Did the criteria for Coder titles drop majorly recently?

[Code Monkey]

It really should be changed for coder IMO. It's given out too easily. Even right now I see a so called mod released that is mearly a template edit. The template edit is merely copied verbatim from another area of vb with useless data still included. And the file refered to is an entire jelsoft copyright file redistributed with the name slightly changed.

This could have just been a template edit that called the existing file. Instead, this person will earn a coder title and most likely win HOTM.

[Paul M]

Hofm ?

[Code Monkey]

Originally Posted by Paul M

Hofm ?

No idea what you are refering to.

*wistles inocently and walks away.*

[Paul M]

Originally Posted by JumpD

No idea what you are refering to.

*wistles inocently and walks away.*

Last edited by JumpD : Today at 18:34

[Logikos]

haha, the bird was right.

Coder status should be alittle harder to gain then it is now. IMHO

[Roms]

I agree, if it's that easy than it's not worth having....

Does that title really count then? LOL

[Xenon]

well, it was that way since the beginning, be we can of course change it if the community wants...

[Boofo]

Originally Posted by Xenon

well, it was that way since the beginning, be we can of course change it if the community wants...

I think we DO need to change it. It seems to be going to a lot of member's heads now and getting very competitive. All the fun seems to be going out of the place these days for some reason. It sure ain't like the old Chen days anymore.

[peterska2]

Originally Posted by Xenon

well, it was that way since the beginning, be we can of course change it if the community wants...

Leave the coder/designer ones as they are IMO. So it goes to a few peoples heads, it doesn't matter. I'd rather have a couple of people who's heads it has gone to than pages of complaints saying 'Where's my coder/designer title gone?'.

Personally, I'd leave the whole designer side of things alone. There aren't that many designers of any level so it's not something that needs to be worried about.

As for the advanced/master coder ones, well I have a few things to say about them, but most of them are not fitting with the U rating of the site, so I will just say this one, increase the levels. Put advanced about halfway between the current advanced and master, and double the master level. Master coder is being acheived far too easily these days IMO.

Originally Posted by Boofo

I think we DO need to change it. It seems to be going to a lot of member's heads now and getting very competitive. All the fun seems to be going out of the place these days for some reason. It sure ain't like the old Chen days anymore.

It's more or less a completely different set of people from the Chen days now. Why? Coz a lot of people have got fed up with the site. There isn't the atmosphere that there used to be, and I can only go back to October '03. But that is a completely different topic, and therefore is not relevant to this thread.

[Code Monkey]

I just think it's the coder one that's too easy. I don't care much about the others, it's just a stupid little prize for putting out a body of work here. But the coder tag is a label that is displayed to the general public and speaks of certain qualifications.

If someone authors a body of code then they are a coder. If they copy paste/move bits around to mimick a vb function from one area to somewhere else in the forum, they are not a coder. That should have a different name so there is no confusion about qualifications to the general public.

And then there is another name for those that just outright copy someone elses code and change a table or something and release it without consent or acknowledgement. There's been a rash of that lately. But they still have the coder tag and wave it around with authority.

I don't find that to be a particularly comfortable atmosphere to release my work in. When I used to do PostNuke mods the community would never have tolerated this type of thing. Here, it all seems to be good as long as the general public gets what they want and someone gets a coder tag.

There should probably be a forum for "hacks". No one should be able to start a mod thread in the other forums until they have one existing in them. Meaning, when it's deemed they have authored a geniune code mod then it will be moved into the coders area and all rewards will apply and they may now start new hack threads there.

People that post in the "hacks" forum, or whatever it should be called. Could then apply to have their hack recognized and moved. It could be analyzed by volunteers from the existing coder base and recomondation made to staff by no less than two coders.

IF it doesn't get approved then it just stays there and they can try again. If it's deemed to be in violation it could be removed.

The point is, there is no logical process or flow here to earning rewards, or making sure that the general public isn't being asked to trust someone that doesn't really know what they are doing based on a tag that misrepresents ability.