My thoughts on your site

[admin_exported]

I know you're obviously on Microsoft hardware from the .aspx extensions but even the free PHP based forum phpBB 3 is 10x better than this?

Plus when I login to the site it doesn't log me into the forum? I have to login again.

This message reply box works bizarrely in FF3, it defaults to putting a single space at the beginning of a new paragraph for some reason.

Finally, from a web development perspective, you shouldn't be using a Transitional doctype, the site doesn't even validate with a Transitional doctype which is one of the easiest things to do. I understand you're probably using some sort of CMS but in this day and age, building a new website like this is something I'd be embarassed to do as a web developer....well I actually couldn't build a website like this any more.

 

[John Duncan]

The developers know where you live, you know......

 

[Clare Newsome]

We'll pass your comments on to our technical team, who are currently working on a major Forum upgrade.

However, it's worth pointing out right now that we haven't built a new website - this was a necessary evolution of an existing, older design. Not ideal (as we are well aware!). We are, however, working on making it much better - as well as focussing our editorial efforts on keeping the content as comprehesive and responsive as possible.

 

[Ravey Gravey Davy]

Clare Newsome:

We'll pass your comments on to our technical team, who are currently working on a major Forum upgrade.

However, it's worth pointing out right now that we haven't built a new website - this was a necessary evolution of an existing, older design. Not ideal (as we are well aware!). We are, however, working on making it much better - as well as focussing our editorial efforts on keeping the content as comprehesive and responsive as possible.

How polite is that reply.You must be chilled on holiday.

Can you move probedb's Avatar a little higher so he can look down his nose more -in fact so high that he cannot see the content which is after all what most of us are on here for .

 

[Anonymous]

probedb:
I know you're obviously on Microsoft hardware from the .aspx extensions but even the free PHP based forum phpBB 3 is 10x better than this?

Plus when I login to the site it doesn't log me into the forum? I have to login again.

This message reply box works bizarrely in FF3, it defaults to putting a single space at the beginning of a new paragraph for some reason.

Finally, from a web development perspective, you shouldn't be using a Transitional doctype, the site doesn't even validate with a Transitional doctype which is one of the easiest things to do. I understand you're probably using some sort of CMS but in this day and age, building a new website like this is something I'd be embarassed to do as a web developer....well I actually couldn't build a website like this any more.

Hi There,

I am part of the dev team on this site, (and many others), so I can try and answer some of your questions...

We are a .net development department, so we are unable to use php bb etc etc, (there are better forums than php bb btw, that is the most known as it is free!) Running two dev teams and system admin teams isn't practical for us at the moment. The software we use is Community Server at the time it appeared to be the best out there that we could use. We are just starting off the road of upgrading to the latest version which should solve a lot of problems, however with any off the shelf software it could always be better.

One thing we are trying to sort is the logging in issue, the whole system is being rebuilt at the moment, (it isn't just this site that uses it - hence why you can log onto multiple sites with one login.)

As for the doctype, there are a million arguments out there regarding transitional versus strict, none of which I am going into now. There are only 2 errors on the home page, one of which is from the stats package and the other is from a .net tool. (That's a hell of a lot better than Googles 64 errors on it's homepage

It would be great to live in the ideal coding world where everything works and is strictly compliant and works perfectly on every browser, (even those that weren't released when we built the site.) But we don't, we have tight deadlines, "out of the box" software that has errors in it and we have to build off older versions.

Sorry if it isn't good enough but I think you will find very few sites that are perfect...

 

[John Duncan]

A developer who can argue cogently.....my word. Will you come and work for me?

 

[Andrew Everard]

I thought you wanted to come and work for us, JD...

 

[Simon Lucas]

JohnDuncan:A developer who can argue cogently.....my word. Will you come and work for me?

I'd imagine austinh7 gets all the patronising he can cope with here, thanks.

 

[Clare Newsome]

JohnDuncan:A developer who can argue cogently.....my word. Will you come and work for me?

Oi, hands off - Austin is vital to our plans for world domination....

 

[John Duncan]

Clare Newsome:
JohnDuncan:A developer who can argue cogently.....my word. Will you come and work for me?

Oi, hands off - Austin is vital to our plans for world domination....

Or I could come and work for you.

 

[John Duncan]

Andrew Everard:I thought you wanted to come and work for us, JD...

Jinx.

 

[John Duncan]

Simon Lucas:
JohnDuncan:A developer who can argue cogently.....my word. Will you come and work for me?

I'd imagine austinh7 gets all the patronising he can cope with here, thanks.

I think you'll find that was not so much "patronising" as "taking the p-ss".

 

[Simon Lucas]

JohnDuncan:I think you'll find that was not so much "patronising" as "taking the p-ss".

It's a fine line, isn't it? Like the one between 'stupid' and 'clever' than Nigel Tufnel talks about.

 

[John Duncan]

I've tried to provide context on this site to suggest which though......

 

[Messiah]

probedb:
I know you're obviously on Microsoft hardware from the .aspx extensions but even the free PHP based forum phpBB 3 is 10x better than this?

Plus when I login to the site it doesn't log me into the forum? I have to login again.

This message reply box works bizarrely in FF3, it defaults to putting a single space at the beginning of a new paragraph for some reason.

Finally, from a web development perspective, you shouldn't be using a Transitional doctype, the site doesn't even validate with a Transitional doctype which is one of the easiest things to do. I understand you're probably using some sort of CMS but in this day and age, building a new website like this is something I'd be embarassed to do as a web developer....well I actually couldn't build a website like this any more.

It's a shame that some people lead such sad lives that they feel the need to abuse the build of a forum. Oh well.........

 

[Andrew Everard]

Messiah:It's a shame that some people lead such sad lives that they feel the need to abuse the build of a forum. Oh well.........

Some of us have got it, some have only got IT

 

[the record spot]

JohnDuncan:A developer who can argue cogently.....my word. Will you come and work for me?

Spoken like a true analyst...welcome to the fold!

 

[professorhat]

I'd like to know what
probedb:Microsoft hardware
is...? x86? Is that possibly the same hardware Linux runs on?
EDIT - apologies, a really pedantic and goony joke, I know. I have had a bad day at work though and am now 1/4 way through a bottle of JD, so cut me some slack!

 

[John Duncan]

professorhat:am now 1/4 way through a bottle of JD

 

[professorhat]

That's nothing, I got halfway through before I called it quits last night. Feel surprisingly good this morning which is always a worrying sign...

 

[Anonymous]

I think you are doing a fine job here, there are many things I'd suggest you do*, but I wanted to make one request.

"Read Ketan Bharadia'sÿblogÿabout his recent visit to Marantz's Eindhoven HQ with Ken ishiwata."

ÿThey are blog posts, just like in a magazine they are called articles. [pedant mode off]

thanks

Gavinÿ

* eg an easy way to get to my profile pageÿhttp://whathifi.com/members/zzgavin.aspx would be great

 

[Andrew Everard]

zzgavin:
I wanted to make one request.

"Read Ketan Bharadia's blog about his recent visit to Marantz's Eindhoven HQ with Ken ishiwata."

They are blog posts, just like in a magazine they are called articles. [pedant mode off]

Must be getting a bit chilly for writing down railway carriage numbers or something...

 

[Anonymous]

I'm just reflecting the language I see other publications and companies using currently and over the past few years

 

[Andy Clough]

Well blog is the standard term used for such an article on a website. But hey, what do I know?

 

[Anonymous]

I'll attempt to dig myself out of this small hole.

A blog is like a magazine.

A blog post is like a magazine article.ÿ

It was meant as amusing pedantry, the piece I quoted justÿread wrong to me.

have a good weekendÿ