Tweet New Look

[Mike Gebert]

Here's what this thread looks like a few posts back to me:



It's quite clear that when there's a lot of white space, it's because a large avatar on the left is dictating the minimum size of the box.

Does anyone see something significantly different from this, where white space seems more arbitrary? Again, I'd be grateful for any screen shots sent to mikegebert at gmail dot com, so I can judge if there's a problem (or at least, one with a possible solution).

Also, if anyone sees the type in a way that's markedly different from the above, I'd like to know that too. There will be some variance between computers and browsers, but tell me if it's much larger, with fewer words per line, for instance.

I'm just looking forward into finally finding out who my friends and foes are. For a depressive paranoiac it's ideal.

Bob

Ooooh!!! How do we do that???

Click on the name to take you to the profile and there the choices are.

Bob

Can I put everyone but me on both lists? It seems so much fairer.

For what it's worth, I'm not having the white space problem others seem to be having.

Beyond that, I just want to say thanks to the moderators who are working on this. The reasons for the change are now clear. And once the bugs are worked out and everyone has time to get used to it, I'm sure it'll be fine.

I'm okay with the new look as long as that bright blue screen doesn't come back. That was a shock. Plus, the letters PhpBB3.0 at the top looked like some kind of weird phonetic approximation of a Bronx cheer . . .

Yep, I'm getting white space above the text in the size of whatever the persons avatar is, very annoying when trying to scan down past all of the drivel.

All in all, a step down in design for the site.


RICHARD M ROBERTS

[Mike Gebert]

You mean the text doesn't start at right, until it's below the image at left? They should be independent of one another.

Someone, please send me a screen shot of what you're getting. mikegebert at gmail dot com

Also, what browser and version you're running.

I feel like I have to defend myself here and declare that I am not opposed to change as a matter of principle. Those of you who ripped me have made some unsubstantiated assumptions in that regard. Although 60s rock music still rules.

Frederica said she was able to smallify the boxes. How did you do it?

For the record, I use Firefox (updated) at work and Internet Explorer at home. Haven't checked the new look on the latter yet, so my comments are from the Firefox perspective.

Feels like we're having a whiteout around here...


Jim

You mean the text doesn't start at right, until it's below the image at left? They should be independent of one another.

Someone, please send me a screen shot of what you're getting. mikegebert at gmail dot com

Also, what browser and version you're running.

When I use Internet Explorer 8, there's a lot of white space at the top of each post, the amount depending on whether the user has an avatar, and the size of said avatar. I don't have this problem with Google Chrome -- everything looks great, like the screen capture you just posted.

By the way, I'm having fun exploring the new site and trying everything out. One thing bugs me, though. On the old site, when I clicked on a link, it opened in a separate window, which I could close when I finished. Now when I click, the link opens in the same window, and I have to use the "Back" button to get back to Nitrateville. Can you fix this?

But hopefully you'll like it... and in any case, we had ta do it!

I like it very much! Thanks!

[Mike Gebert]

When I use Internet Explorer 8, there's a lot of white space at the top of each post, the amount depending on whether the user has an avatar, and the size of said avatar. I don't have this problem with Google Chrome

Well, you can guess my advice...

Seriously, everyone who sees it this way, are you all running Internet Explorer?

[Danny Burk]

I just looked via my never-used copy of IE 8. Huge white areas - yes, it's spacing first for the author/avatar column and leaves that space blank on top of the message area. This is on Windows. No problem at all with Firefox.

[silentfilm]

Yes, Mike. Through Firefox it looks great, but IE8 puts about 8-15 blank lines between each post.

[Mike Gebert]

Richard sent me a screen grab so I see that, indeed, there is a problem in IE. I will investigate possible solutions. That said, Internet Explorer is really the problem, as it is notoriously unfriendly to things people other than Microsoft have standardized for the Web. There's an article here which is kind of dumb, but skip down to the bullet points for the main reasons why using IE is a bad idea. I recommend downloading and using a free replacement browser such as Firefox or Chrome for a number of reasons.

All that said... I'll see if there's a way to make IE behave with PhpBB. So our fixit list so far is:

1) Make IE stop aligning text with bottom of avatar image
2) Restore a way to jump to first unread post in a thread
3) Visually differentiate threads better like open/closed folders used to
4) Make links force a new window

Anything else (that was practical, as opposed to "Go Back" which isn't?)

I gotta tell you, not having that "go to first unread post" button is a real drag. Now I spend more time trying to figure out where I left off on a thread rather than the program doing it for me. Is there ANY way to get that thing back??

My avatar vanished...I'm contemplating if I should replace it

[Mike Gebert]

It's on the list, Louie, right above your post (#2).

[Christopher Jacobs]

There are a lot of nice new features in this version, although the formatting will take some getting used to. A few features that used to appear even when not logged in now only work when logged in, but that's no big deal.

A couple of minor things I miss include not having the current date and time displayed at the top, right underneath the masthead (which is usually an hour or two off until you log in). If you haven't closed your browser since the last time you visited and still have Nitrateville as one of the tabs, then it's a quick reminder of the last time you checked the site. Another thing that used to be nice (in an anal sort of way) was the numbering of members in the memberlist, so you could see the actual numerical order that people joined the site or how they rank in number of posts, etc., instead of just the current listing them in order but making you count manually if you'd like to check quickly whether today you rank 36th or 34th or 32nd in total number of posts, or how many people signed up for Nitrateville before you or after you.

Overall it looks good. I, too, have been using IE (5, 6, 7, and 8, depending which computer I'm on) and see the extra space above postings that is the size of the poster's avatar and data, but that's a minor thing and I may eventually install Chrome or Firefox on one or more of my home computers.

--Christopher Jacobs
http://hpr1.com/film
http://www.und.edu/instruct/cjacobs
http://www.und.edu/instruct/cjacobs/Old ... BluRay.htm

It's on the list, Louie, right above your post (#2).

Sorry Mike. I understand.

[silentfilm]

What's happening is that there are two boxes in the display table. The left box displays the poster's avatar and information, and the right box displays the actual post. The problem is the right box starts the text for the post below the user's information, not next to it.

[Mike Gebert]

You left out "because Internet Explorer is evil."

[Christopher Jacobs]

One more nice thing about the new version of Nitrateville is that I can again log on, read, and make posts from my regular laptop (a 2006 model) running IE6 on XP, whereas before it work fine if I wasn't logged in, but if I logged in it would display only the forum listings and would not go to the posts unless I was on a different computer running IE5, 7, or 8.

I used to greatly prefer Netscape to IE back in the 90s, but I normally haven't had a lot of problems with IE since version 5, which still works better than 6, 7, or 8 on some websites, even if my 11-year-old Windows 98 laptop that's literally held together with duct tape seems to take forever compared with newer models. My Mac is still running OSX-Tiger, and its version of Safari is adequate but less useful than IE.

--Christopher Jacobs
http://hpr1.com/film
http://www.und.edu/instruct/cjacobs
http://www.und.edu/instruct/cjacobs/Old ... BluRay.htm

I gotta tell you, not having that "go to first unread post" button is a real drag. Now I spend more time trying to figure out where I left off on a thread rather than the program doing it for me. Is there ANY way to get that thing back??

Here's one way I've found:

1. From the home page, click on "View unread posts" at the top left of screen.
2. From that page, click on the title of the thread you want.
3. Click on "First unread post" at the top right of the thread -- and you're there!

1. From the home page, click on "View unread posts" at the top left of screen.
2. From that page, click on the title of the thread you want.
3. Click on "First unread post" at the top right of the thread -- and you're there!

Thank you!

I gotta tell you, not having that "go to first unread post" button is a real drag. Now I spend more time trying to figure out where I left off on a thread rather than the program doing it for me. Is there ANY way to get that thing back??

Here's one way I've found:

1. From the home page, click on "View unread posts" at the top left of screen.
2. From that page, click on the title of the thread you want.
3. Click on "First unread post" at the top right of the thread -- and you're there!

Thanks Dan. Still seems like a lot of work compared with the old way, but for now, I'll take it!

You left out "because Internet Explorer is evil."

Mike! I'm surprised at you! You know very well that IE is only annoying and inefficient.

Louie B Mayer and/or Irving Thalburg were evil.

Another thing people can do to minimize blank space is go to the user control panel and change the display settings to not show avatars or signatures. Yeah, they're cute 'n' all, but not really needed.

I like the new look.

And yeah, IE 8 offsets the text, but Firefox doesn't. Everything looks fine in Safari, too.

Another thing people can do to minimize blank space is go to the user control panel and change the display settings to not show avatars or signatures. Yeah, they're cute 'n' all, but not really needed.

Young man, you are suggesting that we tamper with the very forces of nature...are you seeking to destroy the cosmos??


Seriously- I'd like to redo my avatar but I can't figure out how to resize a picture

Testing it on IE at home, and I'm getting all the same complaints everybody else made. Perhaps 3% more white space, since the exchange rate is now 3% in Canada's favour.

Jim,
rubbing your Yankee noses in it!

Another thing people can do to minimize blank space is go to the user control panel and change the display settings to not show avatars or signatures. Yeah, they're cute 'n' all, but not really needed.

That actually doesn't do anything to eliminate the white space, it just eliminates the avatars. The white space remains.

RICHARD M ROBERTS

[Mike Gebert]

If we do that, then the terrorists in Redmond have won.

The extra white space is for Mabuse's messages to his agents worldwide.
It's in "white on white," only discoverable by those "in the know."

Rick