Forum Software

[Speedy Builder5Participant @speedybuilder5]

Following on from "Donations to the Website", may I suggest we start a new list of what we would like to see on a new ME/MEW Forum.

We often talk about the shortcomings of the present site and we have been asked by Neil to make these known.

To kick it off:-

A more robust search engine

Ability to rotate photos

Ability to load photos without adding to an album using cut and paste , direct load from your computer or mobile etc.

Loading of other file types, PDF,GIF, Excel, Word etc

[Speedy Builder5Participant @speedybuilder5]

Requests for changes to the forum software

[Jeff DaymanParticipant @jeffdayman43397]

also suggest an "auto save" feature while writing a forum response. Have lost many posts due to glitches / loss when posting.

+ 1 on all that Speedy Builder mentioned, but especially a good search engine that actually works to search the forum posts.

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Numbering of posts in a thread would be handy to refer back to as well as the ability to post a link to an individual post number that takes you to that point in the thread, several other forums have this.

The rouge Smiley problem needs to be dealt with.

From a Moderators point of view a way to quarantine a post/thread while it is discussed between moderators would be better than the limited options that are available at the moment, again something other forum software has. Archiving of deleted posts so they could be brought back would be part of this.

Some seem to want a better spell checker

Paste available by right click and paste rather than ctr V

Underline and maybe a few other text options could be added

"Unread threads since last visit" button and being taken to the point where you last looked at the thread would save a lot of scrolling

[John HaineParticipant @johnhaine32865]

Given that there are loads of forums that work better than this one and many of them have generic similarities, I hope that it isn't intended to develop a new system from scratch? Much better to find a software package that is widely used and therefore probably better maintained. Most of the other systems I use have all the above, but I'd single out **LINK** as one that seems very good. **LINK** also works pretty well. Spell checker that works like the rest of the universe is what's wanted rather than the weird version here. Paste URLs directly rather than having to use a special button.

[Nick Clarke 3Participant @nickclarke3]

For historical reasons because I am old enough to predate mice being common on small computers and also because for more than a quarter of my career I have worked with blind and visually impaired computer users I still find keyboard shortcuts quicker than using a mouse – so please leave this as an option.

Also this software does manually what has to happen when uploading a picture – ie it has to be stored somewhere local to the software so the page can be created dynamically from its filename – to allow cut and paste this would need automating and so add a layer of complexity. As it is I know which of my pictures have appeared in my posts and they can be deleted by me should I no longer wish them to appear – having them automatically stored 'somewhere' could leave them on the system, taking up storage.

I suspect that the vast majority will not respond, unlike the community minded people so far and as soon as the improved version is launched only then will there be a torrent of people (who have not suggested anything) asking why their pet feature has not been included – but then I was always a cynic!

[File HandleParticipant @filehandle]

I have also been around computers for a very long time. Also tend to prefer keyboard shortcuts.

[JourneymanParticipant @journeyman]

If Morton's wish ideas for new forum software they need look no further than the thread from 2021 which runs to some 16 pages. All possibilities have been covered (probably) .

*** Forum Software 2021 ***

Strange that many consider the current software absolutely adequate!

John

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Yes, I've said it a few times recently when faced with the software used on the sister site 8 out of 10 preferred this site.

There are quite a few things to like about the current setup but I suspect it would not be economic to add the wanted features to what we already have and that the already owned software will be what is used as it includes those features.

[Anonymous]

Posted by JasonB on 21/09/2022 16:24:38:

Underline and maybe a few other text options could be added

Already have it: ctl-u to start underline; ctl-u to stop it.

Or: highlight word(s) and press ctl-u

Like this

[Anonymous]

Posted by Journeyman on 21/09/2022 18:20:30:

Strange that many consider the current software absolutely adequate!

Not so much adequate … just preferable to the "modern" versions.

[File HandleParticipant @filehandle]

I also find that the site is generally fine, I have used a lot worse.
Then I did start using the Internet before the WWW existed. Remember the days of bulletin boards when good manner was to watch it for 6 months before posting.

[Speedy Builder5Participant @speedybuilder5]

Journeyman – You have hit one of the nails on the head, if you search for the word Forum, that old thread can't be found.

 

Search Results for – forum

Forums View all results in Forums (127)

• Contacting a forum member
• Flashing adverts on Forum
• Specific sub forums.

Edited By Speedy Builder5 on 21/09/2022 19:38:26

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

The software is developed by someone (or team) and signed off by their manager. Why do these people never actually use it to find the faults? All the other forums have issues too.
Trouble with keyboard shortcuts is you have to put down your coffee to use lots of them. Although I'm new to computers, started as recently as 1973, I do find the mouse better than punched cards.

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Speedy, it does come up in the forum search, as they are in date order you will find the thread towards the top of the second page.

 

Edited By JasonB on 21/09/2022 20:02:27

[JAParticipant @ja]

Posted by Bazyle on 21/09/2022 19:46:34:

The software is developed by someone (or team) and signed off by their manager. Why do these people never actually use it to find the faults? All the other forums have issues too.
Trouble with keyboard shortcuts is you have to put down your coffee to use lots of them. Although I'm new to computers, started as recently as 1973, I do find the mouse better than punched cards.

No short cuts, please, and introduce punch cards. I have not used punch cards since the early 70s and I still miss them. They were far better than paper tape which replaced them.

JA

[Harry WilkesParticipant @harrywilkes58467]

Many good suffestions i would add to them I would like to see a 'Thanks' button

H

[duncan webster 1Participant @duncanwebster1]

The only thing I miss is the ability to insert pdf, png etc. Otherwise it ain't broke don't fix it. All change is for the worse!

[PatJParticipant @patj87806]

XenForo is what I see a lot of forums updating to, and it works well.

I love this forum and the folks on it, but this software is tedious to use compared to something modern like XenForo.

I am not one to upgrade software on a whim, and I am in gereral anti-upgrade for almost all software.

But having used XenForo, and then this software, I know this forum is well past due for an upgrade.

This has been discussed forever, and so I think I can safely say that this forum's software will still be unchanged 50 years from now, which as many have said is what folks here like and want.

If the users don't want modern software, who is to argue that point?

.

Edited By PatJ on 21/09/2022 22:53:37

[Speedy Builder5Participant @speedybuilder5]

Thanks Jason, all these years, and I had never used that "search" feature, only the "Search this site" on the GREEN bar! What is the difference between the two searches except that one seems to provide fewer results.

Bob

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

I don't really use it much either as it will only search what is in the thread title. Journeyman gave a clue as to it's date but could have been harder to find otherwise.

The best one is the google one on the home page. The 2nd result on that threw up a group of threads including the one in question and the 5th result was the actual thread.

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Speedy Builder5 on 22/09/2022 06:52:19:

Thanks Jason, all these years, and I had never used that "search" feature, only the "Search this site" on the GREEN bar! What is the difference between the two searches except that one seems to provide fewer results.

Bob

.

The search box on the home page was created to work around some of the deficiencies in the forum’s native search facilities. It’s just a little script which produces a particular style of Google search

.

.

.

Try putting some words in that box and then glance up at the address bar in your browser, and you should see what it does.

For example, the two words gilligan and spong will return a couple of results which would be lost to the forum’s native searches … and being just a Google search, you can edit the text in the address bar to modify the search.

It’s not completely reliable, but much more useful than the others.

MichaelG.

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 22/09/2022 07:45:48

[Nicholas FarrParticipant @nicholasfarr14254]

Hi, when I put "archaic forum" in the Google box on the home page, it was at the top of the list archaic forum

Regards Nick.

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

‘ere we go

.

[egaParticipant @ega]

The current For Sale ad

Sale: colchester bantam mk1 fixed suddenly

suggests that there is room for improvement somewhere!

PS I see that it should have been a Wanted but I doubt if that can be laid at the forum's door.

Edited By ega on 30/09/2022 14:34:33

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