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Request for fixes of various regressions in the forum software

T

Terry Kennedy

Experienced Member
Joined
Jul 7, 2017
Messages
241
Location
New York
I came here to give some feedback* on an incredibly annoying problem when typing replies - If I cut and paste text from anywhere else, it erases all of my carefully-composed text and replaces it with whatever I pasted. This is a new misfeature since the forum software was updated. Normally I'd just mutter under my breath, say "the heck with it" and move on, but since I may be the only person here with a specific piece of information, I end up re-typing something similar from memory. Auto-save of drafts is apparently useless as it only saves one revision, so it has my reply after it has been nuked.

A number of members have commented on images not showing up in posts, or restrictions on size that limit the resolution / usefulness of images. For example, as discussed here. Also in that thread are some general expressions of dissatisfaction with the new forum software.

* As I told DEC after one-too-many "thank you for your feedback" responses at a DECUS Symposium Q&A, "In acoustics, feedback is a loud squealing noise - and that's what you're getting here".
 
Perhaps the mods have the numbers, but it seems to me that there are many fewer postings here than there were, say, a year ago. Has the new forumware chased people away?
 
I dont use it that much anymore. Its just not the same. I used to be able to see all the new posts and it showed me which ones I had already read. Now its just a hodge podge of I dont know what. Its just not optimized to be used efficiently like the old version.
 
Chuck(G) said:
Perhaps the mods have the numbers, but it seems to me that there are many fewer postings here than there were, say, a year ago. Has the new forumware chased people away?
Click to expand...

I have not been a member that long (9 months or so) but, yes, I have noticed a big decrease in posts and general chatter since the *upgrade*. Most of the changes I've learned to deal with (the PM system is confusing as heck) but my biggest compliant is the 250KB image size limit. The old forum software would accept images right up to 250KB, but this new software tells me that 200KB are even too large based on some sort of internal calculation it does. Image posting to me is completely useless now and I won't even bother posting something if I think it may need a picture or two from me for further explanation. I don't understand why this size limit can't be increased. Nothing but silence every time I bring it up.

I realize I can use an outside image posting site, but those sites come and go. Pictures posted internal should stay with the post far into the foreseeable future for others later on to benefit from.
 
VERAULT said:
I dont use it that much anymore. Its just not the same. I used to be able to see all the new posts and it showed me which ones I had already read. Now its just a hodge podge of I dont know what. Its just not optimized to be used efficiently like the old version.
Click to expand...

I don't seem to have that problem, but I do work differently to before. So I "right click" new topics, and choose "new tab", On the new tab then scroll to the bottom and open each page using "right click, new tab" so I have the all open. go to the last tab and as I read what I want I close the tabs to get back to the first page where I scroll down and hit "mark channels read"
 
g4ugm said:
I don't seem to have that problem, but I do work differently to before. So I "right click" new topics, and choose "new tab", On the new tab then scroll to the bottom and open each page using "right click, new tab" so I have the all open. go to the last tab and as I read what I want I close the tabs to get back to the first page where I scroll down and hit "mark channels read"
Click to expand...

I am happy you have found a method that works for you. I have not, and that seems like lots of extra effort doesn't it?
 
Though out life there are always changes. You either adapt or die. Continually moaning about them gets you know where.
 
Adapting to mediocrity is absurd. Telling people to do that is absurd. Adopting new and better ways of doing things is fantastic... That is called progress. If something is different just for the sake of being different and has less value\usability\ease of use than the previous thing that IS NOT PROGRESS! Telling people to adapt or die is just plain stupid and simple minded.
 
VERAULT said:
I am happy you have found a method that works for you. I have not, and that seems like lots of extra effort doesn't it?
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Not really.

Mind, I don't right click, I Cmd-Click (on a Mac, I imagine it's Alt-Click on a PC). But I've been doing this for years on zillions of forums.

It lets me scan the topics list, and keep opening threads in to their own tabs, which I handle independently.

Advantages of it are when the forum or internet isn't zippidy doo da snappy, the topics can load in the background at the their own pace, and I don't have to wait for anything.

Given the performance of most forums, it's well worth minimal effort necessary.

When I'm done, I can close the individual tabs, or just nuke the window entirely.
 
This conversation is fascinating. As a new member I can tell you I have been surprised at how little activity there is. I’ve also noticed that it’s very tedious to use the new forum on mobile, especially when trying to post images. I’ve given up trying to order them when posting multiple, i just leave it to the reader to work out the order lol
 
Terry Kennedy said:
I came here to give some feedback* on an incredibly annoying problem when typing replies - If I cut and paste text from anywhere else, it erases all of my carefully-composed text and replaces it with whatever I pasted. This is a new misfeature since the forum software was updated. Normally I'd just mutter under my breath, say "the heck with it" and move on, but since I may be the only person here with a specific piece of information, I end up re-typing something similar from memory. Auto-save of drafts is apparently useless as it only saves one revision, so it has my reply after it has been nuked.
Click to expand...
I'm not following where the issue is. Nothing changes when I copy and paste. You might need to describe your environment in more detail.

BTW, sometimes all one can do is complain. It can be annoying, but the hope is that complaints eventually reach the ears of someone who CAN do something.
 
Caluser2000 said:
Though out life there are always changes. You either adapt or die. Continually moaning about them gets you know where.
Click to expand...

While that may work for an organization, like say, the Marine Corps, pushing that attitude at a vintage computer forum is rather odd, don't ya think?
 
SomeGuy said:
I'm not following where the issue is. Nothing changes when I copy and paste. You might need to describe your environment in more detail.
Click to expand...
I'm using Firefox du jour (currently 88.0.1) on a PC running Windows 10 LTSC. It seems to happen intermittently when pasting pre-formatted text (such as from a web page or PDF). My guess is that the new vBulletin software (which added a pseudo-WSYWIG display to the traditional BBcode markup) is interpreting some formatting that came along in the copy buffer. If it happened 100% of the time, I'd do something like keep a Notepad (which doesn't honor any external formatting) window open, paste into it and then copy that text and paste it into a reply here. But since it doesn't happen all of the time, it just gets even more annoying when it does happen (always after I've composed a long reply). Particularly since the "auto-save" will save the latest (mangled) text.

After typing the subsequent paragraph, I think I can confirm that it is unwanted formatting "coming along for the ride". I copied the "Vintage Computer Forum Support" text from the top of this page and pasted it below, and it shows up in blue as if it is a link, and that persists until (bizarrely) I typed a double-quote (") mark, at which point the text went back to normal black-on-white. Despite it being blue, it doesn't seem to be a hotlink.

Edited to add: It didn't show as a hotlink even in the preview pane, but it does show up as a hotlink in the actual post.

It can be annoying, but the hope is that complaints eventually reach the ears of someone who CAN do something.
Click to expand...
Given that the title of this forum is Vintage Computer Forum Support, I hope that "the management" is listening.
 
I've found that the link buttons are pretty much hopeless, usually "dragging" the link window after placement if text is added after it. I've gone back to inserting bbcode tags directly. Sad that this is the only thing that works consistently, but there you are.
 
Caluser2000 said:
Though out life there are always changes. You either adapt or die. Continually moaning about them gets you know where.
Click to expand...
True, but bugs are hardly a "change". ;)

I'd like to see the "Location:" field back under the user name, please.
 
Terry, have you tried using Alt+Backspace? It can often be used to undo accidental edits like the one you describe. But since the multi-quote functionality is gone since the forum upgrade I would just recommend using your favorite text editor to compose forum posts.
 
The damn thing is now refusing to remember my login without JS enabled, meaning I can't even bookmark the new-topics search. This is intolerable. Please, for the love of God, fix this crap.
 
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