09-01-2001, 02:03 PM
Don’t want to complain, but if you are working to update, change or modify this forum software, why don’t you just throw it away and get a decent package? I regularly read 3 or 4 different forums and this has to be the weakest forum software of the lot. Issues I have with this software:
It is slow. You have to download each thread and then each subsequent post. Better software downloads all responses to the thread at once and you don’t have to constantly grind your connection to read the next response.
Threads are difficult to follow. When a thread gets deep, you cannot follow the responses very well. If a couple of people get into it, the thread tabs out to the right and other responses get drowned at the bottom of the page. The more responses that are made to a particular thread, the faster other threads get shoved off and into the abyss of the archive.
Threads are deleted by time not lack of interest. A good piece of forum software will bring the thread to the top if a response is posted. This allows current responses to be seen and responded to. A response to a thread about to fall off the earth is a waste of time. How many people actually go to the bottom of the page? Not me, it’s no mans land. Good software allows you to keep active posts up to a year or more.
Threads fall off in pieces. When a large post that lasted for a few days drops off, the parent thread is gone before the “re:topic” posts are deleted. Often they don’t make sense. It is a horrible waste of space. Another reason to avoid the disjointed bottom of the page.
Little or no HTML or UBB support. This forum could be easily enhanced by some canned gremlins like maybe …….. a deck of cards????, emoticons???
IMHO, this is a very weak software package. The Infopop software http://www.infopop.com/ is the best I’ve seen. Before you spend a lot of time sifting through the software options of the dark ages, look at some better stuff. The interest in this forum is strong. There is little reason to be using inferior software.
It is slow. You have to download each thread and then each subsequent post. Better software downloads all responses to the thread at once and you don’t have to constantly grind your connection to read the next response.
Threads are difficult to follow. When a thread gets deep, you cannot follow the responses very well. If a couple of people get into it, the thread tabs out to the right and other responses get drowned at the bottom of the page. The more responses that are made to a particular thread, the faster other threads get shoved off and into the abyss of the archive.
Threads are deleted by time not lack of interest. A good piece of forum software will bring the thread to the top if a response is posted. This allows current responses to be seen and responded to. A response to a thread about to fall off the earth is a waste of time. How many people actually go to the bottom of the page? Not me, it’s no mans land. Good software allows you to keep active posts up to a year or more.
Threads fall off in pieces. When a large post that lasted for a few days drops off, the parent thread is gone before the “re:topic” posts are deleted. Often they don’t make sense. It is a horrible waste of space. Another reason to avoid the disjointed bottom of the page.
Little or no HTML or UBB support. This forum could be easily enhanced by some canned gremlins like maybe …….. a deck of cards????, emoticons???
IMHO, this is a very weak software package. The Infopop software http://www.infopop.com/ is the best I’ve seen. Before you spend a lot of time sifting through the software options of the dark ages, look at some better stuff. The interest in this forum is strong. There is little reason to be using inferior software.