BYONDscape update

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Mar 25 2002, 10:14 am
In response to Lummox JR
  • The front page needs a kind of table of contents look, like a print magazine. Archive links could be provided, as well as searches for different articles or authors. This should be colorful but not gaudy; I suggest a nice red for the headings.

    I'd like to see a look similar to http://www.webmonkey.com, With four boxes containing brief descriptions for the latest articles, and also links to the entire archive, and in a nice frames-free format. Once you click on individual pages, the content gets centered into an area of about 400x400 or so (I think) and the edges are used for the menu.
Mar 25 2002, 11:20 am
In response to Lummox JR
Wouldn't a BYOND CGI do the trick? Deadron uses a .dmb for ByondBwicki. It looks like (but may not be the case) BYONDscape does something similar, at least for subscription content.

I imagine it would... I can't remember if that was one of the options Dan and I discussed or not. Only problem I can think of, offhand, is that for some pages it might not be appropriate to add the site formatting.

I do not know this SSI of which you speak, but I'll look it up.


Ironically, I liked the bathroom tiles too. They probably would have had to go eventually anyway, but I liked them a lot better than the cream--and in fact they'd look better against a white background anyway.

I'm thinking of adding some Mark II Bathroom Tiles. We'll see! As for the cream, well, I don't know... is there a JavaScript command to change the tint of a web page? If so, maybe I could provide a de-creamer button.


I like the top bar fine--although I think it could stand to be thinner.

Makes sense. I'll try it.


In Netscape, the logo as-is overhangs the lower edge anyway. (I think it's a margin thing, though the redundant </img> tag and some whitespace between the <body> and </body> tags might not be helping.)

I'll clean up those tags.


The left frame would be easier to deal with, I think, if it too was thinner. Rendering the text links as graphical buttons would allow you to make that smaller and pretty it up while still serving the same purpose--and you could even put the bathroom tiles there to appease Z. (I think they'd look good there, at least in the current design.)

Yep, thinner would be good, and buttons could be nice too. I'll tinker with it.


Looking at the source, I think I see the problem on the left frame that keeps the gradient from appearing there: The <TD> tag it's in has no &nbsp; in the cell. Netscape requires this. The gradient appears on the right because that table cell has content.

I'll add a space.


I definitely like the idea of putting meat at the top.

This'll probably be the first change I make -- I have a tentative table written up already.
Mar 25 2002, 11:23 am
In response to Foomer
I'd like to see a look similar to http://www.webmonkey.com

That's a nice-looking site, but for now I think I prefer having an information-rich (or at least babble-filled) front page.
Mar 25 2002, 12:46 pm
In response to Gughunter
I do not know this SSI of which you speak, but I'll look it up.

Server-Side Includes. Basically, instead of making each webpage include all of the fudgework, you just use something like:

<html>
<head><title>Wasabi!</title></head>
<body>

<!--#exec cgi http://whatever.com/page.dmb -->

</body>
</html>


Something like that, anyway. Your page extensions are represented by .shtml. SSI didn't work for me on my BYOND page (and I asked politely =P) so I dropped it in favour of generating everything server-side, including the HTML headers and footers. Thus my memory is likely foggy with regards to the actual syntax of the #exec directive.

Besides, I think you have to run SSI pages through a perl interpreter or something.
Mar 25 2002, 1:06 pm
In response to Spuzzum
Server-Side Includes. Basically, instead of making each webpage include all of the fudgework, you just use something like:

Oh, OK -- Dan did talk about this. It didn't even occur to me (I assumed the "SS" stood for "Style Sheet"). If I remember right, there were some security problems with that method.
Mar 25 2002, 3:19 pm
In response to Gughunter
Gughunter wrote:
Server-Side Includes. Basically, instead of making each webpage include all of the fudgework, you just use something like:

Oh, OK -- Dan did talk about this. It didn't even occur to me (I assumed the "SS" stood for "Style Sheet"). If I remember right, there were some security problems with that method.

From what I know of SSI, it presents no security problems. The only possible security concern is when a command is used to execute a CGI program and display its results along with the output--however, that's no less secure than regular CGI.

Lummox JR
Mar 25 2002, 4:47 pm
BYONDscape is now re-redesigned! Constructive criticism is welcome.

http://www.byondscape.com
Mar 25 2002, 4:53 pm
In response to Gughunter
Looks great!
Mar 25 2002, 5:11 pm
In response to Gughunter
I think it'd look better with the emphasis on the article, not the writer:

Interview with Dan and Tom, by Nadrew

But that might just be me.
Mar 25 2002, 5:29 pm
In response to Foomer
Foomer wrote:
I think it'd look better with the emphasis on the article, not the writer:

Good call. Thanks!
Mar 25 2002, 10:10 pm
In response to Gughunter
Eeew... I am not on the BYONDscape redesign bandwagon! I liked the old version better than either of the new ones. The gradient is all right at the top, I guess, but it doesn't go with the BYONDscape logo at all, at all. The beloved bathroom tiles just look silly in the menu. I don't find the new articles synopsis easy to scan. I liked it better without the synopsis, but if there is going to be one, I would prefer it to be a bulleted list.

You thought the bathroom tile was drab? No way! Did you try making it orange? Bathroom tile is quirky. It is perfect for us. It is the background we need.

Z
Mar 25 2002, 11:33 pm
In response to Nadrew
It looks nice, but a few grudges:

The bathroom tiles contrast too strongly now.

When you scroll down, that little piece of the contents that overlaps onto the bathroom tiles looks horrible.

Mayby some work to smooth out the edges would be in order? It's way too edgy, but that may just be me. I like the top bar and the idea, it just doesn't quite work out yet :(

Im using IE 5.0 btw.

Alathon
Mar 26 2002, 4:28 am
In response to Alathon
You might consider moving the gradient in the lower frameset into the upper header frame. When scrolling the lower right frame down, the gradient disappears and creates a broken feel to the site layout. And I had to set View->Text Size->Smaller (IE 6.0.2600) to keep the text from jumping off the screen because it was pretty big, and I use 1280x1024! (unless that is the effect you wanted...)

Otherwise not bad for a straightforward page layout!

-digitalmouse
http://byond.digitalmouse.org/
Mar 26 2002, 4:55 am
In response to digitalmouse
You might consider moving the gradient in the lower frameset into the upper header frame. When scrolling the lower right frame down, the gradient disappears and creates a broken feel to the site layout.

I did that on purpose -- I figured it was more important to allow as much space for content as possible. Maybe I'll change it sooner or later.


And I had to set View-Text Size->Smaller (IE 6.0.2600) to keep the text from jumping off the screen because it was pretty big, and I use 1280x1024! (unless that is the effect you wanted...)

Hmm... yeah, the text is pretty big now that I compare it to other sites. I must have an extra font tag in there or something.

Thanks for the feedback!
Mar 26 2002, 4:57 am
In response to Alathon
The bathroom tiles contrast too strongly now.

When you scroll down, that little piece of the contents that overlaps onto the bathroom tiles looks horrible.

I just axed the bathroom tiles this morning. That takes care of that!


Mayby some work to smooth out the edges would be in order? It's way too edgy, but that may just be me. I like the top bar and the idea, it just doesn't quite work out yet :(

You mean the color bands in the gradient? I'll play with 'em, but I don't know how much more they can be broken down. Maybe I can try my old friend, Gaussian Blur.
Mar 26 2002, 5:03 am
In response to Zilal
Eeew... I am not on the BYONDscape redesign bandwagon!

Those who fail to get on the bandwagon are left behind. :)


The gradient is all right at the top, I guess, but it doesn't go with the BYONDscape logo at all, at all.

Yes it does! So there.


The beloved bathroom tiles just look silly in the menu.

They're gone now!


I don't find the new articles synopsis easy to scan. I liked it better without the synopsis, but if there is going to be one, I would prefer it to be a bulleted list.

Good idea. I'll do that tonight.


You thought the bathroom tile was drab? No way! Did you try making it orange? Bathroom tile is quirky. It is perfect for us. It is the background we need.

Perhaps one day it shall return.
Mar 26 2002, 10:11 am
In response to Gughunter
Gughunter wrote:

Hmm... yeah, the text is pretty big now that I compare it to other sites. I must have an extra font tag in there or something.

Thanks for the feedback!


Verdana (my own personal favorite font of them all, by the way) is slightly larger than others at the same font size... So while some fonts may look nice at a +1 size...Verdana is huge (by comparison)...

I think it would look better at a -1...

<font face = "verdana" size = +1>Demonstration</font>

<font face = "arial" size = +1>Demonstration</font>

See?

<font face = "verdana" size = -1>Here it is at -1</font>
Mar 26 2002, 10:39 am
In response to SuperSaiyanGokuX
See?

Ah, that explains it! And explains why it only showed up now -- I just put in the 'font="Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"' tag yesterday. Of course, if I shrink it down, then it'll look really tiny for people who don't have Verdana. Arrrgh!

Mar 26 2002, 10:59 am
In response to Gughunter
Yup... But how many people don't have Verdana?

[Edit] If only web design were as easy as DM...

FontChoice(mob/M)
    if(M.font == "verdana")
        M.fontsize = -1
    else
        M.fontsize = +1


Of course there are ways to do that, though... I'm sure there's a JavaScript snippet for something along those lines...
Mar 26 2002, 8:49 pm
In response to Gughunter
Gughunter wrote:
I don't find the new articles synopsis easy to scan. I liked it better without the synopsis, but if there is going to be one, I would prefer it to be a bulleted list.

Good idea. I'll do that tonight.

It is better now, but if it were not at all fancy, just a listing of articles in one column with, you know, bullets, my eyes would like it more.

Z
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