# One Theme To Rule Them All **URL:** \ **Category:** Site Feedback\ **Created:** [June 24, 2020, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-theme-to-rule-them-all/912639 "2020-06-24T03:33:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2020, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-theme-to-rule-them-all/912639/101 "2020-07-01T20:04:51Z")
Also, why is there an image of a slice of cake next to my use name? ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2020, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-theme-to-rule-them-all/912639/102 "2020-07-01T20:08:29Z")
When I held my cursor over it, it said it’s the anniversary of the day you joined. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2020, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-theme-to-rule-them-all/912639/103 "2020-07-01T20:08:33Z")
> [@Doug\_K](#): > > The intent of the web was for the content to conform to the user’s browser, and competent designers were expected to make the page look as good as possible at any resolution or window width. This is absolutely not true. If you really want to talk about the early days of the web, the original HTML spec did not consider different screen aspect ratios at all. All monitors were 4:3 CRTs. CSS wasn’t introduced until 1996 and wasn’t uniformly supported by browsers until years later. The first widescreen monitors weren’t available until around 2003. The principles of good web design do not say “use all the available pixels on the user’s display”. It’s about ease of consumption, consistency and aesthetics. User Experience. ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2020, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-theme-to-rule-them-all/912639/104 "2020-07-01T23:50:16Z")
> [@GreenWyvern](#): > > The white space is fine as far as I’m concerned. I don’t want a busy screen jammed with text. And it seems that only a very few people are complaining about it. I’m not complaining about white space. I have no white space to complain about – I’m using SDMB Dark. Much easier on the eyes. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2020, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-theme-to-rule-them-all/912639/105 "2020-07-02T00:42:24Z")
Why do some people act like giving us the option of having the text fit a wide window would prevent the text from fitting a narrow window? Letting us have what we want would would not take away what you want. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2020, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-theme-to-rule-them-all/912639/106 "2020-07-02T01:18:22Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Also, why is there an image of a slice of cake next to my use name? It’s your Straight Dope anniversary! [![](https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/xzuxh7mj916vgr8/Screenshot%202020-07-02%2013.19.51.png?dl=0) ](https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/xzuxh7mj916vgr8/Screenshot%202020-07-02%2013.19.51.png?dl=0) ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2020, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-theme-to-rule-them-all/912639/107 "2020-07-02T03:36:19Z")
I can’t imagine anyone is opposed to having a “wide” theme. People are just being recreationally argumentative, I think. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2020, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-theme-to-rule-them-all/912639/108 "2020-07-02T03:37:27Z")
> [@Seanette](#): > > When I held my cursor over it, it said it’s the anniversary of the day you joined. > [@Richard\_Pearse](#): > > It’s your Straight Dope anniversary! > … That’s sort of cute. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2020, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-theme-to-rule-them-all/912639/109 "2020-07-02T03:41:33Z")
> [@Richard\_Pearse](#): > > It’s your Straight Dope anniversary! I thought the icon for that should be a little squid. ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2020, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-theme-to-rule-them-all/912639/110 "2020-07-02T14:40:32Z")
I don’t really get the complaints about white space. For reference, [here’s what a typical SDMB thread looked like on vBulletin 3.x](https://web.archive.org/web/20170602022217/http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=827221). Text is small and fairly crowded, and lines fill the width of the browser window. The SDMB didn’t use a template where avatars and user information were in a column to the left, so there was a lot of clutter between posts: - white space with the quote button on the right - gap between post blocks - gray block with date / post number / old post indicator - blocks with user name / title / member status and join date / location / post count - blank line … and then the following post. Adjusting for text size, all that crap took up just as much space between posts as the space between posts with the current SDMB light theme or the Sam’s Simple theme. (Firefox, Windows 10, Discourse SDMB Light: 15 px Arial, 21 px lines. vBulletin default indigo theme: 13.333 px Trebuchet, “normal” line spacing.) Text is easier to read when lines are shorter, but not too short. When lines are too long, it’s harder to track back to the start of the following line. [Cite](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3734020/). [cite](https://www.intechnic.com/blog/best-practices-to-improve-text-readability-for-optimal-user-experience/), [cite](https://baymard.com/blog/line-length-readability?utm_source=designernews), [cite](https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2014/09/balancing-line-length-font-size-responsive-web-design/). For what it’s worth, most modern flat message board systems use a left column user info/avatar, right column message format, [like this](https://www.urban75.net/forums/threads/your-daily-cat-and-kitten-news.316222/), which creates a lot of white space left of the content. Line height is also a factor. Text becomes harder to read as it becomes more crowded, or too lose. [Cite](https://kickpoint.ca/the-readability-formula-making-your-website-easy-to-read/). The old SDMB used “normal” line spacing for text. The Discourse SDMB light theme has 21 px lines (again, FF / Windows 10), resulting in lines with a little bit more spacing than the default. This is a good thing. A different web typeface could make text more appealing and readable, like [Open Sans](https://fonts.google.com/specimen/Open+Sans) or [Roboto](https://fonts.google.com/specimen/Roboto?category=Serif,Sans+Serif&subset=latin&sort=popularity). ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2020, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-theme-to-rule-them-all/912639/111 "2020-07-02T15:38:19Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > I can’t imagine anyone is opposed to having a “wide” theme. People are just being recreationally argumentative, I think. > [@elmwood](#): > > Text is easier to read when lines are shorter, but not too short. When lines are too long, it’s harder to track back to the start of the following line. [Cite](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3734020/). [cite](https://www.intechnic.com/blog/best-practices-to-improve-text-readability-for-optimal-user-experience/), [cite](https://baymard.com/blog/line-length-readability?utm_source=designernews), [cite](https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2014/09/balancing-line-length-font-size-responsive-web-design/). For what it’s worth, most modern flat message board systems use a left column user info/avatar, right column message format, [like this](https://www.urban75.net/forums/threads/your-daily-cat-and-kitten-news.316222/), which creates a lot of white space left of the content. You can provide multiple cites that say the daytime sky is a deep red, but I can still look outside for myself. Longer lines means fewer lines, so I can read more without turning pages or scrolling. I can observe that by myself, and all the cites in the world can’t change that. Taking away my option to have longer lines doesn’t benefit you or anyone else in any way, and giving me that option doesn’t take anything away from you. You can still get your shorter lines by adjusting your window size. That’s what makes this just being recreationally argumentative. ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2020, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-theme-to-rule-them-all/912639/112 "2020-07-02T16:29:28Z")
It seems like you enjoy complaining, but now you’re scrapping the bottom of the barrel… Better go yell at those pesky kids to get off your lawn! 😄 ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2020, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-theme-to-rule-them-all/912639/113 "2020-07-02T17:30:59Z")
You still haven’t explained how my being able to get rid of the wasted space would harm you in any way. I’m waiting. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2020, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-theme-to-rule-them-all/912639/114 "2020-07-02T19:03:42Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > I just want to reiterate that the old one wasn’t fully fluid, at least with the theme I had been using. Because I like to keep my web browsers narrow, and I often had to widen my window to accommodate the old Dope – otherwise it made me scroll back and forth – which is a lot worse than scrolling up and down. I noticed that trying to use the old board on my phone. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2020, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-theme-to-rule-them-all/912639/115 "2020-07-02T19:19:37Z")
I feel like you are still addressing me. Maybe I’m wrong. But for the record: 1. I am fine with the current width. In fact, I’d like it a little narrower. If I make the window as narrow as I’d like, I some some scrolling functionality as the board decides to prioritize text over that little local bar on the side, and I lose the location bar. So just like the old board, I am making my browser window wider when I visit the Dope. ☹ 2. If someone can create a theme that shows a wider band of text, I am all in favor. So long as I’m not forced to use it, or to make my own window wider yet. But I am a fan of user options. And we obviously have a bunch of users who would like a wider block of text. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2020, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-theme-to-rule-them-all/912639/116 "2020-07-02T19:42:31Z")
I was actually addressing all the condescending “stuck in the past” “get off my lawn” “you’re just afraid of change” “you just enjoy complaining” stuff that I’ve been seeing all too often since the switch. One poster in another thread actually called people who want the option to not see avatars like we had on the old board “whiny little babies”. But no one would be forced to use a wider band of text any more than they were on the old board. You can still adjust your window to give you a narrower band. Well, down to a certain point. It seems most of the browsers have ridiculously _wide_ minimum window widths now, but that’s a different gripe. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2020, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-theme-to-rule-them-all/912639/117 "2020-07-02T20:38:52Z")
Really? You don’t get the complaints about wasted space when you just gave an example of exactly how much wasted space there is? [![](https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/nk51ocggfuliih0/SDMB%20comparison.jpg?dl=0) ](https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/nk51ocggfuliih0/SDMB%20comparison.jpg?dl=0) ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2020, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-theme-to-rule-them-all/912639/118 "2020-07-02T21:09:02Z")
That graphic shows clearly how much better and how much more readable the current design is compared with the old board. It proves the opposite of what you are saying. It’s a wonderful example of how valuable white space can be. 😄   [Importance of Whitespace in Good Design](https://medium.com/successivetech/importance-of-whitespace-in-good-design-de03ea0ab4db)   [Defining True Creativity Through White Space in Graphic Design](https://www.artworkabode.com/blog/graphic-design-and-the-power-of-white-space/)   [Why is White Space Good For Graphic Design](https://designmodo.com/white-space-graphic-design/)   [White Space In Graphic Design: Guidelines & Examples](https://blog.bannersnack.com/white-space-in-graphic-design/)   [The power of white space](https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/the-power-of-white-space) ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2020, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-theme-to-rule-them-all/912639/119 "2020-07-02T23:27:56Z")
No it doesn’t. The old board was much more readable. But again. You can get all the whitespace you want by simply shrinking your window. You don’t have to force it on everyone else. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2020, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-theme-to-rule-them-all/912639/120 "2020-07-03T00:08:55Z")
> [@Doug\_K](#): > > You still haven’t explained how my being able to get rid of the wasted space would harm you in any way. I’m waiting. It’s been said multiple times that an additional theme or two with a wide layout would be totally fine. You keep obnoxiously arguing that the web standard approach the OOTB themes use is somehow _wrong_ in spite of overwhelming evidence to the contrary. Changing the standard themes to a wider layout to accommodate you is not “we all get what we want”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-theme-to-rule-them-all/912639.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-theme-to-rule-them-all/912639.md?page=7)