Chris Pirillo » wicketpixie

WicketPixie Open Source WordPress Theme Updates

Chris — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 18:56:06 +0000

WicketPixie Open Source WordPress Theme Updates is a post from Chris Pirillo

If you like the theme I’m currently running on my blog, you can download and install your own copy. Granted, this is only true if you’re reading this post while I’m still using WicketPixie.
If you haven’t seen, we’ve pushed out a rather major update recently – although it’s not without its share of bugs. Since it’s an open source project, and we’re limited on developers and designers, it’s been slow-moving progress (but progress, nonetheless).
What we need right now are testers. All you have to do is download the latest build of WicketPixie. When we say latest, we’re referring to the master branch on GitHub, not the stable ZIP file that is distributed on Ohloh. Then, post bug reports to our bug tracker.
If you do know PHP (WordPress, specifically), then you can help out by looking for and/or fixing bugs reported in the issues list. Just fork the WicketPixie repository on GitHub and get working, then send Eddie Ringle a pull request. You can learn how to do all of this by reading the Git guides.
If you are graphic artist / Web designer, then you can help as well. It is recommended that you have knowledge of how WordPress themes work before you begin. If you have ideas, then please – join us!

I funded the initial development of WicketPixie, and it’s nice to see so many people using it. However, the only way it’s going to improve from this point forward is if others help it along. There are quite a few aspects that could stand improvement, including an overhauled design of the main page, an extended footer area, and various administrative tweaks.

The Future of WicketPixie?

Abstract Options to accommodate child themes
Clean up / Re-organize Options pages
Support for WPMU and BuddyPress
Easier “Social Me” configuration (ala MyBlogLog)
Automated updater
Turn front pages into Lifestream (ala Sweetcron)

WicketPixie Options need a heavy reorg. I know what I’m doing, and still feel a bit lost when looking at the latest version.

The bigger picture deserves equal attention for a v2.0: coming up with at least one child theme. That is to say, we abstract Options and make them work with any theme adapted for WicketPixie. WicketPixie isn’t the theme so much as it becomes a payload for Options – allowing developers and designers to create a different front-end experience for the same set of Options, thusly allowing users to select different WicketPixie designs.

Possible? I believe so.

Do You Look Good in Stripes?

Chris — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 03:20:01 +0000

Do You Look Good in Stripes? is a post from Chris Pirillo

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If you’ve visited my blog recently, you’ve likely seen the interface. It’s designed pretty well. The WicketPixie theme is available as an open-source theme, and is free for you to use on your own site. Liftsifter sent me a message the other day to let me know about a background maker that works great with WicketPixie. Stripe Generator 2.0 allows you to create… well… stripes for your background.

There are three basic steps to creating what you want:

Play with sliders and color pickers, untill you obtain a super-cool stripe tile.
Press “Download” to save your creation.
Edit your css adding this line to the element you want to stripe:

background-image: url(”path-to-stripe.png”);

If you want to only repeat horizontally your tile (as in the case of tiles with gradient), you must add this line too:

background-repeat: repeat-x;

That really is all there is to it. You can create some seriously gorgeous and slick-looking designs. Why not check it out today, and share your creations with the world.

Want to embed this video on your own site, blog, or forum? Use this code or download the video:

WicketPixie: a Social Media Theme for WordPress

Chris — Fri, 16 May 2008 12:29:35 +0000

WicketPixie: a Social Media Theme for WordPress is a post from Chris Pirillo

Today, I’m officially unveiling my new theme for WordPress – and in a matter of days or weeks, after a few more tweaks, it will be available for you to download and install for your own WordPress blog (recommended v2.5 or later).

Welcome to WicketPixie – a Social Media theme for WordPress.

When I say this is a “Social Media” theme, it’s not merely because there’s a Twitter widget sitting somewhere in the sidebar. No, it’s a bit more involved than that. You’ll have your own “Activity Stream” page, your own “PopURLs” page, and the social profiles that you import can be used as separate widgets throughout the sidebar. It’s all about helping people discover more about you.

You can call these types of pages just about anything you want to call ‘em – I’m going with “Social Me” for my aggregate social graph, and “Faves” for all my favorite Web sites. Of course, you can see all my Web profiles listed in the sidebar – and yes, those favicons were automatically pulled in!

You don’t like the colors or background image of the theme? WicketPixie comes with its own design configuration tool, allowing you to easily change elements and colors throughout the theme. And yes, the theme was designed by the very talented Matt Brett, with app design by the Other Chris.

I’m considering offering two separate downloads: a very generic version of the theme, and the theme as it currently exists on my site (which would require you to replace my own account information throughout the theme with your own). I wanted to tweak certain elements and incorporate my “essential” plugins – not to mention optimize for advertising and SEO. Either way, you’d be on your own for support.

The theme is the app, to me – and I hope WicketPixie will be your next WordPress theme for that reason. Your own blog can also serve as your social nexus, where people can easily find out who you are and what you’re doing anywhere else on the Web. Consider this a v1.0 release:

I ran out of budget, and time, to add more functionality and configurability to the theme – but it’s my hope that we can reach our donation goals quickly to begin work on extending what WicketPixie can help you accomplish (and manage) out of the box. We really wanted to tie in more external social conversations / data, but it wasn’t possible to integrate cleanly without further financial considerations. Still, most of your existing WordPress plugins should work fine with WicketPixie – including Disqus and FriendFeed.

I’d consider this a free premium theme because of its extended capabilities, and if you’d like to help push it to the next level – I’m all ears. I do request that if you change the theme in any way, all credit is pushed forward (and you let me know, please). If you’re interested in helping build ‘er out, we’re off to a running start.

Do you want it?

How to Handle Remote Tech Support

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 06:30:00 GMT

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chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:30:00 GMT

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chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:30:00 GMT

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VMware and Parallels for Virtual Machines

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:30:00 GMT

It doesn't matter if you're running on Windows or Mac OS X - every power user needs either Parallels or VMware (or both). There's never been an easier way to test software without destroying your primary operating system's stability. Think of how many times you wish you could press a 'reverse' button on your computer. Plus, there's no easier way to try new Linux distributions - see what all the fuss is about. Run Windows in OS X, run Linux in Windows, but the best way to do either is with VMware and/or Parallels.

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chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 07:56:13 GMT

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