neodc Posted March 28, 2009 Share Posted March 28, 2009 Hello, i dont know what other people think but i'm not too sure about the new layout of the forum, i just think there is too much going on. Looks like someones just got a free template and applyed it. Can it be made part of the user profile to change the template that are used ? Thanks Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R35LEE Posted March 28, 2009 Share Posted March 28, 2009 I think it looks great! easy to navigate! perfect! someone has put the time in to get it like this, cheers guys! Lee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drewbie Posted March 28, 2009 Share Posted March 28, 2009 Looks more Professional if a bit busy. Can't thank the people responsible enough though for putting in time an effort. A little constructive feedback would be that I used to love seeing the latest top 10 and who had posted them last (realise the recent stuff is there, but no member info)- miss that bit. I am also running the very latest windows exploerer and the site isn't compatible with it. Luckily it can default to running in IE8 mode. Loads of improvements though. Great work. And thanks on behalf of all us members who enjoy using the site for free. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest prescience Posted March 28, 2009 Share Posted March 28, 2009 Looks more Professional if a bit busy. Can't thank the people responsible enough though for putting in time an effort. A little constructive feedback would be that I used to love seeing the latest top 10 and who had posted them last (realise the recent stuff is there, but no member info)- miss that bit. I am also running the very latest windows exploerer and the site isn't compatible with it. Luckily it can default to running in IE8 mode. Loads of improvements though. Great work. And thanks on behalf of all us members who enjoy using the site for free. Not sure of your issue, but sounds like you've been suckered by Bill Gates Inc ... the issue cannot be that the site is incompatible with the browser (or software) but that the browser (or software) is not fit-for-purpose Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neodc Posted March 28, 2009 Author Share Posted March 28, 2009 fair enough guys, i'll shut up then Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H5 Posted March 28, 2009 Share Posted March 28, 2009 fair enough guys, i'll shut up then If we can look at some of the things people don't like then we will, don't feel you have to shut up at all! When you say it looks fussy, what sepcifically do you mean? When browsing, it actually has the same information in roughly the same place, so something a bit more specific would help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marzman Posted March 28, 2009 Share Posted March 28, 2009 Unfortunately im with you neodc... Im sure like most other user i just use the 'View Unread Posts' button. I think its a little awkward to spot now, being that its in the middle of the 3 options (horizontally), and more annoyingly its below the date and time text... i have to look for the button every time, rather than just knowing where it was going to be on the old forum. But i can get used to it. However, my main dislike are the actual topic selection screens. I dont know if its that the fonts are too small, or the columns are too big etc, but it just doesnt look right, and makes it frustrating to read posts... Does anyone have a screenshot of what the old site looked like so i can compare and put my finger on it...? I pretty much have lived on this forum this last couple of months, but i've barely been on this week... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
srobrien Posted March 28, 2009 Share Posted March 28, 2009 I think the busy looking bit is how on the subsections the threads have black boxes round them now that do not extend out to the bit where it tells you who posted last in the thread. They didn't have black boxes round them before, it kind of means you have to focus in and out in order to see who has started and posted last in the thread....if you catch my drift. Although personally i like the new look. R Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarnie Posted March 28, 2009 Share Posted March 28, 2009 Unfortunately im with you neodc... Im sure like most other user i just use the 'View Unread Posts' button. I think its a little awkward to spot now, being that its in the middle of the 3 options (horizontally), and more annoyingly its below the date and time text... i have to look for the button every time, rather than just knowing where it was going to be on the old forum. But i can get used to it. However, my main dislike are the actual topic selection screens. I dont know if its that the fonts are too small, or the columns are too big etc, but it just doesnt look right, and makes it frustrating to read posts... Does anyone have a screenshot of what the old site looked like so i can compare and put my finger on it...? I pretty much have lived on this forum this last couple of months, but i've barely been on this week... I pretty much agree with everything you've said. I really dislike this new format, it looks very 'Americanised' in my opinion. Also each post takes up too much space so people with massive info in Sigs (CS for exmple) means that their posts are massive. Aesthetically it looks ok but no better than before, I'm also not sure what actual benefits there are for the users. It seems that most of the benefits are behind the scenes so that the site runs smoothly which is great for everyone I suppose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rentech Posted March 28, 2009 Share Posted March 28, 2009 My first impression was don't like this. But must say it's growing on me the more I visit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinmac Posted March 28, 2009 Share Posted March 28, 2009 Not sure if you are all aware but we had to move so the guys had to work long hours to get this place ready. There was a lot of dicussion on options, most of the tech stuff went way over my head I am sure there is a real advantage in having open discussion about the layout so keep it coming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M13KYF Posted March 28, 2009 Share Posted March 28, 2009 we can't please everyone. We had to do the new install as the old software was could no longer be updated. Some of the changes comes with the new software and out of our control Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anubis Posted March 28, 2009 Share Posted March 28, 2009 I like the design. Being an IT guy myself, I know how hard it is to please everyone - you'll never ever get to a point of making everyone happy, although I agree everyone is entitled to their opinion. If the opinion is based on looks, then no single design will be spot on for all - so long as it is user friendly and bug free then it's fine by me. 9 times out of 10 it takes a fooking lot of effort to make something like this all run smoothly and considering it's free I don't think anyone could really complain. I remember when Windows XP came out, everyone said they hated it cos of all the bugs and new layout, etc - now look whats happened; virtually everyone uses XP (or now Vista). I say give it a go and comment on it in 2-3 months time when everyone is more comfortable to it. I say well done guys - you deserve a medal. Sites like this can run into thousands each year to maintain - anyone else like to foot the bill? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zee Posted March 28, 2009 Share Posted March 28, 2009 I think it looks the dogs well done to the guys who put it together! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Digsy Posted March 29, 2009 Share Posted March 29, 2009 Thanks chaps. Like you say very hard to please everyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunset350z Posted March 29, 2009 Share Posted March 29, 2009 I quite like the new layout. At first i had trouble navigating, but the more time i spend on here the easier its getting. Every new thing takes a while to get used to, and in a couple of weeks i'm sure this site will be second nature to everyone. The only thing i noticed on here, is the problem uploading pictures from photobucket. I have to resize my pics to 600 x 800 to get them to work. As before it would fit the largest of pics. Otherwise totally outstanding job by all those involved and very much appreciated, thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunset350z Posted March 29, 2009 Share Posted March 29, 2009 By the way its now 2:30am and the clock is still showing 1:30am. bl**dy ell time for bed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris`I Posted March 29, 2009 Share Posted March 29, 2009 IThe only thing i noticed on here, is the problem uploading pictures from photobucket. I have to resize my pics to 600 x 800 to get them to work. As before it would fit the largest of pics. There was an issue raised that large pics were causing horizontal scrolling. As a temporay measure there has been a limit of 800x600 pics. Chris is looking into getting the forum to auto resize the images for the page size on the fly. What you can do with photobucket, is use the thumbnail code rather than the full image code. That way you can keep the original at 1024x768 for viewing and smaller for on the forum page Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bronzee Posted March 29, 2009 Share Posted March 29, 2009 This version is fairly widely use now. Good job guys will be easier once we all adjust. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chesterfield Posted March 29, 2009 Share Posted March 29, 2009 Hi, Ill try to address some of the issues raused hope this helps: i just think there is too much going on. Looks like someones just got a free template and applyed it. Can it be made part of the user profile to change the template that are used ? It is a free template - but so was the one used on the previous forum, they were/are both heavily modified in order to fit our specific needs. I.e. the header menu, quick reply function, portl, additional bb code, member map, etc. These are all changes from the default setup of this particular style. It is possible to allow users to select different styles, however, in order to do so these additional templates will also need modification to work for our forum. A standard default template from the web will have no header menu, no logos, no quick reply, no portal etc. If people really dont want to use this template even if we can address the few niggles, then we can look at implementing a template which looks almost the same as the previous version, but it will take time to alter the template to work with our forum. A little constructive feedback would be that I used to love seeing the latest top 10 and who had posted them last (realise the recent stuff is there, but no member info)- miss that bit. I am also running the very latest windows exploerer and the site isn't compatible with it. Luckily it can default to running in IE8 mode. This info can be seen by using the various lnks at the top - though we may be able to alter the portal to display this. The unread/new posts links work like this: View active topics: This allows you to see all topics that have any activity in the last X days, X being selectable at the bottom. View New Posts: This shows all threads with posts made since your last logon. View Unread posts: This shows all topics with posts that you have not read - regardless of logon. View your posts: View threads that you have posted in. As for internet explorer - Microsoft is really starting to P**s forum creators off. Each release of Internet Explorer seems to change the way it works with javascript and html, trying to be super intelligent and thinks it knoew better than the writer when displaying pages. We have tried to get this to work as best we can with IE, but unfortunately with evry release of the software, its like trying to hit a moving target. Most people are not inclined to re-write their forum templates every time Microsoft decide that html should be interpreted differently, myself included. We can try and fix little niggles. One example is the quick reply box. This is open by default in Internet Explorer, but not in othe browsers. Also, Internet Explorer by default switches its focus to the quick reply box, meaning after the page has loaded, you jump straight to the quick reply box - we have had to put specific code in place to stop IE doing this. We can try to put other slight fixes in place to make the forumwork with newer releases, but in all honesty - why should we have to? I'm also not sure what actual benefits there are for the users. It seems that most of the benefits are behind the scenes so that the site runs smoothly which is great for everyone I suppose. I made this post previously on the additions for a user, hope this helps: additions from a users perspective are: ability to report posts to a moderator - this can be seen by all mods, so no need to pm individualsability to use extra Bcode buttons - such as the youtube one already addedA beaten to posting review - if someone replied before you, then you have the opportunity to change your postadditions to the way in which unread posts can be displayed - active topics, unread posts, new posts."Print view" for topics, making for more efficient/economical printing of a threadAdditional functions in the user control panel, custom folders for PM's, multiple recipients for PM's etc.Ability to save messages/posts as drafts for finishing later There are also quite a few additions for moderating, which although nothing special from a users perspective, should make it easier for us to keep the place neat and tidy. Im sure like most other user i just use the 'View Unread Posts' button. I think its a little awkward to spot now, being that its in the middle of the 3 options (horizontally), and more annoyingly its below the date and time text... i have to look for the button every time, rather than just knowing where it was going to be on the old forum. But i can get used to it. However, my main dislike are the actual topic selection screens. I dont know if its that the fonts are too small, or the columns are too big etc, but it just doesnt look right, and makes it frustrating to read posts... The view unread posts button is in more or less the same place as it was on the old forum. The date and time has moved from left to right, and the "view new/unread/your posts" are listed horizontaly rather than vertcially, which compresses the header, saving space. On smaller resolution screens, I may agree that the size of these links is rather small - perhaps increasing the size would resolve the visibility issue of these links? With regard to the space on the topic display, yes that is an issue and we would hope to use that area to display the section that the post is made in, rather than have it displayed in small text underneath the post title. As for the other "spacing" issues, Ill attach a few comparative pictures of th old and new, using the same threads - if people can use these images to hilight what they feel is missing/unnecessary, please do so - it may help: Portal Old and New Index Old and New Section with Subforums Old and New Topic Old and New Hope we can get some answers to resolve a few of the concerns Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cara Posted March 29, 2009 Share Posted March 29, 2009 I'm getting used to it and I can appreciate all the hard work that went into it One thing though that I do miss is the ability to 'hover' over a topic title to see the beginning, rather than having to click into the thread. I don't seem to be able to do that now? Edited: Oops, just saw a discussion about this in the Site Suggestions & Feedback section. Ignore me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ebized Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 Unfortunately im with you neodc... Im sure like most other user i just use the 'View Unread Posts' button. I think its a little awkward to spot now, being that its in the middle of the 3 options (horizontally), and more annoyingly its below the date and time text... i have to look for the button every time, rather than just knowing where it was going to be on the old forum. But i can get used to it. However, my main dislike are the actual topic selection screens. I dont know if its that the fonts are too small, or the columns are too big etc, but it just doesnt look right, and makes it frustrating to read posts... Does anyone have a screenshot of what the old site looked like so i can compare and put my finger on it...? I pretty much have lived on this forum this last couple of months, but i've barely been on this week... Like anything new it takes a little time to adjust, but.... I think Marzman has made some valid points about the forum titles/unused space in the forum lists and identifying the key buttons which seem to be down to font size - it they were increased in comparison to the rest about them that might be helpful for users? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mathys Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 Things I miss: -when highlighting a topic in the forum index, it used to give you some lines of the start of the topic. So you would have a good idea whether it is interesting for you or not to click on and start reading it. -General forum index, any new posts made in a subforum> subforum in bold text. Now there is no difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chesterfield Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 From the main list of forums, any subforums that have unread posts should now display in Bold - you may need to force a refresh (press "CTRL & F5" when on the main forum index). Will look at getting the topic section into that large gap on the unread serch results. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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