Hi Mike,

The way to get changes into the core is to work with me. I am amenable to changes in the core that everyone will benefit from. I've seen this kind of functionality in other CMS systems and I agree it would be nice to be able to recover deleted stuff. Currently we do have that for users where its configurable in the site settings whether users really get deleted or flagged as deleted. Given the various kinds of data that we want to be able to recover, I don't think we want a  central table for the recycle bin, but probably rather more of the same scheme on all the various tables where would would implement an isdeleted flag and filter it out from main content using this flag. So anything in any table that is flagged as isdeleted would basically mean its in the recycle bin. Emptying the recycle bin could be disabled completely in web.config or locked down by roles but there should be functionality where its possible to empty it by deleting the items flagged as isdeleted. Each table or feature hat needed to support this would proboably have to implement some provider or interface that enables browsing the stuff in the recycle bin and or restoring it depending on roles permissions.

If you or your company would be interested in sponsoring me to implement some of these things I could make it a priority and we could specify the details more. If you want to do the work yourself and can commit the changes back into the project under our contributer agreement that is also feasible but somewhat subject to my availability to review and integrate your changes. Before any core changes can be committed to trunk I have to implement the all the data layers so the build doesn't break under any of the supported dbs. 

So its really a case by case basis, if I agree the functionality you want in the core shhould go there we can work together, if not I can try to propose ways of doing it externally or consider making some changes that make it easier to do in external projects. In this particular case yes I think it should go into the core, its desireable to the community at large.

Best,

Joe

Yes, I do mean more than a few beers, if the requirements could be specified clearly and agreed upon I could propose a fixed bid at which I would undertake it, but without a real sponsorship I need to focus on things that are going to bring in revenue. Sponsorshhip is basically a consulting engagement where I build what you need into mojoPortal and those changes become part of the project and open source. 

I hope you can change your boss's mind. I mean you can fork the code and cut yourself off from upgrades but then I will come out with some great new functionality that you will want or there will emerge some bug or security issue that gets fixed and you will have to either fix it yourself or try to backport the fix from my repository to yours. I'm a very good developer and I'm working on mojoPortal full time, its doubtful to me that anyone will maintain a fork better than I maintain mojoPortal. I think short sightedness costs more in the long run if its an important project. It will be more expensive in the long run to have to keep porting changes from my repository to yours.

Best,

Joe

It would be kind of cool if there was a way that multiple people could pool some money together to have Joe/team build specific, requested features for mojoPortal. For example, while I may not have the resources to have Joe build a specific module just for me if a handful of us all had a similar need we could all contribute together and it might be affordable.

I wouldn't then mind if the custom work was integrated into the portal either, I figure the better the CMS the more people will use it and will stay supported. Maybe give the initial cash contributers some kind of benefit, I don't know what though. Joe may eventually get to our wish list items, but he's trying to make a living too. So if 5-10 of us put some cash together this might be one way to help everyone out.

The trick would be to have an official process and system for organizing sponsors together, pricing the job and spliting/collecting the funds. It could be as simple as static page with module ideas. You list in detail the module features and the estimated costs. Then people email you and you update the number of interested parties so people can see what the cost breakdown would be based on the current number of sponsors. After an agreeable amount of sponsors is put together you get started.

Or maybe too complex :)  But just a thought. As a lot of us are freelancers or part of small teams I'm guessing we individually don't have a lot of money to pay for custom module development.