What does it take?

04/14/2004 | Baseballguy

[Baseballguy]

I have been wondering for some time now what FreeRepublic needs.

I believe we need a new format for the website. I believe as we venture into the new age of websites we need to grasp a new look. PhP style websites are going to be the look of the future.

With Db access and a visual ideal, FreeRepublic could really become a user friendly site.

I would love more options. Closer ties to your state politics. Its a great concept. Here is a site I visit alot http://www.eve-online.com

[Baseballguy]

I hope to make someone out there know that the old HTML is out and new PhP is in.

[Maceman]

Not being a techie, I have never heard of PhP.

But I can tell you that FR is by far and away the most user friendly discussion forum I have found anywhere on the Internet.

[sarasota]

I agree with Maceman. Love this format and as for "ever", no thanks.

[Mr. Bird]

Sometimes less really is more. No bells or whistles, thanks.

[B.O. Plenty]

I agree with maceman AND sarasota...I looked at your website and I found it busy and cluttered....

Sorry,

B.O.

[Condor51]

With all due respect, I suggest you start your own blog.

Then you can have PhP, AbC, XyZ or whatever floats your boat and is 'in' at the time.

OH Wait, I just used HTML, how silly of me.

[trussell]

I agree!! That was hard on the eyes.

[R. Scott]

Well, yes - the flashy video game style would appeal to many of the youngsters out there. I personally have no problem with HTML.

[Condor51]

looked at your website and I found it busy and cluttered....

DITTO. And to me that site looks like something for teenagers, NOT adults. And what the hel heck is that 'space' image all about? Star Trek version '04 or something?

(Darn, there I go again using that obsolete HTML in a post.)

[mtbopfuyn]

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

[I still care]

I love the FR forum. It is superior to any other, very user friendly, etc. Every so often I take a scroll over to DU just to see what is going on (they were busy making fun of the pope yesterday -I guess Reno and Ashcroft were too shattering for them) and wonder how they can stand the inefficient way everything is laid out.

But I will admit I often have difficulty "finding" things. Bookmarks, etc. What do they call that - menus? The menus I find never have the items I am looking for.

[Landru]

Here, how about a HYPERLINK to your recommended site, courtesy of good ol' fashioned HTML.

Ummmm, you *do* know HTML?

...don't you? {g}

[templar]

I hope to make someone out there know that the old HTML is out and new PhP is in.

PhP is in? Then why haven't I heard of it? I think you're being either premature, optimistic, or wishful here.

FR is the most user friendly forum I've found, whether using it or just poking around and reading it for fun.

[ThePythonicCow]

Php is a bunch of software used to create fancier websites. It is often used with an Apache web server (which FreeRepublic might be using - don't know) and a database backend, such as MySQL. It provides modules that can be used to present a number of fancier looking web page components.

I'd suspect that it would require more webserver compute performance, and a higher bandwidth connection to the internet (the web pages are bigger).

Pretty obviously, being able to handle the load that this site sees, using minimal hardware and bandwidth, and using the classic tools that John Robinson knows so well, makes a lot more sense.

We don't need no stinkin buffed and glossy pages.

[the OlLine Rebel]

I agree we don't need that other type, but I disagree about "user-friendly" on FR, WADR. I'd had to figure out what the heck is going on in here for about 2 months, and I still have questions (that aren't vital).

There is 1 message board format I love; it is simple and to-the-point. Unfortunately, just about all my old fora have gone to a new format which is OK and indeed superior in some ways, but the old fora that had it were so much easier to use than all these. They were threaded, and the replies cascaded from whatever post was being answered, so it was clear who was speaking to whom or about what. None of this strictly sequential/chronological stuff. Additionally there were usually options to order threads any way you wanted (chron by thread, chron by latest post, etc).

Of course, we have the dimension here of posting articles, altho I don't see why they can't be posted in a nicer standard discussion format.

Here, I have to actually "ping" or answer a thread *and* log in to hope to ever see it again, as there are so many yet only ~20 threads ever show on a front page.

Not to mention other aspects of this forum that are inconsistent depending on what type of page you're on.

Again, WADR I know that this is a highly successful forum (probably mainly cuz we ultra-conservatives finally found a place to hang out together) and alot of work goes into it, but it is nonethess MHO that the format could be better. And I know, no1 asked me, but hey, the subject came up.

[Dave_in_Upland]

Being the Democrats that they are, when it came time to set up a discussion board they used something that someone else invented and that they didn't have to pay for. The "Discuss" softwart is a free download that sets up easily, exactly what a Democrat needs LOL

[amigatec]

About the only change I see needed is a way to edit or delete a post after it is posted.

Also maybe some way to add html formating for those that are not up on html. Like a few buttons to add the common tags.

Other than that html works for me.

:-)

[evilC]

AFAIK, The pages here a generated dynamically. The articles and posts are generated from a database. PHP allows you to create dynamic content, but we already have that here.

The visual design is (or at least should be) separate from the technology used to generate the page. There was a plan, at one stage to allow users apply their own stylesheet to FR, and thus alter the look (I am not sure if that ever came to pass). You have some settings under the user options that can make changes to the look of FR.

In any case, every page you view is HTML, it is what your browser expects. What PHP allows is embedded "scripts" that are run and then output as HTML (e.g. <?php echo '<p>Hello World</p>>'; ?> will output the HTML <p>Hello World</p>. In most applications what is "echoed" will be changed dynamically.