Dial Up style [Archive]

TosaInu

12-27-2005, 16:04

Hello,

Added a new style today: it is a lightweight and should speed up browsing for Dial Up users. It can be found it the normal Style Selection dropdown and your UserCP.

As this is supposed to be a fast no whistle no bells skin, more may be stripped from that skin.

TosaInu

12-27-2005, 20:56

The subforums can be displayed in columns. I'm not sure whether this is more convenient, so it's only applied to the Dial Up skin at this moment. Provide some feedback please: should this be added to the other skins too?

Normal
Subforums: subforum1, subforum 2, subforum3, subfor
um5.

Columns:
Subforums:
subforum1subforum2subforum3
subforum4

Uesugi Kenshin

12-27-2005, 21:11

Proletariat

12-28-2005, 05:35

Huh, just noticed the smilie thing. I was wondering why so many male Orgahs had taken a liking to the Geisha-looking smilies.

Just A Girl

12-28-2005, 09:45

Great idea. Has to be helpfull to 56k users
(i used to have a14.4k a a 28k a 33k and then a 56k dial up modem and 33k and 56k are usualy almost the same speed)
I think the 56K thing in the top corner is Rubing peoples noses in it a bit
I remember dissliking my 56k so intensly that I did not like even Mentionign its existance,
Still think its a good idea.
Although as i said the Huge 56K sign in the top corner could Lead to severe depression for some :smile:

Simetrical

12-28-2005, 10:00

The columns takes up more space. I think subforums are fine as-is.

LeftEyeNine

12-28-2005, 10:27

Tosa,

I really like the color blend of that theme. Is there any possibility of applying the color blend to a new theme ?

Too much request under so much work, isn't it :tongueg:

TosaInu

12-28-2005, 12:43

Tosa,

I really like the color blend of that theme. Is there any possibility of applying the color blend to a new theme ?

Too much request under so much work, isn't it :tongueg:

What would you like to see in a theme? In other words: what do you miss in the Dial Up one? The avatars,sigs?

TosaInu

12-28-2005, 12:45

GAH! Discrimination! Tosa you should be ashamed!

I'll have to try that out, the page loads can get a bit tedious....

BTW while I'm here what's with the smilies? I see we've moved on from the holiday smilies, but will the old one go back to being the default? just wondering, please don't skin me!

EDIT: Okay, here's my feedback so far, it seems to run much faster, well as long there are no pictures, and the 56k in the top left is really classy, all I need is more reminding....Just joking.

I'm always ashamed.

The server is fair, the database is huge and there are some users, add some images and it will slow down.

The santa smileys are removed from the click menu and the Geishas are added. All smileys are still around. The old ones can become default again.

I have DSL, but I guess the 56k will become my own favourite. At least until we have an ultra lite one.

Mikeus Caesar

12-28-2005, 13:33

Hm, this will be handy whenever i have to go to my grandparents and use their internet connection that time forgot.

Mouzafphaerre

12-28-2005, 14:18

Huh, just noticed the smilie thing. I was wondering why so many male Orgahs had taken a liking to the Geisha-looking smilies.
.
Caught my eye too! :tongueg:
:thinking:
Uh oh! ~:confused:
.

LeftEyeNine

12-28-2005, 18:38

What would you like to see in a theme? In other words: what do you miss in the Dial Up one? The avatars,sigs?

I mean, I like the Dial UP theme's colors, and asked if it would be possible to apply it to normal broadband themes or create a new one with those colors.

I mean only colors - I love them :loveg:

Edit : I just got your post ~D Yes, I miss the extra graphical attributes of the normal ones in Dial Up theme. I'd like avatars and sigs, at least, in a theme with those colors.

:bow:

Kekvit Irae

12-29-2005, 01:35

I like how I can browse the site much more easily with my T-Mobile Sidekick using the Dial Up style, however I dislike the shades of grey color scheme. Maybe brighten it up a bit?

Uesugi Kenshin

12-29-2005, 02:42

Personally I like the grey....

Just a random question but can you (the normal user) still reactivate avatars and such in this theme or are they totally removed?

Mouzafphaerre

12-29-2005, 03:00

.
That's simple to check: switch to the skin and check your profile/options to see if it's there. :winkg:
.

Uesugi Kenshin

12-29-2005, 03:56

Yeah I really should go check that myself....Sorry I was lookign forward to reading my English homework (for once!) too much to think of that.

EDIT: I checked, the boxes are still checked, this style just doesn't support them.

Rilder

12-29-2005, 07:19

ohh that style is as ugly as errrm... yo momma...i'l "suffer" with the RTW skin lol.... and HOW DARE YOU descriminate against us 56kers , we may have a small modem but were bigger in "other areas" ~;)

TosaInu

12-29-2005, 13:16

Please explain discrimination?

I think this is an intermediate solution.

Originally, the Dial Up style (which can be used by anyone for whatever reason) did support avatars and signatures. The user can always turn that on and off in his userCP. But then I figured, that users can get caught (broadband, because the monthly bandwidth is expired and thus the rest of the month is 28k, broadband users without limits stuck in some download/upload, but I remember my narrowband performance dropping too) and then it would be nice to have a lite skin at the fingertips. The skinselector is in the left bottom of every page.

Right now, the archive is the lightest skin you can find, but it lacks reply buttons. So, there's still 'work' to do.

Kekvit Irae

12-29-2005, 15:40

Can we get a PDA version? No tables, just straight html. As it stands, trying to type a reply using a mobile phone like the Sidekick sucks (horribly) as the form you enter the words in extends offscreen and there's a good chunk of white space on the left side that's doing nothing. Remove the tables and just give us a straight html version for those of us who use mobile phones and pdas to post on the site. (Oh, and it's impossible to click on the emoticon)

KukriKhan

12-29-2005, 15:45

This is turning into a whole new development effort; members are increasingly referring to reading and posting content on machines other-than-PC's: phones,PSP's, PDA's.

the56K skin (viewed on my laptop) reminds me of the 'good-old' (plain, old) days of the Sword Dojo on uBB; a username, and his/her content...period. Nice.

Just A Girl

12-29-2005, 16:22

I say its a nice addition, And would be very helpfull to dial up users.
Its admirable that the effort has been made to provide a new skin for dial up users at all.
i beleve its ok to debat the colour scheem and other little bits n pieces.
But isnt it a bit premature to start asking for more skins designed for pda's and stuff when theres still work to be done on this?

Prehaps I am incorrect in assuming that The disscussion about pda style skins would be best suited to a nother topic.
I beleve that the only things that should really be posted in here is praize for the Ongoing Efforts to improve this already great forum,
And prehaps a few minor probs some may have with the skin.

I hope that sounds like it did to me :)
:bow:

LeftEyeNine

12-29-2005, 17:06

But isnt it a bit premature to start asking for more skins designed for pda's and stuff when theres still work to be done on this?

You'd get loads of answers for this. While there's still time, I'm asking for better expressions from you..

Edit: So no possibility of actualization of my request, TosaInu ?

TosaInu

12-29-2005, 18:16

Ever since fall 2002, there are boards where I test things before activating them here (sort at least the grunt of the problems, enough still turns out erratic).

There's a testboard now, hidden from the public (license). That board has a PDA skin loaded. It's lite and beta. My main concern with it at this very moment is that it also removes the userCP and skinselector. So, anyone who accidentely activates that skin, may have a hard time to go back.

LeftEyeNine: the Dial Up skin will get the option to display avatars/sigs as soon as there's a liteskin without graphics. There is quite some work to do on that and I think I'll just grab some existing style and strip that. I feel such a skin should not just be lite, but also work for different PC's (a colorscheme can become hard to use on some vidcards/monitors using 256 colors). Maybe it should also have some larger font and maximum contrast. Light text on a dark background is pretty easy to read. So, something like the Black skin could work out well.

The PDA skin:
(Mainly) depends how easy it will be to add a link to return to the userCP/skinselector.

Edit: PDA style could be quickly fixed, enter userCP/edit options and update style there when you get stuck in it. PDA style added.

Mouzafphaerre

12-29-2005, 23:46

.

Please explain discrimination?
I believe he intended that to be a joke. ~:) Didn't you, Rilder? :stare:
.

KukriKhan

12-30-2005, 03:00

PDA style added

And it looks great.

Please join me in saying: "Wow!". Less than 3 hours after the subject is brought up...BAM! we get action.

Can anyone who connects via PDA, phone, etc take a pic of what the forums looks like on that device? I'm intensely curious to see.

therother

12-30-2005, 07:21

This is how it looks on my PDA:

https://img511.imageshack.us/img511/7444/pdaforumhome2cc.jpg|https://img511.imageshack.us/img511/2104/pdaskin3sb.jpg

Much quicker loading times and better formatting. Quite usable now. :rtwyes:

Rilder

12-30-2005, 07:42

.

I believe he intended that to be a joke. ~:) Didn't you, Rilder? :stare:
.

not about the part about being bigger in other areas...

Its a proven fact that 56kers are more fit and better and bed... after all we do have more time to "spend wit our women" and excersize. :gring:

Ladies how do you think Brad Pitt got so hot? HE HAS 56k!!

Weebeast

12-30-2005, 09:13

Hey, cool stuff. The PDA one is kinda funky lol. BTw, does this mean DSL people can have fancy sigs?

TosaInu

12-30-2005, 13:05

Hey, cool stuff. The PDA one is kinda funky lol. BTw, does this mean DSL people can have fancy sigs?

Not just like that. Fancy sigs will include pictures of over 100 kb and more, that will be still too much for many. It's not possible just like that, to split the signature and display the heavy load in a broadband skin only and the text (which is often advertising for a mod/clan) in all others.

There's the option to make a broadband skin and have it display the signature and then the profilepicture (there are no sizelimits on that).

LeftEyeNine

12-30-2005, 22:50

There's the option to make a broadband skin and have it display the signature and then the profilepicture (there are no sizelimits on that).

You mean a theme with no sig limit can be created (that sounded strangely irrational to me) ?

TosaInu

12-30-2005, 22:58

Why LeftEyeNine?

TosaInu

12-30-2005, 23:48

Only enabled in style Experimental at this moment to show the idea.

Go to userCP edit Options and enable Broadband user, you can enter an extra signature picture in UserCP/edit Profile if you haven't already done so. Then Select the Experimental skin and look at the board again. Not everyone has the extra picture enabled yet, so you may have to browse to one of your own posts. You'll see a signature and below that your extra picture, extended signature (for now).

I said no limits, but keep it reasonable, no jokes with multi megabyte pictures.

It will be enabled (option) in other skins, when users think it's good to have and when you have worked out among yourselves what the limits should be, filesize and picturedimensions. Please start a new topic in the Watchtower about it.

LeftEyeNine

12-31-2005, 01:39

Why LeftEyeNine?

Well, then what will the patrons who do not enable "broadband" option in Experimental skin (and in others in case accepted by dear members) see in my sig when I put one over limits ? My "limitless" one ? That just sounded confusing (and a bit disturbing for those patrons) to me.

Edit : Just to remind you Master Tosa, that I don't have the analystic/numerical mentality of a coder. I may have sounded silly ~:)

TosaInu

12-31-2005, 10:41

Don't worry LeftEyeNine,

You don't sound silly. My answer may be, as/if I fail to understand your question.

You can't force anyone to use either the signature and the extended one, or just one of both. Just like users an't be forced to display either, one or both.

The extended signature box is pretty simple, it can only contain one picture. This would be a larger picture (or just an extra one) which isn't allowed to be displayed in the normal signature, because it hurts narrowband users.

The idea is that users continue using the signature box for text, links, smileys and other images like they do now, so narrow-, mediumbanders and more spartan users can see some candy, while the extra box is only used for a larger extra image.

In case a user does not select broadband, he will just see the old way.

Does this answer?

LeftEyeNine

12-31-2005, 15:01

Ah so you say, the logic is something like that : There is one area for the sigs -as it is right now- and when broadband option enabled a second area will be added instead of broadening the first sig area.This was confusing me in terms of my 11-year-limited computer knowledge... Anyway, I think at least it is something like that ~D I got it, Master Tosa. Thanks :bow: