Board Styles - Open Beta for Blue2 and Amber2

[Ronin Storm]

Testing by the Mod and Admin teams of three new styles has, thus far, been without incident. The styles are:

• Blue2 (Fixed)
• Blue2 (Scaling)
• Amber2 (Fixed)

Feel free to try out any of these new styles as of now. In fact, let me encourage you to switching to these new styles as soon as possible!

For the next six or seven days please consider these styles as being in "open beta". I think they're pretty resilient but nothing beats community exposure to really break something.

If you find anything wrong, please post a reply here!

Looking forward, if this open beta goes well, I will be decomissioning the original Blue style. It will become unselectable and I will check all profiles to switch all users of Blue to Blue2 (Scaling).

Please be aware that using the quick-selector at the top (or bottom) of the screen for styles does not save that selection to your profile! This means that if you log on at a different system you will actually use whatever style is in your profile, not what was set locally, by cookie.

Also the default style will change to Amber2 (Fixed) from Amber. I'm ambivalent on the subject of forcibly migrating users of Amber to Amber2, despite the benefits of Amber2. For the moment I do not intend any forced migration, notably because Amber will remain as an option for those who wish it.

Let me reiterate that it is highly likely that new functionality and cool widgets will not be retrofitted into the Amber style unless the Admin Team get a whole bunch more time (you could pay me to do this stuff, you know... I'm serious! ).

As always, if you've got any questions, comments or problems then reply below!

Hope you like the new styles!

 

[T-Bone]

Problem occured today. Was using blue 2 Scaling, I think, today and the post reply buttons dissappeared. They were there earlier but are gone now. I've switched black to blue bte before anyone asks

 

[Ronin Storm]

the post reply buttons dissappeared

I doubt they were there earlier, to be honest, because they were removed in early drafts of Blue2 (Fixed), which is the source for Blue2 (Scaling) and Amber2 (Fixed).

Amber is the only template (aside from Blue) with a "Post Reply" button, and then only at the top of a thread. The quick reply buttons on each post are really where we're pointing ya.

 

[thatbloke]

yea but the quick reply buttons are bloody annoying if the post you want to reply to is right at the top after you have scrolled to the bottom having read all the posts or if the post you wish to reply to is on a different page. Which is why I don't see why removing the post reply buttons help people who view in threaded mode... because I normally just use the button at the bottom when I have read all the posts. Tough if that isn't the actual post I was replying to. Sometimes it is not appropriate to reply to ANY post...

 

[BiG D]

The quick reply buttons help us because that way we know what post is being replied to. It keeps threads organized into discussions. When used properly, anyway.

If it isn't appropriate to reply to any post, either reply to the first, or rethink the reasons why you're replying at all...

 

[thatbloke]

Simple fact is, if I have just read a three page thread and the post I want to reply to is on the first page, I really can't be bothered (and I'm sure i'm not the only one) to navigate back to pages just to find the correct button to press so that I can reply "correctly".

I don't use threaded mode anyway and anyone with half a brain will be able to understand the real meaning of a post anyway...

 

[Ronin Storm]

There are ways to keep the first post in any thread on all pages through the vB mods system. Thing is that it may not make sense all the time.

Maybe it would help if you were viewing the thread in newest-post-first order? (set in your profile)

Hmm, or maybe not. There are times when you want to reply to the last listed post, times when you are responding directly to the original purpose of the thread, and times when you are commenting on something that was posted mid-flow.

In the first instance, a simple "Reply to Last" is probably what you're looking for. In the second, a "Reply to First". For the third, the quick reply buttons are just about the best way I can think of.

If the "Reply to Last" and "Reply to First" buttons sound useful then I can investigate them.

[edit]Just realised you could do it slightly differently...[/edit]

In fact, the "Reply to Last" button already exists. It's the same as the quick reply button on the last post in the thread.

So, realistically, there's only a possible requirement for "Reply to First" or whatever it should be called.

 

[BiG D]

Honestly, I don't think it will matter. People just hit the closest reply button to their mouse as far as I can tell...

 

[thatbloke]

Honestly, I don't think it will matter. People just hit the closest reply button to their mouse as far as I can tell...

Which is why I never use threaded mode.

And in reply to Ronin about using newest-first... I would rather read the thread in chronological order so I can see what people have already said.

 

[Ronin Storm]

People just hit the closest reply button to their mouse as far as I can tell...

Mmm, sure, but that doesn't mean we can't work on our overall posting etiquette as a community.

 

[Ronin Storm]

I would rather read the thread in chronological order

Yeah, that figures. It's a more familiar style for those who are used to forums. Reverse order seems to work better for people who think more in terms of mail clients.

Still, coming back to possible assistance to make replying back three pages easier and helping out threaded users:

times when you are responding directly to the original purpose of the thread

Would you agree that there are times when this is true? If you do agree, would a button visible at the bottom (& top?) of a thread that said something like "Reply to First Post" be a useful one to you?

I'm treating this as separate to:

Sometimes it is not appropriate to reply to ANY post...

... where I believe the most helpful action is to post a new thread with a link back to the original thread, saying "Vaguely inspired by..." or something.

[edit]Sorry, bit of magical post deletion/recreation going on in the background because I replied to the wrong thread... doh![/edit]

 

[BiG D]

Yes. Negative rep, I say! hmmm... actually... That just might work...

 

[Fuzzy Bunny]

I found something that's bothering me, there's no longer a navigation thingy at the bottom of the posts like there is at the top. There was one in the old Amber though.

 

[Ronin Storm]

There are two navigation bars on any thread view or post view page.

In Amber2 they are beneath the banner/top navigation and just above the copyright text at the foot of the page.

In Blue2 they are right at the top of the page (top left) and almost directly beneath the posts/threads and whatever bumf sits at the bottom of the page. We thought, through closed beta, that bringing the bottom navigation up into line of sight of the bottom of the threads/posts was better than all the way to the bottom of the page, but that thinking has only gone into Blue2 as yet.

All make sense? Seem reasonable?

 

[Fuzzy Bunny]

Ah, I see it now. I don't normally scroll down that far

 

[Piacular]

Okay, this may not be a Blue2 (Scaling) related issue, but!

Why is Macca so special he has 2 green rep boxes?

Could I have 3? .

 

[Ronin Storm]

Macca appears to have acquired some Dark Jedi powers that have twisted the board to his evil purpose. Or something. I'll investigate, 'cause even I don't get 2 green blobs...

 

[Ronin Storm]

I've done some investigation and, I believe, it's entirely possible that Macca deserves those two green blobs. Fancy that.

I believe that one acquires another green blob when, say, one passes a Reputation of 100. Maybe they're done in multiples of 100? Roundup(Rep/100)+1?

 

[Piacular]

What?!?!

Macca totally doesn't deserve that .

Can I knock him back down to one .

 

[Ronin Storm]

Can I knock him back down to one

Looking at your powers, no.