Why not a flex-width forum?

[#1]

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.

[#2]

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.

[#3]

^ 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.

[#4]

> 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...

[#5]

>. 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.

[#6]

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 )

[#7]

>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).