While I do appreciate all efforts to improve IM, I have to ask the question:
What is gained by this "upgrade"?

Here's what it looks like to me:
-new colors, fresh coat of paint.
-some new icon switches, some of which don't make sense (What differences a scrolling red thread from a static red thread icon?)
-A complete reversal forum standards. Has anyone here EVER seen a post to the LEFT of an avatar?
-90% of minor cosmetic changes make the board more difficult to read.
-aside from avatars, there's very little differentiation as to who's posting what.

Conclusion:
-things that are different are not necessarily better.
-the old layout was MUCH clearer, easier to understand, it benefited from simplicity and clarity.

What are everyone's thoughts on this matter?
The layout flamefest of 2008 begins now.

edit 1x: Oh yeah, there's also a usergroup system, as well as a "friend & foe" system in your control panel. There's a perhaps potential in the usergroup system, but the F/F system seems pointless.
edit 2x: I think this layout would work better if people shifted to a posting of "fewer posts, but more content in each post". It's just pretty difficult as it is now. The "online" band on posts by your avatar is nice, though easy to go unnoticed.

Let me clarify what I wrote in announcements - this layout (style) is NOT going to stay. The old styles are not compatible with this upgrade, so I have to learn how to set up a new one. I'm just not going to do that tonight. I didn't want to leave the forum closed until I do this- I can't keep the old forum open while I'm still working on this one because the data (posts, users, etc) will get out of synch and synching it again would wipe out all the new settings anyway.

There are huge, huge changes behind the scenes to make the forum easier to manage, and as you've already noticed there are some new features here and there. Basically the forum kind of went from Windows XP to Vista. =P

The only thing different that I've noticed besides visual things is you can add friends and foes. Everyone add me as friend plz :3

Fake edit: The member list is easier to navigate.

[quote="terra"]Let me clarify what I wrote in announcements - this layout (style) is NOT going to stay.
[/quote]

Good, because I really don't like the new style.
I like to read who is posting by their avatar, and having it on the right seems, wrong.

The old visual style was better, I'm looking forward to what you can do to make this easier on us.

But other than that, it's still the IM I know and love, so I won't leave even if the avatars are stuck on the right.

...

skoolyardpuck (2:51:43 AM): GOD this update sucks
skoolyardpuck (2:51:50 AM): seriously
skoolyardpuck (2:51:55 AM): there's so much shit going on
skoolyardpuck (2:52:21 AM): someone seriously ran into the brainstorming room and was like
skoolyardpuck (2:52:24 AM): I GOT AN IDEA
skoolyardpuck (2:52:42 AM): WHY DONT WE TAKE ALL FORUMS ON OUR SERVER
skoolyardpuck (2:53:07 AM): JUMBLE IT UP AND DISORIENT ITS USERS BY USING THE COLORS OF THE MOTHER FUCKING RAINBOW AND MAKING EVERYTHING CLOSE TOGETHER
japr88 (2:53:21 AM): THAT'D BE AWESOME RITE
japr88 (2:53:23 AM): AND PEOPLE WOULD LOVE IT
japr88 (2:53:26 AM): ...nah
skoolyardpuck (2:55:12 AM): if i have to work this fucking hard to read a forum while ignoring all the bullshit clutter, i better be getting college credit man
japr88 (2:55:41 AM): hahahha
japr88 (2:55:42 AM): seriously

[img]http://lauramartinez.files.wordpress.com/2007/10/cheese.jpg[/img]

Everyone's avatars are on the right? I see them on the left...

EDIT: And is anyone else having problems with the search function? Most of the time it can't find anything. Hell, I even tried searching "pillows" in The Pillows section and got FOUR results?!?!

As of right now, I think it looks pretty hot.

lol terra.

Awesome with the new style, I really like it.

wait what?

[quote="Jono"]Everyone's avatars are on the right? I see them on the left...

EDIT: And is anyone else having problems with the search function? Most of the time it can't find anything. Hell, I even tried searching "pillows" in The Pillows section and got FOUR results?!?![/quote]

Search should work better now. You have to rebuild the search index (that allows it to search faster) and apparently it didn't build the full thing the first time I did it.

[quote="terra"][quote="Jono"]Everyone's avatars are on the right? I see them on the left...

EDIT: And is anyone else having problems with the search function? Most of the time it can't find anything. Hell, I even tried searching "pillows" in The Pillows section and got FOUR results?!?![/quote]

Search should work better now. You have to rebuild the search index (that allows it to search faster) and apparently it didn't build the full thing the first time I did it.[/quote]
Yeah, it's working now. Thanks for the explanation.

This looks weird.



Can we change the font type?

EDIT: You may intend it already, but could you put the little text/icon thingy that indicate which posts are new back onto the left side? I'm getting confused as hell trying to separate old ones from new ones, especially since I haven't logged on in two days.

I have found the bouncing "popular topic" -signs annoying. But I guess I can live with that.