I have just been listening to the video talk by Steve Reichgut of Google, here:
www.joomla.org/component/option,com_jd-wp/Itemid,105/p,426/

One issue he raises is compatibility between the new component he has just developed (for 1.0.x, then on to 1.5 legacy & so on) and 1.5 templates. He is a component virgin, so his talk is very interesting, but one thing he mentions is that with 1.5 you can load so much functionality in to your templates that in the future compatability issues are likely to occur between add-ons and templates. See for example RocketTheme templates, that (even on 1.0.x) are loaded with Javascript functionality, complex positioning, menus and even their own core-replacement modules (required for the template to work).

So whereas we have all been concerned about clashing add-ons in 1.0.x, now we also have to worry about templates! This problem is likely to escalate, as template developers suddenly grasp the potential of 1.5 templates and go bonkers with it.

I have just picked up a client using a RocketTheme in 1.0.13. It's a very clever piece of work but quite horrible to customise, because it has quite a stranglehold on how it wants to look and work.

What do you think?

I think with mootools in 1.5 this may not be a big concern. Most designers I would hope would opt for Mootools so it standardises the js at least whereas currently they all use what ever they choose personally, this can lead to compatibility issues already ie. Ajax conflicts with components.

Essentially we have a standard js framework for everyone to use just as we have a standard Joomla! framework.

Hi Manuman. Welcome to the fray - glad to see you here - and thanks for your illuminating comment.

Hopefully, yes, template developers will use Mootools. Why wouldn't they? Unless they get a clever idea of their own...

Also Manuman... do you have a user group in your neck of the woods? Want us to set you up a little posi here for your peeps? I'd be delighted to expand our little community over your way...

I'm working on a Joomla!day for Perth, that will hopefully result in a user group. Will let you know as soon as something happens.

Also in the interests of Trans-Tasman friendlyness you may like to mention the first J!Day in NZ being held on 15th December. See... www.joomladay.org.nz. Both Andrew Eddie and myself will be attending and representing the Joomla! project.

Cheers
Shayne

Hi Manuman

That's all really good news. Please let us know a date ..etc when you have one.

And yes - top tip - will put on the NZ joomladay.

thx
d

Ah.. yes.. mootools. Yet another Javascript scourge on the Internet.

The main problem with 1.5 (from a design perspective) is that mootools does not allow progressive enhancement and graceful degredation when placed at the template layer.

This affects usability and accessibility, and most other JS libraries out there do conflict like a wet blanket with moo.

Not everyone want to load the JS framework every time Joomla loads as the page bloat is bad enough - see here for more raw testing on how 1.5 is slower than your average 1.0 build.

Have you tried gzip on your css and js files ?

Ive heard this helps.

Mootools is way to big and harder to use than some of the others.

They should have used Jquery IMHO. It doesnt conflict and it is soooo easy, has a bigger community, has more free stuff and the documentation makes way more sense.

GZIP compression doesn't stop the 48 to 72 HTTP requests that happen just to get the default, vanilla, Joomla 1.5 page to load.

Reduce the overhead by reducing HTTP requests, but instead the Core chose to fragment the design into a MVC layer that doesn't really make sense (or is correctly applied to all parts of 1.5) and all that does is increase HTTP requests.

Most of my clientele will not be going to 1.5, even though I'll be designing and developing in it. The best path for them at this time (in terms of load on a shared server environment) is Mambo 5.0

True, it doesnt but how many of those requests are images ?

I know I usually only have 8 external javascripts and 5 style sheets on my live 1.5 sites.

The rest are jpeg / png and gif files.

I personally I find that on a shared host if you can get fastcgi or another type of cache system to store your pages then you get a faster response on http requests which has given me some great speed gains.

I use a high cache level on all my sites in shared hosting.

Yahoo have some cool tips on speed enhancement and a plugin for firebug - yslow.

Makes speeding up sites alot easier and can help you identify where your big gains can be made.

good info on speeding up a site.
what scale of improvements have you found?

For Cache you get a reduction in response time of around 95% during high traffic times.

On low traffic times it is around 30%.

This is mainly because you arent calling SQL or PHP, you are simply getting HTML from cache. Thats why it works great for heavy traffic.

I usually update every 5 minutes and sometimes 15 if the pages dont change regularly.

For HTTP requests i havent done much testing but If I get time over the next month I may write an article on it for the joomladay site and do more extensive testing.

This is an interesting topic thread for me as I'm shopping around trying to get my head around both upgrading to 1.5 and choosing a more flexible template to replace the rockettheme one I accepted for my site, with considerably naivety, the first time around.

The mootools-based templates of yootheme have been recommended by someone who seems to know what they're talking about as a good way to go, but having been singed with accepting a recommendation about how easy rockettheme was to customise etc, I'm still a little wary about making a similar mistake all over again.

Any thoughts?

(my site: www.ecologicmedia.com/index.php)

Honestly Yoothemes in my opinion are not as easy to change as rocketthemes.

But then again not many template you find will be.

Ultimately their is a choice you have to make,

either spend $3000 and get a great template built custom

or

make do with a template that you can change the graphics for and style colors for but probably not much else without getting into serious css and HTML.

One thing to be aware of is that Yootheme minimize their javascript so you can edit it with any amount of ease (read: you have to re write it) so It can cause problems when you customise things.

Apart from that their templates are fantastic.

If you do need a quote on what it may cost to get one built custom let me know.

Id be happy to go over it and give you a competative quote for top quality work.

I agree - professional 1.5 templates are very complicated beasties, with a great deal of functionality and configuration options, ergo very tightly controlled architecture.

You're well advised to find one you like already (in one of its supplied colour styles and configurations).

They are very flexible - more so than the rockettheme template you have - but equally daunting to customise.

I had a bit of a look at weblogic recently and its a good example of a very configurable template.

Roll on JoomlaDay Perth?

New here, just saying hi.

Cheers from the Northern Suburbs.