Beta Release - Thu Apr 4, 2002

[John Robinson]

ARGGH! Such a lengthy post... completely lost. (I lost my post! Grrrr Microsoft!) Let's try this again. Excuse the brevity, I'm tired of typing this message.

Installed a new beta.

Today's installment of Freeping Creaturism:

• MANAGE SUBSCRIPTIONS (Topics, your sidebar) -- order them any way you please. You must be logged in, find the "My Subscriptions" link in your nearest Personal menu (click on your name in the upper right corner.)

• REVIEW SUBSCRIPTIONS -- View all your subscribed topics in a multi-column page. Great for catching up with the day.

• STYLE SHEETS -- Now using style sheets. Those in the know can define their own style sheet to use with Free Republic. Later there will be predefined (and perhaps customizable.) See "My Preferences / Layout"

• Cut out a lot of fat. Pages are 50% lighter!

• DEFAULT BROWSER FONT / DEFAULT BROWSER COLORS. Just the default style sheet not getting in the way.

• Stylish UNDER CONSTRUCTION banner (just 6k!) and friendly message for those who wander by mistake.

• Added more links in more menus.

• Etc

BUGS and KNOWN ISSUES

• I destroyed most of the Window Target code. If you're using blank windows or a slave window, it may no longer work in the beta. THIS IS TEMPORARY and will be fixed.

• NAVIGATION is just terrible. I'm kinda lost on what to do right now. I'll hear suggestions. (I had big plans for that extra sidebar y'hear!)

• There are probably a lot more that I simply failed to list. I have a list somewhere!

COMING ATTRACTIONS

• More searching! Search by To, Source, Author, etc. Maybe even article searches. (Comment searches are a long way off... too much data!)

• Real time chat room... of some sort.

• Spell Checker... I have leads! It just may be possible. But I want a raise! LOL!

• NAVIGATION -- it's both a bug and an upcoming attraction. It really does suck, and we'll figure something out.

• Subscribe to the world. Will have the ability to subscribe to topics, keywords, forums, etc. ALSO, I have plans to implement portal boxes. Ie, have content from your favorite website delivered to your sidebar.

• ENHANCED MAIL including multiple recipients, folders, mass delete and move operations, attachments, HTML, preview, you got it. (And spell checking.)

• PHOTO ALBUM / Image Hosting -- posting program will automatically recognize when you're posting an image and allow you to upload it to FR.

• Freeper address book / contact list.

• etc... (THIS list is ENDLESS.)

[MeekOneGOP]

I mean I CAN too!

Yeah, I knew that.... Nanny, nanny doo-doo!
:O)

[RonDog]

Bless you, RonDog.
I'm going to try to figure this new software out this weekend.
And please ping me to your "search thread" when it's updated. I've never seen that one. Thanks!

I thought that you might like all the new features in John's new BETA-Free Republic!

(BTW, thanks for the blessing; I like to share the gifts that I have received.)

As for my comments on John's search thread, the LOGIC and ADVICE still seem - for the most part - to be valid, only the LINKS appear to be broken. See:

Free Republic Search Engine *Experimental*
Search Free Republic
Posted on 12/7/01 4:41 PM Pacific by John Robinson

[smith288]

My style

- IE5+ only. copy below text into a text file, save it somewhere on your machine and go to Here to upload your CSS file. now go here to type in /perl/css in the input box and press Update. Should show a purty new FR!

body{
background: fixed url('http://www.freerepublic.com/images/flag.jpg') repeat-y #ffffff;
margin-left:100;
font-family: arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
font-size: 8pt;
}
A:link{
font-family: arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
font-size: 8pt;
color: red;
text-decoration: none;
}
A:visited{
font-family: arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
font-size: 8pt;
color: red;
text-decoration: none;
}
A:hover{
font-family: arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
font-size: 8pt;
color: navy;
}
A:active{
font-family: arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
font-size: 8pt;
text-decoration: underline;
}
.browse{
background: fixed url('http://www.freerepublic.com/images/flag.jpg') repeat-y #ffffff;
margin-left:100;
font-family: arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
font-size: 8pt;
}
.menu{
background: fixed url('http://www.freerepublic.com/images/flag.jpg') repeat-y #ffffff;
margin-left:100;
font-family: arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
font-size: 8pt;
}
.header{
font: 9pt arial;
text-decoration: none;
}
.header a:link{
color: Navy;
text-decoration: none;
}
.header a:visited{
color: Navy;
text-decoration: none;
}
.header a:hover{
color: red;
}
.header a:active{
color: green;
}

.nav{
font: 7pt Arial;
}
.nav a:link{
color: Navy;
text-decoration: none;
}
.nav a:visited{
color: Navy;
text-decoration: none;
}
.nav a:hover{
color: red;
}
.nav a:active{
color: green;
}

.content{
font: 9pt arial;
}
.content A:link{
font: 9pt arial;
color: navy;
text-decoration: none;
}
.content A:visited{
font: 9pt arial;
color: navy;
text-decoration: none;
}
.content A:hover{
font: 9pt arial;
color: navy;
text-decoration: none;
}
.content A:active{
font: 9pt arial;
color: navy;
text-decoration: none;
}
.msg{

}
.title{

}
.meta{
font: 7pt arial;
padding-left: 10px;
}

.thread{
background-color: #efefef;
border: 3px outset;
}

INPUT{
font: 7pt arial;
border-color: navy;
border-width: 1pt;
}
SELECT{
font: 7pt arial;
border-color: navy;
}
TEXTAREA{
font: 8pt arial;
border-color: navy;
border-width: 1pt;
}
body{
background: fixed url('http://www.freerepublic.com/images/flag.jpg') repeat-y #ffffff;
margin-left:100;
font-family: arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
font-size: 8pt;
}
A:link{
font-family: arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
font-size: 8pt;
color: red;
text-decoration: none;
}
A:visited{
font-family: arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
font-size: 8pt;
color: red;
text-decoration: none;
}
A:hover{
font-family: arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
font-size: 8pt;
color: navy;
}
A:active{
font-family: arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
font-size: 8pt;
text-decoration: underline;
}
.browse{
background: fixed url('http://www.freerepublic.com/images/flag.jpg') repeat-y #ffffff;
margin-left:100;
font-family: arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
font-size: 8pt;
}
.menu{
background: fixed url('http://www.freerepublic.com/images/flag.jpg') repeat-y #ffffff;
margin-left:100;
font-family: arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
font-size: 8pt;
}
.header{
font: 9pt arial;
text-decoration: none;
}
.header a:link{
color: Navy;
text-decoration: none;
}
.header a:visited{
color: Navy;
text-decoration: none;
}
.header a:hover{
color: red;
}
.header a:active{
color: green;
}

.nav{
font: 7pt Arial;
}
.nav a:link{
color: Navy;
text-decoration: none;
}
.nav a:visited{
color: Navy;
text-decoration: none;
}
.nav a:hover{
color: red;
}
.nav a:active{
color: green;
}

.content{
font: 9pt arial;
}
.content A:link{
font: 9pt arial;
color: navy;
text-decoration: none;
}
.content A:visited{
font: 9pt arial;
color: navy;
text-decoration: none;
}
.content A:hover{
font: 9pt arial;
color: navy;
text-decoration: none;
}
.content A:active{
font: 9pt arial;
color: navy;
text-decoration: none;
}
.msg{

}
.title{

}
.meta{
font: 7pt arial;
padding-left: 10px;
}

.thread{
background-color: #efefef;
border: 3px outset;
filter: progid:DXImageTransform.Microsoft.BlendTrans(duration=4).play
progid:DXImageTransform.Microsoft.BlendTrans.play;
}

INPUT{
font: 7pt arial;
border-color: navy;
border-width: 1pt;
}
SELECT{
font: 7pt arial;
border-color: navy;
}
TEXTAREA{
font: 8pt arial;
border-color: navy;
border-width: 1pt;
}

[smith288]

Well, one way i find things too, is if you remember at least ONE poster, then you can search his/her posts...it will show ones in other forums.

[John Robinson]

"You have reached the end of the Internet. You can turn your computer off now."

What's the URL?

[Ligeia]

Any thoughts on when the "Add Topic" feature will be activated?

[Syncro]

Hay John...is there some way tht I can have a page up so that it shows all the posts that are posted?...It seems that I only get some of them.

Thjnsks oops thanks

[sweetliberty]

John, it sounds wonderful! I am thrilled that you're working on an image server and a real time chat room. May I suggest an ichat rooms program. It is a very user friendly format.

I'm also glad you're planning to allow for multiple recipients in FReepmail. And an address book sounds great too.

3 questions:

1. Will there ever be a direct link to the chapter forums of Free Republic network in the context of the main forum?

2. Will the pager ever again search and notify for all forums? It now only searches the news/activism forum.

3. I guess this is more of a comment than a question. You threw us all into shock last Saturday with the changes and the improvements are so great since then I am reluctant to complain about anything, so don't look at it as a complaint. Just something to think about. The black and red were much easier reading on the latest posts page and "my comments" pages than the current blues and browns.

Overall, I would say it's coming along really well.

Keep up the good work!

[Mo1]

Here is a question .. is there a printer friendly version for all these new changes ..

I've been killing a lot of trees lately ..

The Greenies will not be happy with me .. lol

[sweetliberty]

Okay, I have to say it; I just took a look at that link and that blue font is ATROCIOUS! The black is MUCH more readable.

[.38sw]

I clicked on the Big Beta link as well. Agree - I really don't care at all for the blue fonts.

[sweetliberty]

" I just hope the newcomers see the blue border one."

Keep in mind that FR got 80,000 strong on the old format with it's simple design. While the border might have appeared very attractive at first glance, I think the greater complexity navigating the site would be a turn off for a lot of people. Even the old format didn't alert newcomers to what was available and how to use it and for some people even that was a source of frustration. The complaints I heard last weekend and to some extent this past week have mostly been from FReepers who are familiar with the site and are still having a terrible time navigating, although the complaints have subsided significantly.

[umbagi]

As I posted on the other Beta Discussion thread:

I love my style sheets, my pretty style sheets.
They make my Freeping more fun this way.
You'll never know, John, how much I love them...
Please don't take my style sheets away!

Great work, John!

u

[sweetliberty]

"(This is just in case you don't have enough to do already.)"

Yeah. I'm thinking John seems bored lately....too much time on his hands. I'm sure if we put our minds to it we can come up with something to keep him occupied and out of trouble.

[sweetliberty]

" but allow tech-heads and veteran FReepers the option to CUSTOMIZE their experience here to the level of their comfort."

It's a good idea in theory, but being a veteran, hardcore FReeper does not necessarily equal technologically savvy.

[sweetliberty]

"is there a printer friendly version for all these new changes .. "

You're asking me??? ROTFL!

[xm177e2]

BODY {
    font-size: 16px;
    font-family: "Times New Roman";
}

.content {
    margin-left: 20px;
    margin-right: 20px;
    font-family: "Times New Roman";
}

BODY.read .content {
    margin-left: 40px;
    margin-right: 40px;
    font-family: "Times New Roman";
}

BODY.mail {
    background: #000000;
    font-family: "Times New Roman";
}

.title {
    /* thread titles */
    font-size: 110%;
    font-family: "Arial";
    background-color: #000000;
}

.title B {
    /* negate bolding of thread titles */
    font-weight: normal;
    background-color: #000000;
}

.meta {
    /* meta information (to/from, date, etc) */
    /* font-size: x-small; */
    font-size: 90%;
    background-color: #000000;
    font-family: "Times New Roman";

}

.text {
    /* text (msgs, etc) */
    background-color: #FFF4DF;
    padding: 5px;
    color: #000000;
    font-family: "Times New Roman";
}

.sb {
    /* sidebar */
    padding: 4;
}

TABLE.header {
    padding: 4px;
}

.msg, .thread {
    padding: 4px;
    background-color: #000000;
}

.msg .title, .nav, .title, .content, TABLE.header, .meta {
    color: #FFF4DF;
}

BODY.menu {
    background: #000000;
    font-family: "Times New Roman";
}

BODY.menu DIV.content {
    padding-left: 100px;
    font-family: "Times New Roman";
}

P {
    font-size: small;
}

A {
    text-decoration: none;
    font-family: "Times New Roman";
}

B {
    text-decoration: none;
    font-family: "Times New Roman";
}

TD {
    font: normal small, sans-serif;
}

.nav A:link, .nav A:visited, .nav A:link B, .nav A:visited B, .meta A:link, .meta A:visited {
    color: #DFBD90;
    font-weight: bold;
}

A:link, A:visited, A:hover {
    font-weight: bold;
}

.nav A:hover, .meta A:hover {
    color: #FFFFFF;
    font-weight: bold;
}
BODY, BODY.browse, BODY.read
{background-color: #002222;}
.text A:visited
{color: #002222;}
BODY.menu DIV.content A:visited, .text A:link
{color: #004444;}
.thread .title A:visited, .msg .title A:visited, .text A:hover,  A:visited
{color: #008888;}
A:link, .thread .title A:link, .msg .title A:link
{color: #00AAAA;}
A:hover, BODY.menu DIV.content A:link, BODY.menu DIV.content A:hover, .thread .title A:hover, .msg .title A:hover
{color: #00BBBB;}

---

I have this in a few other colors, if anyone's interested.