So to summarise there seems to be some consensus concerning both security and continuity.
Security
In terms of improved security we have been kindly offered the option of Caneri's server.
Continuity
The main sites involved are the; main website, wiki, developer's blog, forum and manual. In terms of continuity we have a number of options --
(1)Frames
PROS:
*simplicity
*easy maintenance
*no need to move great lumps of data about the internet
*freedom of choice for users
CONS:
*frames unreliably integrate with browser history and bookmarking.
(2)PHP-ification (okay I made that word up!)
BRIEF: This basically involves having a centralised CSS design somewhere on the internet. Either, a site is programmed to get this design from a centralised location OR the centralised location is programmed to get the
contents of the individual site and output it as part of its own. The reasoning behind a centralised design is that if ever a change was made to the design it would take effect instantly across all the sites without any extra work.
PROS:
*rich-man's frames -- i.e. many of the advantages of frames but without the inherent cons
*from a design perspective there would be more scope for a tighter and cleaner stylistic integration.
CONS:
*each site would need some coding thus requiring the consent and involvement of each maintainer
*users would effectively be loading two websites incurring compound download delays
(3)All sites on one server
PROS:
*frames for the gods
-- i.e. all the advantages of frames and PHP-ification but without either of their inherent cons.
*Not only would all the sites be under the control of one server but they could also be under the control of one CMS, one user database and one cookie/session.
CONS:
*all our eggs in one basket
*requires not only significant individual commitments but also significant commitments to work together
*large amounts of data would need to be moved across the internet and some of it would need to be manipulated (eg Wikka Wiki to Drupal 5)
Postscript
Firstly, I feel that the Developer's Blog is a seperate issue (see
this post in the beginning of the thread) and should not be considered in our plans for continuity unless explicitly directed by Barry himself.
Also I think that the forum is really a whole other task in itself, certainly a very important and feasible one, but one that I don't think would be sensible to commit to at the moment. As Hairywill suggests, first we would need to discuss it with John Murga and then we would need someone who was willing to give the task individual attention -- which I might be able to do one day, but not at the same time as making a Puppy website. However, just to wet your appetite, there is a well-maintained
phpBB module for Drupal.
My own personal preference for the continuity solution is number (3). The reason for this is not so much because of the technologies involved but because it is fundamentally reliant on a deeper meaning of continuity -- namely that continuity is a reflection of the willingness of the community to work together. For me it is this, above anything else, that will bring continuity to Puppy's web presence. In this way I'm sure we'll hardly even have to think about continuity as it will just happen by itself.
I also just want to make a brief point about the proto-site that I made. Even though it is up there on the verge of becoming a fully functional site, I'm willing to start over -- if that's what's needed! When I first started thinking about this project I wanted to be very careful about how I approached it, on the one had I knew that the community had to be involved, yet on the other I understood that if I was to offer my services I needed to prove that I was not merely in the realms of great ideas, I needed to have something to prove that I meant, and could do, business! So that's why the proto-site is there, it is just as much an example of what is possible as a token and expression of my willingness and enthusiasm.