Plans for updating the archaic forum?

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Posted by Peter Greene on 11/02/2021 15:27:44:

Posted by Danny M2Z on 11/02/2021 13:13:36:

Sideways photo's – blame your phone and learn how to use it properly.

It's not my photo's that I (and many others) complain about – it's other peoples'. How would learning to use my phone fix that?

Edited By Peter Greene on 11/02/2021 15:30:12

Hold it horizontally to take photos and video, with bottom of phone to the right, ipads the same but with button to the right

[John HaineParticipant @johnhaine32865]

Now that simple instruction could have been placed on the Add New Photos page as a constant reminder if site updating was easier.

[egaParticipant @ega]

Is it difficult to improve the existing site? I recall that a previous editor caused a custom google search facility to be incorporated in the home page.

[Anonymous]

Posted by JasonB on 11/02/2021 15:48:45:

Posted by Peter Greene on 11/02/2021 15:27:44:

Posted by Danny M2Z on 11/02/2021 13:13:36:

Sideways photo's – blame your phone and learn how to use it properly.

It's not my photo's that I (and many others) complain about – it's other peoples'. How would learning to use my phone fix that?

Hold it horizontally to take photos and video, with bottom of phone to the right, ipads the same but with button to the right

… and me doing that will fix other peoples' photographs??? Wow, I hadn't realised that.

(I guess my point about Danny's post was totally missed).

Edited By Peter Greene on 11/02/2021 17:06:36

[John PParticipant @johnp77052]

The last part of this post by

Neil Wyatt 11/02/2021 13:25:38

If that isn't 'broken' what is?

There will be complaints and a period of adjustment, but I very
much doubt that after a month the complaints will be anything
like those that we have had.

Neil

Reading between the lines of his post and seeing that RCME
are in the same publishing group, it looks as if a decision
has already been made.

What next , no paper magazine on line publishing only ,
stick on a pair of goggles and go for a tour around the virtual
Model Engineer exhibition.

John

[PatJParticipant @patj87806]

The most immediate thing that I notice here is the photo album thing.

It makes loading photos rather slow and tedious, compared to what you can do on a forum running on Xenforo or something similar.

As I mentioned before, modern software uses exactly the same material that you always post, but in what is hopefully a more usable, functional, and streamlined format.

The biggest problem is the "C" word, which is "change".

People get use to a certain format, and stick to it like gorilla glue, regardless of benefits that may be derived from an updated software.

Its just human nature, and I am as guilty as anyone of resisting "C".

I still use AutoCad 2004, and refuse to update, since doing so would incur an expensive anual fee.

There is much to be said for "if it is not broken, don't fix it", but having changed a forum from Simple Machines to Xenforo recently, I can say that there is much to be gained in usability by upgrading forum software, and it was inexpensive and transparent as far as leaving all the existing posts, but changing to a new format.

I would do it again in a second because it makes a forum so much easier to use.

And it is easy to change the look/feel/colors, etc. to suit most folks.

.

 

 

Edited By PatJ on 11/02/2021 17:41:54

Edited By PatJ on 11/02/2021 17:42:19

Edited By PatJ on 11/02/2021 17:43:14

[OldironParticipant @oldiron]

Hi PatJ. Changing to a new system is not the problem ( as the system is invisible). Changing to a new format (what we actually see) is what people most object to most. Most members here are to put it politley getting on a bit(me included) and change does not come easy. If the forum could have some new features from an update but leave the colours & layout as it is I would agree. BUT any one updating a forum ALWAYS have to put their own touch to it and ruin it for most other people. I have seen it done several times. Just look at the example Ketan gave earlier in this topic, not good at all. Why do we need to know who is the top poster and has 10K bonus points or has the biggest album or who is reading what now ? I doubt very much if many people want to use a forum such as this on a mobile phone as most of us could not see it easily. Using lots of colours can also be a bad thing when you start getting coloured text on coloured back grounds makes it a nightmare some of us with sight problems.

I find there is no problem with the phorto upload system here at all. As I said in my earlier post I can upload a photo in a few seconds. I do not understand why people have such a problem with it.

regards

[Stuart Smith 5Participant @stuartsmith5]

As far I am concerned, leave this Forum as it is.

The model flying site is terrible. Loads of screen space taken up by irrelevant info and minimal space for the useful bits (ie the text of people’s posts). Large size fonts and logos for posters identities – why?

As far as keeping logged on is concerned, you don’t need to be logged on unless you want to make a post.

Stuart

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Posted by Stuart Smith 5 on 11/02/2021 20:08:36:

As far as keeping logged on is concerned, you don’t need to be logged on unless you want to make a post.

Or read & send PMs, upload photos, access the archive, etc

[Stuart Smith 5Participant @stuartsmith5]

Yes I suppose so.

I was thinking of how I use it as someone who doesn’t do those things frequently.

[Colin HeseltineParticipant @colinheseltine48622]

Got to admit I don't particularly like the RCM&E new format. On a couple of sites I use have changed to a similar sort of layout. I cannot see where (or if) there is a way to see the current postings as on our current layout. On our current layout you can see immediately the most recent 10 topic posts and very easily go to latest posts and see the last 40. No scrolling through lots of pages trying to read lines of small font light coloured text.

Colin

[PatJParticipant @patj87806]

Posted by Oldiron on 11/02/2021 18:30:19:

Hi PatJ. Changing to a new system is not the problem ( as the system is invisible). Changing to a new format (what we actually see) is what people most object to most. Most members here are to put it politley getting on a bit(me included) and change does not come easy. If the forum could have some new features from an update but leave the colours & layout as it is I would agree. BUT any one updating a forum ALWAYS have to put their own touch to it and ruin it for most other people. I have seen it done several times. Just look at the example Ketan gave earlier in this topic, not good at all. Why do we need to know who is the top poster and has 10K bonus points or has the biggest album or who is reading what now ? I doubt very much if many people want to use a forum such as this on a mobile phone as most of us could not see it easily. Using lots of colours can also be a bad thing when you start getting coloured text on coloured back grounds makes it a nightmare some of us with sight problems.I find there is no problem with the phorto upload system here at all. As I said in my earlier post I can upload a photo in a few seconds. I do not understand why people have such a problem with it.

regards

I agree with what you are saying. My eyesight is slowly degrading, which is not a good thing, and so visibility is paramount for me.

And I have seen other's ruin forum formats, and make them very unreadable visually.

And I despise the gimmicks that are in the new forums, such as "likes" and other nonsense.

One person on another modeling forum complained as if he had lost a friend when he somehow lost all of his forum brownie points. It was a pathetic display, and makes me question his motivations for posting in the first place.

And I have seen people compete against each other for "most likes", "most points", "most posts", and on and on ad nauseam. I refuse to allow any of that on my website.

I hope that a balance can be struck that will meet the wishes of all the users here, but having worked in corporate for 18 years, I have to be honest and say that at least 1/2 of the folks will be unhappy with any change (or no change).

For the record, I have more often been against software change than for it.

Most software changes I have tried have been for the worst.  Much of the software I use daily is over 10 years old.  They keep dumbing down the software, and instead of adding features, they are removing them it would seem.

I will go on record saying that I like Xenforo very much, and find it much more streamlined than many forum softwares. I don't have any connections to any software companies, but can only report my experience with some of the forum software I have used. There are quite a few forum softwares that I don't like and would not use, but I can't name names in this day and age.

.

Edited By PatJ on 11/02/2021 21:55:32

Edited By PatJ on 11/02/2021 21:56:51

Edited By PatJ on 11/02/2021 21:58:00

[Bill PudneyParticipant @billpudney37759]

In my admittedly luddite influenced experience, anything that requires any sort of software upgrade ALWAYS results in cost overruns, function chaos at least in the short term and generally a right royal PITN, and general long term grumpiness from the average user. If it (forum upgrade) goes ahead watch out for an increase in the cover price of the magazines!!

cheers

Bill

[Anonymous]

Posted by JasonB on 11/02/2021 20:15:49:

Posted by Stuart Smith 5 on 11/02/2021 20:08:36:

As far as keeping logged on is concerned, you don’t need to be logged on unless you want to make a post.

Or read & send PMs, upload photos, access the archive, etc

If you are not logged on it also defaults to the first page of a thread. You can set that default to last page, but that only operates if you are logged on. Not that it's a whole lot better if it's a fast moving thread or you haven't logged on for a bit.

I think that whole setup would be better if the no-logon default was set to last page and logged-on default set to actual last page read …. I'll concede that last part may be difficult but the first (setting the no-logon default to last page) ought to be easy enough.

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

The New system gives you more options for where a thread will start when you click on it such as going to the first post since you last looked.

You also have the option to "mark all as read" then the next time you visit you can look at "unread posts" 

There is also a "latest posts" option on the very customisable layout, see this forum with it's latest posts at the top right and a lot of other things that can fill that right hand column.

 

 

Edited By JasonB on 12/02/2021 07:45:27

[John HaineParticipant @johnhaine32865]

Posted by JasonB on 12/02/2021 07:06:19:

The New system gives you more options for where a thread will start when you click on it such as going to the first post since you last looked.

Can we hope…?

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by JasonB on 12/02/2021 07:06:19:

The New system gives you more options […]

on the very customisable layout, see this forum with it's latest posts at the top right and a lot of other things that can fill that right hand column.

.

Oh dear … is that what’s coming ?

[quote]

Register now to gain access to all of our features. Once registered and logged in, you will be able to contribute to this site by submitting your own content or replying to existing content. You'll be able to customise your profile, receive reputation points as a reward for submitting content, while also communicating with other members via your own private inbox, plus much more! This message will be removed once you have signed in.

[/quote]

MichaelG.

[HowiParticipant @howi]

This is the only forum to which I go to daily, all the others are an infrequent visit to see what has been going on.

MOST forums are eventually boring because they cover the same old material ad nausium,

Archery forums, photography forums (don't get me started on these!), amateur radio etc etc etc

For the latter Group.io is a much better option.

Forum software – ALWAYS causes controversy, personally I like the format, easy to read, easy to find what you want, looks good (to me), easy to upload photos once you know the process (album first, forum post second)

No one is saying it is perfect, it is what it is.

If you don't like it, go elseware or design your own so we can compare, changing for changes sake is NOT the reason for changeing anything.

to put an end to this nonsense lets have a poll, change the forum or leave as is, I would suspect the latter.

It is NOT that I am against change, having an open mind is needed as much as an enquiring mind, AGE has nothing to do with it.

Like others have said, I have seen lots of forums update their soiftware and ALWAYS (to me!) for the worst, with adverts interspersed with the forum posts as an example.

This subject is not the first time it has been raised, with the same old tired remarks.

For me, it is not how the forum looks (I like it!) but more about the content and the people.

Long live this forum as it is.

[Frances IoMParticipant @francesiom58905]

Michael – the profit from this site is that made by tracking users and delivering their details for directed advertising – forced login etc is just one way but the whole system owned by some 2 or 3 mega commercial non-tax-paying companies uncontrolled by local laws must end soon as many countries have now realised the social damage they have inflicted and will continue to do unless some control is imposed – this site is just a tiny cog in this surveillance system

Edited By Frances IoM on 12/02/2021 10:03:31

[Ady1Participant @ady1]

If they do "upgrade" in here I always judge it on the amount of previous contributions and work lost

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Maybe, maybe not Michael as it all depends on how MTM decide to customise the forum for our use, take a look at the RCM&E one that Ketan linked to as that is in the early stages of what we may end up with here.

Having logged into the RCM&E one as I was a member anyway most of what you have just quoted is no different to here, you can customise your profile which is really things like how you want posts to open as mentioned earlier, notifications, avitar, etc.

Private inbox is basically the PM system we have here but a lot more user friendly.

Ranking, points etc are something the admin can decide to include or not.

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Jason & Frances

… My post was really just a gut-reaction to the hideous ‘look & feel’ of the linked site.

MichaelG.

.

Edit: Here’s one brief quote from the page that opened when I tried Ketan’s link:

Oh God . You changed something we all knew and worked well .. welcome to the future where we can’t find anything or are lost .. progress and at least it will be quiet for a while 

.

Amen to that !!

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 12/02/2021 10:32:08

[EmgeeParticipant @emgee]

That site Jason posted the link to has made my head spin and prevented my eyes correctly focusing on the text for about 20 seconds, if that's what's coming count me out.
I know the site is about astronomy as it was like looking into the galaxy with a lot of bright stars.

As has been said most of the new formats are space hungry so reducing the viewing of articles posted but do have many features that remain unused by the majority it seems.

I am in the group who do not welcome change unless it is for the better and I fail to see how these new formats provide an improved experience.

Emgee

[Andrew TinsleyParticipant @andrewtinsley63637]

Just taken a look at the star gazers lounge. I find it extremely difficult to read. What idiot uses white letters on a black background?

This is the sort of idiocy that puts people off.

Andrew

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Of the sites Neil sent me some examples of I found this one the easiest on the eyes as mentioned yesterday, if you set the site to zoom 125% then I get big easy to read messages and no blank spaces on my PC screen. I expect there is a similar pale green option to make you feel more like still being on this site

The white on black is probably quite easy on the eyes if you want to check up on latest posts while out in the dark looking up at the sky

 

 

Edited By JasonB on 12/02/2021 10:41:44

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