Widget Library

[Mav]

Where is this? How can we make it easier to find? This is a major hurdle in making Spring more accessible to outsiders. Every time I want to find widgets, I spend half an hour trying to find the widget library.

[SirMaverick]

Where is this?

http://widgets.springrts.de/

Edit: http://www.springinfo.info/ -> Widget DataBase

[oksnoop2]

Yeah I went through the same thing trying to find them yesterday. Can they be stickied in the lua sub forum please?

[Mav]

Yeah I went through the same thing trying to find them yesterday. Can they be stickied in the lua sub forum please?

Needs more visibility than that. Somewhere on the front page (or only 1 click away).

[luckywaldo7]

If it was integrated into lobbies, that would make it pretty visible. Oh wait...

[Mav]

So here's the deal: I have an irreparable error in SL. It's been broken for months and does not work. I even uninstalled/reinstalled and it won't work. So you can be one of those guys who bitches about what lobby people should be using (much like iFans or Firefox fanboys) or you can provide an easy, no-problems link for everyone to use regardless of lobby.

Seriously, forcing people to use one lobby is against the whole open-source nature of this project. I like TAS. I think it has a better style, better layout, seems less bugged, and actually works for me. I'm not going to tell you what lobby to use. Why do you run around putting in these passive/aggressive posts telling people which one to run?

[maackey]

Who told you you have to use SD or SL? Nobody. No need to plug a stick up your bum just because the other popular lobbies have integrated widget lists. (and installers to boot!)

So you can be one of those guys who bitches about what lobby people should be using (much like iFans or Firefox fanboys) or you can provide an easy, no-problems link for everyone to use regardless of lobby.

What if I told you, "You could either cry some more, or write/host your own widget library"? Please don't be so vitriolic. Your argument is nonsensical anyway; nobody is forcing you to use anything.

[Forboding Angel]

wow, now that's jsut sad.

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=spring+widget+database&l=1

[luckywaldo7]

I was actually thinking both SL and SD, and was not intending to imply that you switch, moreso suggesting that it is not a problem for newbs (because those are the two lobbies currently included in the installer).

You could try feature request spamming Satirik for widget downloader functionality in TASC.

[Forboding Angel]

or you could just use google...

[CarRepairer]

Where is this? How can we make it easier to find? This is a major hurdle in making Spring more accessible to outsiders.

YES! You figured out what Spring's biggest obstacle is! Right here folks, it's that widgets are hard to find.

But actually they aren't. Hey Mav, use SpringDownloader. All-in-one lobby client with downloader, widget installer and matchmaking.

I recommend SD for anyone who has a hard time. People don't need to know what a widget looks like, where it goes, what a mod or map file is or where they need to be placed. They just join the happy little games or click on the widget they want.

@Mav: Try SD.

P.S. Try SD.

[Forboding Angel]

Course, you lose a lot of functionality if you use sd, which is the main reason I never use it anymore.

However, if all you want to do is join autohosts and download widgets, SD should be 100% perfect for you.

[CarRepairer]

Sure, but let's not lose sight of the fact that Mav's ragepost was epic fail and we must address it by recommending he use SD.
warning 1

[Forboding Angel]

Well if he had simply googled for it, he would have found it. Like I tell my customers... Before you ask me, ask google. You'll save time and money.

[knorke]

http://springrts.com/wiki/Lua:WidgetDirectory
whats that?
fail and broken. replace with link?

[CarRepairer]

I apologize for flaming. I should have not responded to the mean spirited post. As one of many people who is trying to promote SD it is upsetting when people portray it as though we are bad for trying to help because it only hurts everyone.

[maackey]

http://springrts.com/wiki/Lua:WidgetDirectory
whats that?
fail and broken. replace with link?

Fixed. (you can also edit the wiki too you know, make things better )

[Niobium]

It'd be great to have a standalone widget manager program, which could then be distributed with spring.

A good starting point for such a program would just be to simply take the widget manager out of springdownloader. Why not just use springdownloader? Because its crap, ironically because it tries to do / includes too many things, such as the widget manager.

[knorke]

not sure if that is such a good idea. for the average user the games should include all the widgets they need.
and more experienced players can download & move the files.
Does not seem worth the effort and more thing that can be messed up. A nicely browsable widget website (like we have) seems ok.

[Niobium]

not sure if that is such a good idea. for the average user the games should include all the widgets they need.
and more experienced players can download & move the files.
Does not seem worth the effort and more thing that can be messed up. A nicely browsable widget website (like we have) seems ok.

Exactly, the website is 'ok', but there's a lot of room for improvement. Like having a rating/comments system (already in SD), or the hash-checking that SD does to match your versions against ones in the database to keep widgets updated (which can't be done on a website).

To have these features already coded up, but then put in a monster lobby/downloader/miscellaneous hybrid program which not everyone does/wants to use is a real shame.