topic Re: Forum Software Update in Forum Feedback

Forum Software Update

Tony_Weiss — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 23:10:45 GMT

Hi everyone,

In the next few days, we'll be updating our forum software. Most things will stay the same; the boards will remain in the same locations, as well as your posts and ranks. There will be a few changes to the forum, most notably:

1) Solution Button - it will be in the bottom right corner of the post. It will be a smaller, more clear button indicating its function.

2) Notify Moderator - instead of the "Report Abuse to a Moderator" link in each post, we've renamed it to "Notify Moderator" in the new version. This will still have the same function - letting us know which threads need moving/removing/editing/special attention. Just like the previous link, "Notify Moderator" is not intended to get your issue resolved more quickly.

3) Kudos - the Kudos button has been moved and changed (it's on the far left, below the user stats, with a yellow number and a star). You will click the STAR to give a Kudos, you click the number to see who gave the Kudos.

Re: Forum Software Update

mo — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 01:24:27 GMT

Look forward to it Tony!

Re: Forum Software Update

Plankton — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 03:29:44 GMT

Hi:

I think that everyone will be better off.

Can't wait :smileyhappy:

Thanks!

Re: Forum Software Update

AllenM — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 05:45:18 GMT

Hi Tony,

Thanks for the update. And not to mention some forum software fixes some of us have been waiting for! :smileywink:

Will there by any downtime or just a cutover with a very momentary hiccup as the new software is brought on line?

Allen

Message Edited by AllenM on 01-13-2010 09:45 PM

Re: Forum Software Update

Stu — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 05:51:49 GMT

It's always good to see the forum evolve

Re: Forum Software Update

Tony_Weiss — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 18:18:03 GMT

AllenM wrote:

...Will there by any downtime or just a cutover with a very momentary hiccup as the new software is brought on line?

Great question. It should only be down for a brief time. Maybe less than an hour, if everything goes as planned. Thanks!

Re: Forum Software Update

PapauZ — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 18:27:56 GMT

Tony_Weiss wrote:
AllenM wrote:
...Will there by any downtime or just a cutover with a very momentary hiccup as the new software is brought on line?
Great question. It should only be down for a brief time. Maybe less than an hour, if everything goes as planned. Thanks!

And do you have an exact date and time (GMT+-X :P) when you will do the update?

(During this time we can go for a good movie or anything else :P :P :D :D :D)

Re: Forum Software Update

Tony_Weiss — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 18:55:57 GMT

PapauZ wrote:

And do you have an exact date and time (GMT+-X :P) when you will do the update?

(During this time we can go for a good movie or anything else :P :P :D :D :D)

As of right now, we're planning for it to be sometime overnight tonight for folks in the United States. I'm reluctant to give specific times, since things do change at the last minute.

Re: Forum Software Update

Yaso_Kuuhl — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 08:18:46 GMT

Woo-hoo! I'm getting to experience the change LIVE!!! :-)))) *nose pressed against screen*

Re: Forum Software Update

Quads — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 08:22:48 GMT

The Font size of the likes of "Norton Community:......" is a bit small.

Quads

Re: Forum Software Update

Yaso_Kuuhl — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 08:27:40 GMT

i can't see my image gallery anywhere...yet.

Re: Forum Software Update

mo — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 08:39:53 GMT

Yes the forum looks a little on the weak side...but hey have they finished with it yet???

Re: Forum Software Update

Floating_Red — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 09:46:20 GMT

If they have finished with it, I've got Feedback and Questions:

- The Text is too small; make it bigger so I don't need to use a magnifying glass to read the text.

- How does one stick, or "Float", a Thread to the Top?

- Whenever I Open the "Insert/edit link", it seems to clash with something on my computer. Not sure if it's Norton clashing/Scanning it.

- How is one meant to know if they've got a P.M.? Does the icon light up and do a light display for you when you get a P.M.? Does it sing to you? All you've got is a tiny, wee number which most users will not notice - until somewhere five months' down the line ("Whoops!").

Re: Forum Software Update

Yaso_Kuuhl — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 09:54:05 GMT

Hi Floating_Red,

You can float threads to the top by going to "Topic Options" and then to "Float this Topic to the Top".

I agree that the font (including the PM envelope icon and number) is really small. And I still can't see or access my image gallery or anyone else's image gallery.

Re: Forum Software Update

KLR — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 10:18:13 GMT

I agree that the text is way too small for my aged eyes.

Ken

Re: Forum Software Update

Floating_Red — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 11:43:45 GMT

Thanks, Yaso. Still, it was nice when one could do it while not in a Thread...

Also think for the Date & Time on the Boards needs to be changed because it clashes with the "Newbie" Colour.

Also, the Description of what each Forum is for loads first, and then there is a small pause before the rest of the Page is Loaded.

Re: Forum Software Update

boneidle — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 12:02:43 GMT

Could the dividing line between stickies and other posts, be more obvious as before, i. e. a different color ?

Re: Forum Software Update

rayofsunshine — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 13:17:04 GMT

You can go into preferences >display and there will be font size, the default is medium which is small, but you can change to large or X-large and everything will appear larger. Though for me X-large makes you lose the right side of the forum post listing cause the Kudos and whatnot charts overlap...I don't know how to float anymore.. So I book marked and "Sank" what I want to read on the forum front page.

Also when I went into Edit for this post... my font went really small like amoeba size small and I had to hightlight and change the font to 2 (10pt) just to be able to read it again.

Little sad that my icon is now classic and none of the new bright and shiny ones doesn't have a sun.

Re: Forum Software Update

elsewhere — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 13:59:48 GMT

Inseting an image into a post using the new interface fails big time under Vista.

That aside, the issues I see with the new interface are as follows:

The font size - too small in too many places. Refer to previous posts for verification.
The 'Top Kudoed Post' column should be moved back to a horizontal line at the bottom of the page.
Moving this column will make the ellispsis on the existing Subject lines dissappear.

In addition, if a post has been kudoed, then the font colour of those kudos greater than zero should be black. Too pale to highlight a kudoed post at the moment...

Re: Forum Software Update

PapauZ — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 15:55:01 GMT

Here are some things I noticed in the new engine:

- by the posts the replies and new, plus the kudos numbers are a bit confusing by some topics

- I miss the Mark all post Read function from the top menu on the main page (or just not found it yet :P)

- I didn't noticed this before: When I go to edit/create messages in IE8 loading the Rich text editor makes IE8 a bit slow like it will freeze in a moment. When the load is done, everything works fine.

EDIT:
- it would be better if by inserting a picture the default Image Alignment would be Inline

- by inserting picture if I uploaded the picture to the symantec site it started the browsing from the default download/upload folder IE saved, now it is going always to My Documents -> the previous mechanisum I liked more :D

- the highlighted topics should have some different color, or have more space between them and normal topics