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#1 2005-10-28 15:04:53

dtw
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From: UK
Registered: 2004-08-03
Posts: 4,439
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A new look for the forums (yet another chance to contribute)

it is an inescapeable fact that the top of the forums is getting a little cluttered these days.  Both Ubuntu and gentoo have solved this by going for a more complete, toolbar style header.

I personally think a combination of the basic gentoo format with those natty "tab" type links they have on the ubuntu boards is the way forward for us so I am going to do one of my famous commissions smile

What I am envisioning is:

1) Logo on left (gentoo/ubuntu)
2) Horizontal toolbar (gentoo) but would like to keep the little icons for Memberlist, etc.
3) google ads nestled in the top right
4) the Arch link buttons for wiki, etc converted to tabs along the top right of the horizontal toolbar with google ads above

How does that sound?  Mock-ups from artisitic people welcome!

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#2 2005-10-28 15:24:52

Anonymo
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Registered: 2005-04-07
Posts: 427
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Re: A new look for the forums (yet another chance to contribute)

gentoo definetely has a nice looking board.  Sounds good to me.

Do we have google ads now?  lol *cough*firefox*cough*

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#3 2005-10-28 15:30:48

dtw
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From: UK
Registered: 2004-08-03
Posts: 4,439
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Re: A new look for the forums (yet another chance to contribute)

Don't you mean *cough*adblock*cough*?  And aside from that...maybe you would be better to consider the google ads as being important to Arch financially rather than as a nuisance to you personally wink

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#4 2005-10-28 16:34:10

High|ander
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From: Skövde, Sweden
Registered: 2005-10-28
Posts: 188
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Re: A new look for the forums (yet another chance to contribute)

In my opinion the forum is to big, you need to strip it down...

I agree that the gentoo forum is good. So you sould do something like they have done. And try to cutomize it so that you don't "copy" it smile


When death smiles at you, all you can do is smile back!
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#5 2005-10-28 16:59:40

dtw
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From: UK
Registered: 2004-08-03
Posts: 4,439
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Re: A new look for the forums (yet another chance to contribute)

How do you mean too big? :s  Too many posts?  Takes too long to load?

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#6 2005-10-28 17:08:39

High|ander
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From: Skövde, Sweden
Registered: 2005-10-28
Posts: 188
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Re: A new look for the forums (yet another chance to contribute)

I mean to big icons on the top (wiki AUR planet)....

And if you have the time, try to make the forum something special, just so that it doesn't have the same boring phpbb structure  ("wish thinking")


When death smiles at you, all you can do is smile back!
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#7 2005-10-28 17:48:05

dtw
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From: UK
Registered: 2004-08-03
Posts: 4,439
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Re: A new look for the forums (yet another chance to contribute)

Yeah, wishful thinking, I don't have time.

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#8 2005-10-28 18:18:26

MillTek
Member
Registered: 2005-01-30
Posts: 442

Re: A new look for the forums (yet another chance to contribute)

Hi Dibble,

Nice idea.I just looked at gentoo & ubuntu and I like ubuntu's layout.

I like the way they use color to make it very obvious which 'tab' you are reading.

As for the Ads. I have no problem although all day today it has been an  Ad for microsoft Live Meeting which I suspect has a very small potential audience here!


Jim

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#9 2005-10-28 19:08:19

jerrym
Member
From: Kannapolis, NC
Registered: 2005-07-08
Posts: 60

Re: A new look for the forums (yet another chance to contribute)

go for it, change is always good  big_smile


He may look like an idiot and talk like an idiot but don't let that fool you. He really is an idiot.
- - - Groucho Marx

Registered Linux User #319935
Registered Linux Machine #204881

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#10 2005-10-28 19:34:00

Dusty
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From: Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada
Registered: 2004-01-18
Posts: 5,986
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Re: A new look for the forums (yet another chance to contribute)

MillTek wrote:

As for the Ads. I have no problem although all day today it has been an  Ad for microsoft Live Meeting which I suspect has a very small potential audience here!

Click it, it means Judd gets money from MS supporters, how cool is that? ;-)

Dusty

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#11 2005-10-28 20:18:33

MillTek
Member
Registered: 2005-01-30
Posts: 442

Re: A new look for the forums (yet another chance to contribute)

Now that,.................is beyond cool!



Jim

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#12 2005-10-28 22:59:07

LudoTheGreat
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From: Wisconsin
Registered: 2005-04-27
Posts: 40
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Re: A new look for the forums (yet another chance to contribute)

Looking at both the gentoo and ubuntu forums I got an idea. I was too lazy to actully apply it to a phpbb theme myself so i jsut took a screenshot of the forums and added it to the bottom of the head to see how it would look.

With the SS

Without the SS

I tried to keep it clean and simple like the rest of the site and along the same design style as the front page. Also I didnt add or leave out anything that isnt all ready here.

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#13 2005-10-28 23:01:43

High|ander
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From: Skövde, Sweden
Registered: 2005-10-28
Posts: 188
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Re: A new look for the forums (yet another chance to contribute)

I like the one with the SS


When death smiles at you, all you can do is smile back!
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#14 2005-10-28 23:03:26

LudoTheGreat
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From: Wisconsin
Registered: 2005-04-27
Posts: 40
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Re: A new look for the forums (yet another chance to contribute)

High|ander wrote:

I like the one with the SS

They are both the same thing just that the SS on a res smaller than 1280x1024 makes it so you have to scroll to see the entire thing. That is why I posted both.

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#15 2005-10-28 23:05:17

High|ander
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From: Skövde, Sweden
Registered: 2005-10-28
Posts: 188
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Re: A new look for the forums (yet another chance to contribute)

Okay

Anyway i think that it is a good idea because the uses alot less place so you dont have to scroll alot


When death smiles at you, all you can do is smile back!
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#16 2005-10-28 23:34:58

dtw
Forum Fellow
From: UK
Registered: 2004-08-03
Posts: 4,439
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Re: A new look for the forums (yet another chance to contribute)

LudoTheGreat wrote:

Looking at both the gentoo and ubuntu forums I got an idea. I was too lazy to actully apply it to a phpbb theme myself so i jsut took a screenshot of the forums and added it to the bottom of the head to see how it would look.

With the SS

Without the SS

I tried to keep it clean and simple like the rest of the site and along the same design style as the front page. Also I didnt add or leave out anything that isnt all ready here.

Yeah!  That's pretty much what I had in mind!  I would def go for a more subtle logo tho.  I like the top bar with the "An i686-optimized Linux distribution" - as that has to be on there somewhere (as it is now) but I would prefer to go more with the subtle header/logo look of the dev blog and homepage.

Also, the ads and buttons now appear to be center of the second column.  I think the ads should be right aligned with an equal border between top and right edge.

The buttons need to be converted to tabs (I'll ask the dog) and should rest above the grey menu bar, again right aligned, with the same border on the right as the ads.

That would complete my vision - reckon you can do a mock up of that?  I reckon that would be great for starters and then we can go from there.

P.S. I'd also like to keep the small icons in the menu bar - I think smile

Looking forward to the next version smile

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#17 2005-10-28 23:37:39

High|ander
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From: Skövde, Sweden
Registered: 2005-10-28
Posts: 188
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Re: A new look for the forums (yet another chance to contribute)

sounds like a good plan to me


When death smiles at you, all you can do is smile back!
Blog

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#18 2005-10-28 23:42:49

dtw
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From: UK
Registered: 2004-08-03
Posts: 4,439
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Re: A new look for the forums (yet another chance to contribute)

Actually, I'm not sure if I would even prefer just a light header background with the current logo - that would certainly be better in keeping with our new buttons smile

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#19 2005-10-29 00:13:26

LudoTheGreat
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From: Wisconsin
Registered: 2005-04-27
Posts: 40
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Re: A new look for the forums (yet another chance to contribute)

dibblethewrecker wrote:

Actually, I'm not sure if I would even prefer just a light header background with the current logo - that would certainly be better in keeping with our new buttons smile


How light are you talking? White or more like the fontpage/blog?

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#20 2005-10-29 00:17:08

dtw
Forum Fellow
From: UK
Registered: 2004-08-03
Posts: 4,439
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Re: A new look for the forums (yet another chance to contribute)

Light as in as it is it right now!  Not sure if this is white or not tho.  Specifically I think I mean a shade of grey rather than a shade of blue but that is not hugely in keeping with the other subdomains smile

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#21 2005-10-29 00:35:24

Snowman
Developer/Forum Fellow
From: Montreal, Canada
Registered: 2004-08-20
Posts: 5,212

Re: A new look for the forums (yet another chance to contribute)

LudoTheGreat wrote:

Looking at both the gentoo and ubuntu forums I got an idea. I was too lazy to actully apply it to a phpbb theme myself so i jsut took a screenshot of the forums and added it to the bottom of the head to see how it would look.

With the SS

Without the SS

I tried to keep it clean and simple like the rest of the site and along the same design style as the front page. Also I didnt add or leave out anything that isnt all ready here.

I get a "page not found" error for both link.

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#22 2005-10-29 00:37:15

ozar
Member
From: USA
Registered: 2005-02-18
Posts: 1,686

Re: A new look for the forums (yet another chance to contribute)

Snowman wrote:

I get a "page not found" error for both link.

Same here...  :?


oz

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#23 2005-10-29 01:01:07

Dusty
Schwag Merchant
From: Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada
Registered: 2004-01-18
Posts: 5,986
Website

Re: A new look for the forums (yet another chance to contribute)

worked for me, earlier...

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#24 2005-10-29 01:31:10

Dusty
Schwag Merchant
From: Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada
Registered: 2004-01-18
Posts: 5,986
Website

Re: A new look for the forums (yet another chance to contribute)

not now.

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#25 2005-10-29 01:36:08

LudoTheGreat
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From: Wisconsin
Registered: 2005-04-27
Posts: 40
Website

Re: A new look for the forums (yet another chance to contribute)

That was my fault... I deleted the dir on accadent. It should be back up along with this:
Take two
The buttons can easily be replaces with tabs.

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