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The site design...

Posted: Thu Jul 14, 2005 8:23 pm
by KillerJ59J
This is a PHP forum so of course you use Opensource PHP software, so why not customize it alittle to make it look less ugly? At least take out the links at the top that your site doesn't use (e.g. the Usergroups.)Maybe add some color phpBB uses CSS right? Just change it at night and throw in some new grphics and surprise everyone ^_^. Good luck witht he site it's pretty a great web resource.

Posted: Thu Jul 14, 2005 8:30 pm
by John Cartwright
Ohh my friend we have discussed this a couple of times, and it seems most people enjoy this place as it is. Although I do agree a logo change wouldnt hurt ;)

Re: The site design...

Posted: Thu Jul 14, 2005 8:33 pm
by Roja
KillerJ59J wrote:This is a PHP forum so of course you use Opensource PHP software, so why not customize it alittle to make it look less ugly?
Actually, in another thread we just had this conversation, and the majority opinion in that thread was that we *didn't* want it to be significantly different from the default phpbb.

In fact, when the last rebuild happened, the subsilver theme wasn't available, and enough people were upset that they added it back.

There are a number of complaints about phpBB that are valid, but describing subsilver as ugly is really rare. It gets a number of compliments here and on the 'net in general.
KillerJ59J wrote: At least take out the links at the top that your site doesn't use (e.g. the Usergroups.)
They use usergroups. Founders, Tutorials group (I'm a member!), and so forth.
KillerJ59J wrote: Maybe add some color phpBB uses CSS right?
Actually, a fair bit of the color comes from images, so it would involve editing the images, AND making it all look like it fits together.
KillerJ59J wrote: Just change it at night and throw in some new grphics and surprise everyone ^_^.
The last time that happened, a huge number of people said "PUT IT BACK!".

Consistency is useful and it helps people like me that visit - not joking - 17 phpbb-based forums a day when I can.

Which is why I'll be helping a project here soon to modify phpbb's subsilver theme to be html-compliant. To make the default even better.

Posted: Thu Jul 14, 2005 8:39 pm
by KillerJ59J
:lol: Cool. I Don't care how phpBB comes with the links and the plane black text above them, but I guess it's just me ^_^.

Posted: Thu Jul 14, 2005 8:43 pm
by Roja
KillerJ59J wrote::lol: Cool. I Don't care how phpBB comes with the links and the plane black text above them, but I guess it's just me ^_^.
Admittedly, I wouldnt mind seeing the blacktext change into something a little more interesting.

The links I use however, and like em right up top where I can get to em in every page.

Posted: Thu Jul 14, 2005 8:55 pm
by Burrito
only thing I'd change is to add "view unread posts" on every page.

I've added a "custom link" on my tool bar to that now however, so I'm happy as a clam with the way things are.

Subsilver is a good design...

it would be nice to have an option however, I'll agree with you there, but as a former phpBB theme designer, I know how difficult it can be to incorporate all of the mods, especially the custom ones that were built for this board. For this board, it probably woudln't be possible to just throw in a new template, install and walk away.

Posted: Thu Jul 14, 2005 9:10 pm
by neophyte
Content is everything. This site has good content and great members. If the site had some other theme people would complain about it. I like this one. Nice and functional.

Posted: Thu Jul 14, 2005 10:16 pm
by John Cartwright
Not to mention if we switched themes we would have to re-mod the theme.
BOooooo

Posted: Thu Jul 14, 2005 10:36 pm
by KillerJ59J
I wasn't talking about a new theme.. You could just take this theme and change the images, but obvously people like it the way that it is. So why change it, unless of course you would want make it more functional.

Posted: Thu Jul 14, 2005 11:44 pm
by McGruff
Eventually (it's going to take a while) there will be some new forum software. The default look will be very subsilver-like - possibly an exact copy, licence permitting. It will be designed to be very easy to skin. There won't be any php in the templates, or lots of bitty template fragments. If it's designer-friendly hopefully a range of skin options will spring up.

I'm kind of hoping that it will be done by the end of the year but it's a big job and work keeps getting in the way. Once we have some new software it should be much easier to respond to requests for new features. For example have you ever tried editing bbcode tags in phpBB..? At night I wake up, sweating, thinking about that.

Posted: Fri Jul 15, 2005 8:02 am
by Chris Corbyn
KillerJ59J wrote:Just change it at night and throw in some new grphics and surprise everyone ^_^.
When would that be then... this is the internet don't forget ;) We don't all live in your town :P

Posted: Fri Jul 15, 2005 9:50 am
by theda
Personally, I don't mind the skin, it's really easy on the eyes, but I would like something a bit ... less blue. -_-; I think I've seen enough blue to make me want to kill all blue... Even though it's my favorite color =D

What you guys need to do is make your own forum as a testiment to your knowledge! If you can't, then sad for you then :). You could easily enlist everyone here to program a little snippet of code, and have it a big community forum-created open source fun-fest... Or we could just toil away with what we have... ^_^;

Posted: Fri Jul 15, 2005 10:00 am
by John Cartwright
You could easily enlist everyone here to program a little snippet of code, and have it a big community forum-created open source fun-fest... Or we could just toil away with what we have... ^_^;
If thats how the world worked, 8O

But hopefully we will have our brand new forum done by the end of the year.

Posted: Fri Jul 15, 2005 10:30 am
by neophyte
Hey McGruff let me know if I can be of any help at all in authoring the forum. I'd love to participate in anyway, including coding, authoring skins or any grunt work you might have to do. Feel free to pm me.

Posted: Fri Jul 15, 2005 1:56 pm
by McGruff
Thanks for offering to help. I'm too tied up at work to even make a start at the moment.