Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: Do you like what we've done with the place?

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  • Islander,

    Was it Lucy who asked what is the collective noun for bears?

    It's a sleuth, or a sloth, but pack for polar bears...

    Big O, Mahitahi, Te Wahi … • Since Feb 2007 • 5643 posts Report Reply

  • Marcus Turner,

    I'd add my plea to those who've asked for more than just "Page X of Y", First/Older and Newer/Last. When I've missed discussion for a while, I'd like to be able to quickly navigate to a certain page, and read from there.

    I'm particularly pleased with how Public Address now looks and operates on a iPod.

    Since Nov 2006 • 212 posts Report Reply

  • Petra,

    Just got one more wee nitpicky thing:

    If you click on a link, it moves away from this page. I’ve done this a couple of times already this morning using the webpage links next to commenters’ email links, which has me wandering away from PA. Then I close the window because I’ve had a good gawk and want to come back to PA…

    If links in PA were set to open in a new window/tab, then it would be much easier to come back to where you began, and would stop people navigating away from PA.


    Does that make sense? Am I being too picky?

    Rotorua • Since Mar 2007 • 317 posts Report Reply

  • Matthew Poole,

    New layout looks OK, though will take some getting used to.

    How's the RSS arranged? Newest OP, or most-recent comment? I can't tell, and I used the separate RSS feed for PAS for precisely that purpose: find out which threads have new comments. Definitely a dislike if that's no longer possible.

    Also, what's with the preview button being greyed-out? It works, but having it dimmed is a UI indication that it's disabled. Not good design.

    Auckland • Since Mar 2007 • 4097 posts Report Reply

  • giovanni tiso,

    I'm missing most of all the list of latest posts on the system sidebar. Since that's my entry point into public address, I'll know that a new blog has been posted only when somebody has commented on it.

    Wellington • Since Jun 2007 • 7473 posts Report Reply

  • giovanni tiso,

    Reloading Russell's latest tweets every time one looks at new comments is also possibly redundant, at least for me.

    Wellington • Since Jun 2007 • 7473 posts Report Reply

  • Brodie Davis,

    Its looking really good, but please fix the typekit errors, It looked like the earlier image to me, and I had to force myself to read the thread to work out what was wrong (it looks like something is conflicting with cleartype as it seems to be all sorts of aliasing errors, as I am stuck on XP at the office, it would probably be fine on a more modern OS).

    Since Aug 2008 • 54 posts Report Reply

  • JackElder, in reply to Petra,

    Petra – are you using Firefox? If so, try clicking the links using your middle mouse button (or your scroll wheel); this opens the link in a new tab.

    (That's a general Firefox tip, not a PAS-specific tweak).

    Wellington • Since Mar 2008 • 709 posts Report Reply

  • Matthew Poole, in reply to Petra,

    I don't think you're being too picky. It used to be that external links had a target=new value so they opened in a new window/tab. That's one of the things I like, though I do normally just middle-click links so that they open in new tabs in the background.

    Auckland • Since Mar 2007 • 4097 posts Report Reply

  • Robyn Gallagher, in reply to giovanni tiso,

    Gio, there's a new page that lets you see the latest blog posts as well as the top discussions.

    You will find this page at: http://publicaddress.net/

    Since Nov 2006 • 1946 posts Report Reply

  • Robyn Gallagher, in reply to giovanni tiso,

    I don't mind a Twitter feed, but it would be more useful to have @ replies filtered out. They're pretty meaningless without context.

    Since Nov 2006 • 1946 posts Report Reply

  • Petra,

    Thanks, Jack, but I use Google Chrome. I find that it’s a much less cluttered browser that loads a lot faster (though I admittedly haven’t used Firefox for about 18 months now).

    I suppose I could download a new version and see how it compares nowadays…. Oh, ok. I’ll try it!


    EDIT: Actually, no need to go to FF – I just tried the scroll wheel click on a link, and that worked perfectly. Thanks! :-D

    Rotorua • Since Mar 2007 • 317 posts Report Reply

  • Robyn Gallagher,

    I'd like to add to the list of people wanting an easier way to navigate to posts that aren't "first" or "last".

    Some PA discussions end up getting hundreds of replies. If I'm trying to navigate to something in the middle of that, I don't want to end up clicking "newer" over and over until I get to it.

    I could guess the URL, but I'd rather have the functionality built in, rather than a hack.

    Since Nov 2006 • 1946 posts Report Reply

  • Danielle,

    Oh. Also. This may be because I’m a total dumbass (many of my problems in life could probably be explained thereby), but… do I have to scroll down every time I want to see who’s had a bit of a natter on various threads? Is there a way to just go to that Recent Discussions bit more quickly?

    Edit: ah! If you just go straight to publicaddress.net/system and bypass the front page, you end up with a list of the most 'recently active' threads.

    Charo World. Cuchi-cuchi!… • Since Nov 2006 • 3828 posts Report Reply

  • st ephen,

    I’m with Gio – PAS is active enough that “Recent Posts” is covered by “Recent Discussion”. Previously, I could see the most recent discussion posts listed at the top of the page I opened to. Now I have to scroll down to it. This is trivial, but multiply “trivial” by “far-too-many-times-per-day” and you get “might-be time-to-get-a-life”.

    [edit: dumbass minds think alike, Danielle...]

    dunedin • Since Jul 2008 • 254 posts Report Reply

  • Petra,

    Danielle, try the page up / page down buttons. End will take you to the bottom of the page, and Home will take you back to the top. Much better for keeping the RSI in check, too.

    EDIT: just realised that this may not actually be helpful to what you're asking. hmmm.

    Rotorua • Since Mar 2007 • 317 posts Report Reply

  • Brent Jackson,

    Looking good.

    I too disabled typekit - improved the fonts a lot.

    I too would like navigation at the top as well as the bottom, and a range of page numbers as well as older and newer. Perhaps 3 first, 3 last, and 3 either side of where you are (avoiding double ups of course) eg instead of "page 8 of 12", you could have "1 2 3 ... 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12".

    I too find too much space on the right in discussion. Could not the two right columns be combined into one ?

    But overall it is a great improvement.

    Cheers,
    Brent.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 620 posts Report Reply

  • Kirsten Brethouwer,

    Thank goodness you're back. Got a new gravatar to celebrate, just to see myself along all this awesome type.

    Waiheke Island • Since Nov 2006 • 35 posts Report Reply

  • Rich Lock,

    “I” and “l”

    Why must all the people keep on shooting and robbing? Why? Why must must all the people keep on killing and fighting? No, not I. I and I will would never try. No, not I.

    I and I would never try.

    But I and I survive.

    back in the mother countr… • Since Feb 2007 • 2728 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha,

    I agree about some tweaks to address how us heavy users navigate.

    Can I stick up for the blank space on the right. Wider columns of text are known to be harder to read for most people. Aligning everything left is actually an accessibility feature – which also happens to deliver good results for mobile devices and is more manageable technically when resizing for different zoom levels and devices. Not to say other accessibility issues are absent…

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • Jolisa,

    There is kind of a snow-blindness effect from that large square of white on the right, though, eh?

    The old PA wasn't all about the white and the right. Well..

    Auckland, NZ • Since Nov 2006 • 1472 posts Report Reply

  • giovanni tiso, in reply to Robyn Gallagher,

    Gio, there’s a new page that lets you see the latest blog posts as well as the top discussions.

    True, but if it's primarily the comments I'm after, then on that page I have to scroll down - the old system did it all very neatly on the one page, with latest comment and latest posts always appearing on top.

    Wellington • Since Jun 2007 • 7473 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha,

    I realise this is more than a minor one, but could we add a Favourite function and a way to jump back through those in any thread?

    Then I could use it to mark the last post I'd read and go straight back there. As well as highlight those gems I might want to quote from, especially when I'm playing catchup in busy conversations.

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha, in reply to Jolisa,

    I guess that large block of white background could be changed into a more soothing colour like the one in this comment box (though there'd be other flow-on changes required)

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • Andre Alessi, in reply to Sacha,

    "Subscriptions" to threads might be even better than favourites the way that most forums implement it: you can subscribe to threads and they end up in your "watch" list. Posting in a thread would automatically add it to the subscription list.

    Devonport, New Zealand • Since Nov 2006 • 864 posts Report Reply

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