remove the shoutbox?

Re: remove the shoutbox?

Thank you for finding that. I have now fixed the shoutbox so it only appears on the right hand side.

Awesome, it looks great!

[Fenyx]

Re: remove the shoutbox?

Now if we could only make the side panels turn on/off by default per user customization...

[Open Source]

Re: remove the shoutbox?

Thank you for finding that. I have now fixed the shoutbox so it only appears on the right hand side.

[claydoh]

Re: remove the shoutbox?

http://www.mkportal.it/support/showt...light=shoutbox
The top box can be disabled quite easily, if so desired.

[Open Source]

Re: remove the shoutbox?

I could do it, but that would require modifying the code, which I do under some circumstances but, prefer not to do it because everytime I update the software I have to make all the changes again by hand, or update it by hand, changing only the code that has been updated. I will see how difficult it would be to do.

Re: remove the shoutbox?

Yes, I had seen those little arrows which hide the side panels. Those are nice.

It's also a very good idea to limit the length of the shoutbox comments. But, if the software which is used to render that section in the first place constricts Open Source to only having the option of displaying it or not, then I doubt it would be easy for him to implement an option to display on a per-member basis, or a character limit.

Is that true, Open Source?

[Fenyx]

Re: remove the shoutbox?

Hi nrwik! Just to give you on an insight that I learned from Open Souce a few days ago.
This forum is actually using to kinds of software, MkPortal and SMF (Simple Machines Forums). MkPortal is the one handling stuff like the shoutbox, the front page (http://www.kubuntuforums.net), and the rest of the options on the very top banner (home, blog, news, etc.) SMF is the one that handles the forum itself, starting from banner with home, help, search, profile, etc. So I guess it's a bit natural that there seems to be a "break" in the flow, since the two (shoutbox and forums) are handled by different software.

Anyway, I don't want the shoutbox to be removed. However, I suggest that, if possible, the shoutbox be limited to a certain length/number of characters. Look at the shoutbox now. It has one huge message that should have been probably posted in the proper forum section. Of course, it calls your attention to that user's problem, but it shouldn't be too much of a distraction.

I'm not sure if there's an option to hide the shoutbox, and probably it would be good if there was.

OT: nrwik, I'd like to call your attention to a not-so-visible portion of the forums. In the front page, you see two side panels (left and right). In the forums, they are gone. If you want to display those two, at the top of the forums there are two clickable icons (left and right) with ">>" and "<<" marks. click those to display the side panels. however, they disappear when you change pages. Probably a limitiation of MkPortal software. (The shoutbox is in the side panels, too)

Re: remove the shoutbox?

Well, I just got here, so don't take my input as that of a seasoned account holder, but I can give my first impression of the shoutbox section section.

It seemed unrefined, and unfinished to me. It took a few seconds to figure out what it was, and that threw me off. The generally agreed upon site layout has the site menu either along the top, or down the side, or both. It feels a bit strange to me to have it between that menu at the top and the forum. Combine that with the fact that it spans the total horizontal distance of the site, and it feels to me like it breaks the layout up too much. My view is that the real content which the user comes to the site for should be as near to the top of the site as possible. More stuff between the top of the page and the forum makes it feel bloated, spammy. I think that if it is kept, it would be better placed at the bottom, or along the side. Or, maybe as a per-account option. If that option existed, I can tell you that I would turn it off.

Other than that, I'm already a bit more used to it than I was then.

This is only a passing opinion to give a newcommer's view. None of this explains my real feeling about the site, only the shoutbox feature.

BTW, great site, Open Source!

[Open Source]

Re: remove the shoutbox?

It is either on or off. I can set the number of shouts to show on the side, but thats about it.

[claydoh]

Re: remove the shoutbox?

well why not just remove the top bar, but leave the "Last Shouts" on the right panel, as it is seen on the main page? or is that part 'hard-coded" into the module?

[Open Source]

Re: remove the shoutbox?

Well if too many people don't like/enjoy having the shoutbox, I can remove it all together. Moving it to the side is not available in the software, however I could do it by modifying the code. The problem with that is when I do an update to the software, I have to be really careful not to screw up my modifications, so I would rather not change too much code.

[claydoh]

Re: remove the shoutbox?

I prefer it on a side panel because, for one thing, it is being used to ask questions, or to answer one we can no longer see, and generally clutters everything up (imnsho of course).

If people are too afraid or timid to post, that is an issue that could better be addressed in a different way, perhaps more if us posting more usefull posts more often in a more newbie-friendly way (and yes I know I don't post very often, especially recently)

[Nirvana]

Re: remove the shoutbox?

I like it up there too... but I'd change the style to bold black on white, to the same style "navigartore" uses.. which is #afc6db for the background, and either black or #005177 ("uno" style aka the Home/Forum/Blog at the top style)

[Danni]

Re: remove the shoutbox?

I'm quite new here, but I've gotten used to it being up there. I'm too scared to post in it myself at the moment, but like reading what other people have said.

[claydoh]

Re: remove the shoutbox?


Oh, that's OK I am pretty flame-oblivious anyway. i figured you were looking for opinions, so I tried to help get the ball rolling

I don't have anything against the shoutbox, I just think it looks out of place up there at the top.

[OT] i do like the side panels ability to be opened and closed, that is a nice feature [/OT]