Congratulations on the new software implementation

[HiltonP]

Problem is . . . if one is not logged in then one cannot click for most recent posts.
This is now the fourth or fifth time I have had to login today, pretty irritating.

Got to admit I am somewhat amused with the manner in which computer systems are implemented these days.
It appears to be a "let's throw it against the wall and see if it sticks" methodology, where one's testing is done
"in production" (business programmers will know what I am refering to). Twenty years ago I would have been
fired on the spot for implementing a user interface such as this. 

[John R Smith]

Michael

It is your site, and your Forum. For which, over many years, we have all been very grateful. The Luminous Landscape, and this Forum, have been a beacon of good taste and erudition for photographers in the general dross of mediocrity which characterises most of the Internet sites.

However, the success of this Forum (and I am sure that you will agree that it has been an extraordinary success) depends on the goodwill of its community. Appearances do matter, and if I or others feel less inclined to contribute because of these changes, then that is a point worth pondering.

John

[francois]

A last thing : I too would appreciate a way not to have to login at each visit...

When your logged out, click on the login tab. You'll have the choice to stay logged-in.

[JohnKoerner]

When your logged out, click on the login tab. You'll have the choice to stay logged-in.

I notice that when I come back, on the main page it tells me to "login" ... but I don't.

Because, when I click on any of the sub-forums, I notice that I am in fact still logged-in.

To those who "keep having to re-login," try just going to a sub-forum and I think you too will see that you are in fact still logged-in ...

Jack




.

[michael]

When your logged out, click on the login tab. You'll have the choice to stay logged-in.

John,

Thanks for your comments.

Of course appearances matter. And if course we will do our best to massage the new forum software to make it look and respond in as appealing a manner as possible.

But, also please understand that the changes that we are making to the site, which I strongly believe will be all to the good, require that we use this particular forum's database software.

So, for better or worse, we're going with this.

Michael

[Justan]

I like the new “do” even though it will take a little getting used to. The forum appears much quicker than it’s predecessor and the change of forum colors makes reading easier on my old eyes.

Congrats! I bet it was and is a lot of work getting the new package up and running.

I appreciate the many efforts it takes to keep this old cyber stop running. Thanks for the hard work and for the great resource!

[francois]

…
The forum appears much quicker than it’s predecessor
…

That's also my observation 

[beamon]

upper right corner

Thanks, got it now.

[John Camp]

Why does the forum look different when you're just reading, as opposed to when you're replying? When I'm just browsing, there's not much separation between comments. When I'm replying, the topics as shown at the bottom of the screen have a thick black bar between them, which make them much easier to read. (And it'd be even easier if the thick black bar were some pleasant color, like a nice green or blue.) Otherwise, the changes seem okay to me, and I'm looking forward to the new features.

[Morris Taub]

No, unfortunately this is completely different forum software so there's no going back.

There seems to be a very thin white line or white space between posts now...not sure you can adjust this, but perhaps making that somewhat thicker would separate the posts a bit more and make it easier to tell where one ends and another begins...

M

[beamon]

There seems to be a very thin white line or white space between posts now...not sure you can adjust this, but perhaps making that somewhat thicker would separate the posts a bit more and make it easier to tell where one ends and another begins...

M

+1 Morris. These old eyes would do better with stronger differentiation between posts, also, if it can be done.

[Rocco Penny]

The spacing between posts makes each following post blend into the last.
So, just a small line separating the posts seems to make each post lean dangerously toward each other,
even blending one into the next.
The old individually framed posts, in starting a thread, or replying to a thread gave one a sense of personality.
So you could have your own little thing in its own little box.
Then if you wanted you could put someone else's little thing into your own little box(stay with me men)
and it would stand out and augment your own post,
or likely you'd augment another's.
So now it all seems to flow together, do you see?
Thank you for the space

[maxgruzen]

I'm 70 years old and maybe this is just what everybody feels as they get older, but it seems to me that usually when something gets improved it loses some of its soul. That's how I feel about this new site. My favorite web site for eight years. What ever the reasons are for this change, the site is now ugly and uninviting, and although I will continue to visit this site often I doubt that I will ever feel that same sense of it being a special place.  If using this software means that you had to give up your visually creative and artistic values Michael, then I think you have made a poor choice.

[Luis Argerich]

The smiles can be changed from the SMF admin panel, you probably want to install a better package as the default SMF smileys are horrible.
About the new look the first reaction is always inertial but SMF is a good piece of software and with time we are all going to get used to the new interface. I'm in many forums and every time one changed software I always liked the previous version, I was used to that! but after some months we won't even remember the old version.
You can't fight against success!

Luis

PS: Michael & Admin: I'm admin of another forum using SMF, if you need any help just send me a PM or email.

Edit: Turning on the quick-reply box option for all users by default can also be a good idea, then you can reply to a thread without going to the reply button, just type in quick reply and voila! Currently each user can turn it on from the profile but I guess that defaulting to "on" is a good idea!

[uaiomex]

I could not said it better. Soul-less. I just done a first mistake. I quoted the post immediately down. I'm not going anywhere but I'm very sad this happenned. Sorry Michael. By any means, if you can revert it, please. please, please, please do.
Eduardo

I'm 70 years old and maybe this is just what everybody feels as they get older, but it seems to me that usually when something gets improved it loses some of its soul. That's how I feel about this new site. My favorite web site for eight years. What ever the reasons are for this change, the site is now ugly and uninviting, and although I will continue to visit this site often I doubt that I will ever feel that same sense of it being a special place.  If using this software means that you had to give up your visually creative and artistic values Michael, then I think you have made a poor choice.

[Rob C]

I'm 70 years old and maybe this is just what everybody feels as they get older, but it seems to me that usually when something gets improved it loses some of its soul. That's how I feel about this new site. My favorite web site for eight years. What ever the reasons are for this change, the site is now ugly and uninviting, and although I will continue to visit this site often I doubt that I will ever feel that same sense of it being a special place.  If using this software means that you had to give up your visually creative and artistic values Michael, then I think you have made a poor choice.

It is not an age thing - it's observation of reality; some of us have longer realities that translate into wider experiences.

At the end of the day, communication has a long history of established form, and even if we are using a computer we are, at heart, still writing a letter or at least a short note to somebody. It seems to me that the further we move away from that format, then the less user-friendly the experience. Even the act of trying to write this post and include your own as a quotation proved contrary to function: it is far kinder being able to click for that function on each post, as originally, than to have to go through this process of clicking up at the top of the page and then hunting again for the post one wishes to quote. One could just lose interest and say the hell with it.

As I attempt to write this, my current line of type has vanished below the frame of the box and I am now typing blind.

Rob C

Edit: I discover, now, that there is a function that allows me to avoid going to the top of the page and hitting Reply! See what I mean? (And I am still typing blind.)

[Dick Roadnight]

Does anyone know how to change the local time settings? I mean it is NOT 04:19 In London right now:-)

Hi, Yair... I have found that problem, found the option in my profile to fix it and it does not seem to work

[feppe]

I like the new color scheme and don't mind the setup. I'm already used to the new post flow, don't see what the problem is differentiating between them: there are two horizontal lines surrounding each post. The s look fine.

The minor complaints I echo are the ones about invisible links and images which open up in the body of the post rather than new window or tab.

All in all, the forum works well, and content is still king - and that hasn't changed.

[Dick Roadnight]

The minor complaints I ... images which open up in the body of the post rather than new window or tab.

I think [url] make things appear in a new window, and [iurl] open it in the same window, but, if you click on a picture, you get the "open in a new window" option.

See SMF, advanced codes

[Bill Koenig]

The new look works for me.