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Forum - New Look

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newmarket
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Forum - New Look

#1 Post by newmarket »

I'm just wondering how everyone is finding the 'new' look for the forum.... I'm finding it really hard to read.

Just checking to see if it's me in my advancing years or not!!


Thanks, newmarket

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Telemachus
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Re: Forum - New Look

#2 Post by Telemachus »

Perhaps you didn't notice, but in the very section you posted this thread, there is a long (very long) thread called "The new format makes it unduly difficult to read posts." You might check there or in the post (also in this thread) about choosing new themes for the admins to add to our choices.
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Re: Forum - New Look

#3 Post by ComputerBob »

Yeah, that train left the station many days ago.
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newmarket
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Re: Forum - New Look

#4 Post by newmarket »

Thanks Telemachus & ComputerBob.

You are right, I didn't notice in the thread you mentioned, even though it is in exactly the same area where I posted my thread.

I apologise if I am a bit sensitive, but I am having a lot of trouble reading the forums. It is something that I enjoy doing and I am finding it very difficult to see. I'm sorry if I am wrong, but please be aware that we're all different before using the RTFM argument.

Thanks again and I am sorry if this is aggressive, but I really enjoy these forums.
Telemachus wrote:Perhaps you didn't notice, but in the very section you posted this thread, there is a long (very long) thread called "The new format makes it unduly difficult to read posts." You might check there or in the post (also in this thread) about choosing new themes for the admins to add to our choices.

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Re: Forum - New Look

#5 Post by ComputerBob »

You're far from alone in having problems reading posts in the new forum style.

If you go into your User Control Panel, you can select the other style (I don't remember its exact name) that is closer to the old forum style. But, unfortunately, neither of those styles uses true black text.
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Re: Forum - New Look

#6 Post by Telemachus »

newmarket wrote:I'm sorry if I am wrong, but please be aware that we're all different before using the RTFM argument.
I wasn't telling you to RTFM. I just wanted to let you know that you won't get any traction with a new thread (since there are already a few ongoing ones).

@ ComputerBob - If you use Iceweasel or Firefox, I highly recommend the Stylish addon or hand editing the 'userContent.css' file that lives in the Profiles folder in your .mozilla folder in your $HOME directory. I do have true black text on this site, because I made some changes. (See my very brief HOWTO for what I did.)
Last edited by Telemachus on 2009-05-04 16:29, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Forum - New Look

#7 Post by ComputerBob »

Thanks for the tips, Telemachus. 8)

I checked out your userContent.css tip, but I'm not interested in forcing all of the text of every web site that I visit to be black black. Some web sites (including my own) use other colors of text for emphasis and design reasons, and I don't want to override those colors. I only want the text of these Debian User Forums to be as black as possible.

I've used Sylish in the past, and it's a good idea, but I got tired of using it after awhile. I don't even remember any more whether it is site-specific or not.

The fact of the matter is that it would only require a forum admin to change one line in one phpbb v3.x forum admin config screen to "#000000" to change the text of every post from its default "almost black" to "real" black. To me, that would make more sense than requiring everyone who has problems seeing the current "almost black" text to find and manually apply some sort of work-around.
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newmarket
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Re: Forum - New Look

#8 Post by newmarket »

Thanks Computerbob,

The other theme is much better.

Thanks again

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Re: Forum - New Look

#9 Post by Telemachus »

ComputerBob wrote:Thanks for the tips, Telemachus. 8)

I checked out your userContent.css tip, but I'm not interested in forcing all of the text of every web site that I visit to be black black. Some web sites (including my own) use other colors of text for emphasis and design reasons, and I don't want to override those colors. I only want the text of these Debian User Forums to be as black as possible.
You can have site specific material. Just wrap the rule with @-moz-document domain(debian.net). Example (tested and working):

Code: Select all

@-moz-document domain(debian.net) {
   /* Make all text black */
  * {
    color: #000 !important; }
}
ComputerBob wrote:I've used Sylish in the past, and it's a good idea, but I got tired of using it after awhile. I don't even remember any more whether it is site-specific or not.
It can be, but again, you can already be site specific with just userContent.css.
ComputerBob wrote:The fact of the matter is that it would only require a forum admin to change one line in one phpbb v3.x forum admin config screen to "#000000" to change the text of every post from its default "almost black" to "real" black. To me, that would make more sense than requiring everyone who has problems seeing the current "almost black" text to find and manually apply some sort of work-around.
Perhaps easier for you and me, but this assumes that everyone (or even a majority of the people) want true black text. I want true black myself, but I have no idea about the real numbers.
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Re: Forum - New Look

#10 Post by ComputerBob »

Telemachus wrote: Perhaps easier for you and me, but this assumes that everyone (or even a majority of the people) want true black text. I want true black myself, but I have no idea about the real numbers.
I just checked and everyone agrees. They all want true black text. :lol:
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Re: Forum - New Look

#11 Post by ComputerBob »

Telemachus wrote:You can have site specific material. Just wrap the rule with @-moz-document domain(debian.net). Example (tested and working):

Code: Select all

@-moz-document domain(debian.net) {
   /* Make all text black */
  * {
    color: #000 !important; }
}
Thank you! That actually works. Unfortunately, it affects ALL forum text, including all quoted text, coding, hyperlinks and the red and blue text in my forum signature.

Deleting !important helped restore most of those to their normal colors, but the colors in my forum signature (which are forum span styles) are still being overridden and turned completely black.

Now I remember why I stopped using Stylish a few years ago -- I got tired of it giving me "almost" what I wanted, but having to repeatedly analyze and tweak someone else's CSS values in order to really get what I wanted. :idea:

Of course, that's not a design flaw in Stylish.

But it takes me back to my point of it making more sense for a forum admin to change one value on one phpbb forum admin config screen -- which would change only all normal forum post content to black -- than for the rest of us to have to manually tweak things individually to try to achieve the same effect.
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Re: Forum - New Look

#12 Post by Telemachus »

ComputerBob wrote:Thank you! That actually works. Unfortunately, it affects ALL forum text, including all quoted text, coding, hyperlinks and the red and blue text in my forum signature.
Right, that's the * selector for you. I can't do it right now, but I would guesstimate that 20 minutes playing around with CSS selectors would get you exactly what you want. I grant you that it would be easier (for us) for the theme to change rather than this kind of manual twiddling. That said, as a Linux user of about three years, I've grown pretty used to manual twiddling. It's par for the course, for better or worse.
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Jackiebrown
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Re: Forum - New Look

#13 Post by Jackiebrown »

I might use that for a few sites I frequent.

This site is that bad.

The annoying ones are the ones that allow their users to type in any color and with any font size. (Those are usually the users that like to use all caps as well.)

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Re: Forum - New Look

#14 Post by mdevour »

Jackiebrown, anyone,

I've been seeing the complaints about readability and kinda wondering... On my display the text looks damn close to black on light blue and contrast is plenty. I didn't even realize that it was dark grey. I'm using a really old LCD monitor. I wonder what kind of displays those of you who are having problems are using?

I have some definite vision problems, rather severe at times in fact, so I'm really not dismissing the issue. It's just that it's been working fine for me.

Of course, having the forums back at all is the best thing about it! :D

Mike D.

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#15 Post by edbarx »

It is very evident that the selection of font colours and text backgrounds is not helping the forum's readability. If people around here, start denying the evident, it will then be useless to try to explain them anything.
Last edited by edbarx on 2009-05-07 21:12, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Forum - New Look

#16 Post by gnudude »

mdevour wrote:]On my display the text looks damn close to black on light blue and contrast is plenty. I didn't even realize that it was dark grey. I'm using a really old LCD monitor. I wonder what kind of displays those of you who are having problems are using?
I am pretty sure we use a fairly large variety of displays. I have trouble believing someone doesn't notice the difference. I do not think it is enough contrast but you could be right. What do you think? You really cannot tell any difference?

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Re: Forum - New Look

#17 Post by mdevour »

gnudude wrote:
mdevour wrote:On my display the text looks damn close to black on light blue and contrast is plenty. I didn't even realize that it was dark grey. I'm using a really old LCD monitor. I wonder what kind of displays those of you who are having problems are using?
I am pretty sure we use a fairly large variety of displays. I have trouble believing someone doesn't notice the difference. I do not think it is enough contrast but you could be right. What do you think? You really cannot tell any difference?
<LOL!>

Yep, I can just barely tell the difference, Gnudude! All that black text you've scattered about in your post is just a teensy bit darker/bolder looking. I can see it if I try, but it's easy to not even notice.

I have a hard time believing that the contrast ratio on my system is that much better than average, but I suppose that could explain it. If I have any complaint about my system it's that dark colors tend to become a bit murky.

I'm running a very old MAG Innovision 17" flatscreen at 1280 x 1024, with an nVidia 8600 GT. I've got the gamma tweaked slightly upward in nVidia Settings. Contrast and brightness settings are each at 50%. I'm using the default prosilver style. The room I'm working in almost always has rather subdued lighting.

@Edbarx: Believe me, Ed, please! I'm not trying to be dismissive. I have vision problems, too, and there are times I cannot read anything. It's just that I can see plenty of contrast here with the default style. Enough so I wonder if you were looking at my display you'd still be having as difficult a time with it? There has to be some explanation for the different experience we're having.

I'm glad the forum management will be setting up some more styles. It will hopefully let everybody enjoy the forum again.

Peace,

Mike D.

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Re: Forum - New Look

#18 Post by Ook »

gnudude wrote:
mdevour wrote:]On my display the text looks damn close to black on light blue and contrast is plenty. I didn't even realize that it was dark grey. I'm using a really old LCD monitor. I wonder what kind of displays those of you who are having problems are using?
I am pretty sure we use a fairly large variety of displays. I have trouble believing someone doesn't notice the difference. I do not think it is enough contrast but you could be right. What do you think? You really cannot tell any difference?
'Tis truly not a big difference but it might still make a difference on the whole. I find a block of it a bit easier to read if I don't have my glasses on.

Somebody trying to help themselves with enlarged text would notice a greater difference twixt black and charcoal. The greater area of the font enhances the color in contrast to the background.

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Re: Forum - New Look

#19 Post by MALsPa »

I've been wondering if a lot of this doesn't have a lot to do with differences in display monitors, too, kind of like what mdevour was saying. I've got some difficult eye problems as well but am not having trouble reading things here. I'd have thought that if anyone was having trouble, it would be me, but that's not the case. Still, if it's a problem for some people, then I hope some changes are made, and soon. I feel for anyone who has eye issues, because I'm one of them. But it's definitely not bad for all of us, even others with vision problems.

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Re: Forum - New Look

#20 Post by sqlpython »

But it's definitely not bad for all of us, even others with vision problems.
And definitely not Bad for me!
This combination of colors seems to work for my eyes.
Criticism accepted for solutions that work! ;^)

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