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Rantburg Defender Scimitar & Times-Picayune
2008-10-03
... is now online. Still in alpha...

Gimme your feedback, please.
Posted by:Fred

#27  Hmm, you put a bunch of work into this update. Thank you, I am impressed, and only offer these comments because you asked. I trust you to make this a great place no matter how it is styled.

I often download the main page onto my computer prior to getting aboard an airplane and so this layout with the articles in their own element adds more information on the page without needing to click to somewhere else, which is good.

I dearly hope you will put the article table of contents in here somewhere though. I use that every day to sort out the articles that I want to read from those that I don't. Without some structural element, I would be lost in a sea of words. The pink colored lines you have used in the good morning graphic to separate the background might make a good section divider. No doubt your good sense can think of several ways to organize. I relate to the categories like sections in the newspaper and don't really care about what the categories are, just that they provide relationship structure to the information in each section.

The new header is too wide a page for my computer to display. I only have 800x480 on this, and the articles look fine at that resolution, but the header is wider. Also, I dearly love the good morning front page graphic with the news of the day neatly arranged along with the pictures. I'm sure it is a total pita to do every day, but it provides that visual cue that says this is like reading the newspaper. That is part of the Rantburg brand--at least for me. Perhaps if the header stayed inside the white frame it would both be smaller while evoking that broadsheet look.

Thanks to you and the mods for all the hard work you do each and every day.
Posted by: rammer   2008-10-03 20:24  

#26  Whew!

Thnx, Steve.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut   2008-10-03 19:56  

#25  I think we see it as an alternate way to scan the Burg, not as a replacement. As a mod, when I check in the morning I use the Editor (special page for us mods) since like you I'm interested in seeing the whole Burg. In the afternoon I use the current mod version of the Research page since I'm more interested in figuring out what's new and what I might have to edit or fix.

So the idea for a regular reader is, if you came in the morning and scanned the main page and now are back in the afternoon, the Scimitar page allows you to find what's new very quickly.

But I don't think we're going to replace the main page at all.
Posted by: Steve White   2008-10-03 19:45  

#24  Yeah, but a lot of times I'm also interested in seeing the latest snark comments to stories that particularly caught my eye. And the way it is now, the newest stories post at the top of the categories, so we still know what's the latest.

But that's just me, and we all know I'm a computer idiot no computer genius. ;-p

I certainly wouldn't stop coming if you make the change permanent.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut   2008-10-03 19:19  

#23  The DS&TP format puts the posts in reverse order of entry -- most recent at the top. It's handy if you've read in the morning and want to see what's been posted since.
Posted by: Fred   2008-10-03 19:10  

#22  What Barbara said. ^^^
Posted by: Parabellum   2008-10-03 17:28  

#21  I'v been thinking about it, Fred - don't really like it but couldn't figure out why. Maybe Dino says hits it. I do like the present system - I can scan all the headlines quickly and open only those that interest me. It's very helpful when I have only a few minutes to check Rantburg.

Or maybe I'm just a stick-in-the-mud....
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut   2008-10-03 17:20  

#20  Works in my opera but i think scrolling to get the news is much less efficient than current system.
Posted by: Dino Pholulet5957   2008-10-03 16:45  

#19  jeez I can't see much dif Fred..

I certainally don't get any gurl, 'cepting that Hot Hot BombShell Anita Ekberg, no matter how many times I unload reload!
>:0
Posted by: RD   2008-10-03 16:39  

#18  I like the overflow style element on the divs that make for the little scroll bars within the page. I didn't know you could do that. Ya learn something new every day. Plus the color pic of Jayne Mansfield when I first went to it. I nearly jumped outta my seat.
Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305   2008-10-03 15:29  

#17  Oh wow. Every time I reload I get a different pic!


Wonder if Angie Harmon is in the rotation ...
Posted by: Steve White   2008-10-03 15:23  

#16  I was trying something that didn't work at that moment...
Posted by: Fred   2008-10-03 15:04  

#15  I got

Parse error: syntax error, unexpected $end in /home/www/www.rantburg.com/htdocs/dstp.php on line 228

Posted by: Frozen Al   2008-10-03 15:01  

#14  Pure coincidence, since I can't recall ever having seen Daily Kos.
Posted by: Fred   2008-10-03 14:55  

#13  This will probably cross the 'civil well reasoned discourse' line and this is Fred's toy to play with as he chooses, but it looks awful Daily Kos-like.
Posted by: USN, Ret.   2008-10-03 14:51  

#12  Do you wanna go back two days even if you can't put comments in on the second day stuff?

That's for everybody else to tell me.
Posted by: Fred   2008-10-03 14:45  

#11  That's an awesome setup. Drinks for Fred!!!
Posted by: Mike N.   2008-10-03 14:41  

#10  Do you wanna go back two days even if you can't put comments in on the second day stuff?
Posted by: tu3031   2008-10-03 14:31  

#9  In that case I'll put him back...
Posted by: Fred   2008-10-03 14:26  

#8  You can take away our posts, but you can not take our freedom!

(OOPS, wrong movie).

Although it looks like 'Lagom' wasn't a spammer but actually the 'Visitor' from earlier in the week.
Posted by: Tranquil Mechanical Yeti   2008-10-03 14:18  

#7  I like when you refresh it and you get a different Hot Babe of the 20th Century pic.
Posted by: tu3031   2008-10-03 14:15  

#6  No, he's not visitor, I am visitor!
Posted by: Tranquil Mechanical Yeti   2008-10-03 14:13  

#5  Looks like another way for spammers like Lagom to get in.
Posted by: tu3031   2008-10-03 14:07  

#4  I was visitor.
Posted by: Lagom   2008-10-03 14:03  

#3  I was visitor.
Posted by: Lagom   2008-10-03 14:03  

#2  I'm going to replace WoT Research. And I like the Bloid.
Posted by: Fred   2008-10-03 14:00  

#1  What is the purpose of the new layout, Fred?
Posted by: trailing wife    2008-10-03 13:50  

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