Installing Free Republic Update Tonight

[John Robinson]

Will be installing an update tonight that fixes a number of issues. The version that will be installed is currently available on the beta site.

Changes

• Fixed the time-warping "More" links.
• Fixed time zone issues, using JavaScript to ask your browser to format the time stamp. If you don't have JavaScript enabled, you'll see the default Pacific time.
• Reverted behavior of "New comments to you" indicator.
• Updated HTML on index pages (Latest Posts, etc.) We're moving away from font tags, etc., in favor of using style sheets. Big change here is an increased font size of text in article summaries (increased to the "normal size" font)
• Added memory of last tab ("Articles", "Activity", "Comments") visited on index pages. Additionally, each tab remembers it's brevity setting. "Headers" brevity is the same as "Brief", "Text" brevity is the same as "Full". Name changed to hopefully clarify exactly what this does.
• Moved RSS link to bottom of page.
• Moved and renamed "Sidebar Placement" to bottom of page, it is now labeled "Add to My Page", hopefully that is as self-descriptive as "Sidebar Placement" was.
• Other minor tweaks

One last feature I am working to return is the slave windows preference. Will have that working before the new software is installed.

Update: Windows Preference Working

Reimplemented the open-in-new-window preference. It uses different code now. If you use this feature, please let me know if any links are not (or should not be) opening in new windows.

[Spktyr]

Will this also fix my inability to post pictures?

[KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle]

Thanks, JR!!! ;)

[John Robinson]

Nothing has changed with regard to posting pictures. You should be able to do that. As a recap:

<img src="http://somewhere.com/ismyimage.jpg">

Where you replace http://somewhere.com/ismyimage.jpg with the URL of the picture. It must be uploaded onto the Internet somewhere, and should have a URL that starts with http:// (if the URL starts with file: you need to upload it somewhere and obtain an http:// style URL.)

[bd476]

Thanks John. That sounds like a lot of work on top of all the changes you've already made. I like what you've done so far, and am looking forward to seeing the new changes.

[Sally'sConcerns]

I really do miss the older FR set-up. It was strange but the day before all the new changes went into affect, she and I were commenting on how clean and easy FR was to negotiate and load. Now I can’t get to my pings or see other peoples home pages.

I know progress has to be made but I really do wish FR wasn’t one of the guinea pigs cos I loved it the way it was. :(

[ThomasThomas]

Thanks for the good work.

Can the “side”bar really be at the top or the bottom of the page and not on the side?

[Quix]

CONGRATS. BIG THANKS.

And, Lord, in additon to facilitating smooth sailing for all John’s efforts and plans . . . with abundant praise from one and all . . .

PLEASE TOUCH JIMROB . . . give him deep extended rest pain free with rapid healing in every cell and fiber.

May he be drawn ever closer to you, Lord, in comfort, wisdom, guidance, intimacy, hope, peace, wholeness.

May your priorities for him be delightedly chosen by him as his own.

May he trust you in all things more than ever before.

May he know Your great touch and love as never before.

In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

[DieHard the Hunter]

Gidday John,

Thanks for the new functionality, and for the relatively-smooth roll-out. The old site was rather clunky and took time to learn: the new features and functionality fix just about everything I found irritating about the site, and make this a really easy place to navigate now.

Well done! And many thanks!

Cheers mate
*DieHard*

[ThePythonicCow]

Very minor nit with the beta site:

The flags showing your location don't show. For example, your flag is http://beta.freerepublic.com/images/flags/us/califC.gif but there is no such califC.gif on the beta.freerepublic.com site.

[Cedar]

As a side note, thanks for putting back in the number of “views” — that was always an interesting feature of threads.

[John Robinson]

Sure, visit manage blocks. Find the items that have a "Left" or "Right" region value and change them to "Top" or "Bottom" using the pull down.

[Quix]

Goodness . . . isn’t it a conservative’s duty to blow every minor nit into at least a moderate mountain from the mole hill?

[Cindy]

and Amen.

[perfect stranger]

"return is the slave windows preference."

That's what I have been missing. Thank you for mentioning it. I thought it was a problem with my browser.

Is there a browser, for FR, that you prefer?

[Quix]

AMEN! AMEN! AMEN! Love the views number . . . stick it every where the least plausible and workable, please.

[NormsRevenge]

I reckun it’s off to George Snorey and coast to coast for me..

Good luck with the upgrading and Thanks for all the work on moving FR to the next level feature-wise..

[Spktyr]

I did that, like I usually did. It didn’t work, twice.

I’m not the only long-time poster having issues with posting images.

[Mark]

This tech-talk scares me.