New site design

We know you have an opinion on how things should be run around here. These are suggestions for the forums, and the website.This forum is not a place to ask for suggestions to your own coding (or otherwise) problems.

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Bill H
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New site design

Post by Bill H »

I hate to be negative, and I know you have worked hard to make this a good website. And in terms of content, it really is. But it is really getting messy in appearance: nothing vertically lines up with anything else; widths are jumping around all over the place; it's really jarring. I sort of flinch every time I go from the main page to a forum to a post and back again with the major column width changes.

Now you've added the Amazon.com banner which is sometimes above the "new post" button and sometimes below it, and other times halfway down the page. Not only is it in color, while the rest of the page is essentially colorless, but it has motion and pulls my eye away from the post that I am trying to read and it is located on every single page.!

I am, by trade, a website programmer and as much as I like the content of this board and admire the pople who run it this is just reaching the point that I am reluctant to even come here.
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Post by jason »

Thread for this is primarily here: viewtopic.php?t=22061

As I have mentioned before: I don't care what you don't like. That tells me nothing. Rather, I want every to offer suggestions to make this site better (hence trying to keep everything under that thread).
Now you've added the Amazon.com banner which is sometimes above the "new post" button and sometimes below it, and other times halfway down the page. Not only is it in color, while the rest of the page is essentially colorless, but it has motion and pulls my eye away from the post that I am trying to read and it is located on every single page.!
Yeah, I thought someone would say something. I hadn't realized it was off in it's placement, however, it's not on every single page, I can assure you of that. Again, in the above thread, maybe you could offer some suggestions to help make this place better. Telling me what you don't like doesn't solve the problems I am trying to solve by changing things around.

Anyways, most of what I would say is covered in that thread. =)
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scorphus
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Post by scorphus »

Just to let here my thought, the banner doesn't bother me at all.

Bill H, hit 'Esc' key on Mozilla Firefox and the banner stops moving.

Jason, you forgot to add it to the search page which is very used (well, at least I think it is). Keep up the good work.

- Scorphus.
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Bill H
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Post by Bill H »

I don't care what you don't like.
Sorry to hear that. I had made my suggestions as to vertical alignment and column widths in the thread you refer to, and the response was that you thought your way was better. Now that I know you don't care...
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Post by jason »

Bill H wrote:
I don't care what you don't like.
Sorry to hear that. I had made my suggestions as to vertical alignment and column widths in the thread you refer to, and the response was that you thought your way was better. Now that I know you don't care...
Ugh.

I don't care what you don't like; I care what you do like. Telling me I don't like X doesn't tell me that you like Y. That's whay I mean by "I don't care what you don't like." I thought I had made the clear.

*smack* =)

C'mon, you should know better than that. Of course I care what everyone thinks. But what I really care about is suggestions on improvements. Sometimes I think I am right, doesn't mean I am, but I can be (I have my moments).

Anyways, regardless, I will be modifying the design and layout of the site in a few days again to accomidate some of the suggestions people have made, as well as hopefully solve some of the gripes (including the width issue!). However, I still stand by what I said: I don't care what you don't like. But please, by all means, tell me what you do like, and what you would like to see. =)
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Bill H
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Post by Bill H »

Okay, sorry about the thin skin. I really like this forum and its people, and the jarring ambience of columns jumping around distresses me.

Take a look at http://www.webxpertz.net/forums/ if you will. IMHO the artwork is overdesigned, but the flow is not bad. You go from the main menu to a forum to a post with a smooth flow of column width and vertical alignment. (Their expertise in javascript and HTML is outstanding, this board is vastly better for PHP.) Sudden changes in column widths is very jarring to the average viewer.

Your forum navigation text line (Forum Index->Suggestions) is far superior, and I like the fact that it is located at the top and at the bottom of the posts.

The layout at the very top (Home | Forums etc and above) is excellent.

You said something about redesigning the logo, but I see nothing wrong with it as it is.

I know the banner produces income, but flashing and moving is obnoxious and the burden should not be on the viewer to obviate it.
My 2 cents.
magicrobotmonkey
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Post by magicrobotmonkey »

ohh, you know what i like from that forum? maximum lenghts for code and after that it scrolls in place!
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Post by jason »

Code: Select all

blah blah blahblah blah blahblah blah blahblah blah blahblah blah blah Yes, I am actually testing to implement stuff blah blah blahblah blah blahblah blah blah and I am doing this all at work..blah blah blahblah blah blahblah blah blahblah blah blahblah blah blah
dddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd

Code: Select all

blah blah blahblah blah blahblah blah blahblah blah blahblah blah blah Yes, I am actually testing to implement stuff blah blah blahblah blah blahblah blah blah and I am doing this all at work..blah blah blahblah blah blahblah blah blahblah blah blahblah blah blah
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scorphus
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Post by scorphus »

Nice improvement, Jason.

Test (unmaximize and resize your browser window):

Code: Select all

dddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd
- Scorphus
magicrobotmonkey
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Post by magicrobotmonkey »

nice, but a) doesn't work in IE and b) can you scroll the other way as well?
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Post by jason »

Yes, if I set a maximum height, but why would I want to do that? Source code can be long. I always hate the things that only show a small bit of source code. So scrolling up and down is fine, but left and right is not, is what I am saying ( I think, it's late and I am tired).
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