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Buddypress seems to be for programmers not for beginners


  • learningeveryday
    Participant

    @learningeveryday

    I have to say, Buddypress looks like a great tool.
    Only downside that I can see right now is that it’s not for me.
    I’m a beginner, and what isn’t really clear when you look at the features and you decide to give it a try, is that you can’t really customize without PHP knowledge, so it seems.
    With limited knowledge I got WordPress working and was able to do a lot of the things I wanted, without PHP knowledge, not so with Buddypress.

    F.i. I was looking at customizing the profile pages of the members, when I look at the documentation on customization, the buddypress site lists options like: ‘make your own theme’, ‘write your own plugin’, so that convinces me that, because I know nothing about PHP (yet), this is not for me.

    What I would of liked to have heard right from the start is a warning that you need to know PHP and this is NOT for beginners. A forum posting that I made received no response, but now I see why, this is for the advanced user, not for beginners. My questions are out of place.

    I’m disappointed, also because of my lack of knowledge in this area.
    But it would be good to have a warning at the Buddypress site that warns people that ‘this is an advanced tool, only try to use it with PHP knowledge’, just a suggestion.
    But, again, Buddypress still looks like a great tool.

    I wish you the best of luck with the further progress of Buddypress, but I’ll move on to something less advanced.

Viewing 3 replies - 1 through 3 (of 3 total)

  • Shmoo
    Participant

    @macpresss

    They’ve made it more easy to use over the years.

    If you look at where BuddyPress was years ago and where they are right now it’s a huge step forward to WordPress like coding.
    Will they ever become as easy as WordPress, no I don’t think so, simply because there are only a few people looking after the code of BuddyPress and bbPress.

    WordPress has become so easy because they have thousands of great developers looking after the code on a daily base. Those people push each other to the max, for example you have one guy who’s really good at programming new stuff and another girl who’s very good at understanding how a function should work for ‘less experienced’ computer users. Both can connect very well at the Make.wordpress pages and share ideas that become great code and working products in the end.

    BuddyPress and bbPress only have a handful of developers who for the love of coding and this plugin put their time and knowledge into this. #respect!
    I think they’re doing a great job and yes I also wished it would go faster 🙂
    But hey, who am I to say anything, I don’t know anything and have tried to learn PHP a few times so I wish I could contribute more to those products but I failed to understand.

    I do have to say if you know HTML + CSS you can do some stuff in altering the layouts which is great in my opinion.

    Next up:
    Some people are also living on the wrong foot, because they started with WordPress and it’s so easy to use they think WordPress has become some kinda magic power tool that can let everybody do anything online.
    Wrong, it’s easy to use and you can do a lot because of all the free tutorials and code online but there are limits.

    Some people have zero understanding of coding and want to become the next Facebook – that’s not gonna happen how easy the code ever will be.


    learningeveryday
    Participant

    @learningeveryday

    I understand what you are saying.
    But in this case I wasn’t trying to be the next facebook, I have very limited wishes:-)

    Of course I also have a lot of respect for the coding abilities and time that the developers put into this product.

    For me, now, it’s a mismatch (has more to do with my limited knowledge) 🙂

    Thanks, have a good day!


    Ben Hansen
    Participant

    @ubernaut

    i don’t know any php and i’ve been using and helping others use buddypress for many years now.

Viewing 3 replies - 1 through 3 (of 3 total)
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