When did this happen?

Did I miss an announcement or something? I log on as usual and here's a whole new web site, but no comments or explanations. I'm not complaining, I am just surprised   (what is this one for may I ask?  )

It only happened yesterday, and in something of a hurry - and I didn't realise that Despised7 was going to have to change the entire forum software as a result of events either! Basically, you wouldn't have noticed the problems with the old software, but the admin team certainly did - we think that there was some sort of breach into the registration section; anyway, it screwed the forum considerably. Personally I wasn't convinced that the amount of database fallover was particularly healthy on the old system either. The new software has a number of advantages as far as we're concerned though, and I don't think that from an end-user's pov it's any harder to use, although not all of the text features work with Firefox.

Okay, that afro is a bit much...!

Maybe it relates to the Foxfire limitations but to me there seem to be basic problems. I think this is the hardest to read forum I've ever looked at.

Did you try different skins/themes? There is a number of choices available in your profile, on the "Look and Layout Preferences" page.

Maybe it relates to the Foxfire limitations but to me there seem to be basic problems. I think this is the hardest to read forum I've ever looked at.

Foxfire?  Try out some of the different themes and let us know if it gets any better.  I chose this one as the default since the bluish/purplish color is close to the old forum theme.

Perhaps this is hopeless, but I have no themes or extensions and have no interest in obtaining any. That isn't a kind of thing that has the slightest appeal to me.

This new software does not provide the option to reply to a post until one has signed on.  Signing on takes one back to the main page so that one must then navigate back to, and into, the post to which one wishes to respond. The prior way, common to every other forum I can remember, is definitely more convenient.

Also. the fact that posting takes one out of the thread isn't particularly convenient either.

Well, the save of this reply took me out of the thread. The save of the 1st edit to this reply did not. Now I find out what the second edit does.

Perhaps this is hopeless, but I have no themes or extensions and have no interest in obtaining any. That isn't a kind of thing that has the slightest appeal to me.

I am not sure what do you mean. You don't have to obtain themes, they are "built in" the forum, and can be chosen in your profile, on the "Look and Layout Preferences" page.  The choice of themes is not about appeal (well, it may be about appeal for some),  it's about convenience and readability - which is what you apparently need.

This new software does not provide the option to reply to a post until one has signed on. 

Unless you are using a public machine, you may choose to be signed in automatically.

Also. the fact that posting takes one out of the thread isn't particularly convenient either.

You can change it by enabling 'Return to topics after posting by default" in Profile>Look and Layout Preferences.

I thought the reference was to Foxfire themes. I have found the forum themes and have found an improvement. None of the themes makes the type "normal" size, however. If it isn't smaller here that elsewhere, some optical trick makes it seem so. The reference posts shown below this message window are "pull out your magnifying glass size," and I'm sure that is no illusion.

None of the themes makes the type "normal" size, however. If it isn't smaller here that elsewhere, some optical trick makes it seem so. The reference posts shown below this message window are "pull out your magnifying glass size," and I'm sure that is no illusion.

Some of the type is a bit smaller, I think - but this varies with theme.  In any case, all browsers have a simple way to increase and decrease the size of the display; in FireFox you can type Ctrl + and Ctrl -.

Paul

Changing the fonts in the themes should be pretty easy.  I'll look into it tomorrow....or later today I guess it is!

Well, I had edited all the themes to enlarge the fonts.  But, lo and behold with the hard-drive failure on the server my changes were lost!!!  I'll have to go through everything I did today and make sure it's all setup.   

Indeed I too was a bit thrown, and optically challenged by the change - and now miffed that there's been an immediate security breakdown leading to the forum sending out spam PM's as noted elsewhere, and as received by me too.

But - let's remember that everything we see here is the result of people's donated time, so thanks for keeping it going, even if things don't quite go according to plan.

Indeed I too was a bit thrown, and optically challenged by the change - and now miffed that there's been an immediate security breakdown leading to the forum sending out spam PM's as noted elsewhere, and as received by me too.

But - let's remember that everything we see here is the result of people's donated time, so thanks for keeping it going, even if things don't quite go according to plan.

This spam thing is getting ridiculous - we are now actively considering other ways to vet potential members. At present, I'm in favour of a short essay on why we should let people join at all. Trouble is, there are a lot of members that we are going to have to do a manual trawl on - and the fault isn't necessarily with the new software either - these people may well have been sleepers who managed to join under the old version before we slammed the door shut.

This spam thing is getting ridiculous - we are now actively considering other ways to vet potential members. At present, I'm in favour of a short essay on why we should let people join at all.

I've had to do that elsewhere.  However, the board concerned has just been down for a week because it was discovered to have a security hole through which the ISP's other servers were being attacked (the board itself was unaffected, and I won't name the software here).

Paul

Well - bugger me.  I go away for a couple of weeks and get back to find the whole thing has changed!

A few words of warning would have been nice

Having just driven from the UK to Southern Spain in two days, I really can't get to grips with this tonight, it will have to wait for a day or two.