I'm aware of the strong focus of Beans as a framework on development and the developer, but I can't shake the thought that there is a sensitive challenge in stimulating momentum, and generating it, where it comes to giving something wings.
As such there's this line of thinking in the back of my mind that it might be an idea to either collaborate on or invest in something akin to starter kits - along the lines of foundation child/parent themes, which don't take the work and learning out of things, but which do provide a somewhat more fleshed out and specialised starting point.
Hi J.C.
As I was going through this, I had pretty much the same thought.
As it is now, to learn Beans, we have to sort of put the pieces together, from very divergent collection of examples that people at throwing at it in the forum, and being ( valiantly - I will add ) resolved by Thierry.
To see the pieces work together , we can see what others have done in creating child themes based on Beans, but the problem with that is that Beans might have evolved since then and some things may not be the most optimal.
It would be great if there was one or several 'official' Child Themes , with more examples of 'how it all fits together' . As you say, these could still be only the starting points for learning, as many would want to further customize those 'official' Child themes. But then again, I'm sure these would also make viable 'retail products' , so to speak.
I for one, would gladly invest in an official Beans Child theme(s), even if it was made clear that those are only the starting points, and no particular support offered.
I'm saying this because I'm assuming that Thierry would not want to be in the 'Child theme support' business, but in the 'Framework Development' business, and I think that is most appropriate.
But having said this, I'm also getting the impression that Beans could comfortably branch into several sub-departments, one of which would be a Child theme development and support.
These are just random thoughts. I hope I'm not too forward in expressing my opinion. 🙂
Yuna M.
I know, but here's the thing: it's very rare to come across people who make a framework or foundation platform (which is how a framework serves as for the most part to audiences and users) a bidirectional road. That's a thing of managing momentum, more importantly instigating it. And that's where perspectives come into play - cause they differ.
It's just this thought in my head. Heck, Beans will be adopted, it already is being adopted by people. I'd just like to see something different thant what is visible among most other frameworks: either the adoption is so massive that the 1% of proverbial giving back is sufficient to provide starting points for low key / early / spinoff adopters (creating a trend of consumptive use), or there is a commercial element involved (there's a few dozen types, takes too far to go into here), or there's what often is called the triumvirate phenomenon where the origin person is supported by two other types of codevs (supporter, tweaker, marketer, various types apply).
At the same time, the same little voice tells me that we're looking at it from a different perspective certainly than Thierry, but also from a different pace of approaches 😛
As for Child Themes, sure. I know. What I had in mind was something along the lines of starter foundations before the time comes where Beans grows diverse adoption, as that typically goes hand in hand with vastly different adoption & use patterns. Aka, the new guy wouldn't recognise one project from the other as being "Beans", or be sure without trial & error of which road to follow.
Then again, heck what do I know, I'm not a developer - far from.
From what I can see, I think Thierry is taking the right approach. Meaning - he is working to create a truly good product, with the solid foundation in place.
I'm not a developer either , but I do know that once the core infrastructure is tested and tweaked properly in practice, then going into a commercial venture is just a step ahead.
I think that it's a very strong temptation to stretch too far, so to speak, before the time is right. Like any product, it can also be exposed to a too high adoption, too soon, which wouldn't do it much good either.
Hey guys, thanks a lot for your feedback and thoughts 🙂 I think it is appropriate for me to give a fairly detailed reply with where Beans come from, what is its goal and what is its future. I can't write it today but hopefully tomorrow or the day after.
Thanks folks,
No worries, I think it's fair to say a few of us tend to run with a bone 🙂 I'll readily admit to be very curious, but this is something not to rush - it's a strategic concept to work out, not something to be tackled in the trenches 🙂