Options or Revolution Pro?
February 26, 2008
Reading through the posts at Weblog Tools Collection, I came across an interesting question concerning Justin Tadlock’s new Options theme for Wordpress and Brian Gardner’s Revolution Pro theme.
The question raised was - had Justin infringed upon Brian’s copywright of the Revolution series? Now, I’m not an expert in these matters so I’m going to limit my comments to a basic comparison. You can draw your own conclusions.
At first glance, the two themes are strikingly similar. The demo sites for each theme could be echoes of each other. Both are absolutely stunning, in my opinion. Both of these designers are starting to push Wordpress into new dimensions that go far beyond being just a blog platform.
If you’re a Wordpress user, you probably know all about switching themes for your site. And you know that sooner or later, you’re going to have to go “under the hood” of whatever theme you use in order to get things just right for you.
This is what I’m going to address. I have both themes. This site is built upon the Revolution theme. I have the Options theme running right now on a test site.
You need to understand that I’m no expert with Wordpress. Nor am I an accomplished programmer/coder. And this is where the two themes differ, aside from the fact that one is free and the other a paid theme.
The Options theme is not for the novice or the faint of heart. Justin has come up with a powerful and gorgeous theme, but you need to know your way around Wordpress, CSS and PHP to really use all the features that he’s designed into this theme.
Looking under the hood made me gasp a little. It didn’t take long at all to realize that this theme was going to take some real work on my part. So, I put it on my testsite. To play with, and to learn. Not for sure when I’ll get to the point that I’m comfortable in using it.
There is a striking difference when you raise the hood on the Revolution theme. Brian’s code is surprisingly easy to understand, even for a novice like me. The presentation, like the theme itself, is elegant, clean and insanely easy to customize for your personal preferences. And, in working through the customization, you get to know a lot about Wordpress and coding. With the Options theme, you need to bring these skills to the table or you’ll be lost.
Support, for any theme, is going to determine it’s acceptance and use in the marketplace. A quick look at the support forums for each of these themes can be revealing.
In all fairness, the Options theme is brand new and, like any new thing, has a few bugs. Justin’s forum is designed to help users with their problems and customization. He is, however, one person trying to wear a lot of hats.
The Revolution forum, on the other hand, has a little different setup. Not only does Brian hang around the forums a lot, he has enlisted the help of several moderators that truly go above and beyond normal support. And they do it quickly. Even in this instant world of the internet, their attention to problems and customization issues is quite amazing.
And that brings us back to the question - did Justin “rip off” Brian’s themes? In my opinion the answer is clearly “no.”
What we have here is two exceptionally gifted designers that have each taken their own unique approaches to the issue of designing themes. The fact that they are each currently offering a theme that looks remarkably like the other is not some matter of coincidence. It’s the logical outcome of two different approaches to solving a defined need in the marketplace.
Hopefully, this will help you decide which theme is best for you. As for me, look at the footer.
Big Idea, Part 3
February 26, 2008
This is the third and final installment of the Big Idea series. No doubt these concepts will be revisited in future posts as they are key elements to our survival. Just in case you haven’t read the first two parts, I suggest you do so now. Otherwise, you won’t be at all prepared for what I consider the most shocking part. … continue reading
Big Idea, Part 2
February 12, 2008
C. S. Lewis writes about one of the things that most impressed him when he first began to read the New Testament seriously. He talks of the overwhelming sense that there is an evil in this world. Unseen, yet present everywhere.
He went on to compare his becoming a Christian to that of a soldier in World War II. Not just any soldier, mind you. He compares it to the soldier who is dropped, alone, behind enemy lines. Not a very encouraging picture. Accurate, but not pretty. … continue reading
Big Idea, Part 1
February 6, 2008
Further up and further in - the words of C. S. Lewis. That is where we’re being called, you know. Looking at that mountain, we somehow get the vague sensation that this just might get a little dangerous.
And it will. Deep inside, we know this. Now, if you’re like me, you just might question whether you’re ready. That’s probably a good question to ask ourselves. In order to survive, we need to see what we’re up against. … continue reading