HB wrote:To test your theory, I changed the current format. It's not bad centered.

Ah call me crazy I liked it the way it was. While the new version may work in the center, the old certainly to me looked better justified to the left. Call me a sourpuss...

HB wrote:I hope to get some time with a professional web designer to get his opinion / improvements.

Heaven helps us! I see it now : Flash Avatars!
The best source of feedback is always the customer.

If you'd like some help with design/css/coding I used to develop on phpbb and can spare some eyeballs to help out.

Thanks, you just became my new best friend.

HB wrote:Thanks, you just became my new best friend.

I haven't done a tremendous amount of "design" work but I feel confident in my ability to "make things happen" in css.

I did all of the programming, html & css for http://www.azpm.org (where I currently work, the Public Radio and TV Station in Tucson, AZ).

For those who like the old look and feel, the subSilver2 theme is pretty close. I made it the "default" on the forum that I run.

Version 3 made several features "standard" that were only available in version 2.x as "mods". File attachment, for instance. It also has the ability to have multi-level categories, and the admin can decide whether or not to show all the levels on the front page. This can be handy, if you want to keep the front page uncluttered. It also allows admins to limit the size of EXTERNAL images. I was just on a forum where a user had an 800x600 image in his SIGNATURE, and had multiple posts in the same thread. What a waste of space. With version 3, the admin can stop that kind of craziness easily.

My complaints are mostly from an admin's perspective, not as a user. My users seem to like it. My biggest gripe is the lack of a mod installer. I suspect that will eventually come, and more mods will be available. I want an RSS feed! That was available as a mod on phpBB2.x.

Jack

welone wrote:is there a print button I'm missing?

The user choices bar was getting crowded and the print button graphic was the "wrong" size for a single line layout, so I dropped it. I'll find a home for it somewhere, e.g., bottom of the page next to "subscribe" and the rest.

TimEggers wrote:Ah call me crazy I liked it the way it was. While the new version may work in the center, the old certainly to me looked better justified to the left.

One lesson I've learned is that members quickly become attached to a particular look. I strongly disliked the look of the new phpBB default template, but it's grown on me, including the right justified avatars. The centering of the page also strikes me as odd; however a quick survey of some top sites like cnn.com indicates it's not uncommon. I'm still mulling it over.

BTW, what surprised me is how nobody complained when HB changed to a fixed width many months ago in anticipation of this beta. Prior to that, it would "stretch" to fit the page width, which makes it very hard to do good layouts.

JR_Germantown wrote:My biggest gripe is the lack of a mod installer. I suspect that will eventually come, and more mods will be available. I want an RSS feed! That was available as a mod on phpBB2.x.

The GYM sitemap and RSS feed MOD is available for phpBB V2 and the next version is in beta. The current version is already installed on this board (just click the "beacon" icon in the browser address bar). I am helping with the testing of the update and will enable it tonight if you want to check it out. The number of options it has is mind boggling and it was written for speed.

HB wrote:One lesson I've learned is that members quickly become attached to a particular look. I strongly disliked the look of the new phpBB default template, but it's grown on me, including the right justified avatars. The centering of the page also strikes me as odd; however a quick survey of some top sites like cnn.com indicates it's not uncommon. I'm still mulling it over.

BTW, what surprised me is how nobody complained when HB changed to a fixed width many months ago in anticipation of this beta. Prior to that, it would "stretch" to fit the page width, which makes it very hard to do good layouts.

Oh yes, that's me. I become quite attached it things as they are. Don't get me wrong I don't hate the new layout; it's just new to me. I'll admit it will most likely grow on me in time.

Hey I'm all for a new fresh experience.

At first "blush" not bad... the avatars, etc to the right is 'Different' but hey, no problemo... I'll play a bit more and we'll see how she goes!

ntwkgestapo wrote:At first "blush" not bad... the avatars, etc to the right is 'Different' but hey, no problemo... I'll play a bit more and we'll see how she goes!

it should promote better discussions: people read left to right, top to bottom -- in English, yeah -- Currently, many people get in the habit of looking at who wrote a post before they read the post, which can lead to new members of forums not getting the same attention of established folks. By moving the main content to the left, before the avatar/uname, it encourages you to read the post without glossing over it.