Q: Could This (new discussion format) Be Any Worse?

You mean griping?

Get a grip.

Nope, griping will get you nowhere.

I griped all through the last iteration about opening a discussion in threaded view and not having any way to distinguish new content. Didn't do a bit of good, and this new version still lacks that vital assistance to those who are trying to help.

Griping does no good whatsoever.

At least the edit function works, no more gripping. Thank you.

Ronda Wilson wrote:

 

Griping does no good whatsoever.

not true

"squeaky wheel gets the grease"  - KAPPY    (in reference to this very topic)

Ronda Wilson wrote:

 

I griped all through the last iteration about opening a discussion in threaded view and not having any way to distinguish new content. Didn't do a bit of good, and this new version still lacks that vital assistance to those who are trying to help.

 

Griping does no good whatsoever.

Hi Ronda,

I am not sure which vital assistance you find to be still lacking (threaded view or new content).

1. opening a discussion in threaded view

In your profile, choose Edit preferences:

2. not having any way to distinguish new content.

User Tip:

Getting the best out of the 'New-Look' forums (2014)

Regards,

Ian.

When you open a discussion in threaded view (which is my preference), there is no way to tell which content you've read and which you haven't. In the good ol' days, the legend "New!" appeared before each post which you had not read, and it was easy to search the page for that term in order to find posts that were, indeed, new to you.

This went away with the previous version of the ASC software (when it changed from Apple Discussions to Apple Support Communities, if memory serves), and nothing as helpful has appeared since.

The only way to find content that is new to you in threaded view is to check the time/date stamp (assuming you remember the last time you visited that topic — I rarely remember that) or read the whole topic over again from top to bottom. It is so less efficient than it used to be.

Hi Ronda,

I tried Threaded View in this latest forums update, and gave up. Dates were confusing me, so I went back to  Flat View. Latest Reply (yours) is last!

Regards,

Ian.

Yellowbox wrote:

 

Hi Ronda,

 

I tried Threaded View in this latest forums update, and gave up. Dates were confusing me, so I went back to  Flat View. Latest Reply (yours) is last!

 

 

Regards,

Ian.

The reason I like threaded view is you can tell who is responding to whom.

Clicking on "in response to (name)" rarely (if ever) works, so you need to quote the person to whom you're replying. It does revert to flat view when the posts become sufficient in number to trigger multiple pages.

Even if you're responding to the final post in a topic, it may not be the final post by the time you've finished composing your reply and posting it, so you need to quote the person to whom you're responding. You even need to do this in threaded view just in case the topic becomes long enough to default to flat view.

ronda

Well reasoned and better put. I've been trying to say the same thing but am a poor communicator, I guess.

CCC

Since the vast majority of users think this GUI is inane and cumbersome, how about a list of alternative forums ?   Someone start a list of other nicer, well-organized, user-friendly forums.

MacPcConsultant wrote:

 

Since the vast majority of users think this GUI is inane and cumbersome, how about a list of alternative forums ?   Someone start a list of other nicer, well-organized, user-friendly forums.

I am guessing such a list would get pulled quite quickly. But that's just a guess. This horrid version of Apple Support Communities may be designed to decrease traffic here. Who knows?

Ronda Wilson wrote:

 

MacPcConsultant wrote:

 

Since the vast majority of users think this GUI is inane and cumbersome, how about a list of alternative forums ?   Someone start a list of other nicer, well-organized, user-friendly forums.

 

I am guessing such a list would get pulled quite quickly. But that's just a guess. This horrid version of Apple Support Communities may be designed to decrease traffic here. Who knows?

ronda & macpc...

ronda u r right on the first point & wrong on the 2nd.

Site was clearly designed not for the helpER but the helpEE - helpEE is clearly an iOS consumer least common denominator - i.e. iPhone 4.

iPhone5 is slightly better looking because of wider aspect and iPad (both regular and Retina) are again a little better because of more computer-like aspect ratio.

I have not laid hands on an iPad, but have tested an iPhone4. That experience is pretty much a pain in the you know what because its so tiny and high-res. if one wants to read something it must be zoomed. I will start a thread with photos & ScreenGrabs to illustrate shortly(I bet that gets pulled too)

CCC

Since the vast majority of users think this GUI is inane and cumbersome, how about a list of alternative forums ?   Someone start a list of other nicer, well-organized, user-friendly forums.

My Site...

http://x704.net/bbs/

It just gets stupider when I Zoom Out.

Zoom out does not work for me. The text quickly gets too small to read, and the side margins get pulled way in as well. This does not get more information into a manageable amount of space, it gives me margins 3 inches wide on a window 10 inches wide on a screen nearly two feet wide. That is NOT a solution.

There is too stinkin' much white space, especially vertically. There has been no consideration of what the final output will be, each routine just adds its little bit, adds more white space, and that should be good enough!

... Except that it's not.

I agree that there is too much white space - & then there is the auto save showing up making it take awhile to load.

The problem has to do with who is doing the design and coding and happens all the time - and who taught them.

Bad coding ideas pop up everywhere.   An option or style becomes gospel to some.

Sometimes continuous complaining helps.