The Upgrade

[Daniel]

The software upgrade went smoothly. Currently, I'm still working on the new design, making some tweaks, and customizing the new software.

There's still a lot to do from an administrator perspective, so expect new features and changes throughout the day. Eventually we'll have a style similar to the previous one (instead of the current default style) and several additional features.

Please report problems, issues, questions, or suggestions relating to the upgrade in this thread.

Edit: You may notice a few features missing, such as the blog. Don't worry, they'll all be back in good time. Once the upgrade is complete from an administrator perspective, I'll make a new announcement highlighting the features.

[the1]

Good work Daniel.

It seems to have gone well. I'm sure many of the sites users' will find the new features of vB4 quite good!

[Cain]

Eventually we'll have a style similar to the previous one.

People fear change, but they soon get used to things once they've calmed down, so I wouldn't bend too far backwards on this one (new look is good!)

[Flowerfairy]

Nice work, Dan! The contrast of colors here is brilliant. Yeah, I can see some extra effects on the user icons. Keep up the good work, Chief.

[Daniel]

People fear change, but they soon get used to things once they've calmed down, so I wouldn't bend too far backwards on this one (new look is good!)

Originally I tried to mirror the previous style completely, and it was more trouble than it was worth. I'm going to try to come up with something similar but different. ;)

Thanks. I'll still come up with a custom style

Nice work, Dan! The contrast of colors here is brilliant. Yeah, I can see some extra effects on the user icons. Keep up the good work, Chief.

Unfortunately it's the default style that comes with the software. I hope to have a customized style ready completely ready by the end of the day.

[the1]

It shouldn't be too hard Daniel.

I agree that keeping the default software theme is a BIG no. You should be able to mirror the old theme quite effectively. The only real differences lie in the new software features as well as the new editor and also the re-designed menu.

[Link the Writer]

Well, it'll take time for me to get used to it, but I do like the layout. =)

[Ubrechor]

Well, so far, I love the upgrade! Aesthetically, it's much more sophisticated and sleek, which is just the kind of look that suits this site in my opinion. Very nice layout. Good work, Daniel! Thanks! =]

[Islander]

It's alive! It's alive!

And nice design too.

[Banzai]

I quite like it, though it's a bit difficult on my Kindle. Any plans in the works for a mobile version?

[Dante Dases]

I quite like it, though it's a bit difficult on my Kindle. Any plans in the works for a mobile version?

Do you want a job as chief advertiser of the Kindle in the UK? :p

It's not exactly a massive change of layout. It's just aesthetically different. Which right now is a bit jarring (as is the fact it keeps logging me out rather than just leaving me logged on - thank God my computer has my password saved, because I'll be damned if I can remember it after signing up 3 years ago). If the plan is to bring it closer to how it was, then I won't have a problem, but I wouldn't have a problem with more aesthetic changes being made, just to freshen the place up.

[Eunoia]

Looks pretty good. :)

[Banzai]

Do you want a job as chief advertiser of the Kindle in the UK? :p

I pretty much am, by the look of things!

Wouldn't mind a paycheck for it, though.

[DBTate]

I must admit, I love the new layout.

I say keep it! People will get used to it, and we will all be better off for it. :)

[Eunoia]

Hmm, I tried viewing blogs but I can't. I clicked on one and it said 'To use this product the plugin system must be enabled.' Is that something you're still sorting out, or is it to do with me?

[Banzai]

I've had the same. Since the blog feature is a plug in, I'd imagine it's just awaiting addition to the upgraded forum.

[mammamaia]

WHERE AM I? :confused:

seriously, it looks great, daniel... will just take some getting used to is all...

thanks for all your hard work and for making/keeping this the best writing site ever!

love and hugs, maia

[shadowwalker]

It took me a bit by surprise (I really should pay more attention to stuff like this) but I think I like. One tweak (and I don't think it's my pc 'cause I haven't changed anything) - the two right-hand columns on the main forum have all the second lines cut off (can only see the top half of the letters) and some of the first lines are like that.

But otherwise, yeah. Neat so far. Look forward to seeing what else is coming :)

[Midnight_Adventurer]

I was momentarily disorientated when I viewed my profile, everything is on the left now...weird...lol
It'll take some time to get used to, but over all I like it.

Great job Daniel! :)

[The-Joker]

I know it's not complete yet, but unfortunately I don't quite like this new layout. The latest posts subsection on the right was always an essential part of the interface for me, now it only displays the five latest additions, and its mixed with reviews and anouncements and the non-writing related stuff, most of which I never really paid much attention to. To have the ten most recently active threads on writing was very useful. I miss it.

[Islander]

I think the new layout works better than the old on my phone (iPhone). There's less wasted space.

[Daniel]

Hey everyone, thanks for the comments. A few notes:

- The current style's the default, so it probably won't stay too long. If it does it'll be a secondary option. The sidebar will also have a makeover later this afternoon.

- We will eventually get a mobile-style solution, it's just not high on the priority list. I will look further into it, though.

- The blogs are down - I'm working on it. The blog system is the only real problem I had in the transition. I have class this afternoon so it might be a few hours, but it should be up later this afternoon.

- I'd like to stress that this is a partial upgrade, in a way. A lot of the software improvements will need to be set up, and the style still needs to be finished. ;)

[VM80]

I like it so far. Thanks Daniel.

[cybrxkhan]

Thanks!

It'll take a while to get used to, though.

[Mallory]

I like it - the only thing that threw me off was the default style, but that's only temporary. Looking forward to seeing it when the changes are all said and done. :)

[Steerpike]

Looks nice on my Toshiba Thrive tablet.

[Youniquee]

Oooo Nice :3
Reminds me of another forum I'm on xD

[CadillacXLR8r]

At first I thought I had the wrong web adress, lol. I don't necessarily hate it, but I haven't gotten used to it enough to like it yet either. I'll have to see how it works out.

[LordKyleOfEarth]

Neat, I love new stuff.

It's good to see the old girl getting some love and attention. Thanks again Daniel.

[Taylee91]

Daniel, I LOVE this new set up. It's soo sweet!

[Reggie]

I like the new update. I am aware of what the update is as theere's another website whose owner recently updated theirs. It looks nice so far.

[AveryWhite]

It'll take me a while to get used to it but ill cope :p

[colorthemap]

It looks like your pants. If that was what you meant by other forums.

[The-Joker]

Is there a user cp, the one that showed you all the threads you've contributed to that now have new posts?

[Youniquee]

Is there a user cp, the one that showed you all the threads you've contributed to that now have new posts?
I think you need to click 'Settings' next to my profile :3

[Banzai]

I think you need to click 'Settings' next to my profile :3

Much obliged!

[The-Joker]

Thanks Youni!

[Jayyy1014]

I know it's not complete yet, but unfortunately I don't quite like this new layout. The latest posts subsection on the right was always an essential part of the interface for me, now it only displays the five latest additions, and its mixed with reviews and anouncements and the non-writing related stuff, most of which I never really paid much attention to. To have the ten most recently active threads on writing was very useful. I miss it.
Agreed entirely. The right side with all those recent news, and information and stuff was really handy.

[jnk1296]

I just got on here about a minute ago, and I already miss the old site! *Insert gargantuan amounts of whining here* Oh well, I'll deal with it.

[Daniel]

Agreed entirely. The right side with all those recent news, and information and stuff was really handy.

There is the current sidebar that displays some of that information. Don't worry though, the sidebar with get redesigned to include the most important things, specifically unreviewed writing and recent reviews.

[Daniel]

Feel free to make suggestions and especially to point out any noticeable loss of functionality. This community has big things in its future. If you have suggestions/problems, now's the time to make it known. :p

[colorthemap]

I don't know what this was related to (as php debugging is a drag) but I was getting a lot of strange error messages.

[Admin]

The server keeps timing out on me and I am forced to log out and back in again.

[Banzai]

I'm periodically getting an error message that the server is too busy. Which I'd guess is probably not true.

Also, I was having real issues getting onto anything but the homepage earlier, but since that was right around the time that the blogs came back, I'm guessing it's because you were tinkering.

[Daniel]

I don't know what this was related to (as php debugging is a drag) but I was getting a lot of strange error messages.


The server keeps timing out on me and I am forced to log out and back in again.


I'm periodically getting an error message that the server is too busy. Which I'd guess is probably not true.

Also, I was having real issues getting onto anything but the homepage earlier, but since that was right around the time that the blogs came back, I'm guessing it's because you were tinkering.

Thanks guys, this is exactly the sort of thing I'm looking for. The error messages should be gone for good - that was me sorting out the blog system.

I'm attributing the server timeout message to fixing the blog. If server timeout issues keep happening please let me know. Ideally the upgraded software would run more efficiently, but it's also provided a lot of server-intensive features. Hopefully we won't have to upgrade our server just yet.

[Unit7]

Eventually we'll have a style similar to the previous one (instead of the current default style) and several additional features.
..

Oh thank god. I hate this default style. I hope its very similar to the old one. Because I really hate this current look and I really loved the old style. Then maybe I just hate changes when it comes to the layout of things. Like google. >.<

Of course it seems other people really disagree with me. Isnt there some way to make it an option? Another vBulletin run board I go to has a bunch of different layouts for its members to choose from.

[colorthemap]

Thanks guys, this is exactly the sort of thing I'm looking for. The error messages should be gone for good - that was me sorting out the blog system.

I'm attributing the server timeout message to fixing the blog. If server timeout issues keep happening please let me know. Ideally the upgraded software would run more efficiently, but it's also provided a lot of server-intensive features. Hopefully we won't have to upgrade our server just yet.

That is good to hear.


But one question, why do replies always default to quick relies and not the main editor? Can this be set or not?

[Cogito]

I believe the new style has a smaller font. I find it a bit harder on the eyes. Other than that, I'll give some time to get accustomedf to the new layout to give a fair assessment.

It seems to be a bit more responsive, though.

[J.P.Clyde]

If you look up at where the Writing Forums logo is, I like that dark blue over the lighter blue. Just you know put my two cents out there. *shifty eyes*

[Admin]

I seem to remember someone complaining about the lighter blue originally. ;D

As for the format and the font, I myself am quite fond of what Dan has going here. Of course, changes do not matter to me as long as a forum is stable.

[LordKyleOfEarth]

Daniel,

When posting a blog I tried to affix some tags and got this error:

Errors
The following errors occurred with your submission
You specified a tag that was too long. A tag can only be 3 characters.

[Banzai]

Now that has got to be an error...

[Phantomwriter]

I'm not sure if it's the new upgrade or something wrong with my computer but for some reason when I try to add an avatar I can put the picture information in the bar but when I press the "Save changes" button nothing happens.

[Gigi_GNR]

Oh wow, everything's different!

It looks pretty good. It'll take some getting used to, but I like it. :)

[Fullmetal Xeno]

The software upgrade went smoothly. Currently, I'm still working on the new design, making some tweaks, and customizing the new software.

There's still a lot to do from an administrator perspective, so expect new features and changes throughout the day. Eventually we'll have a style similar to the previous one (instead of the current default style) and several additional features.

Please report problems, issues, questions, or suggestions relating to the upgrade in this thread.

Edit: You may notice a few features missing, such as the blog. Don't worry, they'll all be back in good time. Once the upgrade is complete from an administrator perspective, I'll make a new announcement highlighting the features.

No i don't like this upgrade. My eyes are hurting because of the small text and i really liked the old one. This new design is kinda bland. Please change it back to the blue. I loved the old design. This one likes every other forum ive been on and the new design bores me to tears. The color update is ok, but everything else is plain white and i don't like it. Im not trying to be rude, but i really don't like it. It's my honest opinion.

[Admin]

No i don't like this upgrade. My eyes are hurting because of the small text and i really liked the old one. This new design is kinda bland. Please change it back to the blue. I loved the old design. This one likes every other forum ive been on and the new design bores me to tears. The color update is ok, but everything else is plain white and i don't like it. Im not trying to be rude, but i really don't like it. It's my honest opinion.

Well don't worry. I believe Dan was working on trying to make it more like the 2.0 layout we had before. The thing is, don't complain about this new software we are using. I went on the website, and to use a program like this costs upwards $250.00. That's plenty generous if you're asking me. Plus, it's very zippy once all of the bugs are fixed.

[Agreen]

One thing I am delighted to see with the upgrade is an autosave feature. After losing long reviews in the past, it's good to see I won't have to worry about it again. I'm okay with the new theme- it's a bit different, but I'm already getting accustomed to it.

[Faust]

Good job! ^_^

[hiddennovelist]

I'm still getting the "server is busy" message. Not sure if you're still tinkering with things, but figured I'd let you know, just in case. :)

Ooh, digging the "auto save" feature! I didn't notice that when I was on earlier.

[Shadow Reeves]

hey hey.
first: looks great.
Second: the banner advertisement covers the remember me button at login on the top bar. very annoying.

[Fullmetal Xeno]

Well don't worry. I believe Dan was working on trying to make it more like the 2.0 layout we had before. The thing is, don't complain about this new software we are using. I went on the website, and to use a program like this costs upwards $250.00. That's plenty generous if you're asking me. Plus, it's very zippy once all of the bugs are fixed.

I don't mind software updates. Just design updates. The autosave features make me very happy, i like it alot. Just not this new thin look. After i posted that i realized that he already annouced he would go back to the old design with minor changes. I respect Daniel's software updates and his generous offerings. I don't mean to come off as rude, even though my posts can sometimes lean that way. I just need better words. For a writer that's odd, since Writers are supposed to be the masters of thier own words. I don't try to complain, i try to be as generous about my opinion as much as i can. I still need to work on accepting change, i hate change. Not software, but design changes. I think ever since Youtube changed thier channels after i sent them 23 million messages to please gives us an option between the two and they didn't listen to me or the many others who sent a complaint to not change it. But they ignored thier community and changed it anyway. I have a grudge against youtube just for that. And then they started changing everything else, making it worse and worse. So i guess my anger of Youtube being selfish jerks about thier channels and ignoring the users is still inside when i see changes like this on another website. So im sorry if i say something terribly rude, i just enjoyed the old format of this website so much that i didn't want a massive change. So if your reading this Daniel- i apologize if i came off as rude, im just like any other human with flaws and change is one of them for me. I know you are a great listener to your community and i respect that- but i just don't want to see this website to end up as thin as youtube. That i know won't happen, i just want what's best for the community with the least amount of design change as possible. If you could add a feature where we could choose this default design or the old one i would gladly appreciate that. It would mean that everybody would be happy and something we all agree on. Cause i have to admit my eyes were killing me from such a small text font that i have no idea how i wrote my recent posts today. (Not a cut-down towards your text skills, but they are just too small for me.) But if it was bigger on default, it would be better for the ones who have problems concentration on small text. But i will respect anything else you do as long as my design option is included and the same old fashioned format is the same for the nifty blogs and other minor stuff, - i will respect any software/ other minor updates changes you make. It's Your website anyway. Do whatever floats your boat. :)

[Radrook]

I like the old design better as well and an option to use that one would be nice if they can set that up.
To me now the screen looks cluttered and jumbled. I can't find my recent posts. Whole thing looks garish and very annoying to my eyes. Everything seems to be yelling for attention at the same time and when everything yells for attention nothing stands out.

The perimeter edges are cramped and contribute to the jumbled impression by forcing more info into less space. Everything is placed into rectangular compartments. It's rectangles all over the place. The letters on 100% magnification are microscopic. Even on 150 magnification they are rather small.

Why not leave the appearance as it was since there was nothing wrong with it?

[Banzai]

The current design is simply the default design for this version of vbulletin. Daniel knows people prefer the old design, and he probably does to. As soon as he gets a version of the old design for the new software, I'm sure he'll load it up.

[mammamaia]

that's a relief!... can't wait to see the final result...

[Admin]

I can only imagine how long it takes to code a theme for this program. :I

[the1]

I can only imagine how long it takes to code a theme for this program. :I

It may be a surprise but it actually doesn't take that long. The back-end Administrator functions vBulletin provide are quite good :)

[Radrook]

Actually the new design is now getting to look very good. The crampiness has been fixed and the word size is now OK. It doesn't look the way it did when I posted my other opinion. In fact it looks very good. So my other opinion doesn't apply on the way it looks now.

Thanx for fixing those things.

[The-Joker]

I still prefer the old way of listing the latest posts. This new version doesn't really give you the actual latest posts anyway. It always seems 30 minutes behind.

[LaGs]

The older colour was much, much easier on the eyes

The site was behaving dodgy last night but it's a lot better now

[Radrook]

You are right. It was early and my eyes were OK with it. But now the whole thing is becoming annoying again. The old design never did that. I also find navigating a hassle with this new design. Too much info on too little space. The blogs were OK the way they were. Brief statements to show what they are about. Also what happened to the blog stats? The emerald green is too garish. What was wrong with the older version anyway?

[Admin]

You are right. It was early and my eyes were OK with it. But now the whole thing is becoming annoying again. The old design never did that. I also find navigating a hassle with this new design. Too much info on too little space. The blogs were OK the way they were. Brief statements to show what they are about. Also what happened to the blog stats? The emerald green is too garish. What was wrong with the older version anyway?

Nothing was wrong with it, but Dan was making a software update. This new software is much faster and easier to use, and Dan told us that he is working on making the template more similar to the old one.

[marina]

I'm not crazy about the new look. The site seems to be awash in muted tones. And the layout seems more blocky.

[aimi_aiko]

I'm definitely new to this NEWER design you have going on here Daniel. At first, I thought I had typed the wrong website in my address bar (Haha). It looks like it's going to take some getting used to, but from what I see so far, I find it a decent upgrade.

Good job.

[spklvr]

I'm glad we're going back to something more similar to the old design. This one isn't easy on the eyes and everything feels cluttered. Not to mention, if you're apart of a couple of other forums, it also looks very generic.

[AveryWhite]

One thing I am delighted to see with the upgrade is an autosave feature. After losing long reviews in the past, it's good to see I won't have to worry about it again.

definately agree with this!!!

[aimi_aiko]

I would like to point out a recent issue I have experienced that may be because of the new upgrade...

When logging in, it took multiple tries before I finally logged in successfully. When I tried logging in the first few times, it logged me out and treated it like I had not tried logging in at all. It said the normal message it usually gives after logging in, giving me the redirecting message, but once the page loaded back up, I was not logged in. I had to do this several more times, then I finally got in.

[Banzai]

On pretty much every occasion since the upgrade, when I log in it shows me an error message, but does actually log me in.

Also, it doesn't seem to remember me, when I check the "Remember Me" box.

[hiddennovelist]

Weird...I haven't had any problems logging me in, and it hasn't logged me out again since I checked the "remember me" box.

[the1]

On pretty much every occasion since the upgrade, when I log in it shows me an error message, but does actually log me in.

Also, it doesn't seem to remember me, when I check the "Remember Me" box.

To possibly rectify this issue I would clear my browser's cache and see if that works. You can also try and clear your cookies.

[the1]

I'm glad we're going back to something more similar to the old design. This one isn't easy on the eyes and everything feels cluttered. Not to mention, if you're apart of a couple of other forums, it also looks very generic.

Well that is obviously the perogative of each of the individual forum owners. Daniel has already said he is working on changing from the default theme. If other forum administrators wish to keep the generic vB 4 design than that is their ill conceived decision.

[Islander]

I like the new design better, and think the muted colours are very easy on the eyes, so I hope we'll be able to choose layout scheme.

[Radrook]

What happened to the report an infraction icon?
What happened to the easily accessible blog statistics at page bottom?

I don't find this as user friendly as the other one.

[Cogito]

The report post icon is now on the bottom border of the post. It is the rightmost icon of the left hand group.

[the1]

What happened to the report an infraction icon?
What happened to the easily accessible blog statistics at page bottom?

I don't find this as user friendly as the other one.

I think some people perceive the new software to be less user-friendly simply because they are more accustomed to the old design. Give it a bit of time, I'm sure you will find the new software can do everything the old one can do plus more. ;)

[Radrook]

I think some people perceive the new software to be less user-friendly simply because they are more accustomed to the old design. Give it a bit of time, I'm sure you will find the new software can do everything the old one can do plus more. ;)

Thanks for the advice.

[Radrook]

Thanx for trying to help Cogito.
I still can't see it but maybe in a few days I'll get the hang of it.
Everything else I can see just fine.
Maybe its not showing on my screen and my computer is at fault.

[J.P.Clyde]

I like the new design better, and think the muted colours are very easy on the eyes, so I hope we'll be able to choose layout scheme.

It may be easy on your eyes, but it isn't easy on me. The lighter colors really hurt my eyes. And trust me I have my computer screen brightness at a moderate length of lighting. I haven't been on WF, just because of the fact that I'm not able to see very well.

[mammamaia]

one problem i've been having here lately, is my post reply text 'moving' when i'm trying to edit it... makes it hard to go to a place in it and fix/add something, 'cause it 'slips' away from where i want to place my cursor...

it's not happening anywhere else, so i can't see it being a prob with my computer... anyone else having this problem?

[Cogito]

I have seen it, but I believe it is because the longer pages (twenty posts per page instead of ten) take longer to completely load and render.

[Sarah G]

one problem i've been having here lately, is my post reply text 'moving' when i'm trying to edit it... makes it hard to go to a place in it and fix/add something, 'cause it 'slips' away from where i want to place my cursor...

it's not happening anywhere else, so i can't see it being a prob with my computer... anyone else having this problem?

Yeah I have been having this problem too. Mainly when I want to send a Pm, apart from that I'm getting used to the design now:)

[Jayyy1014]

It may be easy on your eyes, but it isn't easy on me. The lighter colors really hurt my eyes. And trust me I have my computer screen brightness at a moderate length of lighting. I haven't been on WF, just because of the fact that I'm not able to see very well.

Agreed, it's the reason for my lack of being on here as well. Lighter colors are hard on my eyes.

[J.P.Clyde]

Agreed, it's the reason for my lack of being on here as well. Lighter colors are hard on my eyes.

I didn't want to say anything to sound like a whiner or a complainer. But I'm glad we're going back to normal colours. Because this weirds my eyes out. I see funny colored dots on the screen. And my eyes do weird things with the muted colors. I need something bolder to be able to fill in my eyes.

[jnk1296]

Wow. There really are a lot of people who don't like the new theme, aren't there? I mean, I'm all for going back to the older theme, because this one is just lacking, but I'm not having any eye problems. Maybe it's my monitor? Meh, it's not my place to judge.

[Banzai]

Yeah, J.P.Clyde, if you're having such serious eye problems, I'd suggest seeing an optician, because I don't think that a colour scheme should be having such a drastic effect on your eyesight.

[J.P.Clyde]

Yeah, J.P.Clyde, if you're having such serious eye problems, I'd suggest seeing an optician, because I don't think that a colour scheme should be having such a drastic effect on your eyesight.

Thank you. Because there aren't people with eye disorders or other forms of disorders such as dyslexia or anything of the sort. Just like people don't get colds and flus.

Also people aren't sensitive to certain colors and lights.

*rollseyes*

[Admin]

Thank you. Because there aren't people with eye disorders or other forms of disorders such as dyslexia or anything of the sort. Just like people don't get colds and flus.

Also people aren't sensitive to certain colors and lights.

*rollseyes*

Uh, even MORE reason to go see an eye doctor?

[J.P.Clyde]

Uh, even MORE reason to go see an eye doctor?

I have. I do.I wear glasses, but am also very photosensitive. Certain lighter colors trigger my eyes, the way they are triggering them. I find these comments slightly insulting in the sense that people don't seem to think that I don't go see an eye doctor. I already know of my problems. I'm making a statement of how the lighter color is affecting my eyes, I was not here to complain nor start a fight.

However, comments with unhelpful advice as if I am some lumbering brick who has no thought process to see doctors is ridiculous.

[Admin]

I have. I do.I wear glasses, but am also very photosensitive. Certain lighter colors trigger my eyes, the way they are triggering them. I find these comments slightly insulting in the sense that people don't seem to think that I don't go see an eye doctor. I already know of my problems. I'm making a statement of how the lighter color is affecting my eyes, I was not here to complain nor start a fight.

However, comments with unhelpful advice as if I am some lumbering brick who has no thought process to see doctors is ridiculous.

I really don't think 'go see an eye-doctor' is unhelpful advice, but that's your opinion. I also did not mean to insult you in any way, but you are requesting that Dan change the entire theme of the website to conform to your standards, and yours alone.

[J.P.Clyde]

I really don't think 'go see an eye-doctor' is unhelpful advice, but that's your opinion. I also did not mean to insult you in any way, but you are requesting that Dan change the entire theme of the website to conform to your standards, and yours alone.

Several other people have stated how the theme has affected their eyes as well. It isn't just me. All I said was I was glad we were going back to the normal theme or a semi version of the normal theme because my eyes cannot handle this theme. I was putting my two cents in the way others have so that way Daniel can make some considerations.

Or should we stop considerations then? Stop parking for the handicap. Stop making handicap seats for them on the bus. Stop making wheelchairs all together, either they walk or they don't, but they need to conform to the society.

[Cogito]

Hey folks, not everyone has perfect eyesight, and telling them to see an eye doctor is insensitive at best. So please cool it with comments like that.

[J.P.Clyde]

Thank you Cogito.

[Mallory]

I like all the new features of the upgrade, but would also prefer a darker color scheme (best solution = option to choose).

But I think it's been established that we're going back to that, right? :)

[cologirl42]

Looks good. At first I thought I was at the wrong place. We will get used to it.

[Heather]

I don't know if it's just me having this issue or not, but everytime I logged in earlier, it said thank you for logging in, then logged me straight back out - took me a few attempts before it would keep me logged in.

Also, I wasn't allowed to add any tags to my blog post, as they have to be less that three characters long?

[Daniel]

The new theme will be ready this evening. ;)

[skeloboy_97]

The new theme will be ready this evening. ;)

This evening? What time is that in AEST?

[the1]

The new theme will be ready this evening. ;)

Excellent news Daniel

[Manav]

The new theme will be ready this evening. ;)

Then I shall wait before I comment on the theme.

Over all, I like the changes (auto saved comment... at last!), but I notice the site is now a bit heavier, and takes longer to load. In the comment box, the letters appear on the screen a bit slower than the typing, which is irritating. Thought it was my computer, but I checked out other websites with such comment boxes, and I had no problem there.

[Jayyy1014]

this evening? YAY! Thanks Daniel! :D

[Steerpike]

Nice. Thanks, Daniel.

[Admin]

Thank you Daniel. :D

[VM80]

Is there still a way of seeing all your back posts? I only find the latest posts.

[psychotick]

Hi,

I've noticed a couple of twitches since the upgrade which I didn't have before. Specifically a couple of times I've double posted without trying to. It runs like this. I write my post, hit the box that says post quick reply, and then I get a warning message saying, do you want to leave this page. If I say no I stay where I am as I discovered the first time. This morning however I went straight to the yes option and returned to the thread, where my post had already been posted twice.

Not sure what this is about, but are other people experiencing it? Or is it just my crappy computer (skills?) at work? Latest double post was in the general writing thread, where Shy Little Frog was requesting help. I swear I did not double click anything.

Cheers.

[Marcelo]

I can see the theme's back. Good work Daniel, and thanks for hosting such a helpful site!

[Cogito]

Is there still a way of seeing all your back posts? I only find the latest posts.The "Find latest posts" link will let you see a very long history of posts - at least a couple thousand. I doubt you can go back to your very first post if you have tens of thousands of them (you couldn't with the previous version), but you can see a lot of them.

[VM80]

Don't even have so many.. Thanks Cogito, will take a look.

[mammamaia]

many thanks for all your hard work, daniel!

your dedication to this site is a great gift to all who've benefitted from it being 'the best on the web' ever since you set it up way back when we bailed out of the old 'gone to the dogs' wf.com...

it's been a pleasure for me to come here every day and be able to do what little i can to help new writers, in the 'cozy' atmosphere of friendly courtesy and caring for each other that you and your trusty 'trustees' have worked so hard to maintain... i'm both amazed and happy that you're so young, so you can go on doing this long after i've gone on to that writer's version of 'the great beyond'...

lotsa love and endless hugs, maia

[Gigi_GNR]

Thanks, Daniel. :) Definitely looks awesome, and I'm definitely getting used to it.

[Jonathan22]

I have to sign in twice every time now, since the upgrade as it says there's an error the first time. Any one else like that? Only a small thing I'm not even too bothered about, overall I really like the new layout and upgrades!

[Cogito]

Try clearing out your cookies.

[Fullmetal Xeno]

Thanks Daniel, I like this design over the dark green-colored one. Good job!

[shadowwalker]

I'm still having a problem seeing which community the various discussions are in. When I click on the 'unread posts', everything shows up except for the last column. It says "Community:" and then the line below is cut off. I have to put the mouse on it to see which one it's in. Not a big deal, except I do find myself clicking on discussions with interesting titles, only to find it's in a community I don't have an interest in (like RPGs), so it's a bit frustrating.

Also, when I click on the button to go to the first unread post, many (most) times it takes me to the last post, rather than the last one read. I clean out my cache, etc, every night, so not sure what else I can do on my end which might fix this. Both of these were not problems before the upgrade. :confused:

[spklvr]

The only complaint I have about the layout right now is a teeny tiny one that's not important at all, but it bothers me a bit. It would be nice if the sticky threads and regular threads were separated more clearly. Right now they kind of blend together, and at certain angles I can't even see the color difference (I move around a lot while sitting in front of the computer... right now I have my left knee on the floor and the other on the bed).

Edit: Guess that was already in progress... thank you, now it's perfect :)

[the1]

I have just switched over to the new theme and I quite like it.

I feel it's better than the previous design on the old software.

[mammamaia]

i'm still experiencing a 'slide-off' sometimes, when i'm writing more than a short post... the text slides down and away from me, so i can't see where the cursor is and i have to fiddle around a lot to finish typing...

i know that's not a very accurate description of what takes place, but is the best i can do... is anything like this happening to anyone else?...

and has anyone any idea why it happens?

[the1]

i'm still experiencing a 'slide-off' sometimes, when i'm writing more than a short post... the text slides down and away from me, so i can't see where the cursor is and i have to fiddle around a lot to finish typing...

i know that's not a very accurate description of what takes place, but is the best i can do... is anything like this happening to anyone else?...

and has anyone any idea why it happens?

I am not exactly sure what it is you are describing. I am not experiencing any text 'sliding' away

[Cogito]

As the page continues to load, it has to adjust positioning of page elements up and down until everything is loaded.

It can be tweaked away by entering the sizes of elements into certain of the HTML elements, so the space reserved matches the size of what is getting loaded. But it is very time-intensive unless you are using an HTML editor that inserts those sizes automatically. It's probably due to the theme customization Daniel did.

By the way, the font on the current version on the theme is pretty small, and hard to look at for lengthy periods.

[mammamaia]

that slipping only happens after i've read the posts and been typing a response for a while, so wouldn't the page be loaded by then, cog?

[mammamaia]

for the past couple of days i've been getting this...


This program cannot display the webpage

...when i try to go to a page... it's been happening 50% of the time and today even more often... i tried ten times to go to the 'suggestions' section and just kept getting that message page!... so i had to report it here, instead... HELP!!!

[dave_c]

lol, i think you should all jump onto linux ubuntu, i have no problems with the site what so ever on any of my three machines :D

[Steerpike]

That may be a function of when you are on, Dave. I have little trouble during low traffic times. But during times when a lot of people are on I have all the same issues in linux. It is definitely a server side problem, not people's computers.

[Snoopingaround]

Maybe the answer to my question is somewhere else on the forum, but I was wondering why exactly there was a change in the format? Was there some issue existing previously that needed to be fixed, or was it just intended as an overall improvement move?

[Banzai]

The software was upgraded, largely because what we were using was outdated, and security compatibility with it was ending.

[tristan.n]

Every time I log in, the page says "Invalid Redirect URL." Does anyone else have this issue? And, even though I check the little box to have it remember my username, it never does. Even if I just go to another page for a moment--not closing out of my browser--I have to log back in on here. Is there any way to correct this?

[Cogito]

Make sure you are connecting to www.writingforums.org. There are a couple variations on that name, but all will redirect you to exactly that URL. The variations will get you here, but your saved links may be funky, and your cookies won;t work quite right.

[losthawken]

I just had some trouble logging in, at first I got the "Invalid Redirect URL", then it would accept my password, welcome me but then bring me back to the start page 'un-logged'. The only way I could log in was to select 'Remember me" before submitting my user name and password. Seems like a cookie issue...

[tristan.n]

Alright I cleared the cookies for this site, and then for a while it said "No data found" when I tried to log in, or "Too many redirect URLs." Then when I tried to post something, it would say "Fatal error" or the page would lose its format and just be a jumble of text. I tried the site on Mozilla Firefox (I usually use Google Chrome, but it's buggy in its own ways), but it gave me the same routine. Today is the first day it's worked without too much hassle, and hopefully it will stay that way! lol

[mammamaia]

still having a lot of trouble getting on the site and then getting around once i finally make it in...

daniel... any hope of finding out why and fixing same soon?

---------- Post added at 04:52 AM ---------- Previous post was at 04:51 AM ----------

still having a lot of trouble just getting on the site and then getting around once i finally make it in...

daniel... any hope of finding out why and fixing same soon?

---------- Post added at 04:54 AM ---------- Previous post was at 04:52 AM ----------

case in point!

message said neither the post nor the edit above could be posted, but there they are...

[Daniel]

I have to sign in twice every time now, since the upgrade as it says there's an error the first time. Any one else like that? Only a small thing I'm not even too bothered about, overall I really like the new layout and upgrades!

Is anyone still experiencing this? I believe it's fixed, but I can't know for sure since I haven't experienced it personally.


I'm still having a problem seeing which community the various discussions are in. When I click on the 'unread posts', everything shows up except for the last column. It says "Community:" and then the line below is cut off. I have to put the mouse on it to see which one it's in. Not a big deal, except I do find myself clicking on discussions with interesting titles, only to find it's in a community I don't have an interest in (like RPGs), so it's a bit frustrating.

Also, when I click on the button to go to the first unread post, many (most) times it takes me to the last post, rather than the last one read. I clean out my cache, etc, every night, so not sure what else I can do on my end which might fix this. Both of these were not problems before the upgrade. :confused:

Are you still experiencing these two issues? Anyone? I suspect these are fixed but I'm not sure what you're clicking to get to the "unread posts." New posts? What's new? Is anyone else experiencing problems jumping to the latest unread post?


i'm still experiencing a 'slide-off' sometimes, when i'm writing more than a short post... the text slides down and away from me, so i can't see where the cursor is and i have to fiddle around a lot to finish typing...

i know that's not a very accurate description of what takes place, but is the best i can do... is anything like this happening to anyone else?...

and has anyone any idea why it happens?

I'm assuming this has been fixed now that the load and database issues have been resolved. Let me know if you're still seeing this issue.


The software was upgraded, largely because what we were using was outdated, and security compatibility with it was ending.

Exactly. New features are just a bonus.


I just had some trouble logging in, at first I got the "Invalid Redirect URL", then it would accept my password, welcome me but then bring me back to the start page 'un-logged'. The only way I could log in was to select 'Remember me" before submitting my user name and password. Seems like a cookie issue...

I did experience this a few times with the original/primary upgrade. Since the smaller upgrade a few days ago I haven't noticed this anymore. Are you still experiencing this?

[Daniel]

Thank you all for helping raise the money for the new software and for being patient while I ironed out the kinks. If you're still experiencing bugs or problems please let me know. Also feel free to make suggestions for site improvements.

[mammamaia]

the slide-off seems to have been fixed, thanks... and huzzah!... we got the text options, et al. back in this quick reply box!

so far, today, i got onto the site after only a delay in loading, that i had to override with the 'go to' button on my browser... hopefully, i'll find as i progress through the site on my usual 'rounds' that the other stuff has also been fixed will come back here when i get done, to let you know if it all worked...

thanks for your tireless efforts to make the upgrade work properly, daniel!

love and hugs, maia

[mammamaia]

sad to say 'seems to' was premature... the post i was just writing did the 'sliding' thing again!