Forum Layout Organization

[ubuntu-geek]

Over the past few months we have heard many users ask for a clean up of sorts on our main page. We have researched and have implemented phase one of our re-organization plan, while this is a drastic change it provides a clear and precise layout that is easy to follow. During the next few days we will make modifications and tweaks based on your comments and our internal discussions.

We would like your thoughts and comments on how we can further improve and provide a more direct and clear navigation system for our forums.

Please keep your posts constructive as non-constructive discussions will not lead anywhere.

[kassetra]

If you do not like something, tell us why and/or what you would like to see instead; if you like something, please let us also know why.

The more "why" we get rather than "I like it" or "I don't like it," the more that we will be able to understand and adapt.

Thank you for your input! :)

[YourSurrogateGod]

Why is the whole forum layout shrunk? Why not keep it similar to the way it was before in terms of having it dynamically adjust to a visitor's screen size? Imo, the former layout was better that way.

Also, could you please tell me what specific things users have asked to have cleaned up?

[YourSurrogateGod]

With the exception of the shrunk size of the forum, everything looks pretty good.

[BoyOfDestiny]

Is it intentional for the forum layout to only use 2/3 of the screenspace? I have at least 3 inches on each side of the display of empty space when I am using my browser at full screen.

Please listen to him!

:)

My screenshot:

[img=http://img161.imageshack.us/img161/3880/screenshot40wk.th.png] (http://img161.imageshack.us/my.php?image=screenshot40wk.png)

I've noticed I cannot post thumbnails here anymore using imageshack...

[PatrickMay16]

Is it intentional for the forum layout to only use 2/3 of the screenspace? I have at least 3 inches on each side of the display of empty space when I am using my browser at full screen.
This is true for me, as well. For this reason, I preferred it as it was before the changes; I'm not keen on the large amount of unused space that there is when the browser window is maximised.

In case it's helpful to know, my screen resolution is 1280 x 1024.

[kassetra]

We're looking for feedback, and questions make it somewhat difficult for us to go through.

In this thread, would it be possible to simply let us know if you like/dislike something and why?

We'll answer questions a bit later - we were hoping for input at this stage.

Thank you for asking your questions, though. :)

[Sheinar]

I was just about to say that I hadn't noticed any layout shrinkage, but then I realised it's because I'm using the Kubuntu theme.

[Technoviking]

I agree, I like the new layout, except for the large empty whitespace on the sides.

[benplaut]

this takes up a helluva lot of vertical space, too. I don't have very much screen res, and this is horrid :/

[psychicdragon]

I was going to mention the width being fixed now, but two people aleady have. :mrgreen:

I think it looks pretty good, but there is a lot of wasted space. With a lower screen resolution (like 800x600 for example) it seems like you would have to scroll down forever to reach the community chat forum.

[mstlyevil]

I agree, I like the new layout, except for the large empty whitespace on the sides.

Same here.

[jasay]

Maybe it's just me, but the "replies" and "views" numbers are shifted to the left one column so the "last post" isn't displayed and the views are empty. http://img75.imageshack.us/my.php?image=screenshotdapperdrakedevelopme.png

[benplaut]

oh, and another thing. There are now 5 or 6 huge subforum boxes to scroll through before getting down to any general forum.

I do not like it, Not one bit!

[briancurtin]

i dont like how the forum no longer makes use of the entire width of my screen, as seen in this screenshot: http://briancurtin.com/screen1.png

sorry that its big, i just wanted to leave it in the original size so you could get the whole feel for how im viewing it

edit: everyone posted the same thing while i was taking a screenshot and posting mine. sorry for the repeat.

[matthew]

We're looking for feedback, and questions make it somewhat difficult for us to go through.

In this thread, would it be possible to simply let us know if you like/dislike something and why?Opinions at first glance:

What I like:
-The main page has a cleaner feel--clear headings and sub-headings
-Secondary pages (i.e. http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?p=825710 ) are nicely laid out and also clear
-Renaming the forum to "Howtos Tips & Tricks"
-The statistics box at the bottom of the main page
-Absolute Beginner Talk is the first forum listed--excellent idea!

Not too sure about:
-Page width is preset
-having to click through multiple layers to get to actual posts from the main page

Don't like:
-On the listings of threads the posting time is no longer included in any of the columns. I'm not dreaming, am I? That was a feature before. It was nice to be able to tell at a quick glance how old a thread was, or at least the most recent post.
-The recent views column has a header but no data so you can't tell if/when the thread was viewed or when.
-You can't tell who the most recent poster was in the thread listing

I'm still playing around and exploring, so if further thoughts come to mind I'll share them. Wow! You have been/will be busy for a bit! Thanks for the responsiveness!

[ahlich]

How about this? It can't be just me...

(check the columns: view, posts)http://ubuntuforums.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=7065&stc=1&d=1142400819

[dermotti]

I dont like the wasted space. I dont like that you took away the "recent post" field. When im bored at work i like to refresh my screen and watch the new posts come in. now i cant see new posts unless i wanna click into each forum. Annoying.

[Iandefor]

In some ways, I find that I like it better. Feedback/First Impressions:

1. Leaving subforums under the same cell as the parent forum seems like a good idea, although I also think it would be important to incorporate descriptions of the subforums somehow.

2. Leaving wide margins around the forum interface strikes me as wasteful and is aesthetically unappealing to me. What was the rationale for it?

3. The statistics section at the bottom of the page feels too dominant to me. Maybe the text could be made a little smaller or something, to give the impression that it's more accessory to the forums and not an equal part of them?

4. While organizing subforum listings by including linebreaks between different subforums is easier to read, it's also less economical in terms of space. Perhaps the longer listings could be divided into multiple columns?

5. I miss the ability to see who posted the last post in a thread.

Overall, good work for a "first draft" as it were.

[YourSurrogateGod]

I've noticed I cannot post thumbnails here anymore using imageshack...
This is a blessing in disguise imo. Now that we'll only have links, there won't be anymore instances where one large photo in the screenshot threads that will be downloaded for everyone whether they like it or not (and screws the look of the forum.)

Unfortunately, it messes up other threads where this might be necessary (in some rare occasions.) Maybe there could be a feature when you create a thread, you can disable the hotlinking of images. Which could be useful in screenshot threads that we start up monthly (or other threads if the starter of the thread wants to.) Or a limit on the size of photos that can be displayed while hotlinked.

Also, I have another recommendation. Would it be possible to put a submit button right below the previewed post? For example, if I write something and then hit preview post, I'll see the post. Now, it would be convenient to have a submit button right below that post (it's just something that I've considered useful after visiting other forums.) This is probably not the most important feature that would need to be implemented, so I would understand if it took some time to get it going.

[benplaut]

This is a blessing in disguise imo. Now that we'll only have links, there won't be anymore instances where one large photo in the screenshot threads that will be downloaded for everyone whether they like it or not (and screws the look of the forum.)

no... thumbnails. The good ones \\:D/

[gord]

i like it but im not sure about the whole thing being centered in the screen, it seems like bad HCI(human computer interaction) to me, surely the natural place for it to be is shifted to the left? (or maybe to the right for people who read right to left).

also the ammount of scrolling one has to go though on the main page seems a might unnessassery, maybe more highlighting of the main sections too.

[YourSurrogateGod]

no... thumbnails. The good ones \\:D/
Ok, I know what you mean now. I misunderstood. That wouldn't be a bad idea to have it re-enabled.

[NeoChaosX]

As I said on the IRC channel, how about merging the Ubuntu and Kubuntu Gaming sections into one, all-inclusive Gaming section? Quite a lot of games are DE-independent, and more people (and thus more solutions) are in the Ubuntu Gaming section, so Kubuntu gamers who don't check the Ubuntu part of the forums miss out.

But over all, very nice job on the reorganization. The cleaned-up layout and organization is great.

[midwinter]

hm.

[benplaut]

also - i don't like having a page full of subforums to scroll down past when going to community chat.

[mstlyevil]

I can confirm that Kubuntu Blue fills the screen. The rest of the forum layout remains the same as the default setting.

[Mez]

In my opinion - the use of whitespace for the subforums is badly done. While it may make it easier to read - it increases the vertical height of the page by a LOT.. and not many people are going to want to have to scroll down the whole of the page. I know I dont.

The forum markers with the new subforums list look out of place - due to them being valign=middle ... though I'm not too sure this is easily fixable without splitting the cell up.

The forum width thing is something I've had to deal with many a time - whereas I don't like it myself due to the fact that I'm on a high resolution, I'm sure those browsing on 640x480 like it even less!!!

Would it not be possible to offer a Fixed width and a variable width skin?

I'll post more comments on problems as and when I see them

[GoA]

The white sidebars should be smaller but other than that, I actually like this new look.

[rkelly]

The new layout seems ok, have to get used to the bar te the left and the right of the content.
Is it possible that these changes changed the behaviour of the forum? I can no longer post or start a new thread in the Dapper Drake forum, actually I can´t do anything there, it was all possible yesterday...

[jasay]

Has there always been a "mark forum read" button? I've been wishing there was one for a long time, but never took the time to look for it. On the topic of things that are either new, or I'm too dumb to notice is the "goto page" button. I love this idea.

I like how the beginner section is now the first one. That should help the new members.

[Mez]

also I'm not too sure which font this is using - but I find it hard to read small text like that unless it's in some sort of sans font (without the lil sticky out bits)

An Example


http://www.thewock.com/10.jpg

[Jucato]

1. The home page indeed looks cleaner and more organized EXCEPT if you are using the Kubuntu theme.
2. The whitespaces at the sides are indeed a waste of space. If you're using the Kubuntu theme, these don't appear.
3. Can you please return the posting time on the thread lists? (Like what matthew said) EDIT: also the column for who wrote the last post.
4. I think there still should be a sort of separation in the Community Cafe: everything official on the top (Forum Announcements, Official Ubuntu Announcements, Official Security Announcements) and the rest below. No need for another sub group. If you could just visually separate these two groups (an empty space, a line, etc).
5. Will the Kubuntu theme also be updated (i just love blue, sorry :D)

These last two are not really directly related to the new layout, but still related:
1. In the Ubuntu/Kubuntu 5.10 Support sections, why must there be a separate "Desktop Support" section?
2. Is there no possibility (in the future at least) to merge the two "Gaming Support" sections? I find it a bit strange to have 2 separate sections for that, even if there are some games that are GNOME or KDE specific, most of the concerns are practically the same (doom, UT, NWN, etc). EDIT: I seem to have repeated what NeoChaosX said... :D)

@mstlyevil: not only does the Kubuntu theme fill the entire screen, the layout of the front page is completely different (well, it's the same as the old Kubuntu theme before the forums went down). In the Default theme, the sub-sections are presented in a list, while in the Kubuntu theme, they form one huge sentence with commas... :D

[matthew]

I added a couple more comments to my post above.
http://www.ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php?p=825753&postcount=17

[jrib]

I don't like the fact that everything is centered now. It feels like a lot of space is being wasted. That's my biggest gripe.

Also, the main page is too long vertically now imo. If possible, can something be implemented so that subforum lists can be expanded and contracted? It would help to have this remembered so that the same subforums that were expanded on a user's last visit get expanded everytime a user opens up to ubtunforums.org.

[dermotti]

As i think the layout "looks" better and more organized, i just find it less enjoyable to read and hard on my eyes.

We need to find a middleground i think.

[Kevin]

Looks nice, a couple things though:

1. The "Last Post"/"Replies"/"Views" headers in the forums are mixed up. As of now, the number of replies is under last post, and the number of views is under Replies. The views column is empty.

2. A lot of people read the Dapper forums, but who reads the "Development Archives"?? I think the Dapper forums should take the spot of the Development Archives, where it is given prominience, and the Development Archives should be a small link which brings you to all the old development forums. And of course this would change after Dapper is released.

[WildTangent]

Um...I must ask, why did you make the size fixed? It looks absolutely horrible at the resolution I run at, 1600x1200.

Would it be possible to allow users to choose a different style that's a little larger? Like designed for 1280x960 screens?

-Wild

[kassetra]

Just a reminder - we're looking for input here, we'll answer questions later.

here's what I have a summary of so far:


some do not like the fixed-width setting.
the subforums under each section are nice, but create a longer scroll.
the latest post at the side of each forum was nicer than having the ten latest posted threads at the bottom of the page.

[krypto_wizard]

Previous layout was good as it gave a chance to view who wrote the last message.

Check out this forum......I like it.

http://www.fatwallet.com/c/18/

I think, there should be an option to switch between whatever form you want. I like the previous style. So an ability to switch between different dtyles would be the best.

[bjweeks]

As I said on the IRC channel, how about merging the Ubuntu and Kubuntu Gaming sections into one, all-inclusive Gaming section? Quite a lot of games are DE-independent, and more people (and thus more solutions) are in the Ubuntu Gaming section, so Kubuntu gamers who don't check the Ubuntu part of the forums miss out.

But over all, very nice job on the reorganization. The cleaned-up layout and organization is great.

Thats what I think also cause there is no difference gameing on ked or gnome. There should be a gameing subforum so we can have a sub-sub forum for wine and cedga users.

[Kirzzy_Boy]

IMHO it looks great (I'm really not gonna regurgitate) Kubuntu look works better though. Putting the Absolute Beginner Talk first was an excellent choise. As a whole the reorginization is a lot more relevant to the general "search" brigade - such as myself. What I need is the first I see. :KS

[dermotti]

Just a reminder - we're looking for input here, we'll answer questions later.

here's what I have a summary of so far:


some do not like the fixed-width setting.
the subforums under each section are nice, but create a longer scroll.
the latest post at the side of each forum was nicer than having the ten latest posted threads at the bottom of the page.


You got it :-) Fix that and the rest is great.

[kassetra]

I think, there should be an option to switch between whatever form you want. I like the previous style. So an ability to switch between different dtyles would be the best.

That option, unfortunately, will not be possible very soon, which is why we're doing the testing/input now.

[openmind]

I can understand that the main page needed Cleaning up, but the drastic revamp everywhere is a step backward imo. It just wasn't that bad.

[Jucato]

Come to think of it, I think the sections should be arranged like this:

-- These should be on top because they cater to beginners and tackle non-desktop environment specific issues ---
Absolute Beginner Talk
Installation and Upgrade Help
Hardware Help
Howto's , Tips and Tricks

The rest follows as it is, except for the Ubuntu Community Cafe, which I think should be like this (at least for the first page)
--- Ubuntu Community Cafe ---
Forum Announcements
Official Ubuntu Announcements
Official Security Announcments
Ubuntu Fridge
---- Separator ----
The rest goes here.

My reasoning is that official announcements should be more prominent than general discussions.

EDIT: May I suggest something? KDE-Forum.org has this option to expand/collapse subsections, so that you could customize the front page to display as a list only those subsections you are interested in. Collapsed sub-sections are listed one after the other, like in a sentence.
http://www.kde-forum.org/index.php

[bluevoodoo1]

Besides the comments above... aesthetically, not having a border around the entire center area makes it seem sunken, floating in the background, rather than being prominently in the foreground. Maybe it's just me?

EDIT: Also, I do not like how the "last post by..." and the "arrow" (to the last post) in the User CP is no longer there. I thought that was a useful tool!

[zachtib]

As far as opinions go, I HATE it...

First off, only half of the screen is used,
also, the forum pages no longer list the most recent post in them,
and in general I cannot find the information I need as quickly as I used to


-Zach

[gord]

just a comment, but maybe it might make more sence to test new designs out on a seperate site and not on the actual 'in use' forum maybe?

[psychicdragon]

I also think merging the gaming sections is a good idea. Most of the threads are about wine/cedega anyway.

[benplaut]

That option, unfortunately, will not be possible very soon, which is why we're doing the testing/input now.

oh no!

i'm doomed :(

[dcstar]

Come to think of it, I think the sections should be arranged like this:

-- These should be on top because they cater to beginners and tackle non-desktop environment specific issues ---
Absolute Beginner Talk
Installation and Upgrade Help
Hardware Help
Howto's , Tips and Tricks
.......
100% agree here, the front page of the Ubuntu Forums should be unashamedly tailored to those who are visiting for the first time - and are most likely desperately looking for assistance - and should be able to guide them to the place most likely to give them the appropriate assistance.

There really should be a big and visible "New to Ubuntu?" section heading with the various forums the people that Ubuntu is being marketed to (those that aren't "Propeller Heads") will really need - like Installation Help, Hardware Help, then the general Support forums.

Help novices visiting the front page find the right forum to post their problems, then they will have a better chance of getting the best assistance quickly and those of us who try to help won't get annoyed by posts in the wrong forums....... ;)

BTW, I still use the Kubuntu theme, much better than the default one IMHO.

[DaBruGo]

I don't know if anyone else is having this problem but my "Last Post", "Replies", and "Views" columns are all shifted left one column.

The "Replies" are under the "Last Post" column header and the "Views" are under the "Replies" column header and the "Views" column is completely empty.

I am currently using Mozilla Firefox in Breezy.


DAVE

UPDATE : A few other people have posted similar quirkiness with the column headers being out of place.

[Hatchetfish]

Please, for the love of all that anyone holds dear, do -not- fix the width. Let the page flow to the full width of the browser window. The margins, like many people have said, are annoying, but worse, it's causing the dreaded horizontal scrolling for me. See, I use Opera, and browse most pages at double size, on a 1600x1200 screen. Prior to the page width being fixed, this worked fine, the page flowed to fit, and of course still does on general forum pages.
On the front page, I have to scroll right three inches to log in. This is, to my way of thinking, the wrong thing.

So, yes, please don't do that. It's not nice, and it serves no purpose at all.

[Unicast]

Would prefer wider / shorter forum format.

Am I the only one who pressed refresh thinking that Firefox hadn't rendered the page properly? :mrgreen:

[kassetra]

a little notice to people about the width changes:

We don't just make these kinds of changes idly, there is a purpose behind it.

We are asking for input regarding this first phase of our changes, and while we understand that you may not like it (we are asking for WHY!), please do not assume that there are no functions/purposes/reasons behind the current fixed-width setting.

[WildTangent]

I think the biggest issue I have with the change is the whole shock & awe factor to it....this is a MAJOR change, instantly. I think you'd have done better to introduce the changes in smaller stages.

-Wild

[stuporglue]

As long as we're having forum requests/comments, I would like to see separate RSS feeds for each forum, as well as the current unified RSS feed. Sometimes it'd be nice to just watch the Dapper forum for a while.

I hope this isn't off topic. Apologies if it is.

Thanks!

[Koybe]

It's just a quick comment while taking a look at morning. I didi not manipulate the forum a lot since these changes. But i can say that there is one thing that jump on my eyes and get me crazy. Why a fixed layaout? Why people with large screens can't use it. I really hate all those site using a fixed layout which is some kind of turnback in my mind.

Anyway, other things looks ok. Missing last poster name on main forums pages.
Maybe more comment after a longer use ;)

[psychicdragon]

a little notice to people about the width changes:

We don't just make these kinds of changes idly, there is a purpose behind it.

We are asking for input regarding this first phase of our changes, and while we understand that you may not like it (we are asking for WHY!), please do not assume that there are no functions/purposes/reasons behind the current fixed-width setting.
What is the purpose behind the fixed width change?

I can't think of a single benefit it holds over a percentage based width.

The reason I don't like it is that there is significantly less room for the thread contents now. Something like 600px now, as opposed to 1000px with the old layout.

[mstlyevil]

What is the purpose behind the fixed width change?

I can't think of a single benefit it holds over a percentage based width.

The reason I don't like it is that there is significantly less room for the thread contents now. Something like 600px now, as opposed to 1000px with the old layout.




Right now Kass just needs comments on what you like and do not like about the layout. She will answer questions later on the fixed width and the reasons behind it.

[Koybe]

Another quick feeling : Where are the top links to the wiki? Miss them really ;)

[mstlyevil]

As long as we're having forum requests/comments, I would like to see separate RSS feeds for each forum, as well as the current unified RSS feed. Sometimes it'd be nice to just watch the Dapper forum for a while.

I hope this isn't off topic. Apologies if it is.

Thanks!

We appreciate the suggestion. This particular thread is just to comment on the proposed forum layout. Take a good look at it while surfing the forum and even do a little posting in different sections. Afterwards give us your impressions on what is good, bad and ugly. We need the feedback to make the layout the best it possibly can be.

[chimera]

Right now Kass just needs comments on what you like and do not like about the layout. She will answer questions later on the fixed width and the reasons behind it.


I don't like the new width

Like the way you made subforums more accesible

[mstlyevil]

A couple of things I want to sum up.

1) The Wiki tab is missing.

2)Several people like the way the subforums are more accessible.

[KansasJoe]

I like the way it's setup minus having the fixed width at 500px...some peeps have to use a large screen resolution so why not just change it to 100% vs 500px???

[midwinter]

I actually like the width - much easier to read on 2048x1536.

[Stewart]

Is it me or does anybody else feel like the fixed width is being forced on us? I thought linux was about freedom, as in I want to be free to set my own browser width.:evil:

Stewart

[chimera]

temprorary fix: change your forum theme to kubuntu blue, they haven't messed with the width there it seems

[Iandefor]

Is it me or does anybody else feel like the fixed width is being forced on us? I thought linux was about freedom, as in I want to be free to set my own browser width.:evil:

Stewart Oh, calm down ;).

On a separate note:
It's been said several times before by the moderators that Q&A will come later. Can you (The moderators) give us a more specific estimate than "later" as to when you'll be answering questions? Or is it one of those open things where you don't really have an idea?

[WelterPelter]

Don't like the narrow format. Wastes a ton of screen real estate.

So far, I haven't noticed any other changes.

[stanz]

Hi All,
I had thought FFox's agent switcher- was given me different page views-for the different browsers- ;0 I'm using a 17", 1024x768, with ruffly 1 3/4", empty space on each side. I like to fill my screen to the max- leaving 'less' scrolling- for page view.
There is quite abit of 'empty' area, making me want to squint- at the small 'far-away', looking font-size & icons...I don't find it productive.
I'm gonna search for what i needed, and check it out more.
Thanks for the time you all put into this...Rock on!!!!
**I really like being able to hop to any page in the thread! throwing that at the top~ is kewl..!

[mstlyevil]

Oh, calm down ;).

On a separate note:
It's been said several times before by the moderators that Q&A will come later. Can you give us a more specific estimate than "later" as to when you'll be answering questions? Or is it one of those open things where you don't really have an idea?

Kass has not given a specific time yet. I believe they want more feed back first so they can be better prepared to answer those questions adequately.

[mstlyevil]

The Kubuntu Blue theme will also be changed sometime today to match the default set up. (It will still be blue)

Just giving you a heads up.

[Iandefor]

Kass has not given a specific time yet. I believe they want more feed back first so they can be better prepared to answer those questions adequately. Ok. Thanks.

Let's see... another bit of feedback for Kassetra & company:

Ubuntu Cafe lists all the other forums in Ubuntu Community Cafe above the Ubuntu Cafe forum itself, which minimizes the space available for the Ubuntu Cafe. This strikes me as redundant, since all those forums are not subforums of Ubuntu Cafe- they are subforums of Ubuntu Community Cafe. It is also mildly confusing, since it is not immediately clear whether or not forums like Ubuntu Testimonials are subforums of Ubuntu Cafe or Ubuntu Community Cafe.

It also wastes space.

[benplaut]

Ok. Thanks.

Let's see... another bit of feedback for Kassetra & company:

Ubuntu Cafe lists all the other forums in Ubuntu Community Cafe above the Ubuntu Cafe forum itself, which minimizes the space available for the Ubuntu Cafe. This strikes me as redundant, since all those forums are not subforums of Ubuntu Cafe- they are subforums of Ubuntu Community Cafe. It is also mildly confusing, since it is not immediately clear whether or not forums like Ubuntu Testimonials are subforums of Ubuntu Cafe or Ubuntu Community Cafe.

It also wastes space.

amen

[FlashBuster]

It's a pain to read normal sentences which are split up into 3-5 parts because of the new layout.
Also Code blocks with long entries will look horrible in the future.
Sorry, that I complain about it too, but this "layoutidea" drives me nuts (had this change on another forum too).
Why do I have a 1400x1050 Laptop when almost half of it isn't used?
Why do I have to scroll down all the time(i always scroll with the mouswheel, and it becomes really annoying to scroll all the time)?
Why can't I read a sentence in one line, instead of 3 parts??
Please change it back! It really really really is a bad idea.

Besides, can someone state good reasons for doing this? I didn't understand on this other forum, and they gave no reason.
It can't be because "it look's better" because it looks horrible, imho.
Anyway, that's my personal oppinion, but design should work _with_ usability and not against it.

[AtinLango]

I like it. Looks good and less crowded, but perhaps at the expense of some important information, in my view.

For example, previously, I could fairly easily tell the person who last replied to a thread (in the 'last posts' column I think). Now it isnt there.

In addition, is there an easy way for threads originated by me to be highlighted as I normally browse through threads, instead of going to the bottom and setting filters/sorting?

[jason.b.c]

It's a work in progress. Please post your helpful comments in this thread which announced the changes and requests comments.

Gotcha, I understand then;) . Hey mods, I wasn't trying to be rude, when i posted that thread over in "Community Cafe", just couldn't figure out what the heck happened.:o



With the exception of the shrunk size of the forum, everything looks pretty good.

Yes i think better too, except for the narrow ( shrunken ) size .:( It's a bit ( I guess you could say ) confusing.?

Maybe over there on the ubuntu home ( begining ) page if you could change the size of the sub-catagories under each heading , I think ya made em a bit too small.:(

[adamkane]

This has been mentioned, but the columns aren't lined up on the Search Results page and the Control Panel page.

I like being able to see all the new posts with the New Posts link.

I think you need a separate xubuntu section. XFCE gets mixed in with Gnome.

Width is fine. It doesn't affect the usability of the site. Narrower page width is more ergo, more magazine/newspaper style, which is good. The gray/white contrast at the edges is a bit stark.

I like knowing what is going on via the statistics section. More statistics!

You have a Calendar section, and don't use it. Posters should be able to post Ubuntu-related events. I would like to know what is going on.

[r4ik]

First of all it would be nice to have a "old situation" link so people can compare old en new.
I find myself in a situation where i cant recall the old layout exactly, must be my stupidity.
"Statistics Top 10" waste of space, there is no relavant information there.(With respect to top posters and new members so dont go shoot me)
No need to comment on the landing strips.
To get possitive it looks clearer and seems faster.

Edited because i should not post just stumbling out of bed.
Sorry.

[nocturn]

The new look took me kinda by surprise, but I let it sink in somewhat before commenting.

Pro:
- The new look has a 'cleaner' feel, but I can't put my finger on the exact why
- I like the statistics on the main page
- The new layout of subforums is clearer for new users (to the forums I mean)

Con:
- the biggest problem I see is the fixed with, specially on a smaller screen (I'm on a 4:3 laptop). It makes longer posts look messy and it's always a shame to lose screen real estate.
- The links to Ubuntu.com, the Wiki and Bugzilla are no longer there (I use them a lot).
- Though the new view on subforums looks clean, it could do with a little less whitespace.

[mrgnash]

Finding things seems a bit more confusing... but that could probably be remedied with a bit of adjustment.

What I don't like is the fact that you can't see the last thread posted/commented on in sections like customization tips and tricks from the forum index. It'd be nice if the threads themselves displayed the name of the person who last posted in them as well.

[Kvark]

Suggestions:
* Stop repeating the thread title at the start of every single post. The "Re: Forum Layout Organization" over and over again is just extra clutter. Or at least move it to the side so it isn't right in the middle of the discussion.
* Remove the coffee titles. The blends don't provide any useful information at all because it's impossible to figure out what the difference is between a user that has one weird blend under the nickname and another user who has another weird blend.
* Change the links to the first 3 pages of a thread to the last 3 pages instead. Because someone who looks at a long thread for the first time will either want to start at the beginning at page 1 or skip ahead to catch up on the last 2-3 pages. To skip only the beginning and read everything else doesn't make sence. Also, someone who have already read the long thread before will be interested in the last 3 pages because thats where the new posts are, not the old first 3 pages.

Comment:
If I wanted a narrow forum because narrow text is easier to read then I would have made my browser window narrow. But now I stretched out my browser window across the whole width of my screen because I want to reduce scrolling. I don't like that you dictate which width is the only right one and overrule my personal choice to view the forum in a wide window. Other then that the clean up is great.

[handy]

Just first impressions:

I use 1600 x 1200 screen res', & I have to enlarge it a lot in Firefox to be able to read the screen! So, I too don't like the fixed width layout!

I always like to see the chronological order of posts.

I also can't see any reason why Kubuntu & Ubuntu gaming forum can't be combined.

I have allways had a problem reading the code fields, due to the resolution that I run on a 19" CRT monitor. I have to enlarge the fonts to a comfortable size, which work basically everywhere except the code fields!!? This is of course why I have never used the code fields in any of my posts! We use what works for us, allways!

I know... I was enlarging the fonts before this change, it was just that I could get a full screen width then. We don't like spending money on large monitors & not being able to use them.

I appreciate the huge amount of work that has gone into these changes, & I'm sure that the forum site will turn out to be vastly improved as this project proceeds! :KS

[EDIT:] I've just had a closer look at the new site layout, & apart from what I have allready said above, I think that it is great! :)

Thanks for the effort to all concerned!!! :-D

[FlashBuster]

kvarkm it's above my text, where it should be, imho.
Like a book with paragraps has there titles on top of them and not somewhere else.
In my point of view, this is good.

[meborc]

I will comment on the layout later, as i have only seen it for 2 min... BUT

how about making a XGL/EYECANDY subforum in Dapper Dev?

It has been mentioned before, but as moderators sayd that dapper will be out soon, the forums will be changed... BUT dapper will not be out soon ;) so i guess if you are working on forum layout PLEASE collect all xgl/compiz stuff to one folder under dapper - easyer for those who want them to find them and easyer for those who don't want them to discard them

right now all the interesting posts will be on second page in 10 min :evil:

[alamba]

My $0.02...

1. Fixed width definately due to all the scrolling
2. In the last design one could see who the last post was from for any thread. I found this very convienient, primarily to check if someone has responded to my post or if there's a follow-on question due to a reply posted by me.

A

[kaamos]

1) huge waste of screen space. no digg. :( especially the longer posts are very difficult to read. This also causes problems with [ code] [/code] blocks that have complex commands that don't fit on one line anymore.

2) the last poster in a thread isn't shown anywhere

[handy]

kvarkm it's above my text, where it should be, imho.
Like a book with paragraps has there titles on top of them and not somewhere else.
In my point of view, this is good.

Yep, I agree, it helps me with my short term memory problem! :-D

& I know I am not the only one with this wonderful afliction.

I think?

What was I talking about?

... :KS

[meborc]

inside threads, if poster has a ubuntu 5.10 breezy user or similar, it will cut the message space even smaller...

workaround - make the ubuntu 5.10 breezy user without bold or change the font smaller...

[blackant]

I would actually prefer a wider page than currently.. :(

[mstlyevil]

Just a reminder - we're looking for input here, we'll answer questions later.

here's what I have a summary of so far:


some do not like the fixed-width setting.
the subforums under each section are nice, but create a longer scroll.
the latest post at the side of each forum was nicer than having the ten latest posted threads at the bottom of the page.

have all the subforums including Ubuntu cafe back under Ubuntu Community Cafe to maximise space for Ubuntu Cafe.
normal sentences are a pain to read because they are split into 3-5 parts.
code blocks with long entries will look horrible.
looks good and is less crowded at the expense of some important features.
seperate Xubuntu section
missing links to Ubuntu.com,wiki and bugzilla
combine Ubuntu and Kubuntu gaming
create a XGL/Compiz subforum in Dapper development.
return last post display on each thread

This is an updated summary.

[s|k]

I liked the forums the way they were. Please change it back. If nothing else please go back to dynamic width. Thank you.

[houseofmore]

i dont like how the forum no longer makes use of the entire width of my screen, as seen in this screenshot: http://briancurtin.com/screen1.png


Same here. Over half the screen is lost on even 1200x768, just for cosmetics?

[nocturn]

I just noticed another downside to the fixed width.
When viewing a forum (or new posts), the thread titles will get wrapped, even the not so long ones.

The Forum name is too long for it's column, so it always wraps, causing a lot of white space and a long page.

[BoyOfDestiny]

I just noticed another downside to the fixed width.
When viewing a forum (or new posts), the thread titles will get wrapped, even the not so long ones.

The Forum name is too long for it's column, so it always wraps, causing a lot of white space and a long page.

Well, I'm using the kubuntu forum theme for now... Gotta say I like the new layout changes (without the waste of screen realestate, and therefore much less scrolling...)

I look forward to the ubuntulooks forum theme (hope that's being worked on) sans fixed width.

Anyway good job overall! Yes... I hate fixed-width, since doesn't take into consideration different resolutions, the only one size-fits-all is dynamic/relative sizing ;)

[cosimo]

Hello,
First, thank you kassetra for fixing the posting problem.
I like this new design !
I like the space on either side, it focuses the content.
It is a big improvement!
As far as other things I have seen posted here like links to wiki, etc, i believe the people responsible will eventually get things sorted out, unless of course they already have done that and i didn't read that post.
Nice job.
I feel more confortable viewing this!
Easier on the eyes!
thanks to all responsible.
Coz

[opticyclic]

I have only read the first few pages and the last one so I hope I am not repeating.
I like the layout on the main because it clearer to see what is where, however, the fixed width thing does make for a lot of scrolling.

Is it possible to make the fixed width a user option?

The statistics are nice on the main page.
Do you have statistics for the top 10 post count in each individual sub-forum?

[adamkane]

I noticed that posts with wide inline images will resize the width of the entire page to accommodate the wide image. You should probably resize the wide images or put the wide images inside a scrollable area.

[Kvark]

kvarkm it's above my text, where it should be, imho.
Like a book with paragraps has there titles on top of them and not somewhere else.
In my point of view, this is good.
Yes with your post that actually has a title and this post that has a title indicating it is a reply to your post I agree that the post should definately be started with the title. If each post had an unique title that described the post then it would perhaps be easier to follow what people say and replies to a specific post would point out which post they are replying to.

But the titles on almost all other posts just repeat the same thread title over and over again regardless of if thats a good description of the post or not. That is repetative clutter in the middle of the discussion and doesn't add anything useful.

[timas]

> Comments:
As a web designer I experience the 'fixed width' discussion first hand at the least about twice a week..

There's definatelly reasons to use a fixed width, this way the forum looks the same for everyone.. no matter the resolution.. but thats about the extend of reasons I can think of in the case of a forum.

I'd personaly not have made the change, as an alternative solution I'd have set a min-width, limiting the size to the current one as a minimum, as I suspect the fixed width is to ensure smaller screens don't get a practically unreadable forum.. Then again, I do believe a min-width was already in place so maybe I'm just totally missing the reasoning..

Pro's:
> The new sorting of topics is a solid hit, good work!
Why: Because its more clearly what is where now, I assume a bunch of things will get sorted around a bit more, so I'll hold my tongue as to where I think some things should go.

> Beginner speak at the top, smart move!
Why: Because they are the ones that _need_ to be attracted and hand-fed the right information, they need to find its easy and simple to do anything they have to do and most of all, they should not have to look hard to find an answer if were going to try and win them over, or keep them.

Con's:
> The fixed width, totally horrid.
Why: Because it gives me these HUGE borders on the side of a forum. A forum is meant to spread information commonly in a fasion of text, because of that the fixed width adds absolutely nothing but making it harder to read on a bigger screen, a lot of trouble when you attempt to increase the text size and the beforementioned code blobs will get a lot less clear as well.

> The subforums, not so shibby..
Why: It makes that specific forum a lot bigger and they just don't look so great, make them a big bigger with a background and border so they fit more into the overal style of the front-page and give them a collapse/expand button so they can be hidden and viewed at the leisure of a user.

> Last post gone.. boooo.
Why: I loved to be able to see who made the last post when so that I can see wether its interesting to check it out or not.. it made the specific forums more alive and active..

Those are my two cents, my overall feeling with the redo is mostly dominated by the width and subforums on the main page, thus not so great.. but else as that, keep it up!

[Ginger The Cat]

Hate the fixed width
The HTML doesn't validate


Mike

[gerbman]

The horse has been beaten, clubbed, and even punched, but I will take one more swing...the fixed width has got to go. I busted out the trusty tape measure, and found that 42% of the screen space is being wasted. I do realize this is a design decision and I know little of web design itself, but it is tough to fathom the justification. I hope this is a temporary change.

:-?

[stuporglue]

Here's something that I think is bad about the new layout:

The cookie-crumb list gets wrapped to a line and a half, and it breaks line right on a link so half is on each line.

If often browse with the font size set to +1 or +2 since my glasses are getting old, and with those settings the cookie-crumb list can get up to three lines long!

I think putting it in it's own horizontal space would make it work better. Indenting the second line would also help it.

Thanks!

[public_void]

Sorry but I don't like fixed width either. The space either side is just wasted, and alot of scrolling is required to reach the bottom. I can get used to this new layout, but without fixed widths

[mcduck]

The new look is cleaner, and most of the changes are nice. Placing Beginner forum on top was very smart thing to do :)

But I feel the need to repeat what so many people have already said: Half of my screen space is now wasted, and I now need to scroll a lot more (and this looks pretty funny on higher resolutions). There are also some smaller problems already mentioned that would be solved simply by not using fixed width.

I also liked being able to see the time and poster of last post in a thread, that made it easier to see if there's anything new to read. (marking of posts already viewed only works if you only use one OS/computer/browser all the time).

Some people also suggested combining Gnome and KDE gaming forums. I like that. But I'd also like separate forums for native Linux games and wine/cedega gaming.

edit: If the fixed width is going to stay, how about adding new forum style for people with big display resolution? Like we now have blue and brown styles..

[Z3us]

What I hate - The Width

What I like - Everything Else

Thanks for all the hard work it has made a good impact, but I am with the people who hate the width.

[hajk]

About the reduced page width -- it's a bit like the article style in LaTeX, where a line is limited to approximately 2-1/2 alphabet lengths, or 65 characters, for readability reasons. Leaves 1-3/4-inch (45mm) left and right margins on a page, I still remember a lot of grumbling about that, but people have got used to it.
I like the reduced width.:cool:

[Jason_25]

Not a fan of the small width.

Everything else is great.

[halfvolle melk]

I like the fixed width. Shorter rules read faster.

[Alibloke]

Not a fan of the small width.

Everything else is great.

Ditto - down with fixed width!

[BoyOfDestiny]

I noticed that posts with wide inline images will resize the width of the entire page to accommodate the wide image. You should probably resize the wide images or put the wide images inside a scrollable area.

I kind of think the blame lies with the poster... Thumbnails or links are preferable to full sized images (especially when people quote the thread... ugh...) No distortion of the layout, and people on low bandwidth connections don't have to moan...

[Kimm]

I realy dislike the new forum layout... I dont like the fact that it doesnt use all the space it can use (making it somewhat cramped), and I find the new layout harder to follow.

If possible, perhaps you could choose which layout should be used, like a skin?

[vicks]

I'm gonna swim against the current and say that i like the more narrow layout. Perhaps it could be a little wider, but on whole i think it is good. I'm studying journalism at uni, and i'm just in the middle of an layout-course. Newspapers (and other print media) has really solid research from WAY back saying that it is tiring and confusing reading very long lines. Going from the end of a line to the beginning of the next is a taxig operation on the eye, and the narrower that gap is, the better for the eye (up tp a point where it start to get TOO small). I don't think anyone would want to read a one-column newspaper, it would be horrendous. If you look at this layout you can in most cases still fit four posts, and you have to write a pretty long post to make it not fit you screen.
Look at the newssites you read, or almost any other kind of sites, the width of columns are much narrower than we have here.
Then the EXACT size can always be debated, but i like this layout.

[A-star]

The fixed width has to go. I'm reading this on a 17" crt (and almost everyone has a bigger screen nowadays) and I find that the borders just annoying.

[steve.horsley]

Are we allowed to say "crap" in this forum?

Can't you make it any narrower - there are still a few places where there are two words side-by-side instead of on top of each other. Maybe a <br> after every word...

But seriously, it looks dreadful. I guess you have nailed it at 800 wide? Why??? My lappy is 1400 wide and all I have is a streak up the middle. Have you ever eaten a meal in an economy plane seat? That's what this feels like - I can almost see the plastic knife and fork. It's a relief to go to a different web site and relax. Take a lesson from slashdot.

[rantak]

The fixed width feels really annoying and I'm using a 4:3 resolution. I can imagine that its terrible on laptops. Please change this asap, or at least give an option to choose.

Gaming forums should definately be merged.

[vicks]

Look at almost every other newssites, columns and other sites with text that is supposed to get read on the screen. They use narrower columns. There isn't an outrage about them. And the grey stripes on the sides can (and probably will) be changed if this layout would be finalized.

[subjectdenied]

please remove fixed with, it's a pain when it comes to usability and i don't see a single reason for using it unless layout should rule over content

[timas]

Mods, please be gentle, I decided to post this solution due to the free nature that were attempting to promote :)

A fix for the set width for Firefox users:
Check out this site: http://userstyles.org/stylish

1. Download and install the Stylish extension
2. Restart Firefox (pitty that)
3. Goto ubuntuforums.org
4. Click on the little icon that should be in the right bottom of your statusbar (paper with a pencil)
5. Click 'add style for ubuntuforums.org'
6. Give the new style a name, make sure the enabled box is checked
7. Copy the bellow code into the code area of Stylish and hit save



@namespace url(http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml);

@-moz-document domain(ubuntuforums.org) {
table {width: 100% !important;}
div.pagenav table {width: auto !important;}
div.vbmenu_popup table {width: auto !important;}
}


From hereon forward, the page will stretch again, the pagenav table thing is a quick fix to make sure the page navigation doesn't get stretched 100% as well.. the !important tags are required by stylish to instantly apply them while browsing the site.

I'll attempt to fix the subforum hide/unhide thing as well, but not too sure how possible that is going to be..

Disclaimer: I am not trying to battle the mods or the redesign, it's really just because I like it better like this and it gives the other folks who also want it a chance to use it too..

If this interests enough people, perhaps it can be made a topic elsewhere in the forum(s)..


edit 1: Added subforum thingie
edit 2: Edited code changed 'url-prefix(http://ubuntuforums.org)' to 'domain(ubuntuforums.org)' for the folks who type www before it.
edit 3: Added code for the drop down menus

[Kvark]

To everyone who like that the forum forces narrow text. Why don't you just resize your browser window to make it narrower. That way everyone can get exactly the width they want.

True that newspaper columns are narrow but this forum is not split up into culumns. To make the forum narrow is like a newspaper with only 1 column in the middle of each page and the sides left blank. The newspaper argument is valid only if you would split up a thread into several columns that are displayed side by side.

[Eklöf]

Ok, I like the idea of having a bit of space on the sides, but this looks redicilous on my 1680x1050 screen.

[Buffalo Soldier]

Is my eyes playing tricks on me? Or is it a little bit wider now? I think I like this current width.

[jal]

Is it just me (or Opera) or does anyone else have problems with continually being logged out of the forum after a few minutes?

[papangul]

Is my eyes playing tricks on me? Or is it a little bit wider now? I think I like this current width.
It's real.:) The screen is a bit wider now.

[sudomania4]

Like everyone has said, the space on the sides is my only problem. On the main ubuntu forum page, the links to the subforums are under the titles. This makes them look neater. Is the font for these links on the main page of the forums smaller though? What are the other phases? Looks good so far.

One major thing, did posts in the site discussion forum count before? b/c they don't now...

[nandasunu]

I haven't read all the posts, but the problem is still here so I'll add my vote: please get rid of the fixed width layout, its really annoying. I prefer to control the size of the layout myself.

[Virak]

I like the new layout, except for the fact it seems to be stuck at ~750 pixels wide. Which is way too small for anyone with a monitor from this decade, such as myself.

[sudomania4]

Also, under the "last post" column, it used to say the name of the person who wrote the last post. Now, nothing

[kayas80]

I think putting the forum for absolute beginners at the top of the page is a great idea. I remember when I first joined I completley missed it at first!

[sudomania4]

Where is the community chat?

[mcduck]

A fix for the set width for Firefox users:...

Thanks for this one. I set the forum width to 96% and everythings looking pretty good now :) I think you definitely should post this somewhere where more people can find it.

[kayas80]

Where is the community chat?
I think its now called the Ubuntu cafe.

[frodon]

First comment : do something for the page width !!!!

Second comment : I find that it's quite difficult to read sub-forum names now, is it possible to make the fonts bigger or do something to make the read easier ?
I'm waiting the next modification for other comments because i guess that it's just the beginning ;)

[sapo]

i m gonna say just 3 words:

Restore backup NOW!

This was the worst organization i ve ever seen, i m completely lost in this new layout :(

[xmastree]

No more lost than a Windows user trying linux. it's just different. Everything's there, you'll get used to it.

However, can I add my voice to the page width thing? I don't even run my browser maximised, and it still looks bad.

[Melvil]

My only problem is the width of the page, PLEASE FIX THAT!
I know reading is easier for the human eye when I only has to read around 60 chars in a row, but it just looks terrible when running 1280x960 or higher.

[Zeroangel]

How about a compromise? I think it would be great to use the CSS attributes min-width and max-width to accomplish just that. For example, we use something to this effect.

.element { width: 90%; min-width: 750px; max-width: 1200px; }
Problem solved!

[xmastree]

Also, I miss seeing the name of the last poster, and being able to go directly to the last post.

[hanzj]

I also don't see the point behind "top posters". Perhaps we can put that info on a "Fun Statistics" page.

[hanzj]

i m completely lost in this new layout :(
Give it some time, and you'll get as used to it as you got to the previous one. It's just a matter of time. Enjoy the "novely experience" while it lasts.

[hanzj]

As to the question of where the "Community Chat" is now located, Kayas80 answered:

I think its now called the Ubuntu cafe.


Well,more specifically, it's
Community Cafe's subforum called "The Backyard"
http://www.ubuntuforums.org/forumdisplay.php?f=121

[kenweill]

There's a bug in the search result.

Found on Last Post, Replies, Views, Forum. It doesn't display the correct information.

My screenshot is attached.

[Zeroangel]

One more suggestion. Darken the background! I think there is so much shock and awe over the forum redesign because the edge background is so bright, and for some reason even steals focus from the center area where the content is.

Other sites that have a fixed-width do not have so much of a problem as the Ubuntu Forums, and I believe this is precisely why.

[math]

You aren't serious with the width...? That's a real step backwards.

[Klaidas]

What I don't like, is that it is now harder to track new replies on subforums. A lot of space on the sides isn't very nice.
But if that saves bandwidth... I'll get used to it :/

[kenweill]

Owh. I guess its not just on the Search Result but is everywhere. The bug i mean.
The Last Post should be Replies.
Replies should be Views.
And Views should be Forum.

I have just noticed it now.

[bernardfrancois]

Some comments:


The original width should be restored. People who prefere a different width can resize their window.
I don't know how to report a thread to a moderator any more. I just misplaced a thread and now I can't report it so it can be moved...
I cant see anymore who's the last poster on a topic. That's something I use all the time. I use the 'subscribed threads' feature of this forum extensively, and by looking at the last poster I can see if someone replied after I made a post.
The restyling of the main page is an improvement, but I still have a little remark: the forum packaging and compiling programs is hidden under programming talk, while one don't have to be a programmer to install a program from source. I just discovered the 'packaging and compiling programs' forum and I think most users post their questions about compiling programs on different places.

[papangul]

One more suggestion. Darken the background!
You'd love this (links2 browser screenshot, 100 kb):
http://img51.imageshack.us/img51/8007/screenshot4va.jpg

Problem is I cannot login using links2, maybe I should try dillo.

[Zeroangel]

You'd love this (links2 browser screenshot, 100 kb):
http://img51.imageshack.us/img51/8007/screenshot4va.jpg

Problem is I cannot login using links2, maybe I should try dillo.
Actually, I was thinking of something a little more simple. ｢ Example (http://www.bzuniverse.com/~zeroangel/misc_images/ubuntuforums-background-darkened.jpg) ｣

[papangul]

That's nice! But in dillo or links2 there is no waste of space on either side.

[Stew2]

The old forum layout felt friendly and familiar. This layout feels sterile, and navigation seems more difficult. (perhaps because I am unfamiliar with it? :))
I personally liked the old layout better.

[mcduck]

Why not use brown background? It looks better than grey anyway..

edit: You'll need to imagine wider borders here :)

[knalle]

i like the new layout but i don't like the new size, the old 100% size filled my browserwindow nicely and made the forum headers faster to read

[PowerWCRulez]

Hmm, it's useless space of sides of improved forum, and signature changed to 3 lines without knowedges..

I dislike the style of forum..

[ubuntu-geek]

Wow thanks for all the great feedback. Let me touch on a few things really quick.

1. We decided to try a fixed width format to accomidate the new sub-forum bulleted list on the main page. At full screen this looks very strange and sparse.

However, we might be able to work around it and return it to full screen I'll do some testing on that.

I would like to note there are still some navigational issues with the fixed width that need to be addressed.

2. RSS per forums, there will be an RSS icon per forum shortly.
3. Imageshack images, we didnt' make any changes to this. Could someone please give more information on that.
4.Combing Kubuntu/Ubuntu sections. We will take this into consideration.
5. Last post and views you can view the latest 10 replies at the bottom of the main page, or click the statistic's top-10 link and do a custom view.

http://ubuntuforums.org/topXstats.php

As I mentioned this is a work in progress and we want to improve it based on your comments and suggestions. We will continue to improve this layout as the day goes on.

[xtacocorex]

I would like to throw my opinions out here.

I currently have a large resolution (1400x1050), but I can't stand browsing at full screen so I forced Firefox to stay at 1113x858. This keeps whitespace down on every website I visit. With my browser at this size the forums fill the window. I'm sure if I took my size restrictions off, I'd experience the whitespace problem.

I like the new order of topics on the main page. From my standpoint, it seems easier for new users to find the most important stuff they need first since the Beginner subforum is right on top.

I've been using the Kubuntu blue theme since it came out and was wondering about the color change that happened the other day. I like the new darker blues that were used.

Overall, I think the changes are good and work perfectly with how I have my system setup.

[BoyOfDestiny]

Wow thanks for all the great feedback. Let me touch on a few things really quick.

1. We decided to try a fixed width format to accomidate the new sub-forum bulleted list on the main page. At full screen this looks very strange and sparse.

However, we might be able to work around it and return it to full screen I'll do some testing on that.

I would like to note there are still some navigational issues with the fixed width that need to be addressed.

2. RSS per forums, there will be an RSS icon per forum shortly.
3. Imageshack images, we didnt' make any changes to this. Could someone please give more information on that.
4.Combing Kubuntu/Ubuntu sections. We will take this into consideration.
5. Last post and views you can view the latest 10 replies at the bottom of the main page, or click the statistic's top-10 link and do a custom view.

http://ubuntuforums.org/topXstats.php

As I mentioned this is a work in progress and we want to improve it based on your comments and suggestions. We will continue to improve this layout as the day goes on.

I make one last plea not to use fixed-width (or at least make it an option). I'll take the "small issues" with the layout and full width. A pixel is a pixel... But it will look very different on monitors of different resolutions.

Here is a screencap to illustrate, nothing fancy nowadays (1600x1200) notice no vertical scroll bars, and this is the default font (didn't zoom out or anything).

http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/639/dualubuntu3ze.th.png (http://img138.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dualubuntu3ze.png)

[img=http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/639/dualubuntu3ze.th.png] (http://img138.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dualubuntu3ze.png)

As for the imageshack link issues, they should show thumbnails, same stuff I've pasted as always... now they don't... is there some setting regarding IMG tags maybe?

[takayuki]

reorganization: much better than before. it's easier to find things. more logical layout.

fixed screen size: please use a liquid layout like before. let it stretch across the screen. my index figer is killing me from scrolling... :)

thanks for taking the time to make the forums better.

takayuki

[ajgreeny]

I agree with takayuki, go back to the liquid layout and let those who want a narrower layout do it themselves. Incidentally if you go to the bottom of the forum mand click on the drop box which normally shows "default style" you can change to "kubuntu_Blue_v3,5" which is still full width. Please keep it that way!

[kaamos]

Gimped version of the front page :D

[Brunellus]

add me to the chorus calling for a return to the liquid layout. This narrow layout makes it look like something is very badly broken. It would be a fine idea if I were running the forums in their own little window, but, since I actually have them open in a Firefox tab, it just looks awful.

Bring back my old forums.

[mark]

Stop me if you've heard this before...<g>:

1 - Quite a bit of wasted screen space
2 - I miss the date/time/latest post features

One thing I do like is the reorg - having the "Absolute Beginners" sub show up first is (IMHO) as it should be...

Mark

[A-star]

Can we have the old layout back?
It is so much better then the new one,
but you can keep the arrangement of the forums which are displayed on the first page (Newbie help totally on top).

[aamukahvi]

The fixed width just doesn't work. It deprives people of their screen real estate. If people want narrower web pages, they'll just resize their browser windows.

Otherwise, looking very good. The new subforum menus are nice.

[mjwood0]

I must say -- a lot of work must have gone into the new layout. My thanks as I think it's much cleaner and easier to read.

Likes:
- New front page organization. Much easier to find what I'm looking for.
- Statistics on the front page. Kinda fun to see and at the bottom so they don't get in the way

Unsure:
- Fixed width forum. While it does look nice, I don't like the margins while browsing.
- There seems like a lot fo whitespace on the main page. This will only get worse with a fluid layout.

Dislikes:
- Overall, the amount of scrolling is a little excessive.

Suggestion:

In order to fix the white space issue (perhaps this one is just me) and make the page look okay when not a fixed width, would it be possible to move the forum heading (eg. Ubuntu 5.10 Support (Gnome)), the description and the number of people viewing to the left column where the single Ubuntu logo is? To the right of this, there would be the subforums in a list just like they are now.

If this isn't clear, PM me and I'll try to describe better.

Overall, thanks for all the work to try to improve this forum!

[BinaryDigit]

Same as many people here:

Fixed width, I think it's horrid, I like the use of more of the screen, easier to read the thread/text and such.

I like the organization of the main page, but again, the fixed width makes it that much more to scroll down to, and it can get annoying.

Other than that, It's nice to have a new look and feel, but perhaps just let people choose the option to have fixed or fluid layout.

:KS

[Zeroangel]

The fixed width just doesn't work. It deprives people of their screen real estate. If people want narrower web pages, they'll just resize their browser windows.

Otherwise, looking very good. The new subforum menus are nice.
I won't, not if i'm using tabs in firefox.

I think that you people should just try it for at least one day and see if you get used of it. I know for myself the scrolling is excessive, but it really helps when reading long posts. It is easier to absorb the text line by line, makes for more contemplative reading, IMO.

[SSTwinrova]

This has probably been mentioned at least once in the 17 page (and growing) thread, but having a single "gaming" forum would be very nice :)

[hod139]

I also miss the date/time/latest post features

[tenn]

I like the new layout but I will add too the rest of the comments that the fixed width looks bad not many people out there are still using a 800 x 600 screen resolution plus there are people with wide screen displays and at that width it is going to look rather small.

[DigitalDuality]

I'm going to agree, it takes up far too much vertical space. It's one thing for the forum listings to do so, but not the actual threads themselves.

I personally think it would be a great idea to have a portal page where every forum would be easily available, AND the typical forum listings. Example
www.bluelight.ru

[Iowan]

Maybe it's just my machine, but formatting seems to have slipped... There is no last reply date/time. That field has the number of replies. The replies field has views, and views field is empty.

I miss the ability to jump to the last post.

[aamukahvi]

I also miss the date/time/latest post features
Me too. I want to know who posted the last message, and more importantly, when. The "visited" link color doesn't work most of the time when reloading the page. Thus I will now visit "unread" topics just to find out I have read them thoroughly of that my reply is the last message.

[bugmenot]

Hi, I hope it's ok for me to also post my opinion.

From reading ubuntu-geeks reply I got the impression one of the major reasons for the redesign and for the fixed-width were the many sub-forums.

This got me thinking and imho thats also where the root of the problem lies, that has not been addressed in this redesign: way to many sub-forums.

Others already have mentioned that there isn't a need for having two gaming-forums, I think that there also isn't a need for having seperate ppc and amd64 ubuntu and kubuntu forums, as a large amount of the problems discussed there are desktop agnostic and arise from using an other architecture than most people.

Further, I think it's also not the best solution to have a seperate desktop forum within the respective ubuntu and kubuntu sections. After all what distinguishes kubuntu and ubuntu is only the desktop used.
Add to this that the parent ubuntu and kubuntu forums are also forums within themselves and that it's absolutely unclear what should be posted in these forums as opposed to the desktop forums, I think you'll get an idea where the real problems are.

So, what should be done imho?
Get rid of the sub-forums at least in the support section. They don't add anything, they only make information harder to find and are confusing.

To give you an idea of what I'm talking about, the support section should imho look something like this:

- Absolute Beginner Talk
- Ubuntu 5.10 Support (GNOME)
- Kubuntu 5.10 Support (KDE)
- Gaming
- Macintosh/Apple/PPC Users
- AMD 64 Users
- Hardware Help

I think that would be much cleaner and not really take away anything usefull, on the contrary. (Of course, imho again)

[Kernel Sanders]

Where the hell has the community forum gone? :confused:

EDIT: Found it...... so much wasted space? Looks like it has been designed for people who have a 800 x 600 resolution....... does anyone still have that?

[mlind]

New layout will take some time to get used to. It's great that you guys pay attention
to user experience, but I was fan of the old layout. I guess I just have to get more
familiar with the new looks.

I've been vBulletin system for many years now, and it would be easier to new users
to track their messages/subscriptions if "Default Thread Subscription Mode" was
on "No Email Notification" instead of "Do not subscribe". This way, you don't get
unwanted email spam and tracking is easier by using User CP view.

Forum gets a alot of overhead when same topics are covered several times on a
day. I dunno if it's possible to somehow encourage users to search before posting.

my 2 cents. Thanks.

[bored2k]

Where the hell has the community forum gone? :confused:

EDIT: Found it...... so much wasted space? Looks like it has been designed for people who have a 800 x 600 resolution....... does anyone still have that?
It's now Ubuntu Cafe.

[aamukahvi]

This is looking really bad. Have a look-see:

[timas]

I've got a feeling they are currently working on the forum layout.. multi collumn by the looks of it. And I'm curious to see the outcome, I think it'll look pretty neat .. just not sure about usability, but that'll remain unsaid untill its done :)

[ardchoille]

You know, I love these forums.. but I'll never understand why people insist on wasting 2/3 of the space available for web content.. I find that quite silly. Can't we use more of the available space, if for no other reason than to cut down on the amount of scrolling that is required of the users? If not, can we go back to the way it was?

[MJN]

Dreadful. I don't like the left/right bars at all... Complete waste of space and poor compatibility with varying resolution support. I shall be requesting a partial refund for my 19" monitor and not to mention suing you for mouse-wheel induced RSI. ;)

I do hope the empty space is not a advance placeholder for adverts...? :-#

Mathew

[OfficeLinebacker]

I must agree with the "WTF with the horizontal shrinkage?!?!?!" sentiment. There is little tha tis more annoying than simply wasting space on a web page. It's called "screen real estate" for a reason: it's a valuable commodity, and the new design simply wastes it.

[ardchoille]

W00T! Just switched to the KUbuntu skin and there is no wasted space on both sides of the content. I'll stick with the KUbuntu skin if you're going to keep the default skin as is (wastes a huge amount of space on both sides of the content as well as making visitors scroll more than necessary).

[gonçalo]

What I like and why:

Cleaner view, and easier to read, having a shorter text widht. Sort of like a terminal window.
Works good on lower resolution as well as higher resolutions, the fact that at higher resolutions gives wider empty spaces on the sides, is in my opinion a good thing, the content is still here, but there is also some *air*

What I don't like and why:

the background colour is to light, maybe a darker tone would be better, or even some pattern (discreet..)
Smilies that have animation \\:D/ I know there must be a way to disable this for me, but I still think they are horrid when they move.

[MaX]

If it weren't for the obvious table mistakes I'd say the frontpage looks a little bit better now.

I still don't get the subforums thingy... Take a look at the KDE forums, expand expand expand... it's alot better.

About the width, I always maximize my FF window and this waste of space is BAD. If I stumble on a long post that I want to read I do Ctrl++ to increase it's fontsize and thus at the same time I shorten the lines. This has a horrible result in the new layout.

Right now on the index page there's a lone icon in the left table. That's just horrid. Why? Because. I don't know, He's on first! :) (http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8342445135331678445&q=costello+on+first)

I think the dapper development forums are important and should be where they are placed now. But the Archive of old developments is totaly useless to me. Couldn't we just bunch up all archives in their own section?
Or have the development discussion appear under Previous Ubuntu Releases Archive?

[OfficeLinebacker]

I agree with takayuki, go back to the liquid layout and let those who want a narrower layout do it themselves. Incidentally if you go to the bottom of the forum mand click on the drop box which normally shows "default style" you can change to "kubuntu_Blue_v3,5" which is still full width. Please keep it that way!

GREAT post! Switching to that theme until this gets sorted out.

[mjwood0]

Right now on the index page there's a lone icon in the left table. That's just horrid. Why? Because.
I have a similar sentiment. Perhaps if the main forum heading "Ubuntu 5.10 Support (GNOME)" with it's description were in the left column (made wider of course), the subforums could go where they are and give the option to widen the whole thing out.

Another major problem for me (not specific to this design) is that at the end of the post, there is no way to go back to the list of posts. So you get to the end of a long page of posts and want to go back up a level you have to scroll all the way back to the top of the page. Seems like it should go between the "<< Previous Thread" and "Next Thread >>" labels. Perhaps "Thread List" ? (Or is this easy and I'm just not smart enough to figure it out?)

Anyway, thanks for all the hard work!

[SpEcIeS]

This compact size in NOT a good move. Please return it to the original format, or give an option to stretch it to full screen. :confused: :???:

[LKRaider]

Pros:
* Mainpage looks cleaner
* Forums seem a little faster

Cons:
* Layout width
* Removal of some features avaiable before, like last poster, time of last post.

Bugs:
* On a search, for example "Find all your threads", the "Forum" column displays nothing

Other Ideas:
* On mainpage, the listing of all online users is quite useless and takes a lot of space. Maybe reduce to a single line with only the count of total online users.
* On forum pages, the "Posting Rules" below all threads takes a lot of space in it's current form and is not justified to look like this. If it would be an horizontal div, like the "Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread", it would better use the space avaiable.

I think it is important to introduce the fields of Last Poster and Last Post Date on the mainpage and search listings, since they are more useful than the count of Threads, Posts and Replies in seeing if a thread/forum changed or not.

[K0LO]

I'd really like to see the Ubuntu and Kubuntu forums combined into one forum, perhaps with an icon next to each post to identify which flavor is being discussed.

Right now if you search for a topic on the Kubuntu forum you're likely to only turn up 1 or 2 hits, if any at all. About half of the time that I do a search I get zero hits.

On the Ubuntu forum, if you search you will likely get dozens of hits.

Since the information is generally useful to both Ubuntu and Kubuntu users, I think that combining the two forums is the way to go.

Mark

[neoflight]

We're looking for feedback, and questions make it somewhat difficult for us to go through.

In this thread, would it be possible to simply let us know if you like/dislike something and why?

We'll answer questions a bit later - we were hoping for input at this stage.

Thank you for asking your questions, though. :)

The idea to shrink was not good at all. That reduced the viewing area and sort of like newspapers-easier to browse and look for specifics but hard to scroll.

In a huge forum like this its good to have maximum info on a given area.

[kassetra]

Summary, a reminder, and a notice:

Most people have commented about the width. Got that. At this juncture, however, if we used a liquid design, you would have a giant blank middle section with content stretched out to either side and it is quite atrocious to use.

Please remember, when crafting your post, that we do have a plan for a redesign, and after we worked out many things, we chose to try the fixed-width, as it fit our new plan much better. Calling it a waste of space, unnecesary, etc. does not answer our call for constructive input.

Also, for those of you that are on the kubuntu theme - we will have to change it to match the default theme today, as it can not get too far behind the default theme or else it will break completely and we will be forced to start over with blue.

[SpEcIeS]

Change is always hard to accept. :D

I am sure that whatever the final outcome will be, it will look great.

[tenn]

Okay than, I think the new design is good but the width should be increased to 1024px approximate

[rjwood]

Looking forward to seeing the final product!!

I think you have taken enough criticism..

I am hoping for a way to search within a given forum or sub-forum..

Good Luck!!!!

[Hello World]

Why don't you just copy FedoraForum.org's structure, Ubuntuforums and Fedoraforum have same americanish look.
http://forums.fedoraforum.org

Peh

:confused:

[najevi]

1. I found the long scroll on the homepage easily remedied by tweaking (User CP ->Edit Options) to hide those sections that I rarely visit.

2. On the homepage, I don't see the value of knowing how many threads and posts are in each section... it seems like a waste of horizontal space. Suggest a better use of that space might be to list the subject lines for the most recent N posts in each section. This is just an extention of what the skin "Kubuntu_blue_v3.5" offers but with a little extra Horizontal space maybe more than one "latest post" can be listed.

3. Although I did not like the narrow default view I appreciate the wider view still being left available via the "Kubuntu_blue_v3.5" alternate skin. Please don't phase out that skin.

4. I'd like to see more skins offered.

5. Glad to see that Firefox browser zoom control (CTRL + and CTRL -) does not cause the forum layout to go wacky. In fact the narrow layout of the default skin zooms better than the kubuntu-blue layout.

6. Could the "Currently Active Users" and "Forum Statistics" sections be added to the User CP option: "Forums To Exclude From View" ?
Dare I add the "Global Announcement" to this list? ... perhaps if the hidden flag was reset whenever there is a new global announcement.

7. The vertical real estate consumed by the ubuntu logo and "ubuntu forum" header in the banner could be reduced to maybe twice the height of the tab labels.

Thanks for a great forum and the opportunity to provide input.

[kayas80]

I dont know if it's been discussed already. But, depending upon which style you view the site, default or kubuntu, the page layout is completely different.

[Josef K.]

I must agree: fixed width is definetly a bad idea: feels like a waste of space (not the worst thing ever, but bad one for sure )

I think cloned section is a completely waste of (tecnological and human) resources: there's no need of separating gaming\amd64\ppc sections in kde and gnome: I use amd64: where I'm supposed to ask question about kernel? or fstab? or powernowd?
maybe is time to merge them

definetly is a great idea make different RSS feed for different forum section (I'm sure there's no need to say why :rolleyes: )

there's no need of statistic in main page (who cares who's the top poster?!)
and worst thing, that ruins the cleaner feels of new layout

there should be more theme color: my eyes would love something more relaxing (like green\white text on gray\black layout)

I would also like a section or tag that remind me there're messages in thread I've partecipated

[monotux]

The ubuntu logo (top left) should be linked to the root of the forums - I think that is a inofficial web standard these days, and it's really nice once one gets used to it... :-)

And why is there two sets of "Submit reply"/"Preview post" availible in the Reply-page? :/

[phibxr]

I like that the width of the middle area has been shrunk. I don't know if I'm suffering from some kind of visual impairment, but I find narrow rows much easier to digest than wide rows, and I have quite some experience of reading. ;)

Now I can actually read the posts here. :cool:

[kassetra]

3. Although I did not like the narrow default view I appreciate the wider view still being left available via the "Kubuntu_blue_v3.5" alternate skin. Please don't phase out that skin.

4. I'd like to see more skins offered.


The blue skin (and any other skin) has to match the size/structure default skin or else it will no longer work. The liquid design will soon break completely and the blue skin will need to be updated to match the brown skin.

In order for us to create any new skins, we have some items that need to be addressed, which is what we are doing.

As an extra note - there are some options that will not work with a liquid design, and some options that will not work with the fixed-width. After reviewing the options, we felt there were many more that we wanted for the community in the fixed-width style. This first phase required the width change in order for us to use any of the new options.

[steve.horsley]

For those of you who find the restricted width really unbearable, in firefox, you can menu View->Page Style->No Style. It's a bit ugly, but definitely better that reading a roll of toilet paper.

[mstlyevil]

I dont know if it's been discussed already. But, depending upon which style you view the site, default or kubuntu, the page layout is completely different.

They are changing the Kubuntu Blue layout later today. See Kassetra's previous post for the reasons why they have to change the Kubuntu blue.

[ardchoille]

For those of you who find the restricted width really unbearable, in firefox, you can menu View->Page Style->No Style. It's a bit ugly, but definitely better that reading a roll of toilet paper.
Well, I guess if they are going to make the blue skin the same width as the brown skin, then I will just have to live with the "no style". It's ugly, but at least it fixes the width issue.

[mstlyevil]

I like the changes in the Main menu's layout that you have done since last night. It is a much better idea to put menus side by side and reduces the scrolling. Just want to say to thank you to Kass, Ubuntu Geek and everyone who is working so hard to improve the layout of these forums.:)

[Jucato]

I just checked the front page again, and I'd have to say that I like this multi-column layout much better. I also see that you have separated the "official" announcements from the Ubuntu Cafe. Very nice. EDIT: I also see that the last post fields have been returned.)

I'd repeat my earlier suggestion of the Hardware Help, Installation and Update help, and HOWTO's Tips and Tricks to be moved up together with the Absolutely Beginner Talk. However, if you really like to keep those 3 sections purely for Breezy, then by all means keep it that way. Sometimes I see posts in there that are non-Breezy, though.

Maybe you could give us hints of what these "options" are that you are trying to implement that would only work with a fixed-width layout. Then maybe we could see if the benefits will outweigh the sacrifices of a fixed-width page.

(Personally I don't mind the fixed-width. My resolution is only 1024x768, and I never run any app in maximized windows. so the whole layout fits perfectly. I don't even see the empty spaces! :D)

EDIT: I for one appreciate these changes that you (kasstera, ubuntu-geek, et al.) are making. Thank you for your hard work! :D

EDIT-EDIT: Is it just me or are the sub-forums in each section found at the bottom of the most recent threads?

[mcduck]

Well, I guess if they are going to make the blue skin the same width as the brown skin, then I will just have to live with the "no style". It's ugly, but at least it fixes the width issue.
No, there's other option too, at least for Firefox Users. See this thread: http://www.ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=144865

[Rinzwind]

I have to say I love the frontpage now :)

Oh and do keep the width fixed >:) Just to annoy everyone else ;)

[Chris Tucker]

i agree that the front page is much nicer, but fixed witdth is horrible.. makes people think they are looking down a hallway

[ubuntu-geek]

With the layout of the main page, going full width looks completly and utterly nasty.. We'll continue to improve.. :)

[dolson]

I have to say I love the frontpage now :)

Oh and do keep the width fixed >:) Just to annoy everyone else ;)
I totally, 100% agree!

It looks great, and the width is ok, even though my initial knee-jerk reaction was "wtf, crappy" but it's grown on me, and I've come to accept it for what it is, and we now make sweet love.

The index is amazingly better than before. Kudos (and not the snack)! :)

[endersshadow]

Great layout...it's just too squished horizontally. It gives me lots of unused space and it's just kind of inconsistant to have line breaks where there shouldn't be (like with a title of a thread or something to that effect). Great job otherwise, but perhaps making the table width dynamic (85%?) instead of static would be great!

[jon_gunnar]

Please keep your posts constructive as non-constructive discussions will not lead anywhere.

I mostly like the way its going. BUT,the fixed size is not so good to put it kindly. I prefer to use my screen space for forum text,not a bland big stripe on each side.
Another thing.Maybe a sub-forum for things like Xgl, Compiz etc.Looks like its a lot of interest for it,why not provide a separate place?

Overall,I likes it.

[Jucato]

It was mentioned that there will be RSS Feeds per section? I would like to suggest if it's possible to have an RSS Feed for the Subscribed Threads page (subscriptions.php I think?). Or is that already included in the plans?

On a related (RSS note), some sites have a sort of RSS or XML button for easier access to the RSS link address. Maybe that could be a good addition since different browsers support feeds differently.

Also, I concur with the comment that the logo should be a link to the front page of ubuntuforums.org, and not just a static image.

The Wiki and Fridge tabs at the top are still missing?

[ardchoille]

No, there's other option too, at least for Firefox Users. See this thread: http://www.ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=144865
Thank you, but if the fixed width is going to remain, I just won't use these forums anymore.

[sailor420]

I dont like the wasted space. I dont like that you took away the "recent post" field. When im bored at work i like to refresh my screen and watch the new posts come in. now i cant see new posts unless i wanna click into each forum. Annoying.

My thoughts exactly. I don't like the wasted space.

[dolson]

@ADMINS:

Please see my attachment for a mockup of a minor visual improvement.

I realize that this screenshot doesn't have a breadcrumb trail, as it's not on the index, but I think a breadcrumb right under the menus would be good - straight across, so it has more room to stretch out.

Just an idea.

Another thing: Viewing attachments seems to retain the columns on the left/right.. Maybe that should go.

[briancurtin]

fixed width is still seriously bad. i have 3 inches of brown on each side of what im reading. other posters have said its wasted space and i agree completely.

it would be alright on an 8 inch monitor

[benplaut]

With the layout of the main page, going full width looks completly and utterly nasty.. We'll continue to improve.. :)

so can you have it fixed, but wide when inside a forum/post?

[Swiss]

Eeeewwwww! I like the old layout much better, this layout is very confusing and not efficent. The shrinkage is also very annoying!

[mips]

Me not like fixed width, feels like I'm wasting my 22" 1600x1200 display :(

Well if it is what the majority want then so be it. Will try to find a way around it if possible.

[Bandit]

I dont guess I need to mention the table widths are off :)
If you set each cell to 32% of pagewidth (if its 3 cells wide) it should allow each to adjust properly and the extra 4% will allow if pixle width.
Other then that its looking pretty snazy..

Cheers,
Joey

[kassetra]

Please remember to keep your comments constructive and to provide a WHY regarding your likes/dislikes.

We are asking for input and constructive suggestions; basic complaints give us very little to work with.

Thank you for participating!

[Zeroangel]

@ADMINS:

Please see my attachment for a mockup of a minor visual improvement.

I realize that this screenshot doesn't have a breadcrumb trail, as it's not on the index, but I think a breadcrumb right under the menus would be good - straight across, so it has more room to stretch out.

Just an idea.

Another thing: Viewing attachments seems to retain the columns on the left/right.. Maybe that should go.
That is a great way to reclaim unused space. However when you factor in the vertical size of the breadcrumb trail, it almost nullifies any vertical space gained by moving the welcome and PM to the banner. Unless of course you remove the redundant 'current location' line from the breadcrumb trail.

--------------------------------------------------
Now, in regards to any problems created by making the page too wide, those can be fixed by using the max-width CSS attribute that I suggested before (if you missed it)

[superhac007]

The extra three inches are going to be used for google ads. Don't worry the space will be filled soon...


LOL!

[Leif]

Please remember, when crafting your post, that we do have a plan for a redesign, and after we worked out many things, we chose to try the fixed-width, as it fit our new plan much better. Calling it a waste of space, unnecesary, etc. does not answer our call for constructive input.

I'm not quite sure I understand what you mean by "constructive input", and how some of the comments here don't fall under that category. Along with others, I find the fixed-width layout to be a waste of my screen size, and that it makes it more difficult to navigate threads and read posts. I would like to see it returned to a liquid style, which is the right format for viewing threads.

While this may be repetitive, I believe it falls under the category of constructive criticism, and that it is important that the number of people who want things changed is evident.

[vicks]

I said it before, but changing the background color made me like the smaller width even more.

[matthew]

The extra three inches are going to be used for google ads. Don't worry the space will be filled soon...

LOL!I understand that this is a joke. Some may not. Let's keep this thread FUD-free, please, even in our attempts at humor.

Thank you.

[Zeroangel]

The extra three inches are going to be used for google ads. Don't worry the space will be filled soon...


LOL!
Then that's 3 inches wasted instead of 6.

[mjwood0]

I quite like the new multicolumn front page. ESPECIALLY those nice yellow arrows which allow me to shrink those categories I don't use much. Makes it very easy to personalize the home page to my liking.

VERY NICE!!!

In case it has been overlooked with all the other posting regarding width, I still would like to see a "Return To Threads" text item between the << Prev and Next>> thread navigation text at the bottom of the screen. Would really make it nice to read the whole thread and return to the list. Since I don't want to sound repetitive, I won't mention it again :cool:

Again, thanks for all the hard work. Accomodating everyone is not possible and trying is never fun. You're all doing great work.\\:D/

[mips]

Ok, my problem is solved, I can stretch the forums again thanks to timas & mcduck :D

For others that don't like the fixed width and use Firefox try the following link:
http://www.ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=144865

Did the background colour change ??? Seems easier on the eyes which is good !

The front page is now to long in length and requires scrolling so i click on the yellow arrows and voila they are gone. Only problem is now I'm going to miss a current post that could have been interesting. This could actually be a good thing for me, less time spent reading and more for other stuff so i'm happy with it :)


I also visit DPReview a lot and my pet peeve with their forum is the fixed width issue as well.

[Sokraates]

I like the improved look with the beginner-threads listed first and Ubuntu/Kubuntu side by side. Still I think the background for the Ubuntu-theme should be a lighter brown like coffe with a bit of milk. Right now it looks very much like soil.

Also the Kubuntu-theme is borked. No wasted space, but the "Last Post", "Threads" and "Posts" section extend below the beginner community and squeeze the Ubuntu/Kubuntu forums to the left with a blank space on the right side. Also the small the small icon for the beginner community takes way to much space.

Summary: Looks need improvement, organization of the threads/subforums is a BIG thumbs-up.

[briancurtin]

Please remember to keep your comments constructive and to provide a WHY regarding your likes/dislikes.

We are asking for input and constructive suggestions; basic complaints give us very little to work with.

Thank you for participating!
heres my 'why' as to why i dont like the current layout: its just not good practice. sure, the main page looks nice, but within a forum/thread it should take up more than half of my screen. it just looks pretty bad to me, and i just keep checking out this thread here and there because im not really interested in browsing the rest of this site with the current forum/thread layout.

as was mentioned before: if you could keep the main page at a fixed width, but let everything else run free, that would be great. if it cant be done, then i think another design should be looked at usability-wise, because i have close to 6 inches of completely unused solid brown on the right and left thirds of my screen, and thats all so one page can look how it does.

[TrendyDark]

Here's my two cents: I love the new organization, but the page width is killing me. there's another two inches of screen on each side that are just brown. Normally I wouldn't mind a forum with a fixed width, but brown is (infortunately) a very ugly colour to look at.

Other than that, I like what you've done with the place.

[DirtDawg]

I preferred to see the number of times a thread had been veiwed. I can't seem to find that now. I also am not keen to the tiny new size. Other than that, things look much cleaner.

[OfficeLinebacker]

Most people have commented about the width. Got that. At this juncture, however, if we used a liquid design, you would have a giant blank middle section with content stretched out to either side and it is quite atrocious to use.

Can you provide a screenshot of that, please?

[OfficeLinebacker]

The extra three inches are going to be used for google ads. Don't worry the space will be filled soon...


LOL!

Honestly, this is what happened in another forum I visit. I can't think of any other reason why they would do this. Can the "powers that be" provide a guarantee that this is not for ads?

[JamesB]

Pros: layout- why: clean easy on the eye and easy to find what you want
Cons: Fixed width- why: Leaves ugly space unused, not efficient for desktop.

Apart from the fixed width issue, an improvement overall. 8 out of 10. Well done

James

[kassetra]

Honestly, this is what happened in another forum I visit. I can't think of any other reason why they would do this. Can the "powers that be" provide a guarantee that this is not for ads?

:rolleyes: No, this is not for ads. If we wanted to place ads on the forum, you would have seen them a long time ago.

[RJMacReady]

Great. The forum layout is now catering for the imaginary populace still using 640x480.

[mstlyevil]

There is a reason for going with a fixed width and no it is not to make space available for advertising. I do not personally know all the details yet but let me just say that Ubuntu Geek is planning on doing something to make it worth while. Please, when you comment do not just complain about something without giving a constructive reason why. This thread was started to get feedback to improve the layout and many of the comments and suggestions have led to drastic changes since this new layout was unveiled last night.

Your constructive comments really do help the forum staff in redesigning this new layout. We appreciate your paitience as these new changes are implemented.

[essexman]

The Front Page I like

The gaps on the side I hate.

I've looked throught the thread and seen complaints about "White Space" - most of my screen is brown.

[commodore]

I liked how the boxes around the names of the forums bringed them out, but now the names of sub-forums are too small IMO.

[RJMacReady]

Now theres a giant white gap. 'Block Name?'

Seriously, why fart with the layout in the first place? If it ain't broke, don't fix it...

[christhemonkey]

what on earth is the block name thing about?!
There are no buttons to click on it, and it has brought the awful white space back, but now only on 1 side!

[Teroedni]

Pros:Easy Navigation


cons:Forum is to small. Half of the screen is ununsed

My Score : I wont give yet, since i guess there be a lot of changes coming;)

[golfbuf]

Yes, I also like the changes except for the narrow page and it's a major PIA (more scrolling).

Hope you'll switch back to the old width.

regards,