I do not like this, Sam-I-Am.
This seems like such a strange change to make. It reduces the ease of catching up with threads on the forum. It seems like a big step backward. Even the tracked threads from the “Suggested” tab at the bottom are now missing. What advantage could there be that motivated them to make this change?
I’ve just made the ‘New’ tab my SDMB homepage, and I admit, it’s handy this way.
You do understand that the remodeled [new] page combines the functions of the old [new] page and the old [unread] page and has a switch at the top to choose which kind of posts you want to see right now.
That is, just the new OPs in chrono order, or just the new replies to threads you’re following in chrono order, or both mixed together in chrono order.
Yeah, as a user of the old [new] page and the old [unread] page as my primary entree into the Dope, it was disconcerting and disorienting to see the change.
30 minutes later I’m now just as happy switching between the same views I’m used to but just on one page, versus the old way of clicking two separate links to go to the two different views each on their own page.
That may be the case and the new New page may be great, but the old way mean that the default boards.straightdope.com had the info right on it. There was no need to go to a different page since there was a button for “Unread (2)” right at the top of the page. Also, when reading one of those updated threads, it was easy to get to the next unread thread because it was highlighted in the Suggested threads at the bottom. The default view was working great. The updated New page may be a great improvement over the old New page, but for most people, they didn’t use the New page or any other page as their home page. They went to the default home page and the info they needed was right there. I’m not seeing why the updated New page means that the default behavior had to change. It seems like they could have kept the old behavior as-is and made a new New page with the updated functionality.
Good points all. I’m not trying to defend the developer’s choices. Just ensuring folks have an accurate understanding of the change(s) so they can use whatever they find useful.
And yes, I too am less than pleased they removed the [Unread] button from the row of buttons at the top that used to read Categories, New, Latest, Unread, Top. The advent of the remodeled new page is itself OK. But removing the old link doesn’t advantage anyone. Although this may be a first step into an upcoming redesigned UI with fewer discrete pages 1990s style and more of a 2020s mobile app feel where there’s only one page with some controls that change what appears on that one page.
Aside:
I have not been to the basic https://boards.straightdope.com/ page in a couple of years. That’s not how I use the SDMB and I find nothing on that page I need.
Not that I am right and you are wrong. Or vice versa. Just that each of us only really knows how we personally use the site. We can guess at other’s habits, but that’s guesswork.
You probably know, but you can set the home page in Profile → Preferences → Interface → Default Home Page to one of several pages (New, Unread, Latest, Categories, …). The default is Categories which is the list of forums.
Setting to New mitigates the main issue in this thread, but doesn’t address @filmore’s issue.
This setting applies to the link on the banner as well.
No, I did not know that. Thank you.
I simply have a browser favorite saved that points to https://boards.straightdope.com/new. My typical usage was to open a browser, click that, open a fresh tab to each of the new OPs of interest, read & close them in turn, then click [unread] at the top of the last surviving tab to then work through the list of my followed threads with fresh posts. Opening each in turn in a fresh tab. Lather rinse repeat.
Thank you!
A week later and they made a nice tweak to the New list.
Below the menu line there is now All Topics Replies.
It seems to defaults to All, but click Topics for just new topics and Replies for new replies to topics you’re tracking/watching.
That is what the behavior has been since they removed the unread. LSLGuy discussed it here:
It is still two extra clicks. Either All and then Replies, or hamburger and unread posts. Clicking on new will give you the count which unread posts in the hamburger menu does not.
I guess it means a gain in real estate on the page by removing the link with an accompanying loss in functionality.
//i\\
Considering all the white areas of the “home” page, it already has far more real estate than it needs.
I agree, but I have always been viewing the site in a browser on a PC screen, others likely have a different experience.
//i\\
They’re making room for more cookies.
Mmmmm… Cookies!