babble is rabble.ca's discussion board but it's much more than that: it's an online community for folks who just won't shut up. It's a place to tell each other — and the world — what's up with our work and campaigns.
Quityerbitchin' - Does anyone have anything nice to say about the new babble?
November 28, 2008 - 12:27am
I do realize I've been a bit negative about the transition (though from my POV, i've actually restrained myself), so I though I should start a thread where we could acknowledge progress where it exists.
No.
It's a total POFS a dreadful excuse for web design.
Whoever's responsible should be given a ticket to the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela-there to rot in a fetid Caracas slum while listening to Chavez rant/rave on radio about how wonderful life is.
This new system sucks.
QUESTION: Does anyone dare to admit how much MONEY (and time) was spent on this project?
Even before this project started, I suggested that the money would be better spend helping to feed (even just a few of) those in this world who live on less than $1 per day (about 2 billion people).
Now that I've seen this software, I think that view is vindicated.
Eleutherophobics of the World...Unite!!!
That's a lot of people, Sven. And it's more apparent than ever that Capitalism will never deliver health care and education, decent employment or even running water and sewers to billions of people. What some of us do give to those people through WorldVision and other agencies is a drop in the bucket. They need socialism, Sven.
Viva La Revolución
I was hoping to see a half-dozen benefits listed before this thread deteriorated into a total bitchfest. Really, I was.
Okay, feature #2 that I like: that previous posts paginate forever under profiles, rather than just displaying the last thirty.
(Unfortunately, this doesn't quite make up for the lack of the descriptive profiles themselves - although they do exist. You can fill them out, and they cause an icon to appear by your name. They just don't show up when you click on them. My guess is, somehow, they've been turned off.)
Why does everyone keep referring to this as "point-of-sale" software?
Yeah, but it's important that the software be at least as usable as the 7 year-old software we ditched.
One thing I really like about the new software is that we can include attachments with the opening post! (At least I can, as moderator - can the rest of you do it as well?)
There are a couple of things I like about the new babble, aside from the fact that the old one was in dire need of an update. The comment box at the end of threads (rather than a new screen) is nice, and clearly the capability of pasting rich-text has potential (although right now its very frustrating). I haven't tried to add attachments yet but that's a nice feature, definitely.
I also like the new look (and the small, elegant font!). The feedback function is also slick, except it seems to be only for decoration...
The people here are really nice.
The people at the old Babble were nicer.
There's that of course. I also want to remind people that this remains a work in progress. I like the dialogue box at the bottom of the thread, with a preview capacity. I like the fact that design-wise, it is in some ways reminiscent of the very original babble design, from back in the summer of /01. Recapturing that was part of the plan.
Ooh ya, the preview thingy. I love that.
Also you can change your name. I just did. Twice.
Heyyyyy, how come Boom Boom is not recent and I am? He joined same month as me...does it go on post count?
I have connections.
There seems to be a lot of that - more seasoned babblers than I are listed as recent. I am guessing it has to do with a lack of maturity on their part
(read this with "grampa Simpson's" voice as your inner narrator)
I dunno. I like the way bold, italics and underline is just a click away, instead of the old way. Not that I use italics that much, but it's a nice touch. That looked familiar, but I couldn't place it until a few days ago. Reminds me of my old Yahoo! days, when you had to wear an onion on your belt because that was the fashion, then.
Font is too small, did I ever fucking mention that?!!!
And sometimes the system is slow or unusable-- yesterday I logged off after not being able to post something, only to review the thread and found the abandoned post in the thread--
three times.
Three times.
Three times.
Rather annoying, aint it? Even for the scores of people like me who revere every word I type.
What else....
Oh yeah, I just don't like the borderless or semi borderless presentation of each post in a thread. It's like someone else's post could reach up and touch yours. And I know there are some here who do not wash thier hands. I just know it. I'm looking at you, Unionist.
and one final thing:
Tag lines gotta go.
There are a few things I like about the new babble. I like that the colour scheme has be kept mostly the same as old babble, that the redesign hasn't been used as a excuse to completely change the colour scheme (ex. blue, orange, purple & brown). I also like that the redesign has mostly stayed away from translucent looking colours (though not entirely).
Functionality-wise, I like the following:
1. The reply box at the end of the thread, rather than on a second page.
2. The preview function.
3. The ability to edit posts without having the message edit tag at the bottom of my edited posts.
4. The improved quote function, which allows us to quote an entire post, even if it has quotes in it.
We descendants of Ned Ludd are encouraged in our beliefs whenever new technology demonstrates that the need for human intervention is not yet history.
I am not sure people who use a computer daily can be described as luddites, though it's fun to conjure the image when dealing with this kind of change.
What I find interesting, and have run into repeatedly since getting a computer ten or so years ago, is how people get comfortable with a certain style, particularly on message boards etc. It's as if it's a comfortable old social club, where the font may be an overstuffed armchair in the corner, or the layout may be the carpeting you have always been accustomed to seeing.
People get rilled when you re-arrange the furniture, whether it's real furniture, or the ephemeral furniture of the mind.
See? Double post.
People get rilled when you re-arrange the furniture, whether it's real furniture, or the ephemeral furniture of the mind.
Namesake of history's Thomas Paine, Nov. 29, 2008.
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Wish I'd said that, Mr. Paine. It explains much invective hereabouts.