can we have V1.0 back..

[Paul-RS]

im home sick.

as discussed first privately with Phil, at his request i am posting here.

I appreciate the effort involved in creating the new site, but also respect Phil and the Admin of the site enough to say this to them, rather than behind their backs



I have to admit, that i and i know of a few others, are really not lliking the new format and forum software....

its not a fault or a glitch, thats fine

its just i have no clue whats going on in the forums anymore, whats new, whats been replied to and whats old,

i find the colour scheme being almost completely white is hard on the eyes


The side bar to the left i feel uses up too much space and would rather it not be there ie id rather view the forums as a whole screen page as thats what i come here for. The Forums.


on V1.0 i basically used the forums and thats it. I just saved a favourite straight to it. I found the colours and layout easy on the eye, easy to navigate and homely.

really strugging to navigate round here and get that homely feeling...

its hard to just click click and browse/ scan over the forums like i used to..

kindest regards

Paul

[Riz_RS4]

Ermmm but Paul im sure they will tweak this and make it more colourful etc.

Give em time

Riz

[sitas3]

can't say I'm a fan of the new colour schema myself, and I am finding it troublesome to navigate around - we really need to get the 'Recent' posts url back Please! - maybe it will grow on me (the New A3 is doing so there is a chance!)

Seems to be a bit slow unless BT haven't fed the mice again.

Also, PM's seem to be a bit mixed up with the saved sent ones appearing in the inbox ones but this is probably a teething problem and no great thing.

Appreciate the hard work people have put in to this so please don't take this as crappy critisism. Onwards and upwards.

[jeffw]

The other down side is that I can't figure out how to turn off Riz's awefully signatures .....its around here somewhere......

[Riz_RS4]

The other down side is that I can't figure out how to turn off Riz's awefully signatures .....its around here somewhere......

Now now they arent that bad.... are they

The R32 is soooo good man... brooome brooome brooome gug gug gug

Riz

[sitas3]

as discussed with Phil on the phone, maybe the problem with the white background is that it makes it harder to see the text as the text appears to be a little small (and my eyes are not bad!).

this distracts from the navigation as it makes it a little harder to visually see the menu structure properly.

my sixpence anyway (those of us that remember that coin!)

[jeffw]

Riz...mate....it looks lovely

The problem is that I've seen it now and I don't need to see it every time you post...honest

[Kaine]

Well personally I like it. Obviously since I am new to the forum, I had little time to get used to the old one so the change is a little easier.

I think the colours need tweaking a little to get the contrast between some of the borders and banners stronger and maybe the navigation bar across the top could have a larger text size; however apart from that it looks very good to me.

Only for reference, however I am using a widescreen monitor (1680x1050) and layout is perfect with the menu on the left.

Cheers

Kaine

[PhilT]

OK, so why RS246 v2.0....

Instead of some rambling posts I'll make it simple:

1. Cost - The previous version used UBB Threads, and the license was about due for renewal

2. Integration - Trying to get stuff to integrate with UBB Threads is a nightmare, and anything that does it out of the box costs money.

3. New Home - It was time for RS246 to relocate, so at the same time we have used the skills and contacts available to us to move forward.

4. New Hardware - RS246 now has it's own Linux based server which has been built with maximum uptime and speed in mind.

Just so you understand the effort:

1. Planning - I have probably spent almost every bit of free time I have testing various solutions and picking the right combination for RS246. This build uses software that is released under GPL (free) and is maintained by some very dedicated people. Welcome to the world of CMS (Content Management Systems).

2. Server Build - We've been through multiple machine builds during testing. We almost ended up using Windoze, but thanks to Trev (S4Dreamer) and Dave (bdev), we finally managed to get a stable build for the server. The new server is not state of the art, but it is happily processing requests at 0.2% load. Dual CPU, RAID 5 with hot swap, and a DLT tape drive. Backups are automated every evening (Thanks again Dave).

3. Converting - As you can see it is not the same forum. The convert of the forum is a lengthy process - over 45000 Posts and more than 8000 Private Messages. I managed to find some tools to do the convert which is not a one step process, and even then Dave had to write some complicated scripts to clean up the mess that the convert had left behind. Even when we had done a few dry runs, it still took over 4 hours!!

4. Hosting - Many thanks to Boff for sorting the hosting at Net Services Plc. We have a pretty well secured environment with backend VPN admin access.

I know that change is difficult... As I said to Paul: I have a loan A6 at the moment and keep trying to put it into 6th and realising that's reverse!! Just a matter of getting used to it. We will try to attend to the concerns people have but this is here to stay.

Those of you who just used the site for the forum....those days are over. The idea is to try to present all aspects of RS246 in a more open manner therefore accomodating everything from the casual browser to the enthusiast.

Trust me, there have been a few occasions when Dave and I have stood back and wondered what the hell we are doing this for....

We _will_ get there. Be specific about the areas that are an issue, and we will see what we can do.

RS246 v2.0 - Welcome to the future of online communities.

[TarmacTerrorist]

Only one real suggestion from me initially would be to make the names down the left hand side of the threads bigger and bolder so you can see more clearly who has posted at a glance, this would aslo perhaps break up the seemingly white screen

[s8n]

Its going to take some time to get used to, but I find the whole forum shifted to the right hand side of the screen.. looks rather strange.

I also agree witht he forum colors, too much white makes it hard to see each post..I find myself looking for the signatures to find the next post...

Can the schema be changed at all Phil?? Apart from that, so far so good.

[Mo_S3]

Well done on the swap over and the effort u put in. as with anything new it takes time to get used to and iron out the creases, which no doubt everyone is making u aware of.

And why am i a 'Sailor' ??

cheers

[Riz_RS4]

Well done on the swap over and the effort u put in. as with anything new it takes time to get used to and iron out the creases, which no doubt everyone is making u aware of.

And why am i a 'Sailor' ??

cheers

Cos you only got 196 posts ... na na

Riz

[DaveP]

Hehe..I'm hoping we'll change that too...I am most definately NOT a 'sailor' boy

[PhilT]

LOL. Was trying out the rank system, asked MrsT for inspiration and came up with:

Tinker 0
Taylor 25
Soldier 50
Sailor 100
Rich Man 250
Poor Man 500
Beggar Man 1000
Thief 2500

Suppose it's time for another thread regarding user titles.....