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We're baaaaackkkk......!

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  • Member since
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Posted by Geared Steam on Wednesday, October 15, 2008 6:48 PM

C'mon now Tom, I didn't say you were old. Wink

I posted a test Photobucket and it worked fine for me. (i'm using IE 7)

 

"The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination."-Albert Einstein

http://gearedsteam.blogspot.com/

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Posted by saronaterry on Wednesday, October 15, 2008 6:53 PM

I'm an oldfolk tryin' ta see if I can still post.

Won't be mad if this works.Smile,Wink, & Grin

Terry

Terry in NW Wisconsin

Queenbogey715 is my Youtube channel

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Posted by SteamFreak on Wednesday, October 15, 2008 7:30 PM

I like the new look, and I find it easier on the eyes. The beige expanse is gone, and the built-in Firefox spellchecker works with this software. Thumbs Up

I'm not crazy about the thread/ad space ratio though, and I notice there's no additional sub-categories, like a tutorial section. Oh well. Sigh

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Posted by fiatfan on Wednesday, October 15, 2008 7:40 PM

 One thing I would like to see changed is that after you post to a thread it would be nice if the software took you back to the same page as your post, not to the first page of the thread.

 

Tom

Life is simple - eat, drink, play with trains!

Go Big Red!

PA&ERR "If you think you are doing something stupid, you're probably right!"

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Posted by rs2mike on Wednesday, October 15, 2008 7:51 PM

I still get white boxes with red x's where all the stuff at the top of the page should be.  What gives

 

Also How do I find my past posts I have some good stuff i want to go back and reference it.

alco's forever!!!!! Majoring in HO scale Minorig in O scale:)

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Posted by galaxy on Wednesday, October 15, 2008 8:03 PM

I just want to know:

Is this new format DCC compatible?

 

Whistling

-G .

Just my thoughts, ideas, opinions and experiences. Others may vary.

 HO and N Scale.

After long and careful thought, they have convinced me. I have come to the conclusion that they are right. The aliens did it.

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Posted by gmcrail on Wednesday, October 15, 2008 9:12 PM

 It's an interesting and different format, but not very friendly.  Advertising money getting short?  And what's with the underlining in the thread list?  Confused  I suppose I'll get used to it, but I can't say it's very nice....Disapprove

---

Gary M. Collins gmcrailgNOSPAM@gmail.com

===================================

"Common Sense, Ain't!" -- G. M. Collins

===================================

http://fhn.site90.net

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Posted by steinjr on Wednesday, October 15, 2008 9:28 PM

rs2mike

Also How do I find my past posts I have some good stuff i want to go back and reference it.

 Looks like Kalmbach's computer staff better check if old posts need to be reindexed or some such thing to be searchable - I only get posts from the last couple of days when searching for posts by myself, too.  Both when I click on my name to the left of a post I have made and then click on my post count, and when I do a straight search in the new search box to the righ of the columns of posts.

 Edit3: Bergie just posted in another thread that it will take about 24 hours for all old posts to be indexed - they should be back by Friday sometime.

 A very preliminary evaluation of new format: doesn't feel like an improvement for me as a user. Most things that worked reasonably well in the old format can still be done, but most things seems to be more convoluted for the user - you have to scroll and click way more to do the stuff that was fairly easy to do with the old user interface. 

 Like checking if there is any new posts in any threads in any trains.com forum I have been taking part in, like quoting another user when replying (in both cases a simple one-click approach on top of the page has been replaced by a process that involves a lot more scrolling and multiple clicks),

 Edit: I found a list of "my discussions" - in plain view on the right margin of the main forum front page (http://cs.trains.com/trccs/forums/). Looks like it will show the last 10-15 or so threads you have taken part in. No idea how it will show things when you get a couple of hundred threads you have taken part in - I expect there will be a "more" link at the bottom.

 And I found an explanation of why the quote functionality was changed - you can now highlight just the part of the the text you want to quote before hitting "quote" and only that part gets quoted, not the whole post. Will perhaps make it a little easier for people who struggled with quoting when replying. Or not - since these people probably won't figure out on their own that you can highlight a part of the text before clocking "quote", either :-)

 Oh well, times change, and we must change with them. No doubt more shortcuts and functionality will become apparent over time. 

 But I still suspect I will miss the old format, which had a pretty good user interface for a web forum, as opposed to the new format, which so far gets a C - it gets the job done, but in a rather mediocre way.

 Edit2: found a slightly improved feature. You still can chose sort order "newest to oldest" (instead of the default "oldest to newest") in the drop down box at top of a thread.

 Forum software now seem to remember your choice for that thread - so if you return to that thread, you see the posts sorted in the order "newest to oldest"  - allowing you to quickly see if there is anything new in threads you follow.

 Setting only seems to preserved in the context of the current browser session, though. Doesn't seem to be preserved if you close your browser and restart it.

 Still - a potensially nice feature if you like to leave a web browser open with the trains.com forums. As I recall it, you had to click "last" or choose "newest to oldest" every time you returned to a thread to see the latest posts in the old forum.

 And then another little onion - when I paste text way down in a post, focus is returned to the top of my text again, instead of being left where I pasted text.

 Text marker is still at the right place - if I continue typing focus returns to where it belongs. But it is disconcerning to feel that you lost what you just pasted. 

 Poor user interface design. Not Kalmbach's fault - but the people who designed the forum software ought to get a swift kick in the posterior for such little annoyances. Haven't they tried to use their own software ?

 Grin,
 Stein

 

 

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Posted by howmus on Wednesday, October 15, 2008 9:39 PM
What Stein said.....  I have spent a couple hours figuring out where things are and how they work, and all I have managed to do is get lost a few times.  If you leave this part of the forum there doesn't seem to be anyway to get back here.  The simplest thing for me to do is go to my bookmarks and come back into the page I have bookmarked (which is the Model railroad forum as I don't care to scroll down and click several times to get here).  I am sure I will get used to it but I can't see anything that has been added that is anything I would use.  I also bugs me that the page can't be resized.  At most forums if I make the window larger, the text uses that new size and makes less scrolling to read the posts.  This format is a step backward as far as I can see.

Ray Seneca Lake, Ontario, and Western R.R. (S.L.O.&W.) in HO

We'll get there sooner or later! 

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Posted by Kenfolk on Wednesday, October 15, 2008 9:44 PM

 I'll have to get used to the new format. Had a little angst trying to get my "identity" back.

 

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Posted by luvadj on Wednesday, October 15, 2008 9:53 PM

 Wow...go away for a day and look what happens...Smile,Wink, & Grin It's quite buzy looking but it shows up fine in Firefox 3...It's going to take some getting used to...the jury is out on this one....

Bob Berger, C.O.O. N-ovation & Northwestern R.R.        My patio layout....SEE IT HERE

There's no place like ~/ ;)

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Posted by secondhandmodeler on Wednesday, October 15, 2008 9:55 PM

I'm sure the reason I don't like it is the fact that I'm not use to it.  I do miss the color of the thread changing colors after I've read it.  I also don't like how little the actual dialogue area is.  There has got to be something that they can do to use more of the screen.  I may actually have to use my new 52 inch TV as a computer screen.  Here I thought that I would never want to do that!

Corey
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Posted by jacon12 on Wednesday, October 15, 2008 10:04 PM

Well, it's sure different.  I think I'll like it ok though.  Gotta try posting a photo.

Jarrell

 HO Scale DCC Modeler of 1950, give or take 30 years.
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Posted by da_kraut on Wednesday, October 15, 2008 10:11 PM

 Hello,

trying out this new look of the forum pages.  Spend a while trying to look for all the posts I participated in but no luck.  Seems the Active Topics and My Topics functions do not exist.  A real shame and certainly do hope that they get added. 

Change is supposed to be good and it is in our human nature to resist change.  It will take a while to get used to the new look of the site but certainly hope that over the next few months the rest of the kinks will be worked out.

Glad to see it back up and running.

Frank

 

"If you need a helping hand, you'll find one at the end of your arm."

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Posted by steinjr on Wednesday, October 15, 2008 10:19 PM

da_kraut
Seems the Active Topics and My Topics functions do not exist.  A real shame and certainly do hope that they get added

"My topics" (now called "My Discussions") and "Active Topics" (now called "Active") can now be found in the right hand margin on the forum front page (http://cs.trains.com/trccs/forums/).

 Smile,
 Stein

 

 

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Posted by loathar on Wednesday, October 15, 2008 10:53 PM

Kenfolk

 I'll have to get used to the new format. Had a little angst trying to get my "identity" back.

 

I feel like someone just broke into my home and rearranged all my furniture and repainted everything.
I'll be bumping into things for weeks...Tongue
There's a new Welcome smiley-Sign - Welcome
Let's try a picture.

I hate change...(Google spell check works fine with it)

Now I need to figure out what the "select tags" and "reply to" buttons are for.
And LOOK at all that extra add space! We'll have to ask Graig how much he's shelling out for that 1/32 page add.Smile,Wink, & Grin
Need to figure out how to post enlargable pictures too. Seems that there is a built in spell check now!

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Posted by cudaken on Wednesday, October 15, 2008 11:04 PM

Hum, a test.

I am OK with change when I see a reason or a benefit from it. We will see in do time. Figures I worked at getting better with my spelling, NOW THERE IS SPELL CHECK! Wink

 Need to look into fire fox as well.

                   Cuda Ken

 

I hate Rust

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Posted by twhite on Wednesday, October 15, 2008 11:16 PM

All right, the first time I tried uploading a Photobucket image on this new forum it tossed me OFF the forum.  Let's see if this works:

ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.  This is PROGRESS? 

YUCK, BERGIE!!!

AND FOR CRYIN' OUT LOUD FIX IT SO THAT WHEN WE POST ON MULTIPLE PAGES WE DON'T GET THROWN BACK TO THE BLOODY FIRST PAGE, ALL THE TIME. 

DANG, GUYS, WE MAY BE YOUR GUESTS, BUT AT LEAST TRY AND BE A HOST!!!

 

Tom Dead

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Posted by DT&Ifan on Wednesday, October 15, 2008 11:27 PM
Love this new look and the videos now work on a MAC. You'll be seeing me a lot more now.
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Posted by Milwhiawatha on Wednesday, October 15, 2008 11:32 PM

I just loged on today and not that impressed infact I think its cluttere to much with ads. As a business for the hobby I have been told I had to much clutter. Some like it short and sweet to find what they want etc.. So this is just what I was told not to have. Oh well seems I will be hopefully spending mor etime modeling instead of online anyway.

Owner & Operator of Midwest & Northern RR and Midwest Intermodal (freelanced HO)
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Posted by Gandy Dancer on Wednesday, October 15, 2008 11:43 PM

selector
Wow, quite the difference.  I like it.

Yeah but, you're prejudice.

These comments apply only to the forums pages as I never use anything else on trains.com.  Noisy, noisy, noisy.  Three rows of tabs on the top.  All sorts of options on the enormously wide right hand column at the top and nothing but wasted space on the right at the bottom.  Cluttered with stuff I'll never care about, but I never liked that "advertisement" right below the first message of a thread on the prior version either - caused undue scrolling. All together this makes reading the messages much more difficult.

I don't see the spell check everyone else it talking about.  

Cut and paste do work in this editor now which they did not before. 

Does anyone know what the "tags" is at the bottom of this editor?

I see the search, but have not had a chance to test out the search functionality yet. 

I think I like how the new "quote" function works, maybe now people won't always quote the whole  message all the time.

The ditto emoticon didn't come back.

An "enter" still double spaces.

I don't see any color font however let me try normal html <font color="blue"> text </color>.  Nope I guess not let me try another way... here we go. boy that is a lot of work just for blue!

how about a reference http://www.ask.com

 

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Posted by PMeyer on Wednesday, October 15, 2008 11:54 PM

I see a lot of complaining here about something that is free. How sad.

 

Paul
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Posted by Don Z on Thursday, October 16, 2008 12:19 AM

Gandy Dancer
An "enter" still double spaces.

Perhaps you never learned that even on the 'old' Forum, holding the 'Shift" key while hitting 'Enter' produces the
single
spacing
you desire. It also works on the new and improved Forum.

Don Z.

Just a test on the photo.

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Posted by selector on Thursday, October 16, 2008 12:19 AM

Gandy Dancer
Yeah but, you're prejudice.

 

Hey, I like the quote function...I hi-lited the text I wanted to copy, and clicked on "Quote" at the bottom of the yellow text box and here it is!

Now, then, Gandy Dancer, you have said that I am prejudiced.  What substantiation would you have for making this claim about me alone, and not about the dozen or so other posters who have stated that they like the change?  Am I the only one who must be biased if I make such a claim, and no other?  Curious.

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Posted by SteamFreak on Thursday, October 16, 2008 1:16 AM

Testing, testing, 1, 2, 3...


selector

Gandy Dancer
Yeah but, you're prejudice.

Now, then, Gandy Dancer, you have said that I am prejudiced.  What substantiation would you have for making this claim about me alone, and not about the dozen or so other posters who have stated that they like the change?  Am I the only one who must be biased if I make such a claim, and no other?  Curious.


Shame on you Crandell, selling out to the man like that. Laugh

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Posted by Tracklayer on Thursday, October 16, 2008 3:35 AM

Sorry, but I don't like changes... I'll deal with this mess because I have no choice if I want to continue to be a member of the forum, but I don't support it at all. Tracklayer
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Posted by twhite on Thursday, October 16, 2008 10:36 AM

Okay, Don Z sent me an e-mail about posting photos.  I'm going to give it another try:

http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm310/TWhite-014/Rio%20Grande%20Yuba%20River%20Sub/DSC02229.jpg?t=1224171295

Tom 

Nope, still doesn't work.  Back to the drawing board.  But hey, at least they seem to have fixed the 'being thrown back to page 1' problem. 

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Posted by arkansasrailfan on Thursday, October 16, 2008 10:42 AM
don't you mean square 1 LOL?
-Michael It's baaaacccckkkk!!!!!! www.youtube.com/user/wyomingrailfan
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Posted by howmus on Thursday, October 16, 2008 10:55 AM

OK, let me try to post a photo from my Photobucket account.......

Yep works fine.

Tom, all I did was copy the IMG Coded text under the photo (the 3rd. choice) and pasted it here.  Works fine on my end...??????? Exactly as it has in the past here and across the street.

They also seem to have corrected the bug that took you back to the beginning of the entire thread when you post.  This time it showed my edit of this post. 

Ray Seneca Lake, Ontario, and Western R.R. (S.L.O.&W.) in HO

We'll get there sooner or later! 

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Posted by Don Z on Thursday, October 16, 2008 11:00 AM

twhite

Okay, Don Z sent me an e-mail about posting photos.  I'm going to give it another try:

http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm310/TWhite-014/Rio%20Grande%20Yuba%20River%20Sub/DSC02229.jpg?t=1224171295

Tom 

Nope, still doesn't work.  Back to the drawing board.  But hey, at least they seem to have fixed the 'being thrown back to page 1' problem. 

Tom,

I see you managed to insert a working link....check your email. I'm going to try another and play with the alignment button....

Don Z.

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