Updated look for the site.

.BrianJM · 27-06-2012 6:31pm

Boards.ie: Paddy wrote: »

What does: http://www.quirksmode.org/js/detect.html report?

It says I'm using "Internet Explorer 7 on Windows" ??????

but:

Version: 8.0.6001.18702
Build: 86001
Application Path: C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer
Language: English (United States)
Active Printer Samsung Virtual Printer,winspool,EBOOK

Cipher Strength 128-bit
Content Advisor Enabled
IEAK Install No

TPD · 27-06-2012 6:31pm

I'd have to agree with the zoom/empty space at the sides issue. I like to have as much content onscreen at once, so at the smallest readable font size. Defeats the purpose if the bounding box of the text shrinks too.

Also I've noticed on the homepage, the ad bar on the right - if you're using adblock, there's a 1 or 2 pixel horizontal line the width the ad bar would have been, but nothing underneath it. That's a bit annoying.

Boards.ie: Danny · 27-06-2012 6:31pm

juke wrote: »

Is this your way of telling us we should only sub a certain number of forums

No, it's our way of saying we can't have a design that caters for everybody who will use a feature, ever

I'll lift exactly what I posted regarding My Forums in the mod forum where this was raised initially, hopefully it will shed light on the decision:

(The limit of 45 is) all down to design and trying to find the best balance.

For example it may be possible to accommodate more in some form of grouping (e.g. A-F, F-M) with submenus but then people will complain about the extra hover, or the extra click, or the fact they can no longer see at a glance which of all their forums have new posts. If we reduce the text size then it becomes harder to read and more cramped, like our old design. If we make it 4 columns or 5 columns then it just won't fit on small screens or people who like the browse the site in a small window. Keeping in mind that if we go with 60, or 75 forums there'll be questions about why not N+15 - there are even users following > 200 forums (though very few of those). So where does one draw the line?

To give you an idea about how far outside the standard deviations we've already gone:

There are 18,980 users following forums.
There are 1,141 users following more than 15.
There are 230 users following more than 30.
There are 71 users following more than 45

wnolan1992 wrote: »

In the boards.ie dropdown at the top, the links for "My Threads" is gone (like there used to be in the old beta skin). This is a big loss imho because it meant you didn't have to go back to the home page and then click My Threads. You could get to it from anywhere on the site with just one click.

Gone from there, but not from view. Look over to the right beside your Avatar & Username. A nice new My Forums dropdown

duckysauce · 27-06-2012 6:31pm

Don't like it wastes alot of space

intbn · 27-06-2012 6:33pm

duckysauce wrote: »

Don't like it wastes alot of space

no offence but how do i change it back! only jokin

TouchingVirus · 27-06-2012 6:35pm

TPD wrote: »

Also I've noticed on the homepage, the ad bar on the right - if you're using adblock, there's a 1 or 2 pixel horizontal line the width the ad bar would have been, but nothing underneath it. That's a bit annoying.

In my own opinion anybody who has an issue with Adblock on Boards doesn't deserve any time. Why should it be fixed when you won't even support the site via ad revenue? The mind actually boggles at the cheek to be honest. Ross used to ban people around here who admitted to using AdBlock on Boards, they were doing him out of a salary.

ScrubsfanChris · 27-06-2012 6:37pm

Looks cheap and generic, it could be any other interent forum on first glance.....

Louche Lad · 27-06-2012 6:38pm

jumpguy wrote: »

I hate the boards.ie bar on top. It feels like something you should be able to summon when you need it. Makes the screen needlessly much smaller, and it looks cheap and tacky in the blue it's in. The "boards.ie" logo following me around the screen is very annoying and a waste of space.

Like the big chunky reply/quote/thank buttons though, and I don't mind the space on the side. The top bar really is awful though, and I'll be using the old skin until it's changed...

Agree about the big boards.ie bar takes uo too much space.

Boards.ie: Danny · 27-06-2012 6:40pm

Auld-Yin wrote: »

Looks O.K. on my TouchPad but can't use it on my computer (Latop, WinXP-SP3, IE8) because:I suspect there might be a registry setting which has been changed but no-one will confirm (or deny) that. - Still looking.

~
Beta: at top right there are two icons; new post indicator and new PM indicator.
New Beta: seems to have merged these and more into one indicator. I prefer being able to see at a glance - maybe it's a generation (or two) thing.

You can reinstall IE8 if you like. Go to Control Panel -> Add Remove Programs -> Tick the 'Show Updates' box at the top and then remove IE8. Then re-run Windows Update to reinstall. It definitely seems like you have an issue related to the install of IE8 on your machine. The usual caveats apply - back up your favourites etc

juke · 27-06-2012 6:44pm

Boards.ie: Danny wrote: »

No, it's our way of saying we can't have a design that caters for everybody who will use a feature, ever I'll lift exactly what I posted regarding My Forums in the mod forum where this was raised initially, hopefully it will shed light on the decision:

Ah, fair enough....I had a horrible suspicion you'd have a reasonable reason

I'll just have to go and cull 6.

No other particular complaints - unlike many, I like the new notification box - better than the red flashing icon.

DesperateDan · 27-06-2012 6:44pm

Louche Lad wrote: »

Agree about the big boards.ie bar takes uo too much space.

I didn't like it either, but Dav did explicitly say the floating can be disabled quite easily. I turned it off, but appreciate the choice that it's there if I want it. I could especially see it being useful on a tablet.

2qk4u · 27-06-2012 6:45pm

Am I just missing it or is the "New Posts" button gone ?

Dont like the boards.ie bar on top either...

Sarn · 27-06-2012 6:46pm

I like the header when it is unstuck. As a user of one of the black skins it is currently too bright (but this also applies to the current default).

I don't like the fact that posts take up more space. I can only display two single line posts at my current resolution, compared to three with the old version. Personally, I prefer a more condensed view and would prefer less wasted space.

DeBurca · 27-06-2012 6:54pm

It looks good but I am unable to close threads with the new skin

.BrianJM · 27-06-2012 6:55pm

Boards.ie: Danny wrote: »

You can reinstall IE8 if you like. Go to Control Panel -> Add Remove Programs -> Tick the 'Show Updates' box at the top and then remove IE8. Then re-run Windows Update to reinstall. It definitely seems like you have an issue related to the install of IE8 on your machine. The usual caveats apply - back up your favourites etc

That was done some weeks ago when another site wouldn't display anything. Didn't make any difference. A more thorough uninstall and re-install had no effect which is why I suspect a registry entry needs some attention.
Meanwhile [Old]Beta is ideal.

Boards.ie: Paddy · 27-06-2012 6:58pm

DeBurca wrote: »

It looks good but I am unable to close threads with the new skin

Could you elaborate? Just closed a thread in test there without any problems.

[-0-] · 27-06-2012 7:01pm

Loving it, thanks.

Cicero · 27-06-2012 7:05pm

2qk4u wrote: »

Am I just missing it or is the "New Posts" button gone ?

Dont like the boards.ie bar on top either...

Am I correct in saying that the only way to see New posts I.e. across all forums, is to click first on the My Forums tab and then click on the "latest posts" tab ?

If so, this is a big disappointment. I liked the New posts on the top of the page

Boards.ie: Paddy · 27-06-2012 7:09pm

Cicero wrote: »

Am I correct in saying that the only way to see New posts I.e. across all forums, is to click first on the My Forums tab and then click on the "latest posts" tab ?

If so, this is a big disappointment. I liked the New posts on the top of the page

Just click on "Home" should list the latest posts by default?

In any case, we were genuinely surprised at the number of people who miss this feature so we will most likely add it back in. Would you be happy with it being in the boards.ie menu, under post/thread of the day?

TPD · 27-06-2012 7:10pm

TouchingVirus wrote: »

In my own opinion anybody who has an issue with Adblock on Boards doesn't deserve any time. Why should it be fixed when you won't even support the site via ad revenue? The mind actually boggles at the cheek to be honest. Ross used to ban people around here who admitted to using AdBlock on Boards, they were doing him out of a salary.

I was anticipating this response - you'll notice I've subscribed, and it isn't the first time.

2qk4u · 27-06-2012 7:10pm

Cicero wrote: »

Am I correct in saying that the only way to see New posts I.e. across all forums, is to click first on the My Forums tab and then click on the "latest posts" tab ?

If so, this is a big disappointment. I liked the New posts on the top of the page

I found it much more user friendly to just hit "Forums" and then "New Posts" as it brings to whats new obviously but also to topics that are most recently active.
Ive managed to switch back to the older version but wont be impressed if the new one is made permanent.

TPD · 27-06-2012 7:14pm

Sarn wrote: »

I don't like the fact that posts take up more space. I can only display two single line posts at my current resolution, compared to three with the old version. Personally, I prefer a more condensed view and would prefer less wasted space.

That's an idea actually - maybe for shorter posts, they should collapse until just the username and avatar are visible, and they can be expanded with a click on the post title bar if needed.

2qk4u · 27-06-2012 7:15pm

Boards.ie: Paddy wrote: »

Just click on "Home" should list the latest posts by default?

In any case, we were genuinely surprised at the number of people who miss this feature so we will most likely add it back in. Would you be happy with it being in the boards.ie menu, under post/thread of the day?

NO... get rid of the Boards.ie bar aswell..
Stop complicating things, leave it alone. People are inclined to leave forums if they become to difficult to navigate..

Earthhorse · 27-06-2012 7:16pm

How do I mark all forums read? I keep getting a notification that I have one followed thread with an update but I can't find it. I logged this as a bug on this thread but it's happening on Safari on my iPad too, so I think it might be my account somehow.

Boards.ie: Danny · 27-06-2012 7:19pm

Earthhorse wrote: »

How do I mark all forums read? I keep getting a notification that I have one followed thread with an update but I can't find it. I logged this as a bug on this thread but it's happening on Safari on my iPad too, so I think it might be my account somehow.

The very bottom of the forum index (Menu -> Boards.ie -> Forum Index). There's a link there to mark all forums read above the "What's Going On?" box

eezarthegreat · 27-06-2012 7:20pm

Sorry Dav, dont like it at all - looks like something from '99

SuperInfinity · 27-06-2012 7:23pm

I prefer the old look.

The old look was more curvy and slick, this looks crude and brash. A step backwards.

The colors especially are not cool like they used to be.

The size of many of the on-screen buttons like "Post Reply", "Unfollow", "Edit" etc. is far too big and really ugly.

Quazzie · 27-06-2012 7:23pm

A button that's easily accessible for both New Posts and for User CP that isn't off somewhere is what I'd love to see.

TouchingVirus · 27-06-2012 7:23pm

TPD wrote: »

I was anticipating this response - you'll notice I've subscribed, and it isn't the first time.

Do you not think it a valid response? I wouldn't have posted what I did had I seen you were a subscriber. I didn't notice you were because you have "Registered User" as your user title, and don't have the 5 star pips that are given to subscribers. In that case I would have told you subscribers get a user option to turn off advertisements without resorting to Adblock

Quazzie wrote: »

A button that's easily accessible for both New Posts and for User CP that isn't off somewhere is what I'd love to see.

And a button for Mark Forums Read, and for X, Y, Z and before you know it we're back to White/Blue/Cloud style clutter :pac:

jonski · 27-06-2012 7:24pm

My ability to sleep while reading prohibits me from going back over the thread to see if anyone mentioned .......... Would be really handy if when you click on "My Threads" the ones with new posts were highlighted .

Reganovski · 27-06-2012 7:24pm

BX 19 wrote: »

Its a bit buggy on the Ipad with iOS5.1. The drop down menu beside your profile pic drops down but none of the links work.

+ 1 for this. Really annoying. Other than that, I like it lots.

Kenno90 · 27-06-2012 7:24pm

No never used to be honest, i mostly use the my forums to quickly jump from one to another , though i tested it and seems to be working really nice

Boards.ie: Danny · 27-06-2012 7:26pm

Earthhorse wrote: »

How do I mark all forums read? I keep getting a notification that I have one followed thread with an update but I can't find it. I logged this as a bug on this thread but it's happening on Safari on my iPad too, so I think it might be my account somehow.

The very bottom of the forum index (Menu -> Boards.ie -> Forum Index). There's a link there to mark all forums read above the "What's Going On?" box

DesperateDan · 27-06-2012 7:27pm

eezarthegreat wrote: »

Sorry Dav, dont like it at all - looks like something from '99

I think it's much cleaner and actually looks very similar to the modern facebook

darkhorse · 27-06-2012 7:29pm

I like it. Nice job.:)

leahyl · 27-06-2012 7:30pm

I actually don't see much difference - is it because I have the wrong browser? Someone mentioned earlier that it doesn't work on IE7 which I think is what I have!

SuperInfinity · 27-06-2012 7:34pm

I think this is an abomination and wash my hands clean of this and all the people who I think the site will lose because of it.

But whatever you do please keep the old skin for people who want to switch back to it.

Boards.ie: Danny · 27-06-2012 7:35pm

SuperInfinity wrote: »

I think this is an abomination and wash my hands clean of this and all the people who I think the site will lose because of it.

But whatever you do please keep the old skin for people who want to switch back to it.

Any chance you want to provide us with some more constructive feedback? I'm not quite sure calling the style "an abomination" is something we can work off

Danny

Boards.ie: Paddy · 27-06-2012 7:35pm

eezarthegreat wrote: »

Sorry Dav, dont like it at all - looks like something from '99

I respect your opinion. Design is mostly subjective and everyone will react differently and there is no objective "right way".

However I think people forget what the web actually looked like in '99.

Here's what boards like like in '01 for example:

http://web.archive.org/web/200101182118/http://www.boards.ie/

http://web.archive.org/web/200101191021/http://www.boards.ie/bulletin/Forum1/HTML/000003.html

wnolan1992 · 27-06-2012 7:38pm

Boards.ie: Danny wrote: »

Gone from there, but not from view. Look over to the right beside your Avatar & Username. A nice new My Forums dropdown

Not the same link I'm afraid. When you click the My Forums link, it takes you back to the page where you've three options (Latest Posts, My Forums, My Threads) and you're on the My Forums tab. You have to click again to see the threads you're following over on the My Threads tab.

On the old beta skin, the dropdown boards.ie menu had a My Threads link that brought you directly to the correct tab.

I know it's a minor issue, but when you're used to getting back to your subscribed threads in one fast click, it feels like the end of the world when it now takes two.

On a positive note, I love the new colours. (Mainly because I use inverted colours, so while everyone else is finding it too bright, I've got a lovely dark screen

)

amen · 27-06-2012 7:38pm

Mixed views on this.

1: Is the new skin mean to have to same functionality as the old one as it doesn't seem too. On the old Skin I can Hover over the Business Forum and the link will expand to show the other sub forums. Doesn't work in the new skin

2: Open a browser approx 75% of a full screen browser. In the new skin view the region forum. The first column is displayed off screen so you can't see all fo the forums. Doesn't happen on the old one.

PseudoFamous · 27-06-2012 7:39pm

I like it for the most part, but I'd like to be able to toggle the header to be static rather than move with the page, and a bit of a reduction in padding.

Other than that, I like it.

TPD · 27-06-2012 7:40pm

TouchingVirus wrote: »

Do you not think it a valid response? I wouldn't have posted what I did had I seen you were a subscriber. I didn't notice you were because you have "Registered User" as your user title, and don't have the 5 star pips that are given to subscribers. In that case I would have told you subscribers get a user option to turn off advertisements without resorting to Adblock

I understand the idea behind your viewpoint - but the reality is, plenty of people use adblock. Advertisers know this, people who purchase advertising know this, sites hosting adverts know this. If the price for advertising space hasn't fluctuated accordingly, I'd be very surprised.

Also, I'm hardly going to turn off ads on Boards, then turn off adblock, effectively turning on ads on every other site. If the ad bar space stays empty and starts to get annoying, I might dig out the option to turn off ads, but maybe not. It was just a suggestion.

Sad Professor · 27-06-2012 7:42pm

PseudoFamous wrote: »

I like it for the most part, but I'd like to be able to toggle the header to be static rather than move with the page, and a bit of a reduction in padding.

Other than that, I like it.

You can disable the sticky header. Read the first post.

Bomshika · 27-06-2012 7:42pm

This post has been deleted.

Princess Peach · 27-06-2012 7:43pm

Minor issue, but I liked having the time on the top bar, as a user not on Irish time!

I don't like the notification system of PMs and visitor messages being grouped with threads followed. New posts on my threads aren't that urgent or important, so I like seeing the separate notification for messages.

And I don't like the grouping of the subforums into forums, as I'm not always totally aware a forum is a subforum, makes it harder to find.

wnolan1992 · 27-06-2012 7:43pm

PseudoFamous wrote: »

I like it for the most part, but I'd like to be able to toggle the header to be static rather than move with the page, and a bit of a reduction in padding.

Other than that, I like it.

In your Edit Options where you select skins you can disable it.

EDIT: Beaten to the punch.

EDIT #2: The posts no longer show a "last edited by" stamp at the bottom? Is that meant to be the case?

EDIT #3: Weird... nevermind #2, it's working again.

Orim · 27-06-2012 7:46pm

TPD wrote: »

Also, I'm hardly going to turn off ads on Boards, then turn off adblock, effectively turning on ads on every other site. If the ad bar space stays empty and starts to get annoying, I might dig out the option to turn off ads, but maybe not. It was just a suggestion.

You can disable ads for individual sites with adblock.

TPD · 27-06-2012 7:50pm

Orim wrote: »

You can disable ads for individual sites with adblock.

Again, it's just that I'd rather not bother with changing settings. I'm very, very lazy you see :P

PseudoFamous · 27-06-2012 7:51pm

wnolan1992 wrote: »

EDIT #2: The posts no longer show a "last edited by" stamp at the bottom? Is that meant to be the case?

EDIT #3: Weird... nevermind #2, it's working again.

If you edit your post within a two minutes or something of the original post, it doesn't display the "Last Edited" thing.

Updated look for the site.

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