communicate or want the same things anymore...k2: You're dumped.

 

Rashid Lakhlu said:

another fan lost =(

Chris,

Do tell what have you found that is superior? I hope that along with being better than K2 it is actually supported or at the very least not so ignorantly put together that I need 40 hours of dedicated time just to learn how to muddle through the parameters that are there because the developer obviously has no vision?

Like you K2 has left me with a bad taste and I am tired of the non-existent support that I get with it. I guess when the developer hides behind the "It is free so we don't need to support it" clause this is exactly what we should expect. However I too need a solution that works and since K2 has always had bugs that never got fixed I dont see any reason to stay around to see if they have been fixed for 1.7 which I would imagine since the developers did not see any reason to fix them for 1.5 I highly doubt anything is going to change EVER with this half baked extension.

So please share with us what you are looking at as a viable solution so those of us who want to get on with our businesses can stop lurking in the shadows of the K2 forum hoping for some sign of life from these developers?

From memory, Chris was looking at Zoo for smaller projects, but Seblod CCK for more long-term larger projects.

 

Previous comments on the two have summed up that Zoo is more like K2, has great documentation and very very poor support. Seblod on the other hand is a lot harder to get started with and works in a manner that extends the core of Joomla to enable capabilities similar to K2. 

 

I too am worried about K2 and am looking down the barrel of having to switch. I've written several reasonably popular blog posts on K2, including integrating Disqus. It's been a fantastic solution and something that I've deployed on almost every client site in the last few years.

 

Although I deliberately avoided 1.6, I want to get started on 1.7 - a lot of extension devs are supporting it and it's now past time to start working with it. I've got a young family and was forced to rebuild my business from scratch 18 months ago. I don't have time to learn additional platforms or extensions just for the fun of it. If I am forced to leave K2, it'll be for good.

 

And for Joomlaworks that means no more purchases of SIG Pro, or Frontpage Slideshow or any other other extensions I've been purchasing for clients until now.

 

Ironic that they've finally made Frontpage Slideshow compatible with K2 (it's been what, 2 or 3 years now?!?!) and we're all likely jumping ship.


Kevin Morrison said:

Chris,

Do tell what have you found that is superior? I hope that along with being better than K2 it is actually supported or at the very least not so ignorantly put together that I need 40 hours of dedicated time just to learn how to muddle through the parameters that are there because the developer obviously has no vision?

Like you K2 has left me with a bad taste and I am tired of the non-existent support that I get with it. I guess when the developer hides behind the "It is free so we don't need to support it" clause this is exactly what we should expect. However I too need a solution that works and since K2 has always had bugs that never got fixed I dont see any reason to stay around to see if they have been fixed for 1.7 which I would imagine since the developers did not see any reason to fix them for 1.5 I highly doubt anything is going to change EVER with this half baked extension.

So please share with us what you are looking at as a viable solution so those of us who want to get on with our businesses can stop lurking in the shadows of the K2 forum hoping for some sign of life from these developers?

@Kevin

See Kelsey's response... He sums it up nicely on my behalf (thanks Kelsey).

 

@Lance

Your point is of course valid, but this does not (in my opinion) detract from the fact that other developers ARE moving forward and many extensions are not as fundamental (dare I say crucial) to making Joomla the ultimate system.

As well as Joomla I also use Wordpress and Magento for projects depending on requirement and in general I find although updates and new versions for both systems are fairly 'regular' anyone that is SERIOUS about it's users/followers stay up to date and develop their own products to keep up.

 

As I have said here before... It is the lack of 'Official' comment that I think worries users (like myself) and gives the appearance of not being bothered. These guys are not 100% opensource and several great COMMERCIAL mods/components/scripts so it's not like they are not aware of the need for their efforts.

 

I'm sure that JoomlaWorks is working on K2, and on their own schedule and they've said they'll release it when it's ready.


I sincerely hope your faith is rewarded (SOON). I can't run a business on faith.

The good news for me is that K2 has exposed to me a weakness in my own business i.e. that I should not RELY on any single solution (mod/component) to do a job.

 

 

Kevin Morrison said:

Chris,

Do tell what have you found that is superior? I hope that along with being better than K2 it is actually supported or at the very least not so ignorantly put together that I need 40 hours of dedicated time just to learn how to muddle through the parameters that are there because the developer obviously has no vision?

Like you K2 has left me with a bad taste and I am tired of the non-existent support that I get with it. I guess when the developer hides behind the "It is free so we don't need to support it" clause this is exactly what we should expect. However I too need a solution that works and since K2 has always had bugs that never got fixed I dont see any reason to stay around to see if they have been fixed for 1.7 which I would imagine since the developers did not see any reason to fix them for 1.5 I highly doubt anything is going to change EVER with this half baked extension.

So please share with us what you are looking at as a viable solution so those of us who want to get on with our businesses can stop lurking in the shadows of the K2 forum hoping for some sign of life from these developers?

The "You get what you pay for" idea undermines the whole concept of 21 Century thinking and  "Open Source" - Microsoft thought Encarta would never have any serious competition from Wikipedia as it was FREE... The only place you will buy Encarta now is Ebay while wikipedia (for all its errors/ommissions) flourishes.

So, i would say the FREE of OpenSource still has a higher value than what is/could actually be paid in cash. However, the price (as you have touched upon) is research/time rather than a call to support and hard cash.

That said, (as i run a business) I would prioritize the revenue streams too... But I would also protect myself by making sure the breadcrumbs i had used to build my business were still valid or i may isolate the very people that give me that revenue.

i have bought many items from JoomlaWorks and installed them for clients... However as a result of FEELING left out in the dark, i will in all probabliily take my business elsewhere as (too me) that important factor that helps run a business has currently been lost: Credibility.

As i'm sure you're aware having read this thread... i'm not alone. I will however take a look at twitter and see what the latest update is as i really would like K2 to work...

 

i'm sure it will give the K2 team (if they do ever read this thread) a warm feeling that many users like yourself are so loyal...

 

 

Lance Thompson said:

You are right but you also have to take into account that fact that K2 is free and as with free software, you get what you pay for. Support for Joomla itself requires a LOT of forum searching, posting, Googling, and more.

Also, Joomla Works has made an official announcement via Twitter. Joomla Works' sites could definitely use some streamlining to improve communication, but if I were them, I'd be prioritize the things that bring in revenue too.

I'm not trying to persuade you in any direction and you've got to be the one who makes the proper decisions for you and your clients.

Lance, I think it goes without saying that the JoomlaWorks team decided to build this awesome tool and regardless that it is free and I know anyone that has used it thanks them for giving such a great tool to Joomla (I know I do!) but the fact is they should have taken support into account free or otherwise. As we all know they do have commercial products (Some that integrate with K2, for better or worse) and to me it does not give me confidence to know they do not support this huge project and it is what I feel I can expect from anything that I would purchase here.

 

Yes it is free but they built it and they had to have had an idea of the popularity that it would generate. I support and mentor several forums and it does not take all that much even if you don’t have time to answer all the questions to at least answer the important ones. Like Chris said it would not take that much to give us something to hold on to that we can plan ahead without faith. There are many threads on this forum that are downright nasty in how they talk about the developers. The fact that these threads are still here tells me that the developers really could care less or they would either find out what the frustration is or delete the thread. That type of mentality is simply pathetic on their part and shows that they could care less about the people that use their tools and shows just how arrogant they are.

Lance Thompson said:

The reality is that many extension do not support J1.7 yet so even if K2 were 1.7 ready, there are many other extensions that aren't. I'd even go so far to say that it's probably not yet a good idea to implement a 1.7 site. Just because new software comes out, doesn't mean it's a good idea to use it out of the gate.

 

Really? That would have been true 2 or 3 months ago but I have been building with it for all my new projects and of all the extensions I use (and the list is huge) the only one that is not on board is K2. At least the ones I have come to depend on anyway. Joomla! 1.7 is in no way new software and has been in the development for a year or more. I am here to say it is a solid platform and anyone that is not using it and still developing with 1.5 is making life hard on themselves by creating new sites that will eventually need to be updated. Not to mention that 1.7 is so far ahead of 1.5 on almost every level that anyone not already using and developing with it is behind the times. Perhaps if the JoomlaWorks team planned K2 from the beginning they would not have had to add the kitchen sink and would have made the migration to 1.7 a reality with all the other leading Joomla developers by now?

 

Thanks for the info Kelsey and I have paid and used Zoo but I stopped, not because of the claim here of poor support as I was treated very well in that area. My thing is the huge price that came with it just was not justified. Personally I am ready to go back though because unlike K2 it is supported and it works with 1.7 and I honestly think the direction they are taking shows so much more in the way of maturity and planning than K2 ever put into their efforts!

 

Lance Thompson said:

You are right but you also have to take into account that fact that K2 is free and as with free software, you get what you pay for. Support for Joomla itself requires a LOT of forum searching, posting, Googling, and more.

Also, Joomla Works has made an official announcement via Twitter. Joomla Works' sites could definitely use some streamlining to improve communication, but if I were them, I'd be prioritize the things that bring in revenue too.

I'm not trying to persuade you in any direction and you've got to be the one who makes the proper decisions for you and your clients.

Lance, to my mind there are two points to keep in mind regarding the "It's free, so get over it" mentality:

 

1) K2 can be used as a standalone product, but works best in conjunction with others - SIG Pro being a case in point. And now, Frontpage Slideshow. They get you into their ecosystem with a great tool that's free, but if you want to extend it - well, the really important stuff will cost you real money.

 

And that's absolutely fine. I don't always use SIG Pro with my K2 installs, but it's frequently worth the money to have it installed. So Joomlaworks are absolutely making money on the back of K2.

 

2) Users contribute to the success of K2 by investing in it, then promoting it in other ways. Increased users means increased sales of the ancillary products.

 

For example, I have a couple of posts on my blog about K2. 14 months after my tutorial on integrating Disqus with K2 was written, it's STILL the most popular article on my site. So I can say that while I may not have contributed much in the forums or as much as Simon (for example), I've significantly contributed to the K2 eco system in a way that has almost certainly generated profit for Joomlaworks.

 

Now with the recent changes to Disqus, I was considering figuring out how to implement their new, more persistent, method of determining the correct page to show comments on - but now I don't know if I'll even be using K2 in the future at all, so why would I bother? That's an article that may not happen now and therefore potentially loses Joomlaworks sales

 

The point of all of the concerned and upset members in this thread is that we've invested in K2. More than just building sites with it. We've promoted it, we've supported it, we've bought ancillary products for it. 

 

So our businesses are intertwined with Joomlaworks. It's an ecosystem - and one part of it seems to be failing. We all now need to make a decision on whether to join another ecosystem.

 

And Joomlaworks could nip this all in the bud right now by just communicating, just a little bit.

 

I'd love nothing better than to hear great news regarding K2 and 1.7.

 

I don't want to learn another CCK - I want to continue giving Joomlaworks my money for SIG Pro and Frontpage Slideshow. 

 

We'll see.

nothing been posted by them, "today", cmon....

Lance Thompson said:
Oh and Fotis posted this on his Twitter account: 

I'm gonna publish a "state of K2" post today, so y'all whiners know were 2.5 (2.6 etc.) are heading… The news is very good :) #Joomla #K2

The fact that 'we' are apparently whiners (even in jest) says a lot as to where i will be spending my cash in the future...

so, when i can donwload the final K2 release in joomla 1.7? :)build a site, and need this compoments, i don't use other!

The final release is coming... But 'when' is apparently a secret that only the K2 masters know and they will only tell the most dedicated among you. So you had better go search for the Holy Grail instead (Sadly)

eXigo said:
so, when i can donwload the final K2 release in joomla 1.7? :)build a site, and need this compoments, i don't use other!

What the hell is twitter?? hahahaha

My clients/customers don't give me a break...

Lance Thompson said:

Yes, Twitter is pretty tough to find...  lol.  Besides, he said he's in the hospital. Give them a break.

 

I like ^^

Lance Thompson said:
It's obvious you care about K2 or you wouldn't keep coming back. Complaining on the forums I'm sure isn't going to increase the output of the Joomla Works team and as they have said before, K2 for 1.7 is in development and it will be ready when it's ready, not a moment sooner.

You may not agree with Joomla Works' methods of communication, but hey, were only human and no one is perfect.

I'm am a K2 fan, I think it rocks and that's it's revolutionized Joomla content management. With that said, I can wait until it's ready and I'm not going to push my clients to J1.7 until in my opinion, it's ready (extensions and all).