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Non-official post for any problems with the new forum

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Posted by Modelcar on Wednesday, September 1, 2010 9:53 PM

...Hope this works.  I'm not sure about anything on here now.

Woe is us, non super accomplished Geeks.

My email has been flooded with posts from here.....and it took 2 days to find I had to click on {Edit}, and not "Public Profile"...

Same clarity {about annually} to try to work with each all strange rearrangement.

Quentin

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Posted by Semper Vaporo on Wednesday, September 1, 2010 8:40 PM

@ blue streak 1 - You are absolutely right about web sites are designed to impress only those that are in competition for who has used the latest and greatest (their opinion!) widgets in the newest versions of whatever is in fashion at the moment.

Semper Vaporo

Pkgs.

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Posted by MikeF90 on Wednesday, September 1, 2010 8:04 PM

Thank you for pointing out that 'Edit' is a different link than 'Public Profile'!


BTW the Profile now allows links (not just raw HTML) to be added to the Signature and the Biography.
Thumbs up on this feature.

 

Another new 'feature' is that Quick Reply is now Slower than the regular reply using the Editor. After five minutes the Quick Reply dialog didn't finish downloading (no buttons) so I had to reload the page. WTH?

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Posted by blue streak 1 on Wednesday, September 1, 2010 7:59 PM

My daughter who designs web sites and forums says too many designers make it for other geeks and not the average Joe Blow. She has even sent me some to critique especially ones she is trying to revise.

 

That comment is backed up by a step son who also does some of this kind of work and is working for a major silicon valley company. 

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Posted by zugmann on Wednesday, September 1, 2010 7:43 PM

TheK4Kid

I'm done with these forums, going over and staying on MRH

I liked it the way it was. MR really messed it up this time!!!

Their magazine is good, but this new website is ridiculous!

I'm not going to waste my time on this ridiculous  site anymore.

I am saying goodbye to a lot of great model railroad fans

MR had a good thing going with the way the forums USED TO BE!

 

I'm gone!

 

The K4Kid

 

 

Model Railroad Hobbyist site

 

Ok, um..bye?

 

I mean geeez... it's new software. Give Kalmbach a few days to iron it out.  And even then, all new forums take a day to get used to.  No big deal.

It's been fun.  But it isn't much fun anymore.   Signing off for now. 


  

The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer, any other railroad, company, or person.t fun any

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Posted by zugmann on Wednesday, September 1, 2010 7:42 PM

According to my computer and browser, this is 10 pt veranda. 


This is 12


This is 14

It's been fun.  But it isn't much fun anymore.   Signing off for now. 


  

The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer, any other railroad, company, or person.t fun any

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Posted by TheK4Kid on Wednesday, September 1, 2010 6:40 PM

I'm done with these forums, going over and staying on MRH

I liked it the way it was. MR really messed it up this time!!!

Their magazine is good, but this new website is ridiculous!

I'm not going to waste my time on this ridiculous  site anymore.

I am saying goodbye to a lot of great model railroad fans

MR had a good thing going with the way the forums USED TO BE!

 

I'm gone!

 

The K4Kid

 

 

Model Railroad Hobbyist site

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Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, September 1, 2010 6:21 PM

Here is 10 pt. Verdana.

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Posted by TheK4Kid on Wednesday, September 1, 2010 6:15 PM

I find this new updated site is confusing

Where are the different discussion threads???, I can't find them

My PC has been down for a week, so I get it back up online, and this is what I find.

Is anyone else felling like I am?

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Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, September 1, 2010 6:13 PM

zugmann

Well, here's 10pt veranda...

 

And this is the default.  I think this is slightly easier to read than the above...

That looks way smaller than 10 pt. Verdana.   When I compare it to text in Word, it looks like 8 pt. Verdana.  Although when I look at it while writing this message,  as a quote from your message, it looks like it should.   But then when I preview it, it gets much smaller.

 

That is basically what I have noticed happening.  If I paste text into the message composition box that was written as a word document, it comes in the same size as the word document.  But when I preview it, it gets smaller, and when I post it, it is at that smaller size. 

 

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Posted by cordon on Wednesday, September 1, 2010 6:11 PM

Smile

I have no problem with loading or access times at the moment.

I sent an e-mail complaining that I couldn't find anyplace on the home page to click on to go directly to "Forums."  After much fumbling around I discovered them under "Community," but I never would have guessed that.

 

Smile  Question

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Posted by zugmann on Wednesday, September 1, 2010 5:50 PM

Well, here's 10pt veranda...

 

And this is the default.  I think this is slightly easier to read than the above...

It's been fun.  But it isn't much fun anymore.   Signing off for now. 


  

The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer, any other railroad, company, or person.t fun any

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Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, September 1, 2010 5:31 PM

Semper Vaporo

Hmmm... you don't see this?

http://1stclass.mylargescale.com/sempervaporo/Image%201%20(Small).jpg

You say you have only one line of tools... are any of them like what I show above... I circled the general area of interest...???

 

I agree that Verdana is somewhat better for text display but there are those that will argue with us about that.  And apparently the person in charge of this forum selected whatever this is (I think it is maybe Arial), or maybe they just left it as it happened to be when they created the code.

 

As for the text size, it is already 10pt. which isn't too bad on my laptop monitor sitting, of all places, on top of my lap!  I do have a second (identical) laptop computer on a couch next to me that is running some video surveilance software and that is just a wee bit too far away (about twice the distance) to read the text in the size that the surveilance software has selected (which I believe to be 10pt.)... I have to squint to see which camera I want to pick from the list of cameras to be displayed on the main window.

 

Wonder why you don't see the entire tool bar (or at least a different one than I do)?

 

No, I don't have that top tool bar that starts of the left with font family.  I used to have it with the previous forum, but now all I have is the second tool bar that starts with bold, italic, and underline.

 

As far as fonts go, I don't mind if the forum has a default font of something I would not use as long as I have the option to change it to my preference.  Also, 10 pt. Verdana is considerably larger than this font. 

 

As far as individual preferences go, I know everybody has their own.  But I want to use the one that I believe communicates the best.  But apparenly there is a toolbar problem, a browser problem or whatever.  Many things about the fourm operation seem really squirrely today.  For instance, my preview pops up in a little window of its own underneath the forum display. 

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Posted by floridaflyer on Wednesday, September 1, 2010 5:02 PM

Something has been changed. Now when I bring up the site I get the MR site with topics listed the way they were on the old site, However none of the other categories like garden RR and others appear. I like this listing but do wonder what happened to the other categories.

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Posted by Semper Vaporo on Wednesday, September 1, 2010 4:55 PM

Click on the word "(Edit)" next to the words Public Profile to edit the avitar and signature.

Semper Vaporo

Pkgs.

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Posted by zugmann on Wednesday, September 1, 2010 4:51 PM

Using Firefox on the Mac Mini (ugh) and it loads fine.  My other computers using windows take forever to load. 

 

 

 

It's been fun.  But it isn't much fun anymore.   Signing off for now. 


  

The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer, any other railroad, company, or person.t fun any

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Posted by MikeF90 on Wednesday, September 1, 2010 4:25 PM

zardoz
Permit me to be the first to complain about the incredibly slow loading times for the threads.<snip>

So far load times haven't been a problem for me. Technically, I think we're seeing mostly bad access times - when the back end server eventually finds all of the topic pieces it usually sends them to me quicker than before.

 

However, Reply and Edit functions are abysmally slow as ever.The cursor lag is incredible, reminds me of using an old ASCII terminal on a 1200 baud modem 30 years ago.

 

Note that Kalmbach, unlike most SMBs and individuals, has chosen proprietary forum software that runs on MS Windows O/S, SQL Server and IIS. GAACK!  <insert puke icon>   No wonder it runs like frozen dog poop.

 

BTW I haven't found the Signature Edit function - didn't it used to be in the Public Profile?

Also, some dialogs like Change Avatar do Not have a visible close (X) button. I'm using the latest Firefox.

 

Yah, the Contact Us links seem to be broken. I guess that they don't want any direct feedback. Except from this forum .....

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Posted by Semper Vaporo on Wednesday, September 1, 2010 3:12 PM

Hmmm... you don't see this?

You say you have only one line of tools... are any of them like what I show above... I circled the general area of interest...???

 

I agree that Verdana is somewhat better for text display but there are those that will argue with us about that.  And apparently the person in charge of this forum selected whatever this is (I think it is maybe Arial), or maybe they just left it as it happened to be when they created the code.

 

As for the text size, it is already 10pt. which isn't too bad on my laptop monitor sitting, of all places, on top of my lap!  I do have a second (identical) laptop computer on a couch next to me that is running some video surveilance software and that is just a wee bit too far away (about twice the distance) to read the text in the size that the surveilance software has selected (which I believe to be 10pt.)... I have to squint to see which camera I want to pick from the list of cameras to be displayed on the main window.

 

Wonder why you don't see the entire tool bar (or at least a different one than I do)?

Semper Vaporo

Pkgs.

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Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, September 1, 2010 2:35 PM

Semper Vaporo

 Bucyrus:

How do you select font type and font size?

 

I want to post in verdana 10 pt.

 

I guess if you want a paragraph break, you have to triple space.

 

 

Look near the top of page 3 of this thread for a posting from me with one paragraph all colorful and with various font sizes and stuff... I explain how there.  Verdana is one of the fonts available in the list when I look, I have to assume it will be there for you, too.  10 pt is font size "2", which is the default size for this forum when I see it on my PC.  Is yours too small or too large?

 

I have to ask, why do you want to change from the standard font (and possibly size, as well)?  I guess I don't mind it if someone changes from the "usual" to emphasize some point, but I sure hope you leave it well enough alone for just regular postings.  Many folk don't like to see a multitude of font changes and sizes from one post to the next, especially if they have poor eyesight.

If you think the font is too small for your eyes then you really should find a way for the normal size font to be enlarged only on your PC rather than making only your words appear HUGE for everybody.  There are features of various browsers and Winders itself to do that and there are add-ons for browsers and operating systems that will increase the size of ALL text on the screen for those with poor eyesight (or tiny monitors!).

 

 

I have a one-line tool bar above my message compostion box.  It does not have any buttons to select font type or font size. 

 

Regarding font type preference:  My preference for font control has nothing to do with using a bunch of wired fonts just to be different.  And I don't need any special font type or size for my own benefit. 

 

However, I have found that the easiest font to read on a monitor is verdana 10 pt.  I believe this applies to everybody, whether they realize it or not (and whether they agree or not).  So, in the interest of communication, I prefer to use the font size and type that I know will be the most comprehended by others in visual terms.  I am referring specifically and only to reading off of a monitor.

 

Verdana 10 pt. is best for monitor viewing.  Unless one has a vision problem that requires something larger that 10 pt., using a size larger than 10 pt. makes it harder to read and comprehend.  12 pt. verdana is harder to read than 10 pt. for normal vision.

 

 

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Posted by Semper Vaporo on Wednesday, September 1, 2010 2:10 PM

Bucyrus

How do you select font type and font size?

 

I want to post in verdana 10 pt.

 

I guess if you want a paragraph break, you have to triple space.

 

Look near the top of page 3 of this thread for a posting from me with one paragraph all colorful and with various font sizes and stuff... I explain how there.  Verdana is one of the fonts available in the list when I look, I have to assume it will be there for you, too.  10 pt is font size "2", which is the default size for this forum when I see it on my PC.  Is yours too small or too large?

 

I have to ask, why do you want to change from the standard font (and possibly size, as well)?  I guess I don't mind it if someone changes from the "usual" to emphasize some point, but I sure hope you leave it well enough alone for just regular postings.  Many folk don't like to see a multitude of font changes and sizes from one post to the next, especially if they have poor eyesight.

If you think the font is too small for your eyes then you really should find a way for the normal size font to be enlarged only on your PC rather than making only your words appear HUGE for everybody.  There are features of various browsers and Winders itself to do that and there are add-ons for browsers and operating systems that will increase the size of ALL text on the screen for those with poor eyesight (or tiny monitors!).

Semper Vaporo

Pkgs.

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Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, September 1, 2010 1:44 PM

How do you select font type and font size?

 

I want to post in verdana 10 pt.

 

I guess if you want a paragraph break, you have to triple space.

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Posted by Semper Vaporo on Wednesday, September 1, 2010 1:22 PM

schlimm

I hate to sound like a cranky old man, but I'm not seeing any improvement s.  In fact, the new organization scheme seems less logical than before, i.e., all General sub-forums are grouped together rather than grouping by Trains, Model Railroader, etc.  Check that!  It seemed that way when I first went on, then reverted to the old scheme.

Just surmising here and trying to help... Did you maybe the first time click on the "Not Read" link?  I see that when viewing the list that way all the subforums of the major forum get lumped together.  The 2nd time maybe you were looking at an individual subforum.

 

I also see a bug wherein the "Not Read" list does not have a method for marking the list as "Read" when viewing in the Not Read list. There is a link/button (at the top) to click when viewing individual forums to "Mark All Read", but it does not seem to work the way "I think" it should (as I think I described elsewhere in this "Non-official" problem reporting thread).

Here is hoping they get around to fixing this kind of stuff.  These features are REALLY nice -- when they work!

 

 

Semper Vaporo

Pkgs.

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Posted by Semper Vaporo on Wednesday, September 1, 2010 1:10 PM

ZUGMAN: You will probably have to turn off the notifications by clicking the link at the top of the page for this thread because it is already turned on by the automatic setting that was in effect when you posted the first time.  You should have gotten any future threads disabled by changing the profile setting, but that is only for future posts to threads.

 

blue streak 1

Help!!!!!!!  I want to turn off the G---  D---- e-mail alerts permanently and just get ones I designate. I dont't want to get them and I tried to send a message on the contact us icon and got reply that site does not exits anymore.

 

See several replies above in this thread for how to fix this.  There are a couple of ways to do it.

Semper Vaporo

Pkgs.

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Posted by blue streak 1 on Wednesday, September 1, 2010 12:48 PM

Help!!!!!!!  I want to turn off the G---  D---- e-mail alerts permanently and just get ones I designate. I dont't want to get them and I tried to send a message on the contact us icon and got reply that site does not exits anymore.

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Posted by eolafan on Wednesday, September 1, 2010 12:38 PM

Yep, very slow loading here as well.  I trust the crew at Kalmbach are listening and will have it fixed in no time.

Eolafan (a.k.a. Jim)
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Posted by zugmann on Wednesday, September 1, 2010 12:03 PM

I tried unsubscribing that way a few times.  But every time I reply, it must re-subscribe me. 

 

 

It's been fun.  But it isn't much fun anymore.   Signing off for now. 


  

The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer, any other railroad, company, or person.t fun any

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Posted by Semper Vaporo on Wednesday, September 1, 2010 12:01 PM

Other interesting features from that list on the right...

Conversations - is a list of your "Private Messages" you may have had in the past with other members.

Your Friends - I am so sad, it says I don't have any friends!

Your Forum Discussions - is a list of all the threads you have made a posting to.

Your Favorites - I've never played favourites, so I am not sure what this is for.  I assume there is some way to mark threads as a favourite one and this would be a list of them so you can find them easily.

Semper Vaporo

Pkgs.

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Posted by Semper Vaporo on Wednesday, September 1, 2010 11:55 AM

Oooo... Hey, I just clicked on the "Forum Alerts" text over by my icon on the right and got a list of all the individual threads I am presently subscribed to, and to the right of each one is a "Remove" button to disable notifications of each one.  Nice feature.

 

Also, at the top is a link (reads "Click here")  that lists all of the various forums so that I can subscribe (get an e-mail) to every topic in a whole forum if I wish.

Semper Vaporo

Pkgs.

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Posted by zugmann on Wednesday, September 1, 2010 11:44 AM

thanks... I just tried hitting "no" to 'receive notifications'.  We'll see what that does.   

 

 

These options are confusing enough, that I'm almost convinced they were written by the same people that write RR rulebooks.

It's been fun.  But it isn't much fun anymore.   Signing off for now. 


  

The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer, any other railroad, company, or person.t fun any

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Posted by Semper Vaporo on Wednesday, September 1, 2010 11:37 AM

zugmann

Anyone else wake up with 50,000 emails from trains about replies to threads?  Is it a default thing to automatically be enrolled for the emails?

Yep, I got a bunch too.  There is a link/button at the top of the thread page that says, "Stop emailing replies to me" (in a red oval button).  Click on it and you should not get the e-mails.  There MAY be some setting in your Profile that will change the automatic "subscription" feature, but I haven't looked yet.  You will get e-mails for every new post to any thread you have made a reply to unless you click that button (or find a profile setup that cancels the automatic subcription feature).

 

Hang on...

 

I just clicked on the "Edit" link over on the right side where my icon is displayed (had to scroll down a bit) right next to the words "Public Profile".  In the page that is displayed, scroll down to "Email configuration" and I THINK!!!! if you change the 4th entry's selection boxes to "No" you will disable the automatic feature... then if you really want to get e-mails when someone replies to a specific thread you will probably see a button that says you want to get the e-mails (instead of the "Stop" one).  Try it!

 EDIT: Be sure to click the UPDATE PROFILE button at the bottom of the page!

Semper Vaporo

Pkgs.

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