Web Hosting Talk : Web Hosting Main Forums : Hosting Software and Control Panels : Need Opinions on a New Control Panel Interface

[Xanthis]

Hey guys,

Our graphics designer came up with this interface (see attached) for a new control panel. This is actually just the reseller interface at the moment.

The idea is that when you click on "Client Management" for example, it'll take you a page with the same header, only now you'll see high level menus running horizontally across the top.

The left menu will change to show low level functions for the specific area that was drilled into.

Now, what we want to find out is your opinions whether it's good, bad, or the ugly. It doesn't matter, just your honest opinion. . .

Suggestions are even better.

Thanks!

Edit: If you are just reading this thread for the first time, the composition attachment was removed since it's now sliced. Now, most of building and skinning is just about complete, so check this thread out:

http://webhostingtalk.com/showthread...r=2#post784678

[zerphyte]

You have a demo up? Looks pretty nifty.

[rusko]

looks very clean and crisp, a definite go. do you have anything coded?

[Xanthis]

Thanks. Any suggestions perhaps or something that doesn't suit your fancy?

We have been coding it for about 1 month. It currently performs user quotas, bandwidth monitoring/throttling, install FP extensions, suspensions, custom error/suspended/new account pages, FTP management, MySQL administration, trouble ticket system, mail relay and aliasing, custom deactivated bounce email messages, co-branding, and scales across to new servers painlessly.

There is of course more features we'd like to add within the first quarter of next year, but for now, this will do just fine. I'm very content with the development cycle to get it at this stage.

[Synthetic]

Looks nice...

Maybe try adding more space between the header and the tables.

[Xanthis]

We've been playing with the graphic chart a little as we wanted to the chart to start first in the blue range and as you reach 100%, it turns to a maroon-like color. The only problem with HTML is that the only way to grow a chart would be to stretch it as it's unable to just chop a little off the chart.

The other way would be to either use a Flash component that takes in a number and it automatically will mask it properly or create the graphics via PHP only the fly so that it crops the blue color range if the usage isn't very high. . .

[jazz]

I like the idea and it looks nice,

BUT those icons looked suspiciously familar to a KDE Theme I remember...Crystal (?)
I did a little research...and sure enough http://www.everaldo.com/crystal/icons_apps.html
this theme is one of the most popular for KDE and I know Everaldo has put a lot of work into making those icons.

Give credit where credit is due

[jmb1881]

not to be harsh jazz, but he said his graphoc designer did it.. it could be possible he knew nothing of this theft because his designer stole the icons and passed it off as his own work?

[jazz]

Originally posted by jmb1881
it could be possible he knew nothing of this theft because his designer stole the icons and passed it off as his own work?

I totally agree.
That's why I didn't accuse him.
Either way he knows now.

[Xanthis]

The Crystal Icon paks were distributed under GPL. Only if the software is distributed is when there needs to be credit given. Though this hasn't been distributed anywhere yet.

I've seen other KDE themes using these icons and sometimes were given credit or said they borrowed these icons from Crystal to build a particular theme.

The Crystal Icon pak is also a collection of icons submitted, not all were developed by Everaldo.

[jazz]

I'm no GPL expert but isn't it true that you can not include GPL'd software/code/graphics etc. into a product unless that final product is also GPL'd?

A (private) + B (GPL) = AB (GPL)?

I think that's the basic difference between the GPL and BSD License. Right?

[Xanthis]

Well, if that was the case, applications like Cpanel should be free since it's using GPL based applications right?

There's a lot of GPL license PHP classes that could be included to develop a program, but that does not make a program that it was included in free.

When I wrote BlazeBoard under GPL and from what I remember with GPL, if you make modifications to the code, then it must distributed as GPL. You cannot sell it. If there are just many new changes to a program that makes it a new application, then it's no longer under GPL.

Anyway, I'll double check it with the artists to grant permissions to use the icons. The GPL license seems outdated as it's really meant for distribution of software and code.

The lastest distribution of the Crystal icons did not even include a license agreement, but in either case, I'll double check with them to see if that is alright.

[jazz]

Yeah,

I believe(??? ) Cpanel is based off of Webmin which has a BSD license. The BSD license allows you to use to use Webmin as the base code and to add your propietary modifications without making those modifications public/open source.
This is what Apple did with OS X.

I was just letting you know because it would be a shame to put hours of work into something you would like to keep proprietary and find out you are forced make it GPL.

Sorry for the Offtopic!

But overall I like the idea behind it. Is this going to be an alternative to Cpanel?

[Xanthis]

hmm... that makes some sense Though that's protecting Cpanel from making their code open source, but using GPL licensed software would be conflicting since they are still using GPL applications. Otherwise, our CP could be released under the BSD license and would be able to the same.

I've seen a few commercial apps using PHP classes released under GPL. Though they aren't being released under GPL... I also did a quick query on google for "free for commercial use" GPL and came back with info that using GPL doesn't make a software free.

http://www.freesoft.cz/~pdm/texts/gpl-nonsenses

Ahh, this is confusing :p Wish that GNU would update it's FAQ on the commercial aspects of GPL licensed software hehe

There is two Crystal paks, one is the original set released under GPL which is what you saw in the screenshots and used in KDE and another is the Crystal Classic set which did not have any licenses notice on kde-look.org nor in the packs that I downloaded.

Maybe that's the pack I'll use if it's alright with the artists. Otherwise, we'll just to have to make some of our own which is not too big of a deal, only that it'll take another 1 week to crank some icons out.

[JustinH]

I just found this post and figured I'd clarify something on the GPL. First off, yes you can included GPLed software with commerical applications provided you do one of these:

(1) Include the source code of the application with the program.
(2) Guarantee that on request (within 3 years of purchase) you will send the source code of the application.

I think what is confusing people about the GPL is section 2B:

b) You must cause any work that you distribute or publish, that in whole or in part contains or is derived from the Program or any part thereof, to be licensed as a whole at no charge to all third parties under the terms of this License.

This only applies to modifications to the GPLed program itself. In other words, if the CPanel team made changes to the NeoMail sourcecode (Assuming NeoMail is GPL) then they'd have to make that sourcecode available for free.