Forum Layout Organization

[psychicdragon]

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

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?im...edevelopme.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.p...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.