Topic: Proposal: Modernizing the QElectroTech Website

Hello, I'm Carlos Cervantes, a long-time user and admirer of the QElectroTech project. This is my first post here.

I'd like to propose a complete redesign of the QElectroTech website. The current site doesn't reflect the quality and features of the software, and a modern, appealing interface would significantly improve the first impression for all new users.

The core goals of the redesign are:

  • Improved Usability: Make information much easier to find and navigate.

  • Highlight Key Features: Better showcase QElectroTech's capabilities and benefits.

  • Modern Appeal: Provide a professional, eye-catching visual experience.

I've already created a preliminary sketch (see attached image) to illustrate the concept. Also you can see the sketch in Penpot here: https://design.penpot.app/#/view?file-i … e64526d44a

If the team is open to this idea, I am ready to start development immediately. I plan to use Angular as the framework and will publish all code on GitHub to ensure the new website is also fully open source.

Could I get permission to move forward with this proposal?

https://qelectrotech.org/forum/misc.php?action=pun_attachment&item=3488&download=0&secure_str=6514f13

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  • scorpio810
  • scorpio810
  • QElectroTech Team Manager, Developer, Packager
  • Offline

Re: Proposal: Modernizing the QElectroTech Website

Hello Carlos, thank you for your compliments and your proposal.



For your information, the main website has only used HTML, CSS and a little PHP since the beginning.

Yes, it's clear that the design is really old school.

I didn't know about Angular. I just saw that it uses npm for installation, but recently npm has had some very bad press...

Attack on the NPM supply chain...

In another life (25 years ago), I set up a large Drupal 5 as the main site to complement a phpbb3 forum, redmine, and mediawiki, for the late génération-debian.org...

I had free time back then, but I spent all my free time patching the servers for regular and overly frequent updates of Drupal 5 and PHPBB3. When Drupal 6 came out, I gave up on migrating my very complicated setup.

In the meantime, the friend who maintained the server at home died tragically in a car accident one morning on his way to work, and the project died out shortly afterwards, despite our efforts to get it back online.

Laurent

"Le jour où tu découvres le Libre, tu sais que tu ne pourras jamais plus revenir en arrière..."Questions regarding QET belong in this forum and will NOT be answered via PM! – Les questions concernant QET doivent être posées sur ce forum et ne seront pas traitées par MP !

Re: Proposal: Modernizing the QElectroTech Website

Thank you for your candid reply Laurent, and for sharing your story. I am truly sorry to hear about the tragic loss of your friend and the subsequent end of your previous project. Dealing with complexity and technical debt can be exhausting, and I completely understand your hesitation regarding new technologies.

You've highlighted a very real concern about maintenance and security, especially with the recent issues around npm supply chain attacks.

I suggested Angular because it is a powerful, enterprise-grade framework, and I was thinking ahead. My long-term vision includes building a reusable component library on the site. This would allow users to easily upload, share, and manage their custom QElectroTech symbols, turning the website into a more dynamic community resource.

However, I recognize your valid concerns about long-term maintenance overhead.

To keep things simple and secure, I am happy to pivot my initial approach.

Instead of starting with a full framework, I can begin the redesign using just clean HTML, CSS (leveraging Tailwind CSS for efficiency), and pure JavaScript. This approach would:

  • Drastically reduce maintenance overhead and external dependencies.

  • Keep the codebase simple and lightweight, addressing your concerns about complexity.

  • Still deliver a modern and responsive design.

As the website evolves, we could still integrate new features, such as a blog section to share tips, usage guides, and general design insights, without adding unnecessary complexity upfront.

My main goal is to deliver a great-looking, highly functional, and easy-to-maintain website.
I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this simpler approach.

Best regards,
Carlos Cervantes

  • scorpio810
  • scorpio810
  • QElectroTech Team Manager, Developer, Packager
  • Offline

Re: Proposal: Modernizing the QElectroTech Website

Can we continue this discussion later, please? I've just had a death in my immediate family that has affected me deeply. I know it's my dog, but she's like one of my children to me. She was about to turn 19...

Best regards,
Laurent

"Le jour où tu découvres le Libre, tu sais que tu ne pourras jamais plus revenir en arrière..."Questions regarding QET belong in this forum and will NOT be answered via PM! – Les questions concernant QET doivent être posées sur ce forum et ne seront pas traitées par MP !

Re: Proposal: Modernizing the QElectroTech Website

I am so sorry for your loss. Losing a pet that has been with you for 19 years is heartbreaking.
Just a small thought from my culture: in Mexico, we believe dogs are sacred guides who wait to lead their human companions on their final journey. She will be waiting for you.
Sending you my deepest condolences.