New look for the forum

[Solomoriah]

Still, using color alone to distinguish the icons is a readability and accessibility no-no. It's not that hard to make them look different using other than just color.

 

[Zetoyoc]

That's documented at the bottom of the thread list page:

View attachment 82555

The settings regarding what's a "Hot Thread" have been tweaked, and may well be tweaked again, to keep so many from showing up as "Hot".

-Kevin

it seems to me that if a thread is hot i can not tell if there are unread posts in it. Or is there actually a color difference that I just can not see?

Love the new site btw. Keep up the good work. Just trying to find my way around.

-Z

 

[gdjsky01]

That's exactly the way I used it.

I still have hopes that it can be implemented in this version.

Me too.

 

[Solomoriah]

Okay, so I located and downloaded all the status icons (every last one of them) from the site, and did some studying on them. The background color of the icon is used to distinguish between "old", "new", and "hot new" threads. There are little widgets that may or may not appear in the upper-left and lower-right corners. The upper-left widget, if present, is a padlock indicating a locked thread. The lower-right widget is a green dot with a white arrow in it, indicating that you have posted in the thread. There are special icons indicating that a thread has been moved (the rocket is halfway out of the frame toward the upper-right) or that it has been deleted (an envelope, which makes NO sense, with a red-dot/minus-sign widget in the lower right corner).

I loaded the generic "new", "old", and "new hot" icons into the Gimp, which is my prefered image editor, and desaturated them (reduced them to monochrome). I CAN NOT tell them apart just looking at them, and I defy anyone to do so. If I blow them WAY UP to 800%, I can just see a slight difference in brightness. Someone who is colorblind or has significantly reduced sensitivity to color WILL NOT be able to tell them apart.

Don't tell me boldfacing the titles is the answer. That's just an excuse, in my opinion. Why have different icons if you don't care enough to make them usable?

I just noticed that the icons on the main page are different, but here again, they are distinguished only by color.

 

[Peartree]

Don't tell me boldfacing the titles is the answer. That's just an excuse, in my opinion. Why have different icons if you don't care enough to make them usable?

I just noticed that the icons on the main page are different, but here again, they are distinguished only by color.

You make a good point, but I must object at saying that bold-facing is just an excuse. Until you posted this, frankly, I had never particularly noticed that the old icons ever contained any information regarding new posts (or not). I noticed that they changed from time to time, but had not discerned the pattern to their changing. The way that I have *always* identified new posts was from the bold font. My issue with the new font is that the difference between bold and not bold is not as pronounced as it used to be.

Isn't it interesting how we all use the system differently and how we all use different features? Several of the things that others have found to be dramatic changes were features that I never use.

I hope that in the weeks ahead, we can iron out the wrinkles.

 

[Marc_G]

You make a good point, but I must object at saying that bold-facing is just an excuse. ... The way that I have *always* identified new posts was from the bold font. My issue with the new font is that the difference between bold and not bold is not as pronounced as it used to be.

+1

Note originally I just said "+1" but the forum now considers that too short. Sigh.

 

[gdjsky01]

I love the little green graphic that tells me I have posted there... but seriously, it would be grand to create some icons with a little more differentiation in meaning.

 

[luke strawwalker]

Forum changes for the sake of change, I guess... typical computer geek stuff... pretty much "Meh" for the rest of us...

I for one miss the "there have been ?? new posts and ?? new threads since your last visit"....

I don't care about the icons because I never use that anyway... I too noticed they changed periodically but never really figured out what they were for... I only found out clicking the little arrow in front of the title would take you to the newest unread posts a couple months ago or so... very handy feature...

As for the rest... change for change's sake doesn't rank very high on my book... YORF has the same look it's had for a LONG, LONG time and there's really no need to change IMHO unless it makes the forum much easier to read (they USED to have a really bad color combination that made for poor contrast between the text and background, but that's since been fixed (on of my biggest pet peeve on websites is poor color choice leading to difficulty reading it because of poor contrast-- font style and size also should be big enough for easy reading, especially for the older and youngest among us... (I know I'm getting old because I like bigger font sizes better, and my 8 year old Keira gets lost in reading a post sometimes because the font is small and it's hard for her to keep her place). SO unless changes to the forum increase the readability or display quality or add some VALUABLE new features (aside from dinky icons or other goofy stuff... for instance, having multiple pic "browse to upload" boxes at one time would be a BIG improvement, which yall may have incorporated-- I don't have access to my pics to upload anything ATM... IMHO RP has THE best pic uploading feature around... YORF's unfortunately, while allowing you to select all five pics to upload at once, will not allow you to insert them into the text of the post unless it's hosted elsewhere online, and will put them in random order from how they were uploaded to the forum in the post unless you upload them one by one in the desired order... the main benefit to the pic uploader on TRF has been that it will automatically resize most pics to fit the filesize limits of the forum, which makes it easy to copy and upload them on the other forums if so desired without having to go through a bunch of picture resizing to get them down within the filesize limits).

My personal opinion of "new and improved" is that usually the new version is just as wonky as the old version... just shuffling the "pet peeves" around... Personally I'd prefer foregoing the new bells-n-whistles and making the existing version more reliable, faster, etc... but that's just me... Seems to be the prevailing opinion in our society expects "new and improved" even though "same and more reliable" is actually preferable... much the same with NASA-- always dumping the existing systems to build something "totally new" and then being surprised when it's more expensive and more problem-ridden than the old system, versus the Russian penchant for "sticking with what works and gradually improving it over time" so it's cheaper, easier, and more reliable... bout like US cars... soon as they start getting the bugs worked out of a vehicle, they go and completely "update" the design, change the chassis, body, electronics, powertrain, etc. and end up with a whole new crop of problems...:eyeroll:

Later! OL JR

 

[Rocketjunkie]

I for one miss the "there have been ?? new posts and ?? new threads since your last visit"....

And the "You last visited at <time date>".

 

[hornet driver]

OK, I was fine until I had a longer than usual reply and the stinkin thing timed out Could,nt just log back in--sup with that? Now irritated with a Hornets bad manners. I'll vent somewhere else----------------------------------just stupid----------

 

[mkadams001]

I like the new look and don't have a problem with the features. It surprises me that there is so much fuss about the change it's only a forum for crying out loud. In a couple of weeks most of us will have forgotten what the old forum looked like. If this was your first visit to this forum you wouldn't have a problem and would have figured everything out in a few minutes.

 

[DAllen]

OK, I was fine until I had a longer than usual reply and the stinkin thing timed out Could,nt just log back in--sup with that? Now irritated with a Hornets bad manners. I'll vent somewhere else----------------------------------just stupid----------

Yes, because this is clearly a situation worth getting EXTREMELY mad about.

(There is great need for a sarcasm font.)

 

[terryg]

The good: The site is very fast and responsive. The older version would stall and not respond for me at times. I do not know if this was hardware or software issues (better to fix issues early then play clean up at a later time).

The bad: Much harder to see what is read and not read due to similarities of the colors. You can tell if they are side by side to compare, but it more difficult then it needs to be. It is even worse when going to LDRS subforums, very hard to tell what you have read or have not.

minor: More wasted space then needed. The blue side columns are always displayed and I like to use most of the screen for text (larger fonts for older eyes). The toy rocket icons do not add much for me as I do not care whether it is a hot topic or not, just if there are any new posts. One bug that has carried over from the older format is that if you click on the icon to mark that all posts have been read , midpower for example, and then go to another category (high power), the icon for midpower wrongly shows that there are still unread posts.

Many thanks to all those who keep this site up and running for all of us rocketry addicts.

 

[Solomoriah]

I discovered a problem last night. If you go to

rocketryforum.com

and try to log in, you get an error; but if you go to

www.rocketryforum.com

and log in, it works. I believe the error was "bad redirection" but I don't feel like double-checking now. This may explain the other poster who couldn't log in reliably.

EDIT: Fascinating. The automatic URL detection only works with the www.* version of the domain name.

 

[troj]

I discovered a problem last night. If you go to

rocketryforum.com

and try to log in, you get an error; but if you go to

www.rocketryforum.com

and log in, it works. I believe the error was "bad redirection" but I don't feel like double-checking now. This may explain the other poster who couldn't log in reliably.

Fixed. It now properly redirects to www.rocketryforum.com when you try to access rocketryforum.com

-Kevin

 

[eggplant]

I have also noticed that my login problem was solved. Thanks!

 

[Peartree]

...One bug that has carried over from the older format is that if you click on the icon to mark that all posts have been read , midpower for example, and then go to another category (high power), the icon for midpower wrongly shows that there are still unread posts.

I have noticed this but also discovered that it happens when I mark something as read and then use the 'back' button on my browser. When you do that the browser seems to want to remember what the forum looked like 'back' before you marked it. If, instead of hitting 'back' to navigate, if I click 'home' or 'forum,' then the browser updates correctly and the things I have marked as read stay that way. The same thing happens when reading PM's.

Don't know if that is the same problem that you are having or a different one but it worked for me.

 

[Sailorbill]

When I open My Favorites in IE8 I used to get a TRF icon by the text Rocketry Forum now I get a You Tube icon. Not a big problem but it just bugs me. :wink:

 

[DAllen]

When I open My Favorites in IE8 I used to get a TRF icon by the text Rocketry Forum now I get a You Tube icon. Not a big problem but it just bugs me. :wink:

Easy fix: Install Chromium or Firefox.

Most likely something glitchy in IE8 that can only be solved by clearing your cookies which is very annoying for something that ought to happen automatically.

 

[Marc_G]

Try deleting the favorite, close IE, then open IE, type in www.rocketryforum.com, and when it opens back up, re-add the favorite.

 

[gdjsky01]

Just tried the new upload experience.

Me LIKE!!! Finally I can choose multiple pictures at once!
WELL DONE!!! :clap:

 

[MarkII]

Just tried the new upload experience.

Me LIKE!!! Finally I can choose multiple pictures at once!
WELL DONE!!! :clap:

Among all of the improvements, the new "Manage Attachments" tool stands out as the star of the show. It's a thing of beauty, which is even more remarkable considering that the original was a royal pain to use.

 

[Sailorbill]

Easy fix: Install Chromium or Firefox.

Most likely something glitchy in IE8 that can only be solved by clearing your cookies which is very annoying for something that ought to happen automatically.

Not sure what happened, but when I opened it today I have a little rocket icon. :grin:

 

[o1d_dude]

Things I like about the new forum software:

1. Inline attachments (photos) without having to use Manage Attachments
2. Colorful function icons in the Advanced Message Editor
3. Autosaved messages
4. Indent increase in Advanced Message Editor
5. Ability to insert a horizontal line as a separator in the Advanced Message Editor
6. Easy font and formatting functionality in the Advanced Message Editor
7. "Mark All Read" removed from the "Quick Link" tab of the main message base.
8. Forum software seems more responsive so it may have been optimized.
9. ForumRunner app compatibility still works (embedded in software by default. Yay!)

---

Things I'm not crazy about:

1. Weak color contrast in general forum theme (pale blue font color)
2. Icons in the forum message base screen
3. Function tabs named "Forum Actions" in both the individual forum menu and the main menu.

---

Things I wish for in the next upgrade:

1. Ability to increase display font size
2. Wider range of forum display theme choices
3. Ability to mark a sub-forum "All Read"

---

In spite of my various curmudgeonly complaints, I appreciate the efforts of the admin team. Thank you!

 

[Solomoriah]

o1d_dude: Set a minimum font size in your browser to force the small fonts up in size. It may cause some layout glitches, but you should be able to find a happy medium.

EDIT: If you're using Firefox, you can install the Font Size addon: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/font-size/?src=search
It will allow you to change the display font size on the page from the toolbar.

 

[Adrian A]

And if you're at a PC, you can just hold the control key and move the scroll wheel of your mouse, and that will raise and lower the font sizes.

 

[MarkII]

To the people who were haveing readability issues - how does it look now?

It turns out the font colour wasn't actually black, but a dark grey. I've changed it to black now, and I'm seeing a big improvement.

Cheers,
Phil

Much improved. Thanks!

I was about to post a comment about how the text appeared to be clearer now than it was when the new design debuted. Now I know why, and who to thank for that. Phil, you're a hero.

 

[gdjsky01]

On a mac just use command-+ to increase font size.

.

 

[Solomoriah]

And if you're at a PC, you can just hold the control key and move the scroll wheel of your mouse, and that will raise and lower the font sizes.

Depending on the browser, that might also zoom the images. Setting a minimum font size, or using the Font Size addon, only increases the text size.

 

[Solomoriah]

Someone posted about not liking the "Quick Reply." Instead of clicking the rounded gray button on the left, try the Reply / Reply With Quote links at the bottom right of the last post. Works for me, anyway. I do like the Advanced editor, too (change it in Settings, General Settings).

EDIT: Crap. Doesn't work for me, unless I click it twice. I guess that's what I did the first time.