Thread Tools Display Modes
03-23-11, 07:38 PM   #61
Crissa
A Flamescale Wyrmkin
 
Crissa's Avatar
Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 136
See, here, I think of Cosmos as the golden age - everyone had their own web pages, addons we being co-opted into the UI repeatedly, and each update was easier to code around because not so many things depend upon it.

Right now, we're at a point at which many of the code-focused users are at burn-out, and the playerbase that fills in - while the number are the same - isn't as tech savvy as it was. So there are less coders to maintain things than there were before. But there are more things to maintain now!

And it's easier for a change from Blizzard to blow up many UI changes. So WoWWiki is sold, WoWpedia tries, and no one really seems to offer an up-to-date thesaurus of functions.

Even LUA development outside of WoW hit its apex three years ago and is harder to support now, because many have moved on to more focused programming languages on the hot development targets like iPhone et al.

What is 'hot' in development has literally nothing to do with the actual user or installed base. It has to do with the amount of investor cash in that arena. More money is spent on mobile applications not because there is as much money to be made there, but because investors want to get at the money in a less stratified environment.

I'm getting to the point that I'm embarrassed to even mention my age. I came into the internet only a couple years before 'Forever September' and yet I don't have much to show for it. My spouse has literally been coding applications for the internet for 22 years now. What do you have to say after that, other than, 'been there, done that, wish it could actually get done?' Heck, some of the code she wrote should've been one of many examples to negate Amazon's one-click patent, and she wrote them as work for hire. So even though the company still exists, and doesn't sell videos anymore but instead sells web shopping carts based on her code, she gets nada.

-Crissa
  Reply With Quote
03-23-11, 07:48 PM   #62
Tuller
A Warpwood Thunder Caller
 
Tuller's Avatar
AddOn Author - Click to view addons
Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 91
Originally Posted by Crissa View Post
And it's easier for a change from Blizzard to blow up many UI changes. So WoWWiki is sold, WoWpedia tries, and no one really seems to offer an up-to-date thesaurus of functions.
http://wowprogramming.com/docs
That's easily eons better than what wowwiki was.
  Reply With Quote
03-24-11, 03:45 AM   #63
Cladhaire
Salad!
 
Cladhaire's Avatar
Premium Member
AddOn Author - Click to view addons
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 1,935
Originally Posted by Crissa
See, here, I think of Cosmos as the golden age - everyone had their own web pages, addons we being co-opted into the UI repeatedly, and each update was easier to code around because not so many things depend upon it.
And addon authors had five different sites to post to if they didn't want to host their own infrastructure. No thanks. Cosmos was great because it filled the gaps in what the UI already had. I would say there was a much higher rate of innovation and *new* concepts towards the middle-end of 1.x because of the support we were receiving from Blizzard.

Right now, we're at a point at which many of the code-focused users are at burn-out, and the playerbase that fills in - while the number are the same - isn't as tech savvy as it was. So there are less coders to maintain things than there were before. But there are more things to maintain now!

And it's easier for a change from Blizzard to blow up many UI changes. So WoWWiki is sold, WoWpedia tries, and no one really seems to offer an up-to-date thesaurus of functions.
Except for the five months out of my life I spent documenting the API along with the rest of the community for http://wowprogramming.com/docs/api, but I suppose that doesn't count for some reason. Also, the changes for each version have almost always been posted on the forums, either by Iriel, an MVP or someone from Blizzard. They're also available on the PTR, so authors who let their addons get 'blowed up' only have themselves to blame.

Even LUA development outside of WoW hit its apex three years ago and is harder to support now, because many have moved on to more focused programming languages on the hot development targets like iPhone et al.
This is just absolutely blatant bullcrap. Do you subscribe to the Lua (not LUA) mailing list? Given that you dont' know how to capatalize it, I think not. Lua development has skyrocketed in the past two years, and the mailing list activity and release code clearly reflects this. Also, the 'coveted' iPhone development you address, you do realize that games like Angry Birds ship Lua with their code.. right? Cause they do. All the time.

What is 'hot' in development has literally nothing to do with the actual user or installed base. It has to do with the amount of investor cash in that arena. More money is spent on mobile applications not because there is as much money to be made there, but because investors want to get at the money in a less stratified environment.
Huh? You're honestly arguing that wow addon development isn't 'hot' because there's no economic incentive? Not quite, given that most of us never did this for the money at all.

I'm getting to the point that I'm embarrassed to even mention my age. I came into the internet only a couple years before 'Forever September' and yet I don't have much to show for it. My spouse has literally been coding applications for the internet for 22 years now. What do you have to say after that, other than, 'been there, done that, wish it could actually get done?' Heck, some of the code she wrote should've been one of many examples to negate Amazon's one-click patent, and she wrote them as work for hire. So even though the company still exists, and doesn't sell videos anymore but instead sells web shopping carts based on her code, she gets nada.

-Crissa
Okay.. I understand what it feels like to be old and look back at all the young whippersnappers and scoff. But that doesn't change the fact that you're just blatantly wrong about most of the things you wrote in this post, I'm sorry. I may have only been born int he 70s, but I do know this community inside and out.
__________________
"There's only one thing that I know how to do well and I've often been told that you only can do what you know how to do well, and that's be you-- be what you're like-- be like yourself. And so I'm having a wonderful time, but I'd rather be whistling in the dark..."

Last edited by Cladhaire : 03-24-11 at 03:52 AM.
  Reply With Quote

WoWInterface » Developer Discussions » General Authoring Discussion » Addon Devleoper Interviews

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off