Request for Tech.

[meanmum]

Is it just me or do others wish they didn't have to scroll all the way down to the bottom of the thread to add a comment. I don't know if having broadband makes it easier but on the PC I use it can take ages for the thread to open up and for me to be able to scroll down to the comments box. It works the same for when I want to add a new conversation into a topic as if it is in the Other topics it takes ages before I can get down to the create a new conversation.

I thought I would see if anyone else thought the same thing before I asked Tech if they could maybe change it. If it's just me then I'll let it be but if it's not I'll ask tech to see if they can do something about it.

Tech, ahhh, you're so modest. I think you wrote this code. Go on, admit it. It's good and much better behaved than the Discus stuff. Dunno about UBB and all that, but love the look and feel here.

I agree the threads could use some paging, but not on a "number of messages" criterion, but on a size thing (i.e. page rollover determined by space used regardless of how many or how few messages fill up that space), provided minimum granularity = a complete message (ie don't cut a message in two).

Also, make it skinnable.

(I have to admit to expaining to my husband what I wanted then starting the post and having him finish. He's a computer guy, also. The skinnable thing is a joke for Tech, btw. Damn users.)

I'm very happy to have computer knowledgable people reading -- don't care if they're boys or girls. Or men or women for that matter.

I like the way mumsnet works as it is. I like to go to the last day page and be able to see what's being said since I last logged on the night before. Just seeing the first line give's me a clue. Also, when showing a thread it is nice to see the whole thread. It reminds me of what has already been said and stops some repetion. Might be useful to have the add comments box at the top of the page though.

Hey tech - the user interface on this board is so clean and simple you'd thnk it had been designed by a woman! (That's praise, btw )

One aspect of my job involves approvaing user interface designs - and I seem to spend a lot of time persuading the male techies to KISS on the user interface front.

Oops- just re-read that "I seem to spend a lot of time persuading the male techies to KISS"....

For anyone who doesn't know, and is hastily adjusting the way they think of me, KISS is and acronym for "keep it simple stupid" - which is a pretty good principle to stick to when it comes to user interface design. This board being a good example.

FWIW, I think the mumsnet boards are great as they are. User friendly. I appreciate being able to flip the thread, saves having to read a conversation backwards!

Pie, I have just read the last few threads and feel the need to comment on Rhubarbs last posting (sorry if it was tongue in cheek, Rhubarb - but it seems kinda rude as Mr Pie has spent time and effort explaining stuff to us...maybe I have no sense of humour, just seemd potentially offensive, esp. judging by Pies response...))
Mr Pie - I for one enjoyed your explanations as they did explain a fiar few bits and pieces to me - I didn?t find any of them patronising. Maybe Rhubarb was commenting on some other blokes postings... hmmm

Pie - ever heard of tongue in cheek? I was just having dig at men in general! It is always men who seem to take over the IT work, from programming the video to programming computers. There seems to be a general presumption that women know nothing about this subject. I do get quite arsy I guess when men insist on "explaining" these things to us little women who only know how to bake bread and change nappies! I'm sure your dh is all for equality really!

Well, just to add my 2 cents worth again. I would like to say thanks to tech and mumsnet for a great website. I didn't realise it would become contentious.

Now that people have explained I was doing things the long way and just being plain thick and not realising you had made life easy already by putting some options in at the top of the thread I find it even better than before.

Now that didn't make sense. What I mean is I thought I had to scroll all the way to the bottom of the thread before typing my comment not knowing there were options at the top to just add a message or flip the thread and so on. I personally don't need anything else but I'm sure your plans for improvements will be worthwhile and as I didn't understand them I will wait for them to appear.

Thanks also to all those people that helped clear up the technical questions. I still didn't understand the answers but love the fact that everyone is free to post on mumsnet and you generally get all sides of the story as opposed to just some. It's nice to know I have the ability to learn about new things and have been given the full story so that I can make my own mind up.

Pie - please don't let Mr Pie stay away. Even if he only wants to respond to techy questions it is good to know he is there.

FYI - Mr Meanmum is generally reading over my shoulder as I type and believe it or not actually getting an education. I think he now understands all the things I have been nagging him about as he sees them as issues on here with comments, debates etc. I think he thought I was just a nutcase who nagged incessantly for no reason prior to mumsnet. So, even though he hasn't posted yet I'm sure the time will come when he does.

Tallulah (and probably some others) - reference your problem of "I read a thread then use the back button to return to the search results....it goes back to the top again & I have to scroll through pages...." - there's an easier way -
locate the thread you want to read, right click on the title then choose "Open in new window" - when you've finished reading just close that window using the X in the top right corner - you'll then return to where you had previously been in the list.
I'll now wait for the abuse from Rhubarb about " Why do men always have to 'tell us women how things work'? It's very patronising of them!". I'm only trying to be helpful and I'm not a misogynist (yet )
The right click and "new window" works in many applications (and many of the chaps at work didn't know this either).

Be gone you patronising man you!!!!

stuart- I can't right-click with my eMac.. it doesn't have one!

Yeah all right! I was just having an anti-man day okay????? So stop patronising me!

what about something that could check our spelling?

tallulah - I've got a mac at work, and to get the same effect as right-clicking, you can hold down the Ctrl button (bottom left) while you click your mouse. I can't check this right now, as I'm at home on my PC, but I bet it works...

StuartC, thanks for that, very helpful - that had been bugging me too (and no, my DH didn't know about that either!).

Another vote for leaving things as they are - BUT, it would be really handy to be able to edit my posts, if only for 5 mins, either for typo reasons or because I'd stuck my size nines in and wanted to retract that last offending message!

Tallulah - I'm at work and I've checked on my mac and it works!

just by the by, shift + regular click does the same thing (open in a new window) on a PC with windows. You don't have to do the right click menu malarkey......

Griffy and Tallulah, "apple" and click also opens a new window (or tab in Safari) but without the menu. You can also check your spelling (um, not that you need to, just that it was mentioned earlier..) by going to "Edit" then "Spelling.." in Safari, at least. You guys OSX?

For completeness, that was.

JJ, do you use OSX all the time, I haven't really used it yet (17"iMac) plus G3 and 14"iMac. 14"iBook........we're an Apple family!

What is better about it, convince me!

JJ - at work I'm on OS9.2. We're pretty taken with OSX - having trialled it - but can't run Quark 5.5 (our workhorse program) unless in classic mode on OSX, so we're sticking with 9.2 until Quark 6 is released, just to keep life simple.

Um, you realize this is late for me and it's my day to sleep in tomorrow...

Anyway, I've got no idea what Quark is. Running Classic isn't a problem though. We had an old iMac die on us (hard disc is just not spinning) and have had to press my (sob) iBook into service as the Airport software base station (we don't have the Airport base station hardware thingy). Because of the stupid adsl connection software, it has to be in Classic mode. It does just fine. It boots up in Classic (ie OS 9.x) and goes from there. I can still get to OSX (by rebooting) if, say, I need some data from my account on there (eg an email address). My husband even resurrected one of our old computers (an old iBook) to run OSX. It runs beautifully.

I hated the beta version of OSX. It crashed and was a pain. The finished version is lovely, though. I especially like the "Terminal" app where you can pop into Unix and do whatever .. for me, not so good in Unix, it means that I can kill any application giving me trouble. Die IE! Die Navigator! It's kind of fun, sometimes. Really, you have to use it to love it. It's much much better than 9.x in terms of stability, I think and the GUI is just one of those things you get used to. Once you get used to it, it's much better. Plus, you can still get to Classic mode, so you haven't lost all your most loved apps.

Have I raved about Airport yet? I love sitting out in the garden looking at email and reading mumsnet. No reason not to have Airport.

I have the feeling that the Tech is sitting there and laughing at me. Well, let it be said that I'm the one who set up our current adsl connection when my husband couldn't (post hardware failure). (Insert manic giggling for no good reason....)

Girls... we're an Mac family too.... I am on Powerbook G4... and Jaguar with an air port broadband connection... and a glass of Chardonnay!
Life is sweet

Pupuce, you are advanced with Jaguar!

Read a bit about Jaguar, JJ's post is a different language to me also!

Nice glass (bottle, shhh) of Haut Cote de Beaune here, doesn't really go with Sushi, but who cares!

How do you do smileys on mac?

S M I LE !!

We've had Jaguar for 6 months but DH likes to be ahead... and we have it on Imac and Powerbook.
What he is more proud of is the airport with Solwise which was just rated excellent by his Mac magazine...
We don't need Quarck so we don't have it.
I do find these Macs amazing. BTW with Jaguar we NEVER crassh... that is just amazing !

You do smiley on Mac as you do on PCs

I am about to help myself to a (small) glass of Balvenie.... hey it's Saturday Evening !
I do like Cote de Baune -I am a big fan of Burgundy wines.

Alibubble - Have you left Doula UK ?

Pupuce, yes I have, never got any calls so didn't think it worthwhile renewing. I had been a member for 2 years, I get more enquiries from my own childminding website. - The girl who did it put in loads of tags and my site comes very high up on a lot of google searches.

Depsite having macs for at least 10 years now, it is all still a mystery to me, never heard of Solwise, but will pick up a Macuser/Mac format and try and get up to date!

Just ordered a dozen Mercurey from Tesco as it is 25% off all french wine and if you spend ober £99 you get the delivery free, Cheers!

Can't do smileys on a PC either!