new format

[bradger]

I hope this new format has a way to see when someone post on what you did or new post by you.
largl

 

[Bearcarver]

I hope this new format has a way to see when someone post on what you did or new post by you.
largl

I'm sure it does.
We just have to learn where they hid everything again.
Hang in there Bradger!!

Bear

 

[bradger]

We just have to learn where they hid everything again.
Hang in there Bradger!!

your reply allowed me to find it, and now if you haven't already found it know too.

 

[tropics]

I hope this new format has a way to see when someone post on what you did or new post by you.
largl

Click on your avatar it will show Alerts

Click on preferences scroll down preferences
click on all the boxes you want notices from

Richie

 

[johnmeyer]

Is there a reason for this change? I am now typing this into a tiny little box that is squished into the left side of the screen. The right side is totally blank. I'd attach a screen shot, but there is no way I will be able to figure that out.

I've been posting here less and less, for other reasons, but this will probably be the end for me. I participate in LOTS of forums, and they all have a logical format that makes sense. I now can't find anything; it is tougher to read; the icons are way too large (even for my aging eyes!); and more.

I'm sure someone had a good reason for doing this, but I am totally missing what the benefit might be.

[edit]Not only can't I turn off this huge panel on the right side, I can't find the icon next to a message that lets me go directly to the last post made since I previously read that thread. It's impossible to keep up with a thread without having that feature easily displayed.

I've wasted ten minutes trying to get this to work. I'll come back in a week or two and see if they've made some changes, or not.

[edit #2] I just found that if I change my browser's magnification from 100% to 90%, the huge page formatting problems completely change. I'm using Firefox 68.0 64-bit on Windows 7. So, the formatting is a bug in the forum software. The other problems seem to still be there.

OK, here's what the forum now looks like when my browser magnification is set to 100% (i.e., normal magnification):

 

[R Blum]

I don't like change.

 

[johnmeyer]

I don't like change.

I don't either, but I'll accept it if it either makes lots of things better, or at least doesn't make too many things worse.

This change, unfortunately, violates both of those rules.

 

[sandyut]

I like it!

I wonder if you can set to a dark mode? Black background with white letters?

 

[Norwester55]

I like it!

I wonder if you can set to a dark mode? Black background with white letters?

Please! My corneas are scorched!
Dark and light grays are good too and easy on the eyes. Brought it up on the "Upgrade Issues" thread.

 

[hellasteph]

Is there a reason for this change? I am now typing this into a tiny little box that is squished into the left side of the screen. The right side is totally blank. I'd attach a screen shot, but there is no way I will be able to figure that out.

I've been posting here less and less, for other reasons, but this will probably be the end for me. I participate in LOTS of forums, and they all have a logical format that makes sense. I now can't find anything; it is tougher to read; the icons are way too large (even for my aging eyes!); and more.

I'm sure someone had a good reason for doing this, but I am totally missing what the benefit might be.

[edit]Not only can't I turn off this huge panel on the right side, I can't find the icon next to a message that lets me go directly to the last post made since I previously read that thread. It's impossible to keep up with a thread without having that feature easily displayed.

I've wasted ten minutes trying to get this to work. I'll come back in a week or two and see if they've made some changes, or not.

[edit #2] I just found that if I change my browser's magnification from 100% to 90%, the huge page formatting problems completely change. I'm using Firefox 68.0 64-bit on Windows 7. So, the formatting is a bug in the forum software. The other problems seem to still be there.

OK, here's what the forum now looks like when my browser magnification is set to 100% (i.e., normal magnification):

View attachment 410396

Hi there, I'm afraid we don't support Windows 7 anymore so that's why you're seeing a lot of broken panels and spaces. Even Microsoft doesn't support Win 7 anymore so that's why we've been unable to provide a wide range of support. The update ensures that we're on the latest technology, which is likely incompatible with older platforms or interfaces.

If you would consider updating your computer's operating system, you'll notice that the screenshot you provided us does not look this way for others. Thanks for letting us know about your troubles and best of luck!

 

[hellasteph]

I'm sure someone had a good reason for doing this, but I am totally missing what the benefit might be.

New Internet security protocols and tech protections are the core benefits of this update. We cannot run old software and expect good SEO or to perform on new devices effectively.

 

[hellasteph]

I like it!

I wonder if you can set to a dark mode? Black background with white letters?

You're the second vote on this. Jeff's aware of this and we're going to work on something to see if it works out for our users. Stay tuned!

 

[sandyut]

thanks hellasteph!! I like the new format and the added security it brings.

 

[Bearcarver]

Personally I like White on Black & Black on White.
I hate Grays, or blue on green, or anything where there isn't a huge difference between the background & the text.
My Artillery Ears call for closed caption on TV, and I always choose the black box around the White Text, because depending on what happens to be on the screen, like a Gray Sky behind the Text, I can't read it.

Bear

 

[hellasteph]

FYI, I went onto FireFox using Windows 10 and all parts of the website are functional and not broken. Just putting it out there that we're testing and actively monitoring for compatibility for recent OS and browser systems.

 

[kelbro]

I don't like change either. Just when I learn where everything is and how everything works, it changes.

It'll take some getting used to but I do like the looks of this new format.

 

[johnmeyer]

Hi there, I'm afraid we don't support Windows 7 anymore so that's why you're seeing a lot of broken panels and spaces. Even Microsoft doesn't support Win 7 anymore so that's why we've been unable to provide a wide range of support. The update ensures that we're on the latest technology, which is likely incompatible with older platforms or interfaces.

If you would consider updating your computer's operating system, you'll notice that the screenshot you provided us does not look this way for others. Thanks for letting us know about your troubles and best of luck!

Your broken software has nothing to do with Windows 7. The browser (Firefox in my case) is what displays the results of your site's code. My browser is up-to-date.

Also, Windows 7 has nothing to do with all the other things you have broken or removed:

1. Threads I have posted in but to which other posts have been made used to be shown in a different color, so I could know to re-vist that thread. That feature is gone.

2. There used to be an icon that would let me go to the first new post in a thread I was following. That feature is gone which means I have to waste a lot of time trying to figure out where I was in a thread.

3. The icons at the main bar across the top of the screen sometimes don't de-select, so I end up with 3-4 red boxes around "Forums," "What's New," "Articles," etc.

4. The relative size of the various menu items is all over the place, and very different from before.
I've run three software companies and know how to roll out a new version and also know when something is working and when it is not. This revision to your site makes it a LOT more difficult to use.

Finally, I am typing this on a computer that is running Windows XP 32-bit. It is still my main computer. Your site software runs on it. I actually don't have the formatting issues I described on my other computer. What you need to know about that computer (the one with the problem) is that it is an unusually wide-screen laptop. You need to make sure that your code works with ultra-widescreen displays. I suspect that this is where the problem lies, and why not everyone is seeing it. Trust me, however, someone else will see it, and it has nothing to do with Windows 7.

 

[hellasteph]

Your broken software has nothing to do with Windows 7.

It's not our software, we run XenForo which is licensed. If you prefer to read the changelogs and features, you may do so here.

We're sorry you're having troubles as it's not our intent to make the site less usable, but we are not seeing this issue when we run Win 10/FireFox so we definitely feel this is isolated enough that it's not impacting the majority of SMF users.

Please note that if you disable Javascript or use adblockers, it will cause misformatting of the site and broken parts since JS is required to run some of the features that are programmed into the core platform.

1. There's a red dot indicator beside every thread next to the avatar to display a new activity/post.

2. You can check your Alerts for the latest activity from reactions you've received to the latest posts: https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/account/alerts - If you click on it, they will take you to the last post you read. It's also accessible from mobile if you click on your avatar.

Rest assured that our ability to serve our users with the most up to date version of this platform is absolutely our priority.

 

[GaryHibbert]

Jesus wept. I finally got relatively used to the first change, and now this???
Not real impressed.
Gary

 

[Jabiru]

Hi there, I'm afraid we don't support Windows 7 anymore so that's why you're seeing a lot of broken panels and spaces. Even Microsoft doesn't support Win 7 anymore so that's why we've been unable to provide a wide range of support. The update ensures that we're on the latest technology, which is likely incompatible with older platforms or interfaces.

If you would consider updating your computer's operating system, you'll notice that the screenshot you provided us does not look this way for others. Thanks for letting us know about your troubles and best of luck!

FYI: The operating system has "nothing" to do with browsing the Internet.

The web browser is the component of the operating system to update if anything - I.e Internet Explorer, Chrome, Firefox

Windows 7 is end of life January 2020 and then it still doesnt matter to use to browse the web, it is the browser.