Why not a flex-width forum?

[heavyboots]

I see it is easily possible--just look at Jive's forum!

Some major issue I see with the 700px or so size you're currently using.
* Code blocks are practically useless for indented code.
* Put it into threaded mode and have a good laugh at the 250px wide stuff columns by the time you get down to a 4th reply.
* You're already losing 240px to the annoying "Actions" right-hand column. People with theater-proportion screens could at least ameliorate this issue slightly.
* I believe you're using a large font than they are the Jive site, so your content already flows longer.
* It's frustrating to see 300-400px of dead space that I could really be using just sitting to the right of the forum.

[Eric16]

^ Whoops, wrong account. Meant to post from this one!

Also, the forum width is 970 not 700... not sure WTH I was thinking there...

But still, even this elderly Sony G520 CRT I'm typing on supports 1280 width, so that's 310 more px I could be seeing in the middle.

Also, cross-reference this excellent post by Bob Peters about screen size in the new forums.

[Ozpeter]

> Put it into threaded mode and have a good laugh at the 250px wide stuff columns by the time you get down to a 4th reply.

Threaded view is only viable for short threads - I think people will have problems if they leave that as their default. If you bring up a thread with hundreds or even thousands of posts, you have to wait quite a while for it to display the lot - then you have to scroll...

[dave_milbut]

>. If you bring up a thread with hundreds or even thousands of posts, you have to wait quite a while for it to display the lot - then you have to scroll...

maybe i missed it in preferneces, but it looked to me like you have to keep clicking "next page" "next page" "next page" to keep reading. it must be me.

[pbear*]

Flex-width even for messages without code, or flat view:
b yes.
(In case it gets lost where I noted it here: pbear, "My top ten criteria for the new forums" #121, 18 Mar 2009 9:27 am )

[Eric16]

>Threaded view is only viable for short threads - I think people will have problems if they leave that as their default. If you bring up a thread with hundreds or even thousands of posts, you have to wait quite a while for it to display the lot - then you have to scroll...

Well, KathH's "OK the big one" thread is only 3 pages long (easily viewable in thread view imho) and it gets 10 replies deep (wow, I didn't realize they had gotten that deep that fast!).

Just to note also that I wrote a long response in Bob's thread about why I don't think 550 is a readable width in a forum environment (or 300 wide by the time you get to the 10th reply or so).

[Ozpeter]

Switch to threaded view in the new forum and bring up http://adobeforums.adobe.com/thread/295059?tstart=0 - go make some coffee, or even watch a nice strong cup of tea brew. You won't see pages (or at least I don't) - you see 700+ posts in one huge page.

Now that could be because it's imported. Dunno. But threaded view is not good for that kind of thing.

[Eric16]

Hi Peter.

Yeah, I do see what you mean, although to be honest it still only takes about 10s here to load, which is not too bad. In the final analysis though, I am just trying to strengthen my case that there should be some option to go flexi-width for users that want it. B)

[Ann_Shelbourne1]

Ten seconds!

That is all right with you?

It certainly isn't for me: the Adobe Forum pages normally load in under 2 seconds!

[Eric16]

Well, to be fair, that's a 790 post thread, so that's pretty decent really. Not to say that decent is the same as optimal!

I'm still hoping they will manage to show only recent posts in the topic at some point ala this forum. But that firefight is in a different thread, lol...

[Ann_Shelbourne1]

Unfortunately, they have bought off-the-shelf junk software and neither Adobe nor Jive seem to be prepared to put any effort into tailoring it to meet the requirements of us their Customers (the people who ultimately pay their salaries!).

[PJonesCET]

What pays salaries are not the stuff of, customers. What pays the the salaries and line the pockets of The CEO and the BOD (board of Directors); is selling of products.

Once the product is in the customers hot little hands, and they hold hands until 1 second after the 30 day warranty, they don't care anymore.

They provide user forums sole to provide user to user Help and keep customers out their hair. This applies to all companies not just Adobe.

So the type software used no difference to them to run a Forum. Just the cheapest they can get by with, is all that matters.

[Dirck]

Um, who buys the products if not the customers?

[PJonesCET]

It is the customers, but once they have done the mandatory duties toward the customers , they don't care.

[Eric16]

Mostly, it would just be nice if they made the new forum at least as functional as the old one.

I personally wouldn't call the Jive forum junk. But I do think that the Jive guys designed it to be used in a wider format than the area the Adobe designers have allowed (visit the Jive forums to see what I mean--they are flexi-width). And at any rate, since Adobe specifically generated a sub-forum soliciting feedback, I think it is valid to make requests and hope they will pay attention.

And my request (to get back on track) is that the designers at least allow flexi-width as an option even if it is not the default.

(Oh, and make some way to view only new posts to a thread!)

[Bob_Peters]

Fixed-width NO.

Flexi-width YES.

[Ann_Shelbourne1]

>Fixed-width NO.

>Flexi-width YES.

Agreed!

[Eric16]

Hey kids, if you're using FireFox 3, I may have a partial solution to the width issue.

Use this link to get started and then follow the steps below.
http://userstyles.org/styles/16217

Step 1: Download the Stylish Add-on from the link on the page & restart FF.
Step 2: Install the Adobe Jive Forum style override from the above page using the "Load into Stylish" button.
Step 3: Enjoy?

If you ever need to temporarily revert back to the Adobe look, just uncheck the "Adobe Jive" item in the active styles list of the Stylish icon.

Ideally, I might try and shrink the action sidebar down about 33% too and maybe even the user column. But for now, this makes it a lot more usable for me in the scripting forum!

Hope this helps,
Eric.

[John_Cornicello_Photo]

Eric, please feel free to post that in the FAQ folder on the Preview site.

http://adobeforums.adobe.com/thread/336841

John

[Eric16]

Posted as per request. :)

[Andrew Yoole]

Eric, your fix is fantastic. Flex-width makes a terrific difference to the Jive forum - for me, at least. Thanks very much!!

[Andrew Yoole]

^ What's more, it makes Threaded View functional as well.

John, a big vote from me for flex-width! :-)

[Bill12]

I had to install the stylish add on, but then it worked fine. Can this feature be used to change anything else (like to not display avatars). If this approach would work for a lot of these things, it would at least provide a back door fix for many of the requests and maybe bring some calm to the forum. The only one that I think that will remain in such a case is the back button. Bill

[Ramón_G_Castañeda]

Awsome! Absolutely awesome!

Thank you very much, Eric @ MCA.

I installed the Greasemonkey version of the scriptas I already have Greasemonkey running afplonk! and it is an absolute joy.

If heavyboots is your alter ego, double thanks for this.

[pbear*]

Thanks for the style!

Too bad it couldn't be set up from the backend. :(