Recent Changes @ FreeRepublic UPDATED

[John Robinson]

There is some odd problem with Netscape and italics getting stuck on. It's something to do with the style sheets, I believe. So I am killing the default style sheet.

Original Thread

See the original thread if you would like to install your own custom style sheet.

[George W. Bush]

I wanted to ask for something on my own wish list. I wish these TEXTAREA's in the Post Reply form were bigger. Very few of us have 640x480 screens any more. How about a bigger one? Like 75 columns by 30 rows. Or maybe user-defined size?

Just put it on the wish list...

[classygreeneyedblonde]

hmmmmm my highlite is itilacs..

im using netscape 6

[ATOMIC_PUNK]

THANX JOHN

[Jackie]

I don't know -- it's too complex for me.

Does this thread give you an ivory background? How is everyone else reading it?

Today, I made up a simple CSS design, tested it successfully on lab pads of two sites, and tried to put it up here. Wouldn't work, of course.

I'm waiting for Phil V. to post a CSS tutorial as he did for HTML back when.

[CedarDave]

Netscape is a headache. :-)

I use Netscape 4.7x with Messenger almost exclusively. Because viruses are almost always transmitted by MS Outlook and Outlook Express, I have never received one (of course a good Anti-virus program updated weekly helps, too!!!). But you're right about Nutscope 6 -- it's a mess, and putting out the first version (before it was even really a Beta) was sheer stupidity on their part. The reviews I've read recently say that the most recent version is better, but still buggy. I'll wait a while longer to switch.

[Benoit Baldwin]

1. Auto HTML tag closer/tidier: Very Good Idea--should have been implemented years ago.
2. BLOCKQUOTE: Bad Idea--For the articles--I, and many others, do not need anyone's help formatting articles, thankyouverymuch. If you want Typographically Correct paragraph widths and margins, use the HTML template I devised. It is simply three nested tables, and looks the same in every browser from Netscape Navigator 3 to Internet Explorer 6. For the replies--BLOCKQUOTE is for BLOCKQUOTING, not for formatting/page layout. Until everyone is using a browser that supports at least CSS1 _100%_ to the specification, TABLES should and must be used for formatting and page layout.
   
3. Prohibition of STYLE: Very Bad Idea--An article's content should be preserved as much as possible when it is posted here. Preserving style was as simple as cutting and pasting from the original site's style sheet and changing all the CLASS elements to STYLE. Now this is impossible.
   
4. Personal style sheets: Very Very Bad Idea--if people want to view this site with their own style sheets, they can use their browsers to do this. Example under IE 5: Tools > Options > General > Accessibility > "Format documents using my style sheet"
5. Hijacking of EM: Very Very Very Bad Idea; the HTML specification is there for a reason.

If a poster is using HTML in a disruptive manner--ban them. Don't make it hard for those of us who Know What We Are Doing to Do Good Work.

Laissez-faire works.

Let it work.

[savedbygrace]

When do we get the bagels and cream cheese? I was definitely promised bagels and cream cheese.

[WIladyconservative]

I'm currently running 4.78. Until they come up with a vastly, and I mean VASTLY better version of 6, I'm not goin anywhere near it!

[JameRetief]

It's no big deal; it just rattles my patience button when I do all the HTML and then I get a message that my connection with the server had been terminated.

I've learned that it is best when doing any posting that will be of any noteworthy length, to use a basic text file to prepare my post, and then copy and paste from it. Or, if it's short, I highlight and copy my reply, before hitting preview or post. This way, if something goes wrong, I don't have to go through it all again, I can just paste and try again.

Cheers

[Ron C.]

Netscape 4.76 is solid - NO other versions are - period

The problems with italics are endemic to all Netscape versions after version 4.76 (the point at which AOL got their grubby mits on a good company.)

If you don't have that version, you will suffer problems. Long ago, I learned that this is the best version of Netscape, and still have few problems with it.

NOTE carefully - 4.76 demands that all tags be closed. MSIE takes the time to auto-close all tags no matter how sloppy the original html is, as well as second-guessing what the original might have 'meant' - slowing the browser considerably.

[RedWing9]

JR, that's the same squishy squid I am still having problems with today. :(

Salvation - FYI, hit the back button, maybe twice and then hit Preview or Post. It works almost all the time for me :)

Squid has terminated the request because it has exceeded the maximum connection lifetime.

[BreitbartSentMe]

When you're ready to return it, could you PLEASE give it a try first, maybe with a new thread, titled something like..........I don't know........maybe.......

Testing - Please Ignore

I'm sure you could sneak it in and no one would notice!!!!!

8^)

[Brian Allen]

Thank you, John

[Feiny]

The real question is:

WHY ARE SO MANY THREADS DISAPPEARING?

I saw 2 threads disappear today that had to do with Bush, sr. & ties to Bin Laden. Then, the story (being scrolled on Foxnews) was pulled about the police rescue dog getting shot by 2 cops. What gives?

[John Robinson]

1. Thanks. I agree.
2. Tables were my first choice. Very large images or strings of text stretch the width of the table beyond the right edge of the screen. I originally had the whole thread in one table, but the first large image or long URL destroyed the right margin. I then put each reply in a table to localize the screw-up, but it was still a screw-up. I discovered that BLOCKQUOTE does the right thing with the margin, it allows an image outside of it's right margin but contains what it can.
3. I prohibit style because I haven't yet written a style filter to block the positioning bomb. I also want to filter style because I don't know when in the future some browser will stuff executable code in style sheets. My focus is to disallow executable code. (JavaScript etc.)
4. Didn't realize browsers could choose their own style sheets. Hrm.
5. I agree, hijacking EM was a bad idea. It was the closest tag I could find for highlighting. I reversed it, will add a class to replace the missing functionality of background-color.

From a security stand-point, I may not know when a user is using HTML in an unsecure fashion. In particular, I refer to JavaScript and the security of your identity cookie. If that cookie is hijacked, someone can become you. The destruction would be limited if a normal user's account was hijacked, but Jim and myself have a great deal of access to the system. It would be a bad idea if someone got our cookies.

I filter HTML because the next version of the forum software will be more sensative to ill-formated HTML. Replies may be displayed out of order, and a follow-up close tag may not be shown at all.

I don't believe there is another forum on the Internet where posters have as much freedom of expression as here on Free Republic. I think I'm doing a very good job of balancing freedom of expression and system security. The later of which had been horribly lax for too, too long.

[John Robinson]

Send a Freepmail to Sidebar Moderator.

[John Robinson]

About personal style sheets. Will the user be able to select a style sheet for each website? People may wish to view Free Republic in a different style than some other website, and certainly the class names would conflict.

Secondly, I plan to add a kinder, gentler interface to the style sheets here. Mostly, I want to allow people to easily select a different font and size, and maybe background color, etc. Just a few minor tweaks.

[Hoosier Patriot]

I certainly expect that in the course of your task, you will accommodate my browser.

--- Mosaic alpha 7.0 ---

Yes sir, just got this baby! Blows away Lynx for sure! Wowwwww..... look at all the pretty pictures! Man, this thing is gonna be HUGE! If it goes commercial, I'm gettin' in on the ground floor!

</bs>

Shucks, I thought you might need a chuckle.

[Clive]

The search facility no longer responds to keys such as source: or author:

This has been the case for many days.

To check whether an article has already been posted, I must now use my browser's own search facility.

What happened?