FR: First Installment of New Year's Changes

[John Robinson]

Okay, I may have found the bug with the sidebars, and so they are back.

Also, I've made some significant changes to the structure of the forum. The sidebars are now treated as if they were topics, and threads can now be listed under many topics. When displaying a thread, thread's topics are listed to the right, clicking a topic's name will take you to a topic index, or a list of threads in that topic. In the future, keywords will be listed as well, and will be handled similarly.

Speaking of the future...

In the future, you will be able to place any topic into the sidebar, and in any order you desire.

In the future, the bump lists will also be treated as topics.

In the future, there will be an ability to add threads to a topic after the thread has been posted.

In the future, user's bookmarks will be treated as their own semi-private topic.

In the future, it will be possible for users to create their own topics, and remove threads from topics they administer/own. And the administator/owner/creator of each topic can decide who can add threads to their topic and who cannot, a membership list of sorts. (This is how I will prevent others from putting threads in your bookmarks.)

Although I should make this very clear. Topic administrators will not be able to affect the comments on the thread--topics are to be considered only a collection of threads, a way to organize the forum into meaningful categories. These are not mini-forums.

[callisto]

Great work! If no one has told you recently the improvements you consistently make to FR are greatly appreciated. I noticed that you've disabled the "preferences". I hope that this is just temporary. The "keywords" and "topics" headings are a great idea, but I would suggest that maybe you could throw in a "horizontal reference" or something to help deliniate the beginning of the posted article from the credits above it. Currently they seem to blend together. Thanks!

[Hugh Akston]

Hey John- I just tried to search for the title of an article (to avoid posting a duplicate). When I pressed the search button, I got back a white page that said "Go" and nothing else.

[Ima Lurker]

.....(where all the really crazy stuff happens!)

Oh, I just love it when you talk hi-tech!

[Hugh Akston]

I also just tried to post an article, and when I do I get a "The page cannot be displayed

The page you are looking for is currently unavailable. The Web site might be experiencing technical difficulties, or you may need to adjust your browser settings. " message.

[Hugh Akston]

I couldn't get an article to post :-(

[Hugh Akston]

Weird- I tried 4 times to get it to post. The first two I got the error I posted above. The next I got a preview page but with my article truncated. The next it went through.

And all I did in each case was hit "back" and then "refresh" to repost the form data.

[John Robinson]

Okay, I'm looking into all this. Think I know where the "Go" problem is, should be easy.

[RGSpincich]

That, uh, new "Abuse" button? Can we abuse anybody we want to?

[LiberteeBell]

I don't understand any of this!!!

LOL...I'm glad I'm not the only one!

Maybe they'll give special ed classes to those of us who are cyber-impaired...

[Quix]

MORE POWER 2 YOU. THANKS FOR KEEPING UP THE EXCELLENT WORK!

In terms of the individually "owned"/moderated? thread topic areas . . . One would assume that topic areas will still need to conform to the basic purposes of FR.

What about the more Christian/supernatural/dreams, visions sorts of stuff? Some of us construe such to be VERY MUCH in line with the goals etc. of FR though Jim has tended to not be very positive toward such. Will the segregation of things into allowable topic areas be enough for Jim to allow such flexibility? Sure hope so.

There's a priceless capacity to sort through things by the diversity of--well--even the diversity of Christians hereon--not to mention respectful nonBelievers--that diversity and sharp mindedness CAN GO A LONG WAY toward filtering out the message from the noise in such incredibly complex topic areas. I don't know of ANY other place where such is possible. It would sure be a great help and very potentially powerful to the overall FR goals to at least allow such a venue--if not support it more overtly.

Anyway--THANKS TONS FOR ALL YOU DO FOR US, FR AND FOR FREEDOM AND THE US OF A.

[MeekOneGOP]

Does this mean the handcrank on my 286sx will, or won't work?

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A 286? I thought those were pulled by "Mister Ed's"????
You oughta call the Smithsonian - they might be interested in displaying it?? :o)

[John Robinson]

That link won't look so lonely when I add a few of its friends. ;-) [The link to add the thread to a topic, the link to post a comment, the link to send to a friend, the link ..... I've got a million of 'em]

[MeekOneGOP]

Did you do something with the CSS?

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Is this the Style sheet? I had mine set to "Marbled" and now it doesn't work. The setting page says they may/may not work in the future. Is the future here? I liked the Marbled, but I think FR was slower moving around using that?

[isthisnickcool]

--"Just what do you think you're doing, John?" "Oh, I see"

--"I feel much better now, I really do."

[smith288]

That right. John said he will be reinstating that soon. I had a nifty blue theme going on but now im back to FR circa '99. ick

[muggs]

Yes, I have been trying to set mine to marbled also because my husband and I post from the same computer and it will make it easier for us the know who is logged on. I changed my time setting to eastern and left his on pacific, which helps me alot but he needs something much more obvious. Before 911 we agreed on most subjects so it wasn't a big problem but it is starting to become one now (at least for me). I want it so clear who is logged on that there can be no mistake if it's him or me.

[Howlin]

You are bad!!!!

[boris]

Can we have "My Preferences" back? Pretty please?

--Boris