IANA Moderator or admin but I think these need to be said if I may be so bold…
The new layout is temporary. The Straight dope modifications are not in place yet. When they have been made it may look more like we are used to (or not, I don’t know) but until then I think we should wait and see.
The search engine will not work yet as it is being re-indexed.
Any other comments - I think we should give things a chance to settle before we start commenting on what’s wrong (what’s right will, I assume, be permanent, so I guess it’s ok to comment on that, such as the OP mouseover preview)
Add your own ‘readme’ comments that you think people should know before posting.
Oh, phew. I appreciate and applaud our tech guys for the work they do… I was just all shocked when the new appearance came up. I had come to love the old appearance…
Heh. A couple of other message boards I frequent (yes, I know…heresy) have this look, so I’m somewhat used to it. It is odd to have the SDMB look like this though…but hey…change can be good!
Presuming that this is a temporary (<1 week, hopefully) thing, perhaps one other README note would be – wait on the complaints. If it’s hard to use, maybe it’s a good time to take a little posting break, read a new book or something, and check in to see if changes have been made.
I’m having a hard time getting used to it myself, and it doesn’t play 100% nicely with my (standards compliant & fussy) browser but it’s not the end of the world. I’ll post a little less frequently until things shake out, and get on with life.
I don’t have a problem with the new board. Of course, I’ve used a ton of vBulletin boards in the past, and many look like the new change, so I’m used to it. I very much like the way they set up the user info, with the poster in large type above the post, with the details at the right…it’s classy looking and makes it easier to identify the poster immediately.
Like Jman’s post, I have used other Vbulletin boards. I was surprised to see the upgrade, but I like it none the less. If the positives outweigh the negatives keep it like this. I like Sleek and new, but one central column could get old fast. I think that the upgrade will help server traffic, and I know I am not the only one with concerns on that in the past. If this helps server traffic, Im all for it, Let’s center in on a win-win situation for TSMB and the users.
Glad you said it was temporary, Lobsang - I wasn’t online this morning, then got “page not available” in the afternoon, then logged on earlier this evening and thought, “WHAT THE HECK??” That was when I found the announcement. I suppose that’s what I get for being productive today.
Naturally, I have comments just lined up and waiting to be spouted (because you just know the mods and the admins depend on my opinion eversomuch) but for now, I’ll just say that so far, bleeah.
Don’t take my word for it (I probably should have said that in the OP). It is what Lynn Bodini said in another thread.
I have a feeling that when they are finished the appearance will be almost identical to the old format (as other vbulletin 3 boards look quite ‘traditional’ so it seems very customizable)
As noted above, it’s too narrow, but I’m sure that’s easy to fix. The only real problem I see is the very few thread titles that fit on the screen right now. I suppose I could spend a few bucks on a wheel mouse, but I’ll probably buy a new PC instead.
I’m enjoying the new look for now. Really more of a wait and see thing at this point though. Just glad to have the dope back. Yesterday was lonely. Productive at work, but lonely.
be wildered