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Wishes for this forum

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  • Member since
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Posted by Geared Steam on Monday, December 15, 2014 6:10 PM

NP2626
Your post should lead me to believe that all forums should work the same way this one does, which is simply not true.  I have participated in many forums on many topics and this is the only one that requires posting a photo to another website.

Regardless, if you want to use a computer and participate on forums, basic skill is required, and this really is very basic skill. 

Click the Copy" link, come here, select the "Insert Image" from the toolbar above the text area, and select Ctrl V on your keyboard, and paste it into the  "Source" box.  

What you are telling the forum software is to go the that picture URL and insert it in the forum text box.

 

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

http://gearedsteam.blogspot.com/

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Posted by MisterBeasley on Monday, December 15, 2014 6:51 AM

Did you know.......that you can upload photos to this site and display them?  It's over there --> with your user profile stuff, called "Your Photos."   You still have to upload them and link to them, but if you don't want to use a third-party site, you don't have to.  I personally use Railimages, but you've got another option here.

As a desktop dinosaur, I would rather NOT have a web site set up for telephones, unless it can be parallel to one appropriate to a desktop.  The screen size makes it awkward to use the better format for one if you're using it on another.

My desktop at work has IE8, yet another dinosaur.  This forum doesn't work well with IE8, but I'm retiring soon so I will no longer care.  Never mind.

It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse. 

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Posted by NP2626 on Monday, December 15, 2014 6:18 AM

Geared Steam

I've never understood the issue with posting pictures using an outside source, I can't imagine how quickly this forum data capacity would quickly run out, and Kalmbach would be expected to purchase more hardrive space. I don't believe they are in the business to store our digital images, or be responsible for them in case of a hardware failure. Other places (Photobucket) are set up to do this, and advertisements pay for it. 

Photobucket is not full of "malware", usually its a false positive by your preferred virus protection, unfortunatley with that, you get what you pay for. 

I'm not lobbying for Photobucket, but it's what I sometimes use, and have never had an issue with "malware" or anything else.

Seriously, how hard is it to click on the "COPY" link?

 

Back to the original topic, I wish the "Search" feature worked much better, perhaps give you a choice of either searching topics or individual threads.

 
For me, I simply lack interest in re-learning how to post photos to this website.  Maybe at some point in time it will seem worthwhile again; but, right now it just seems more work than its’ worth.

Your post should lead me to believe that all forums should work the same way this one does, which is simply not true.  I have participated in many forums on many topics and this is the only one that requires posting a photo to another website.

 

 

NP 2626 "Northern Pacific, really terrific"

Northern Pacific Railway Historical Association:  http://www.nprha.org/

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Posted by NP2626 on Monday, December 15, 2014 6:06 AM

I DO use MSWord to write posts.  But don't unbderstand why every other program I use has spell check; but, this one.  Even if I write a PM to someone on this website, spell check corrects my mistakes.  Why does it work for a PM; but, not posting here in the forum.

 

NP 2626 "Northern Pacific, really terrific"

Northern Pacific Railway Historical Association:  http://www.nprha.org/

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Posted by zstripe on Monday, December 15, 2014 5:13 AM

Phoebe Vet

I wish all you kids would get off of my lawn.

 

LOL, Laugh Yes Yes

Take Care! Big Smile

Frank

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Posted by Phoebe Vet on Monday, December 15, 2014 4:30 AM

I wish all you kids would get off of my lawn.

Dave

Lackawanna Route of the Phoebe Snow

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Posted by gmpullman on Monday, December 15, 2014 3:18 AM

Just an idea Guys. Why don’t you do what I do? I use Microsoft Word

Good advice, Bear. Since, once again, I typed a five paragraph reply in another thread and when I clicked "Submit Your Reply" I got an "Aw Shucks, something happenedSad web page not available" notification on Chrome and, of course, all my text was vaporized.

Word has autosave and that would have prevented me from wasting 20 minutes of my life that I'll never get back...

I did finally retype the reply.

Ed

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Posted by rrinker on Sunday, December 14, 2014 10:11 PM

 There are spell checkers for all the popular browsers. Misspelled words get highlighted and you can click on them to correct it. Bonus, it works ANYWHERE you have to type stuff in, not just on this forum.

                           --Randy

 


Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's

 

Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.

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Posted by Burlington Northern #24 on Sunday, December 14, 2014 9:27 PM

I'm actually curious as to why you guys can't just do it while you type your replys? 

When I mispell something there's usually a small red squiggly under the word, on my Ipod it turns the whole word red. 

Then again it may need a proofreading thing so you guys don't put the wrong words in. 

SP&S modeler, 1960's give or take a decade or two for some equipment.

 http://www.youtube.com/user/SGTDUPREY?feature=guide 

Gary DuPrey

N scale model railroader 

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Posted by "JaBear" on Sunday, December 14, 2014 8:54 PM

wickman
NP2626 Why doesn't spell check work here on these forums?    Or grammar check ? Mine sucks.

Just an idea Guys. Why don’t you do what I do? I use Microsoft Word where I can easily change font, colour, size, highlight things, and it also has spell check, and checks my grammar, then just the simple task of copy and paste.
And you know what?? I still get it wong, wrung, wrang wrong from time to time.Bang Head Laugh
Just my My 2 Cents
Cheers, the Bear.Smile

"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."

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Posted by Kyle on Sunday, December 14, 2014 8:26 PM

muc2

I would like to be able to resize the text on my Ipad. That's something else that got lost in the last upgrade.

 

The software is suppose to configure the placement and size of everything to fit your screen.  Sounds like a good idea, but it doesn't work well.  you can't zoom in to see something in better detail.

On an IPhone, long links and larger photos continue to the right off my screen, so I can only see 1/3 of the post, and can't reply.  I liked using the full site on the old software, I could see and read everything, plus I could zoom in.

MRR had good intentions, they thought it would make it easier to use and view on all  devices.  However it is worse for many, especially mobile users.

 

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Posted by BATMAN on Sunday, December 14, 2014 8:23 PM

I wish spellcheck would work two too to also! Anyway with me what I type is what you get.Laugh

As Jethro Bodine would say "I gots me a high School Eduacation".

Brent

"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."

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Posted by Kyle on Sunday, December 14, 2014 8:16 PM

wickman

 

 
NP2626

Why doesn't spell check work here on these forums? 

 

 

 

Or grammar check ? Mine sucks.

 

I have no idea, but it drives me insane.  Half the time it tries to delete spaces between words, or randomly smash them together to form things that don'twake sense.  It gets really bad when you delete a few letters, or a word.  Then it tries toadds what you deleted.  The spell check works well for a typo where one letter is clearly wrong, but if you try to manually correct it will to put some crazy combination of letters in. Amajority of the time it causes more harm than good.

This post went well as I did not backspace amd change a lot of words. 

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Posted by wickman on Sunday, December 14, 2014 3:17 AM

NP2626

Why doesn't spell check work here on these forums? 

 

Or grammar check ? Mine sucks.

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Posted by NP2626 on Saturday, December 13, 2014 7:54 PM

Why doesn't spell check work here on these forums? 

NP 2626 "Northern Pacific, really terrific"

Northern Pacific Railway Historical Association:  http://www.nprha.org/

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Posted by muc2 on Saturday, December 13, 2014 7:47 PM

I would like to be able to resize the text on my Ipad. That's something else that got lost in the last upgrade.

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Posted by cedarwoodron on Saturday, December 13, 2014 4:30 PM

"I have to question your second point, which is asking that people search the forum before asking a question."


So would I. As I learned in my 8th grade Latin class, repetitio est mater studiorum-  or, to put it in plain English, "repetition is the mother of study"! 

I would rather see a technique or method-related question asked several times a year in this forum, than have to use the "search tool" in vain!Big Smile

Some of us are slow learners, others may not be as internet-saavy with respect to looking for answers to their questions. This forum is a watering hole for all, which often gives more than it receives- so let the repeat questions keep repeating! (with the sole exception of "the hobby is going down the tubes" topics).Big Smile

Cedarwoodron

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Posted by Geared Steam on Saturday, December 13, 2014 12:27 PM

I've never understood the issue with posting pictures using an outside source, I can't imagine how quickly this forum data capacity would quickly run out, and Kalmbach would be expected to purchase more hardrive space. I don't believe they are in the business to store our digital images, or be responsible for them in case of a hardware failure. Other places (Photobucket) are set up to do this, and advertisements pay for it. 

Photobucket is not full of "malware", usually its a false positive by your preferred virus protection, unfortunatley with that, you get what you pay for. 

I'm not lobbying for Photobucket, but it's what I sometimes use, and have never had an issue with "malware" or anything else.

Seriously, how hard is it to click on the "COPY" link?

 

Back to the original topic, I wish the "Search" feature worked much better, perhaps give you a choice of either searching topics or individual threads.

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

http://gearedsteam.blogspot.com/

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Posted by vsmith on Saturday, December 13, 2014 9:04 AM

Kyle

First, I wish the forum would just work.  Most of the issues are formatting issues.  On an IPhone, any post with links and some pictures cause the text to continue off the left side of my screen.  Sometimes I can only see 1/3 of the post.

Second, I wish they would make it easier to post from an IPhone.  The old "full site" worked just fine.  It worked great actually. Then they changed the software and it has been a headache 

 

Once we get a working forum, it would be nice to have a poll, maybe up to 6 or even 9 choices.

 

Its interesting your having problems with an iPhone, my Android is virtually useless besides reading only. IOWs its problematic regardless which source your using

   Have fun with your trains

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Posted by NP2626 on Saturday, December 13, 2014 6:03 AM

doctorwayne
 
snjroy
...3) I wish there was a simpler way to put pictures on this forum....

 

It can't get much simpler than clicking on the "img" line of data in photobucket and then clicking on "PASTE" here.  Big Smile


Wayne

 

Yes, it can, other forum sights are much easier to post photo to, They allow you to search within your own photo programs and bring photos directly to your posts, without the use of some other website. 

NP 2626 "Northern Pacific, really terrific"

Northern Pacific Railway Historical Association:  http://www.nprha.org/

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Posted by mobilman44 on Saturday, December 13, 2014 5:45 AM

OK folks, may I add my thoughts on the subject..............

- While I don't disagree with the OP's points, they are all negative in nature and for a relative newbie and infrequent poster, that just seems improper.

- Instead, we should be thanking the good folks at Kalmbach for maintaining this Forum and allowing it to exist.  I've been active in it for over 10 years, and it has been a lifesaver and motivator to my hobby efforts, and it has allowed me to share what experience/expertise I may have with others.

- It would be great if we didn't have to go thru Photobucket or the like to post pictures here.  Frankly, Photobucket is filled with malware and an accident waiting to happen. 

- While the Forum does have "the Diner", there is no dedicated hobby chatroom.  Of course one could say the Forum itself is a "chatroom".  I'm ok with that.

 

ENJOY  !

 

Mobilman44

 

Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central 

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Posted by BRAKIE on Saturday, December 13, 2014 5:44 AM

One of my long time wishes is to have a operation forum where we could discuss different operation methods,different types of industries that we can serve,matching industries based on our largest number of car types(boxcars,hopper cars etc) and other such things.

One of my long time pet peeves is a decade or older topic brought back to life.

Larry

Conductor.

Summerset Ry.


"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt  Safety First!"

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Posted by hon30critter on Saturday, December 13, 2014 5:21 AM

snjroy:

I agree that there could be several improvements made to the forum. However, I have to question your second point, which is asking that people search the forum before asking a question.

I would agree with you IF the search function was even half way effective. The fact is that the search engine is a waste of time. I appreciate that MR does not have an unlimited IT budget, but castigating members, new or old, for not using the search function is not right when it simply doesn't work. MR would be further ahead to simply have a link to Google instead of hosting their own severely limited search function IMHO.

That, however, is not the main reason that I totally disagree with your second point. Let us imagine for a minute that MR miraculously upgraded the search function so that when someone asked a question the search would provide the most relevant answers immediately. How nice would that be? I say it would be self defeating. It would stifle the whole purpose behind the forum, which is interaction between fellow model railroaders. Personally, I will take the time to answer any questions that I feel I can contribute relevant information to regardless of how many times the question has been asked before. I'm here to participate. I'm here to engage my fellow model railroading enthusiasts. Chastizing someone for not having used the search function is just plain wrong IMHO.

No offense intended. I sort of agree with all of your other points, but the reality of the situation is that #1 hasn't happened yet, so #2 isn't ready for recommendation.

Dave

I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!

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Posted by gregc on Saturday, December 13, 2014 5:15 AM

maybe some sticky threads on the more redundant thread topics:

- LED wiring and resistor values

- best DCC system and comparisons of system

...

greg - Philadelphia & Reading / Reading

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Posted by Kyle on Saturday, December 13, 2014 4:24 AM

First, I wish the forum would just work.  Most of the issues are formatting issues.  On an IPhone, any post with links and some pictures cause the text to continue off the left side of my screen.  Sometimes I can only see 1/3 of the post.

Second, I wish they would make it easier to post from an IPhone.  The old "full site" worked just fine.  It worked great actually. Then they changed the software and it has been a headache 

 

Once we get a working forum, it would be nice to have a poll, maybe up to 6 or even 9 choices.

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Posted by dominic c on Friday, December 12, 2014 10:08 PM

snjroy
Given the season, I thought I would take the liberty of expressing some wishes about this forum for 2015:

1)      I wish MR would improve the search function to make it more effective and user-friendly

2)      I wish users would use the search function before submitting queries

3)      I wish there was a simpler way to put pictures on this forum

4)      I wish all OPs  asking technical questions  would come back to us and follow-up on some of the suggestions offered to them

5)      I wish users would place their questions in the right forum

6)      I wish MR would create a “Scratchbuilding and freelancing” column

7)      I wish to thank all of those that take the time to respond to queries in an extensive and polite way.

What are your wishes for this forum?
Simon
 

8. Auto spell checker. 

Joe C

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Posted by vsmith on Friday, December 12, 2014 9:56 PM
The SIMPLE ABILITY to post from my Android... this forum currently is SO JACKED UP for non-iphone users. It really stink. Its a PITA from my HP7 tablet and the desktop only seems to work when it wants :'(

   Have fun with your trains

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Posted by Dusty Solo on Friday, December 12, 2014 5:51 PM

I like & enjoy this particular forum.

Members are generally respectful & patient with one another offering advice & suggestions from a personal knowlege base that often astounds me.

For the most part members seem good natured & helpful - no tyrants with over inflated egos,  just good honest people & that is not always easy to find in our changing world of self absorbion & greed.

Long my this forum continue unchanged in its present form.

Dusty

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Posted by richg1998 on Friday, December 12, 2014 5:36 PM

They must have low bid. the latest upgrade is terrible BUT FREE.

The Powers That Be have been very quiet.

i use Google search to find info here which is FAR better that this site search.

Rich

If you ever fall over in public, pick yourself up and say “sorry it’s been a while since I inhabited a body.” And just walk away.

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Posted by tedtedderson on Friday, December 12, 2014 5:34 PM

Graffen
I wish it would work to post from a mobile device, such as a Tablet....
 

I post from my phone and post pictures taken with my phone.  I upload the pics to the photo archive site copy the link and paste. I must add that I had a hard time using the mobile site so I use the regular internet site from my phone. When typing your post it's a lot easier to control if you change the view to Fullscreen from the view dropdown, type your post, add pics, then " unchoose" fullscreen, then submit your reply. I'm not sure about tablets though. The better half has a tablet- I'll try hers to see if they work the same. 

I wish the search function would work better but I've found that if you Googlle it, what you're looking for comes up and most of the time the 2nd or 3rd thing is a post from the forum. 

If I only had one wish from this site it would be 2 grand from train world.  

That's tedderson with 2 d's. Please and thank you. Stick out tongue

T e d 

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