Why proboards... Why...?

[Chris]

Jan 18, 2013 20:45:06 GMT -8 DeltaDart said:

Not that it's really relevant to Proboard Forums or its Users in how we use this/our Proboard sites, but since we are kind of damning IE, its old technology and advocating people move away from it, I think it's worth mentioning there are still many sites written specifically for IE.

Case in point, US Government sites (DOD especially).  Many DOD sites are written specifically for IE due to smart-card requirements and as such many people have no choice but to use it.  Can they use both IE and FF... of course, which is why all my computers have both (multiple) browsers, because I am NOT a fan of IE, but love FF.

Again, not really relevant here, but a piece of info that should show regardless of how we feel about IE, it's not going away and in fact is still embraced by some big groups.  So know your needs and plan accordingly when selecting your default browser... or writing code for any software application.

And I legitimately turned down job offers from some companies because they still used IE internally.  They're actually turning away potential employees as well by only supporting it.  Just another thing to consider.

[DeltaDart]

Jan 18, 2013 20:54:24 GMT -8 Chris said:

Jan 18, 2013 20:45:06 GMT -8 DeltaDart said:

Not that it's really relevant to Proboard Forums or its Users in how we use this/our Proboard sites, but since we are kind of damning IE, its old technology and advocating people move away from it, I think it's worth mentioning there are still many sites written specifically for IE.

Case in point, US Government sites (DOD especially).  Many DOD sites are written specifically for IE due to smart-card requirements and as such many people have no choice but to use it.  Can they use both IE and FF... of course, which is why all my computers have both (multiple) browsers, because I am NOT a fan of IE, but love FF.

Again, not really relevant here, but a piece of info that should show regardless of how we feel about IE, it's not going away and in fact is still embraced by some big groups.  So know your needs and plan accordingly when selecting your default browser... or writing code for any software application.

And I legitimately turned down job offers from some companies because they still used IE internally.  They're actually turning away potential employees as well by only supporting it.  Just another thing to consider.

You must be very marketable to be able to turn jobs away for that reason.  I guess it opens up jobs for others though, so you're actually performing a service

[Chris]

Jan 18, 2013 21:11:05 GMT -8 DeltaDart said:

Jan 18, 2013 20:54:24 GMT -8 Chris said:

And I legitimately turned down job offers from some companies because they still used IE internally.  They're actually turning away potential employees as well by only supporting it.  Just another thing to consider.

You must be very marketable to be able to turn jobs away for that reason.  I guess it opens up jobs for others though, so you're actually performing a service

Actually, in the computer science/engineering industry, there are not enough grads to fill positions.  People are constantly trying to recruit.  By making yourself a poor choice to work for by continuously using dated technologies, it does little to make you a better candidate for the people you're recruiting.

[AshFR]

Jan 16, 2013 16:41:21 GMT -8 Bunnyheart said:

Jan 15, 2013 18:52:21 GMT -8 Thesealion said:

Can I ask why? Just curious...I don't understand the mindset i guess since it's so easy and there are so many benefits....

There are quite a few things. I don't like that to have certain options removed you have to pay to be ad free. That is one reason. I don't find the beta version easy to navigate at all. In fact I find it very confusing. It seems I need to know a lot more coding then before. Mostly to remove things I don't like like the social tab. I don't like how you edit member groups. I don't like the follow button. There are a lot of things that I don't like. I could go on and on.

I understand the need to change. Believe me, I do. I am trying to figure things out and make them work and everyone here has been more then helpful. I have appreciated that very much. However, there are better ways to smoothly transition over to something totally new then the way it is being done. I am still figuring out my current forum after two years. Truly I feel like I have been left out in the cold and I am scrambling to meet a deadline and I don't even know what questions I should be asking. All I know is I am trying desperately to make a completely new version of my forum look and work exactly like my old one.      

I agree that that the following is okay but I find it a bit creepy..., isn't there a plugin to remove the social tab and the following tabs? But I don't know if it's possible to make an entire replica of a V.4.5 Forum, and I find the admin panel to be a tad confusing (Although I got use to it...) not sure what you mean by editing someone's profile, but I don't think it's possible to make it look and act EXACTLY like V.5, they're are many things you can do to make it similar but you cannot create an exact replica.I also think that how it's more advanced-ish my get a whole lot of people lost,but I do love some parts of it some I do not, but since they're are entirely different versions it's impossible to make it look and act EXACTLY like the V.4.5 board.


Remove share : support.proboards.com/thread/431292/remove-share-drop-action-menu

Remove following " support.proboards.com/thread/440928/remove-friends-feature

[Ryan Roos]

Just an update, because it happened to come up just now here at the office.

Perfect example of why Internet Explorer is bad even for a user.

In v5 you can attach files to your post. Depending on the plan the admin has, this could be a lot of files. By default it's up to 3 1MB files. So assuming attachments are on and set for everyone to use, everyone can attach 3 files to their posts. What's even cooler? You can select all 3 files at the same time! Browse your computer, select 1, 2, 3 and upload! Wooo! Unless of course you're using Internet Explorer (any of them, even 9). In that case you have to upload them one at a time.

That's not ProBoards, that IE. We literally can't overcome that limitation with out overhauling our entire system (and who knows what else might arise if we did that). Maybe it won't be a big deal most of the time for you if you use IE (in fact were counting on it not being a big deal). But if your admin happens to increase the attachment limit, lets say to 10. And you happen to want to attach a lot of files. It's going to cost you some time and effort.

All these little things add up. I just wanted to show you guys a real world example that happened just now, that will have an effect on v5 and your experience in IE.

Alright, thank you for your time. I swear I'll stop IE bashing, though it doesn't deserve my mercy.

[PS This applies to uploading images for your themes as well. So if you have 80 smilies you want in a theme, be ready to upload them one at a time. Or just hop into another browser and do it instantly. Your choice.]

[AshFR]

I have to say I never used anything other than IE for years and therefore had an awful view of my computers and the internet in general, ever since I used Chrome(or Firefox both better than IE), I've had a much faster and better internet experience. I am  not in anyway trying to bash IE or anything but it's.. just...


Ryan Roos You can upload smiles in V.5?

[suchadork]

Jan 21, 2013 12:44:30 GMT -8 AshFR said:

I have to say I never used anything other than IE for years and therefore had an awful view of my computers and the internet in general, ever since I used Chrome(or Firefox both better than IE), I've had a much faster and better internet experience. I am  not in anyway trying to bash IE or anything but it's.. just...


Ryan Roos You can upload smiles in V.5?

sure looks like it AshFR (: admin > themes > theme manager > images tab> scroll down to the smilies section and there's an 'add image' button (:

[AshFR]

Nevermind.

[Ryan Roos]

Thought this thread could use a boost. This is a real post made by a real admin of a real forum that just upgraded.

Jan 22, 2013 12:47:21 GMT -8 Tressa said:

Happy admin here! Forum is converted, logged in, plugins and theme imported, shoutbox activated, settings done, member groups adjusted...and has taken less than an hour. Just wanted to report "all's well" before going back and importing more themes, making a couple custom pages, and continuing with getting everything like I want it. Well done, Proboards Staff!

[suchadork]

I'm one very happy admin when it comes to V5 betazone's been awesome xD if I could make the days go by quicker so I could upgrade I so would XD

[Camille]

Jan 22, 2013 14:06:05 GMT -8 Ryan Roos said:

Thought this thread could use a boost. This is a real post made by a real admin of a real forum that just upgraded.

Jan 22, 2013 12:47:21 GMT -8 Tressa said:

Happy admin here! Forum is converted, logged in, plugins and theme imported, shoutbox activated, settings done, member groups adjusted...and has taken less than an hour. Just wanted to report "all's well" before going back and importing more themes, making a couple custom pages, and continuing with getting everything like I want it. Well done, Proboards Staff!

Gotta love your ProBoards Version 5 "team spirit", Ryan Roos!  But isn't this the one lonely little thread where we are allowed to bash Version 5?  LOL!

The previous discussions on browsers led me to Chrome and I am glad that suggestion was offered.  Thank you.  This past weekend I tried to make a few simple changes to my v5 board, and couldn't figure out how to do anything.  No, wait, I was able to drag and drop a thread into a different category.  Then didn't know how to remove the typed-in name in the board description area:
Version 5


In less than a minute the changes were made on v4.5:
Version 4.5



I am very bitter that ProBoards is now putting out a product that simple people like me can no longer use. I'm an artist, not a technical person. Codes, css, javascript and all that gibberish are chicken scratches to me. And I don't have the time to learn it.  The beauty and lure of ProBoards forums was the simplicity of it for non-technical people like me.

And I want to add one more thing. I can't stand trying to post or make replies here on ProBoards v5...this whole experience really sucks! So I'm done on all counts with the "monster" (v5) ProBoards has created.  You were once the best forum host available on the Internet.  One thing that remains the very best about ProBoards is the extremely courteous and helpful staff and volunteers.  Thank you to everyone of you who have taken the time to help me.

ladyauburn33

[JJ]

I know how you feel, LadyAuburn. I know just enough about coding to keep my current site going, I find all this overwhelming. It might be a walk in the park for some people, but it certainly isn't for me. Well, this is interesting, I am using the quick reply, and my text is not wrapping, it is just one long line. Makes me wonder what else will happen. I will post a screen shot.

[Shrike]

Camille, to change the board descriptions, it's all on that same page (the single page that replaces the function of 8 or so from v4) where you manage categories and boards. Hover over the board name, click the "Edit Properties" gear icon that appears at the end and then it's on the first tab of the box that pops up. How this method can be seen as anything but simple is a non-issue.

It's like the people saying they don't have any coding knowledge therefore it is all too confusing. Well, you don't need any coding knowledge to do the same things in V5 as you did in V4 unless you coded things yourself in V4 (in which case there shouldn't be a problem). The interface of the admin panel has been cleaned up, I mean, you can actually call it an interface now with the easily recognisable icons, colour schemes for different areas, single pages combining the function of many and so on. It's a damn sight better than the uniform list of links leading to a series of several pages that you have to click through in a loop to do one thing. I've seen very few people struggle with V5 for any reason other than "I don't know coding but I tried to use some of the coding area anyway" or "things have been reorganised therefore it is different".

[JJ]

Shrike, you don't seem to understand that those of us that are struggling do not want condescention. We definitely do not want to be told how easy it is when we are having problems trying to figure it out. We are frustrated and confused and trying to translate years of learning how to create a board that was pleasing and easy to use at Proboards and basically throwing it out and starting over. Whoopeedo, there are plugins, just go ask for them.  Really? I have followed some of those threads, and guess what, they are still making corrections. Just go add this line to this or that and it should work. Guess what, that also isn't very explanatory and doesn't always work. To denigrate us that are not coders and not acknowledge that having coding experience is a great benefit with the change is not truthful at all.  Coding knowledge does help with the changeover, it helps a lot. 

As for asking for help with a plugin? Excuse me? Proboards and other sites have had excellent codes in their database gathered from all the people asking for them over the years and we were able to do amazing things with our websites, now we are asked to start over and do all that research again and at this stage of the game, cross our fingers and hope we can come close to recreating the look we have achieved... which for me, took years. 

I took a look at the site listed in your Profile, Shrike, I found it pretty plain.  Here is mine... [url=hootyowl.proboards.com/index.cgi]Hootyowl[/u][/url] Trying to recreate that look isn't just a matter of flipping on a lightswitch and making it happen. Please understand, those of us that are upset are exactly that, upset.  We WILL come to grips with this, but it isn't an easy matter for us and we here in this thread are just looking for emotional support, not criticism because we aren't doing cartwheels at all the new bells and whistles... that we can't even figure out.

Edit: I have no idea why my link is acting up, but I am not surprised.

[Vu1canF0rce]

Just my 2c. From working literally and digitally in management and business scenarios and having been with PB since the earlllly days I can say what I want to say with some foundation:


ADAPT!!! I will, however, say that I myself do not like change. But guess what, sometimes it has nothing to do with the person/place/thing (PB in this case); it sometimes has to be the fact that admins and such get complacent with how things are (V4.5). I love ProBoards and loved V4.5 but I strongly encourage their changes to V5 and future releases. Yes, there are also things I disagree with that maybe was or wasn't added and I thought otherwise... but it's not my choice ultimately. But from a birds-eye perspective, V5 is going to be great. Not just because it's got shiny gradients and lots of bells and whistles, but because of it's more tight-knit integration with you and me. What? Yes, Patrick and the admins/devs who wrote (are writing) the V5 (and 5.x) software have us in mind and although this or that feature may or may not exist you have to keep in mind that they can't please everyone. That's a fact ... get over it. Learn to adapt. The whole point of V5Beta was to TEST the software and report bugs not rant and rave how it sux (which it doesn't). Plus it was a BETA that we were using. Move your H/F over, create your themes, test bugs, etc. If a H/F doesn't work and you coded it then LEARN the coding and fix it. If someone else coded it then ask on the dev boards for them to update it (if they haven't already). Therefore, most H/F issues should be resolved in one of these two cases OR by way of the, WAIT!, NEW FEATURES (plugins!). The old adage stands tried and true here "There's more than one way to skin a cat". Thus 99.9% of the things we see and do in V4.5 still exist in V5 and/or are enhanced in some form or fashion. You have to get out of your complacency and live and learn. Sometimes sacrifices have to be made and I trust that the ProBoards staff were wise enough and had integrity when choosing this/that feature to keep/add/remove to V5. So you have to ADAPT. I have and will adapt to all versions PB releases because that's what an admin/owner should do. Stand up in a kind, open-minded facet and work with what you've got.

I'm positive I'll get some who agree and then those who disagree. To each their own.

ProBoards, good job with V5 and keep up the great work!

Andrew