New Matrix Forum

[jbmoore68]

I like the new forum, it's already much better than the old one. Yes it has some bugs and is a little different, but it will get better.

[arvcran2]

It took me a few days to get used to the new look, is becoming familiar and am beginning to like it.

Responsiveness is better than the old form for sure now. I like the attachment editing features.

A BBCode translator could have been applied to make the old board's posts retain their integrity. Perhaps this is still possible if there is will and resource for it.

[Erik Rutins]

Thanks for your reply. My view is based upon personal taste. The forum looks quite cold and technical to me. Of course it is a change, and for some, like me, it may take a bit of getting used to. Time will tell. I wonder has forum use dropped since the change, or remained steady.
I hope the new look works well. I like Matrix as a company. Through the years I have found it to be welcoming and thoughtful in managing the forums and dealing with members.

Hi John,

The new look is very similar to the old look. Is there anything you can comment on more specifically?

Forum use was dropping off a bit with the old forum as it continued to have issues. It has not dropped with the new forum.

Thanks for the kind words about us, I'm glad that you have found this a welcoming place and we hope you'll continue to visit us in the coming years.

[Erik Rutins]

A BBCode translator could have been applied to make the old board's posts retain their integrity. Perhaps this is still possible if there is will and resource for it.

Our admin is indeed working on something like that.

[Nomad]

I'm using an extension called "Dark reader" that is free on the internet
this is what the board looks like with it enabled. You can select individual forums to use it on, as of now this is the only place I use it
I find the board much easier on the eyes using it.

dark board.jpg (761.13 KiB) Viewed 1289 times

[Denniss]

I'm really starting to get pissed by this forum software as I'm almost always logged out if I dare to simultaniously open more then 2 forum tabs, even if they are opened from a main tab where I am logged in.

[thewood1]

Thats odd. Right now I have tried opening six tabs and have not been logged out. I tried opening six separate windows with no issues also. Tried closing and opening different Matrix forums have not been logged out.

[OldSarge]

I'm not having an issue with multiple windows either. I've tried various orders of closing the open windows, but remain logged in.

[Denniss]

Maybe it's my mix of private and public forum sections that plays a role here. Befoe this post I was in a private section and opened soem tabs there + this thread in new tabs. 1st tab was ok but 2nd was logged-out

[thewood1]

Four of the six tabs I opened were in private beta forums.

[thewood1]

I suspect its a cookies issue on your browser.

[berto]

I'm using an extension called "Dark reader" that is free on the internet

Fantastic! This will be my new default view for everything.

[mikerohan]

I haven't been using the new forum very much. It is clumsy, unpleasant in its design, and is very uninviting in its look. I will only come here when I need to. In my view it is no longer comfortable for relaxed browsing.

As someone who has been using since it went live, at this point I find it much faster and more responsive than the old forum (the old lag and time-outs are gone), the look and design (once you enable the "wide" theme per the posted tips) is very similar. The forum fonts and size are the same as the old forum, as are the colors.

It's also a work in progress - we're still fixing things and improving it every day and that will continue for several weeks I expect.

With that said, I would like to hear what results in your impression being completely opposite mine?

Regards,

- Erik

Hi, I would like to explain one thing.
I've seen that in several posts admins have remarked that "The forum fonts and size are the same as the old forum, as are the colors.".
I'm sure it is true, but the font itself it is not the same. And there are several posts that show how the same size but different font make it look different. I won't go into which one is easier to read because I know we are entering "personal preferences" terrain.
I just wanted to explain that from a "public relations" point of view, repeating that "the size and the colors are the same" can be read as "you are complaining because of nothing". There IS a difference. You do not have to change the font if you don't want to, of course. And you can make your own tests to see if it makes sense and take whatever decision.

What I want to explain is that this sequence is "poor communication":
"Fonts and color have not changed" (true)
"We are still fixing things" (but you do not acknowledge that there is a difference regarding fonts and readability. It sounds like a general "we are working on things"...)
"Point elements that make your experience worse than mine" (several post have shown how the font itself affects readability but there has not been a direct answer to those posts or even a "we will look at the font issue and take decision" - not a generic "we are looking into several things"... something that makes it clear that you will look at the "font issue" or you will not look into it if you think that is not worth it, or you will look when there are no other more relevant problems...)

With a direct answer regarding the font you could avoid future references to the "font and readability issue". Either you will look at it at some point or you think that for the time being the fonts will stay as they are. And then you can reference that answer to users that press that issue. But do not repeat "no size or color change" as those are only part of the elements that affect readability.

Please do not read this as a criticism to the new forum, just as a suggestion to improve communication with the users of it.

[witpqs]

I'm really starting to get pissed by this forum software as I'm almost always logged out if I dare to simultaniously open more then 2 forum tabs, even if they are opened from a main tab where I am logged in.

I keep two forum tabs open all the time (main forum plus my active AAR), and any other thread I read goes in a separate tab. I am not having the problem you are having.

I'm using Chrome on Windows 10, in case that helps.

[Erik Rutins]

Maybe it's my mix of private and public forum sections that plays a role here. Befoe this post I was in a private section and opened soem tabs there + this thread in new tabs. 1st tab was ok but 2nd was logged-out

Just another thought, but are you using security software that could affect this? Are you blocking anything on the site? Do you have VPN that could be frequently changing your IP or connection?

[Erik Rutins]

With a direct answer regarding the font you could avoid future references to the "font and readability issue". Either you will look at it at some point or you think that for the time being the fonts will stay as they are. And then you can reference that answer to users that press that issue. But do not repeat "no size or color change" as those are only part of the elements that affect readability.

Please do not read this as a criticism to the new forum, just as a suggestion to improve communication with the users of it.

Thanks for the feedback and I get your point, but really I do not fully understand why it is less readable for some (especially if they've used the "wide" theme to make it look much like the old forum). I really do want to know more specifics because for the main text we're all reading in these posts, the font and size are exactly the same. I've taken some side by side screenshots and they look identical. Maybe it's slight differences in the color scheme, maybe it's something else but I really can't know until someone gives me more specific feedback.

There's also a known phenomenon where sometimes people just don't like change. I'm trying to make sure we're not just dealing with that by asking people to dig a bit deeper and explain what's causing the issue for them.

There are suggestions earlier on alternate fonts and styles and I did read those. We are planning to review style/theme/font feedback once the functional issues have been resolved, which is part of why I'm pressing for more specific feedback so that when we get to that, I can be sure any improvements will really address any concerns.

Regards,

- Erik

[zgrssd]

I'm really starting to get pissed by this forum software as I'm almost always logged out if I dare to simultaniously open more then 2 forum tabs, even if they are opened from a main tab where I am logged in.

I have a similar issues. However, this is not abotu "opening two tabs".
This happens after a time of inactivity. On the 1st requrest hte Login is valid. On all second ones it breaks.

Like you are checking the session timeouts and killing the session after delivering the page.

[mikerohan]

I'm really starting to get pissed by this forum software as I'm almost always logged out if I dare to simultaniously open more then 2 forum tabs, even if they are opened from a main tab where I am logged in.

I keep two forum tabs open all the time (main forum plus my active AAR), and any other thread I read goes in a separate tab. I am not having the problem you are having.

I'm using Chrome on Windows 10, in case that helps.

2/3 tabs at the same time with latest firefox on Windows 10 and no problems.

[zgrssd]

I'm really starting to get pissed by this forum software as I'm almost always logged out if I dare to simultaniously open more then 2 forum tabs, even if they are opened from a main tab where I am logged in.

I keep two forum tabs open all the time (main forum plus my active AAR), and any other thread I read goes in a separate tab. I am not having the problem you are having.

I'm using Chrome on Windows 10, in case that helps.

2/3 tabs at the same time with latest firefox on Windows 10 and no problems.

He is grossly missreading what is happening.

The issues seems to be that session timeouts are checked after the page has been delivered. So you got one Page being delivered, and on all future ones no longer got a valid session.

Add a way to short session timeout to that.

[mikerohan]

There's also a known phenomenon where sometimes people just don't like change. I'm trying to make sure we're not just dealing with that by asking people to dig a bit deeper and explain what's causing the issue for them.

There are suggestions earlier on alternate fonts and styles and I did read those. We are planning to review style/theme/font feedback once the functional issues have been resolved, which is part of why I'm pressing for more specific feedback so that when we get to that, I can be sure any improvements will really address any concerns.

Regards,

- Erik

Great! Thanks for your time!