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DSMyers1 View Drop Down
Colonel
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Posts: 603 		Direct Link To This Post Topic: NEW SERVER - Your Opinion Please
    Posted: 01-May-2008 at 19:10
Originally posted by Seko

As you most likely have noticed Northman has renovated the look of the forum. New threads are set in bold lettering. The previous icon to the left of each subforum has been replaced with a scroll. A red scroll also reminds you that there is a new post. Another change, the previous Active Topics heading is now written as New Posts.
 
Hope you like the improvements. The new visual aides help us spot posts a bit easier.
 
The bold lettering is a very useful improvement; I like it.  The icons, while cool, are not partiularly easy to differentiate--everything is red and grey.  For instance, it is not easy to see that dagger through the scroll for a sticky.  It might be useful to add a bit more color to some of the icons on the scrolls--like a glint of blue to the dagger or something.
 
I do web design on the side, and I focus on useability--the new icons are not as useable as the previous set.  I think that a little bit of color coding (just enough for the eye to notice at a glance) might be useful.  I like the idea, the immersive feel of the new icons, but am not as able to glance and see things as before.  The "hot" icon is such a muted red color that it blends in; a little brighter might help things...
 
Good work! Approve
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Posts: 4664 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02-May-2008 at 16:41
Very nice, it all.
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Posts: 4262 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03-May-2008 at 14:58
Originally posted by DSMyers1

 
The bold lettering is a very useful improvement; I like it.  The icons, while cool, are not partiularly easy to differentiate--everything is red and grey.  For instance, it is not easy to see that dagger through the scroll for a sticky.  It might be useful to add a bit more color to some of the icons on the scrolls--like a glint of blue to the dagger or something.
 
I do web design on the side, and I focus on useability--the new icons are not as useable as the previous set.  I think that a little bit of color coding (just enough for the eye to notice at a glance) might be useful.  I like the idea, the immersive feel of the new icons, but am not as able to glance and see things as before.  The "hot" icon is such a muted red color that it blends in; a little brighter might help things...
 
Good work! Approve
 
Hello DS
 
Thank you.
Let me elaborate a bit about my choices.
I focus very much on usability as well - or should I say communication. To communicate can happen through many ways - color is only one of them.
Those icons revolves around a scroll icon to reflect the connection to history - the color had to be grey or yellish to reflect age. I chosed grey. 
You mention in particular the dagger. It replaces a next to invisible yellow pushpin, and while maybe the settings of a monitor can decrease the clarity or color of the dagger, the position cannot be misunderstood. Nothing else will be shown in the top right corner, and this goes for the hot-icon in the lower left as well.
This way the communication is not only by color, but by position and color.
 
The old Icons were not easier to differentiate IMO - they only had two pale colors (blue and yellow) and a splash of red for the hot topics, and more members complained about that - in this thread and via PM. 
While design is difficult to discuss - as taste and preference being a major part of that - I have made myself a design code I try to follow creating graphics and other elements on the pages.
My idea of good design is not compatible to the cover page of a comic book - and I bet yours aren't either.
 
~ Northman
  
 
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Posts: 597 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04-May-2008 at 10:40

 Those scrolls are superb.
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Posts: 1286 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04-May-2008 at 11:04
I think the new icons are great, they make it very clear when there is a new post and thatThumbs%20Up
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Posts: 603 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05-May-2008 at 13:59
Originally posted by Northman

Originally posted by DSMyers1

 
The bold lettering is a very useful improvement; I like it.  The icons, while cool, are not partiularly easy to differentiate--everything is red and grey.  For instance, it is not easy to see that dagger through the scroll for a sticky.  It might be useful to add a bit more color to some of the icons on the scrolls--like a glint of blue to the dagger or something.
 
I do web design on the side, and I focus on useability--the new icons are not as useable as the previous set.  I think that a little bit of color coding (just enough for the eye to notice at a glance) might be useful.  I like the idea, the immersive feel of the new icons, but am not as able to glance and see things as before.  The "hot" icon is such a muted red color that it blends in; a little brighter might help things...
 
Good work! Approve
 
Hello DS
 
Thank you.
Let me elaborate a bit about my choices.
I focus very much on usability as well - or should I say communication. To communicate can happen through many ways - color is only one of them.
Those icons revolves around a scroll icon to reflect the connection to history - the color had to be grey or yellish to reflect age. I chosed grey. 
You mention in particular the dagger. It replaces a next to invisible yellow pushpin, and while maybe the settings of a monitor can decrease the clarity or color of the dagger, the position cannot be misunderstood. Nothing else will be shown in the top right corner, and this goes for the hot-icon in the lower left as well.
This way the communication is not only by color, but by position and color.
 
The old Icons were not easier to differentiate IMO - they only had two pale colors (blue and yellow) and a splash of red for the hot topics, and more members complained about that - in this thread and via PM. 
While design is difficult to discuss - as taste and preference being a major part of that - I have made myself a design code I try to follow creating graphics and other elements on the pages.
My idea of good design is not compatible to the cover page of a comic book - and I bet yours aren't either.
 
~ Northman
 
Northman, you are doing good work.  I was just trying to provide a little feedback from another experienced viewpoint.
 
I run at very high resolutions on every computer I use--1680x1050 on my 15.4" laptop, 1600x1200 on a 17" CRT at work.  (Just so you know).  As for my ideas of design, check out my website.
 
I definitely agree with your choice of themes for the new icons, they look sharp.  The colors are a bit muted and tend to all be grey or red; hence my slight quibble with them.  I was used to having red-orange for a hot topic, yellow for a sticky, etc....for my eyes, I guess, size was not an issue so much as color.  I could see the little bits of color at a glance whereas now I have to actually look at the shape--if I remember correctly, color is identified and differentiated quicker than shape.  Thus I tend to be a fan of color over shape for differentiation purposes.  (I tend to follow Jakob Nielsen's research and methods).
 
I agree that it is a matter of taste, and you are doing good work.  If you want any further help/graphics work, I'd be glad to help out.  (For instance--I could make that hot scroll look like the scroll was on fire--that would be cool!)...  Looks good!
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Posts: 4262 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07-May-2008 at 15:25
Originally posted by DSMyers1

 
Northman, you are doing good work.  I was just trying to provide a little feedback from another experienced viewpoint.
 
I run at very high resolutions on every computer I use--1680x1050 on my 15.4" laptop, 1600x1200 on a 17" CRT at work.  (Just so you know).  As for my ideas of design, check out my website.
 
I definitely agree with your choice of themes for the new icons, they look sharp.  The colors are a bit muted and tend to all be grey or red; hence my slight quibble with them.  I was used to having red-orange for a hot topic, yellow for a sticky, etc....for my eyes, I guess, size was not an issue so much as color.  I could see the little bits of color at a glance whereas now I have to actually look at the shape--if I remember correctly, color is identified and differentiated quicker than shape.  Thus I tend to be a fan of color over shape for differentiation purposes.  (I tend to follow Jakob Nielsen's research and methods).
 
I agree that it is a matter of taste, and you are doing good work.  If you want any further help/graphics work, I'd be glad to help out.  (For instance--I could make that hot scroll look like the scroll was on fire--that would be cool!)...  Looks good!
 
I appreciate your feedback very much DS, but now I also know why you would prefer more color Smile
You choice of resolution is far beyond what is considered "normal" for your monitor size. When you squeeze 1600 pixels on to a 15,4" monitor, you are well over the double for normal settings. 800 by 600 would be the norm for that screen (except for gaming of course.) This means everything on your screen is only 1/4 in size compared to what should be expected. How do you read any text on that screen?? - using the zoom maybe? 
I have a 19" flat screen (ratio 4:3) and a 17" Sony CRT monitor, both on 1024 by 768 which makes comfortable reading on that size monitor.
Switching to graphic applications (AutoCad, Inventor, Photoshop etc.), I use the 17" for the menu's and the 19" as full screen workspace for the actual graphics at a higher resolution.
 
I noticed on your homepage that you are a photographer - and a talented one I might add. I guess this might be the reason for your high resolution - digital images. Maybe you could benefit from a dual screen setup like mine. (the graphic adapter must support two screens). 
 
Thanks for your offer to help - I will keep that in mind. Cheers
~ Northman
 
 
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Posts: 603 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07-May-2008 at 17:45
Originally posted by Northman

Originally posted by DSMyers1

 
Northman, you are doing good work.  I was just trying to provide a little feedback from another experienced viewpoint.
 
I run at very high resolutions on every computer I use--1680x1050 on my 15.4" laptop, 1600x1200 on a 17" CRT at work.  (Just so you know).  As for my ideas of design, check out my website.
 
I definitely agree with your choice of themes for the new icons, they look sharp.  The colors are a bit muted and tend to all be grey or red; hence my slight quibble with them.  I was used to having red-orange for a hot topic, yellow for a sticky, etc....for my eyes, I guess, size was not an issue so much as color.  I could see the little bits of color at a glance whereas now I have to actually look at the shape--if I remember correctly, color is identified and differentiated quicker than shape.  Thus I tend to be a fan of color over shape for differentiation purposes.  (I tend to follow Jakob Nielsen's research and methods).
 
I agree that it is a matter of taste, and you are doing good work.  If you want any further help/graphics work, I'd be glad to help out.  (For instance--I could make that hot scroll look like the scroll was on fire--that would be cool!)...  Looks good!
 
I appreciate your feedback very much DS, but now I also know why you would prefer more color Smile
You choice of resolution is far beyond what is considered "normal" for your monitor size. When you squeeze 1600 pixels on to a 15,4" monitor, you are well over the double for normal settings. 800 by 600 would be the norm for that screen (except for gaming of course.) This means everything on your screen is only 1/4 in size compared to what should be expected.
 
I don't know that it is quite as unusual as you are implying.  On my website, the most common size of screen I get hits from is 1280x1024 (42%), with 1024x768 next (32%).  I'd bet those are mostly with 17" monitors.
 
Everything on my screen may be 1/4 in AREA, but it is only half as tall or as wide as an 800px screen.  Why do I use that resolution?  It is the native resolution for my LCD laptop.  It is so much crisper to run in native resolution on LCDs that I can handle the small size of everything.  I can't stand the blurriness of running non-native on an LCD.
 
Originally posted by Northman

How do you read any text on that screen?? - using the zoom maybe? 
I have a 19" flat screen (ratio 4:3) and a 17" Sony CRT monitor, both on 1024 by 768 which makes comfortable reading on that size monitor.
Switching to graphic applications (AutoCad, Inventor, Photoshop etc.), I use the 17" for the menu's and the 19" as full screen workspace for the actual graphics at a higher resolution.
 
I have exceptional eyesight, I've been told; 20x15 the last time I was checked (nearly 20 years ago).  No, I don't use zoom at all.  I can read the text easily from 3 ft away. 
 
I use all of the space on my monitors!  I've tried lower resolutions, particularly at work where I have a CRT 17", but I get claustrophobic on those workspaces.  On Excel and Photoshop and Microstation I really like the larger area; it is a necessity when analyzing photos.
 
Originally posted by Northman

I noticed on your homepage that you are a photographer - and a talented one I might add. I guess this might be the reason for your high resolution - digital images. Maybe you could benefit from a dual screen setup like mine. (the graphic adapter must support two screens). 
Thanks for your offer to help - I will keep that in mind. Cheers
~ Northman
Thanks for the compliment. Embarrassed
 
Well, yes, but at the desk with my laptop is my brother's laptop and my family's desktop.  No room!  I'd rather just eventually get one of those big LCDs...  When there is more room.
 
I always advocate ease of use for people who can't see as well; my parents have had difficulty with their eyesight and I am very aware of useability for lower vision users.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 09-Nov-2008 at 14:32
I posted several times yesterday, but today everything was gone.
 
It is that a server problem?
 
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All posts I've made yesterday are gone too. Including the answers by other people, it's like yesterday didn't exist!
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Yes, it seems like there is missing a number of posts.
The host did scheduled maintenance this morning (GMT) so I think it has something to do with that.
I'll investigate further and let you know...
 
~ Northman
 
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 09-Nov-2008 at 14:50
yeap! It is there a backup, or what? I have seen no posts after november 6th
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Posts: 4262 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 09-Nov-2008 at 14:59
I've just talked to them and they have major issues with a large number of their databases.
 He couldn't say whether they would be able to restore the lost data or not - so I guess we will have to wait and see. I'll give him another call tomorrow when the level of stress is normalised again.
Untill then - maybe we shouldn't post anything major in case they manage to do a backup - then todays postings will be lost.
 
 
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Posts: 365 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 09-Nov-2008 at 15:43
Yes, I guess that's a good idea, we'll wait and see. Thanks.
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Posts: 4262 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10-Nov-2008 at 12:24

The issue has been solved - with some missing posts and PM's as result..
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Posts: 3638 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10-Nov-2008 at 17:48
We lost a day or two, like  i had it before at a very big bender.

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Posts: 4620 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01-Dec-2009 at 18:12
Since most all of the prior respondents are ?

Regards,
http://www.quotationspage.com/subjects/history/
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I ditto Constantine! It seems to be a lot smoother and speedier. Time will tell ultimately, but I think it's looking good!
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