Revamped straightdope.com will launch later today.

[Wallaby]

//Grumpy Old Man Mode//

Mumble, mumble, why did they have to do it, I bet it will crash, it looks rubbish, I don’t like it, waaaaah’.

//Grumpy Old man Mode// OFF

Not really an issue. There’s probably reasons for it. Provided I can read the bits I want, and continue to post my erudite, eagerly-awaited opinions about trivial topics that are the last word on any subject:cool:, not really bothered.

[mikecurtis]

The “related threads” column in the “This Week’s Column” box could have the unintended consequence of unleashing a zombie apocalypse. . .and we all know how some members feel about zombies!

mc

[BigT]

@rowrrbazzle

If you zoom out, it looks better.

Weird. That didn’t work when I tried it the first time, but now it does. I think the page didn’t load all the way or something. (I keep the zoom high for the forums. Yes, even on the new theme.)

So I take that back. Nice job.

[Senegoid]

Is the home page supposed to look about the same as always, or a little bit different, or unrecognizably different? As rendered in my browser (an older version of Firefox), it is unrecognizably different and nigh illegible. One detail I noted: It shows the question of the day, but NOT Cecil’s answer — you have to click on a link to open that page. Is that what “mobile” friendly is all about?

The rest of the page looks almost (but not quite) as if I had viewed it with “No Style” selected, which disables ALL CSS formatting. Is this how it’s going to be?

Also, I noticed that links in a post to other posts don’t work. For example, the nearby thread about Zeke N. Destroi being suspended has links to the offending posts. When I click on those, all I get is:

@Firefox

Secure Connection Failed

An error occurred during a connection to boards.straightdope.com.

Cannot communicate securely with peer: no common encryption algorithm(s).

(Error code: ssl_error_no_cypher_overlap)

[BigT]

No, that’s not what it’s supposed to look like. That sounds like the CSS didn’t load. Try pressing Ctrl+F5 to completely reload the front page.

I would expect many other sites not to work if it was just that your browser is too old.

Same with connecting to the HTTPS version of the messageboard. Other HTTPS sites would fail for you. I bet they’re still working on something.

[DesertDog]

@carnivorousplant

Wait, Playboy has articles? :eek:

I saw a braille edition of Playboy once and it was all articles. It didn’t even have any RLDs (Raised Line Drawings). Of course, if there had been any, certain parts would have been worn through.

[Cartooniverse]

@Jeff_Lichtman

According to the home page, Cecil Adams is the “world’s smartest humat.”

" To Serve Humats: IT’S A COOK-BOOL !!! "

[Clothahump]

FWIW, I see no change whatsoever. Are the pages supposed to look different?

[Biggirl]

My skin is broken also. It’s fine at first but once I actual ask the page to do something it goes all cock-eyed. The only fix is to close the window and sign in again-- only for it to break once i click on any link.

[Biggirl]

Wow, annoying. Hitting post quick reply fixed it for a second, only to be broken again once I looked at a thread. Seeing if hitting quick reply now will change it back.

ETA: Yeup, post reply fixes it. Hitting any link fucks it up.

[aldiboronti]

The new look is OK. I’m getting used to everything being designed these days for mobile display.

[chappachula]

Wait, Playboy has articles?

@Jeff_Lichtman

Yes: “the,” “a,” “an,” and “some.”

ummm-----“some” is not an article.

Sorry, but I just couldn’t let that slip by.
This is the SDope, ya know.

[Jeff_Lichtman]

@chappachula

ummm-----“some” is not an article.

Sorry, but I just couldn’t let that slip by.
This is the SDope, ya know.

From Wikipedia:

The articles in English grammar are the and a/an, and in certain contexts some.

. . .

The word some can be viewed as functionally a plural of a/an in that, for example, “an apple” never means more than one apple but “give me some apples” indicates more than one is desired but without specifying a quantity. In this view it is functionally homologous to the Spanish plural indefinite article unos/unas; un/una (“one”) is completely indistinguishable from the unit number, except where it has a plural form (unos/unas). Thus Dame una manzana" (“Give me an apple”) but “Dame unas manzanas” (“Give me some apples”). The indefiniteness of some or unos can sometimes be semiquantitatively narrowed, as in “There are some apples there, but not many.”

Some also serves as a singular indefinite article, as in “There is some person on the porch”.

[chappachula]

@Jeff_Lichtman

The articles in English grammar are the and a/an, and in certain contexts some.

I 'm embarrassed that I didn’t know that.
Dictionary dot com defines “some” as adjective,pronoun and adverb.

But the main reason I came back to this thread is to bitch: that the new home page looks childish and unprofessional on a real computer.
And on my phone, it’s even less useful…the link to the message boards is hidden way,way down at the bottom. It takes 4 or 5 swipes to find it.
Even then, it’s a small button, and not very enticing. A person unfamiliar with the site would have no idea that it’s the door to the best place on the internet.

Terrible design, not intuitive, difficult to navigate.Will not attract adverstisers.
Almost worthy of a mention on websitesthatsuck.com

[carnivorousplant]

@chappachula

Even then, it’s a small button, and not very enticing.

I’m pretty sure that the Straight Dope doesn’t want to be known as an enabler.
:dubious:

[Elendil_s_Heir]

Not crazy about the new look, but eh, I’ll get used to it. There doesn’t appear to be a way on the Archive page to search for any particular past articles, though.

[Sherrerd]

@Chronos

Sherrerd, it sounds like you’re talking about the forum skin(s). That’s a completely different topic from the www.straightdope.com page, which is what this thread is about.

Oops–apologies; you’re quite right. I’ll hie me to the https thread, which I guess is the right one.

[Chronos]

Is the layout that different on desktop and mobile? On my computer, the link to the message board is right up top.

[TroutMan]

Are the Trending Threads maintained by a person or automatically determined? There’s one on there (“I have prostate cancer”) that seems like an odd choice for the home page.

[GuanoLad]

So you upgraded the design from 1997-era to 2002-era. Well done.