Coming Soon...

[Okiewan]

Working on the next version of DRN .... need some input from you guys.

Over the last year, I've hacked-in a lot of stuff, some useful, some not... but all causing the server to work harder (therefor hitting perfomance & bandwidth). I'm putting a list of hack here for you to comment on, what's must have, useful, worthless? Thanks in advance!

Major ones:

1. Country Flags
2. How many days registered
3. Download a thread to text file
4. m-Quiz (which no one seems to use)
5. Shout! (top of the screen)
6. Quotes (bottom of screen)
7. User warnings (STM's only)
8. Time online
9. Collapse threads
10. Weather (will rebuild if useful)
11. Member Online or Offline


Thoughts? What can we live without? The goal is to implement the best stuff only and speed-up the forums.

 

[JWW]

1. nice to know
2. nice to know if you can take someone seriously
3. dont use
4. dont use
5. didnt even know it was there
6. I like these
7. not sure
8. dont need
9. dont use
10. weather.com if needed
11. kinda cool

I would keep 1, 2, 6 and 11.

 

[RM_guy]

1. Country Flags
I like it

2. How many days registered
Useful when I don't have a calculator handy when seeing how Long someone's been a member

3. Download a thread to text file
Is this the "Printable Version" option? If yes then it is very useful

4. m-Quiz (which no one seems to use)
Never even went in there

5. Shout! (top of the screen)
It doesn't update enough for it to be useful for me. Besides, I usually stay in my CP

6. Quotes (bottom of screen)
Good reading when I'm bored

7. User warnings (STM's only)
I've used this once but I think it is effective and should stay

8. Time online
Interesting tid bit but more of a reminder of how much time I spend on here while at work :eek:

9. Collapse threads
Very handy. Keep it

10. Weather (will rebuild if useful)
I have my own shortcuts to online weather

11. Member Online or Offline
Useful to know if who you are responding is going to see your post right away or not.

I'd keep 1,2,3,6,7,9 & 11

 

[biglou]

These are my thoughts on the above:

1. Country Flags: I like it!
2. How many days registered: I like this, too.
3. Download a thread to text file: I usually cut and paste snippits of what I need into a word file, but I could see this as being useful.
4. m-Quiz (which no one seems to use): I like it, but actually forgot about it. Does it get regular updates? I could live without this one, but I still like it.
5. Shout! (top of the screen): I like it.
6. Quotes (bottom of screen): Besides the greivous spelling errors in some of them, I am on the fence about this one. I say this or the shout, but not both to save bandwidth.
7. User warnings (STM's only): Lose it, IMO.
8. Time online: Lose this, too.
9. Collapse threads: LOVE this. Keep it!
10. Weather (will rebuild if useful): I could live without this one.
11. Member Online or Offline: I like this feature.

 

[125 rider]

The ones i think are useful are: How many days registered, Member on or off-line, and country flags. The ones the site could easily do without IMO are the Download thread to text file, and the weather feature.

 

[MX-727]

The ones I like: 1,2,11

I use collapse, but find I have to use expand a whole bunch to go back and refresh my mind. I bet a lot of people do this and that probably uses a bunch of bandwidth.

 

[WoodsRider]

1. Country Flags - Looks nice, but not important.
2. How many days registered - I like it.
3. Download a thread to text file - Cut and Paste won't work?
4. m-Quiz (which no one seems to use) - What?
5. Shout! (top of the screen) - I never read them.
6. Quotes (bottom of screen) - I submitted one, but I never read them.
7. User warnings (STM's only) - I never use this feature.
8. Time online - I keep DRN minimized so it shows a lot of time... get rid of it.
9. Collapse threads - I never use this feature.
10. Weather (will rebuild if useful) - I'd rather watch the blonde girl on the weather channel instead.
11. Member Online or Offline - Keep

 

[whyzee]

I use dial up so nothing is going to make the site faster for me but, my comments:
1. Country Flags - members tend to use this for their heritage, I like it!
2. How many days registered - nice to know, I look up to most of the long-time members.
3. Download a thread to text file - don't use and never will.
4. m-Quiz (which no one seems to use) - don't use
5. Shout! (top of the screen) - don't use
6. Quotes (bottom of screen) - don't use
7. User warnings (STM's only) - I have not had to use this but it seems like a good feature
8. Time online - don't use, only lets me know how much of my time is spent here vs work
9. Collapse threads - don't use
10. Weather (will rebuild if useful) - I get this when I dial up - don't use
11. Member Online or Offline - I like this

Summary: 1, 2, 7, 11
Okie, maybe you should ask if there is anything we as members could do or should not do ... to speed things up??!!

 

[Papakeith]

1. Country Flags..................................keep it
2. How many days registered...............either way
3. Download a thread to text file...........never use it
4. m-Quiz (which no one seems to use).used it once, failed miserably, never went back
5. Shout! (top of the screen)................keep one of the two (shout/quotes)
6. Quotes (bottom of screen)...............see above
7. User warnings (STM's only)..............loose it
8. Time online....................................This could go to
9. Collapse threads.............................Never use it
10. Weather (will rebuild if useful)........Try to use it from time to time
11. Member Online or Offline ...............Keep it

 

[Okiewan]

1. Country Flags .. if people actually put what country they are IN, it would be useful, it's being used for heritage, etc... kinda makes it useless in my mind, but hey...

3. Download a thread. So there is this 70 reply jetting thread. One click and the whole thread is downloaded in a text file, nice and neat. Beats cutting and pasting big time. But... if people aren't using it, I'll leave it out.

8. Time online... Sorry woodsie, I make it time out to avoide that very thing. < you're messing witha geek here bud >


Keep it coming!

 

[a454elk]

1. Keep it
2. Not needed, just registered date is fine
3. Never used it, cut and paste
4. Lost interest, can't answer most, I feel unworthy!
5. Keep the shout, kinda nice
6. No on the quotes
7. Keep the warnings, keeping it nice and civil
8. Not really necessary
9. Don't use
10. Nah, always sunny
11. Good to keep unless they are in invisible mode, doesn't work.

 

[Rich Rohrich]

While the other are all bitchin cool hacks these are the only ones that seem worth spending bandwidth on IMHO :

3. Download a thread to text file
11. Member Online or Offline

honorable mention to the flags just cause I like seeing the stars and stripes popping up all over the place, and it makes it easier for me to identify those crazy Brits lurking about :eek:

 

[CAL]

1. Not necessary
2. No (month/year joined is good enough)
3. Never used it (didn't even know about it)
4. No
5. Never notice them
6. Didn't know it existed
7. No
8. Kinda like it
9. Have no idea what it does
10. No
11. Yes-keep

 

[biglou]

Originally posted by Okie
1. Country Flags .. if people actually put what country they are IN, it would be useful, it's being used for heritage, etc... kinda makes it useless in my mind, but hey...

Could there be a way to make everyone have to pick one country (where they are living at the time) in a drop-down menu and have that select which flag is displayed? They might also have an "On/Off" radio button for the display of the flag feature. Not sure if this would be a major PITA to retrofit or not, just thinking out loud here.

3. Download a thread. So there is this 70 reply jetting thread. One click and the whole thread is downloaded in a text file, nice and neat. Beats cutting and pasting big time. But... if people aren't using it, I'll leave it out.

Personally, I would go through it and meticulously pick out the exact info I wanted, arange it exactly how I wanted it in a text.doc of some sort, save one in electronic copy, and print one for my paper files for reference in the garage. But that's just me. I got lots of spare time!

More of my surfing habits here: I rarely use "My CP", except to change settings, sig, etc. I use the pop-up box to go read PM's and then come back to the forums main page. I have no one on my buddy or ignore lists, and I don't subscribe to any threads. I am here so much, I just kinda have it all memorized and know who posted last in which threads and forums. :o

 

[Trail Boss]

1. Country Flags....I like it, but I'm with you I'd like to see people use it to show where in the world they are. not where their gradparents came from.
2. How many days registered.....I like it
3. Download a thread to text file.....I use this - always saving good threads
4. m-Quiz (which no one seems to use).....Used it at first,but not lately- Lose it
5. Shout! (top of the screen)........I like it
6. Quotes (bottom of screen)......Lose it-everyone has a quote in their sig line
7. User warnings (STM's only).....seems like a good tool to keep
8. Time online........Never refer to it
9. Collapse threads........Never use it
10. Weather (will rebuild if useful).....never look at it
11. Member Online or Offline .....Can be useful, but lose it if it takes up too much juice

Imagine if you could put a meter on DRN and charge for time here? We'd have to be feeding dollar bills in a slot in our pc or the screen would go blank ! :eek:

 

[High Lord Gomer]

This is scarey...I agree with Rich...just the download and the on/offline.

I feel the need to go wash myself, now.

 

[Jaybird]

I kinda like the flag motiff, but the choices such as Mongolian and such kinda makes a joke of it.

The rest of the stuff I can do without,
I cut-n-paste anything I want to print or save.
The "Online" feature is only good for mods anywho, I can hide from the rest of ya! :)
I never collapse, as I want to keep current and refreshed on what has been said, however I have heard some really enjoy that feature.

Trash it all and I'd be a happy camper still.

 

[Rooster]

1. Country Flags - nice but not necessary

2. How many days registered - if you want to know how much activity a person has, check the profile for number of posts

3. Download a thread to text file - nice for aving things like "how to" on jetting or suspension etc. You can still copy and past to a Word file without it.

4. m-Quiz (which no one seems to use) - huh??

5. Shout! (top of the screen) - nice, but nothing more than a mimi thread.

6. Quotes (bottom of screen) - huh?

7. User warnings (STM's only) - I haven't eve seen it used yet

8. Time online - doesn't matter to me

9. Collapse threads - never used it

10. Weather (will rebuild if useful) - got that set up on my computer from the local station

11. Member Online or Offline - I don't have a use for it, but some others seem to. (What do you use it for?)


bottom line, none of these features are really all that important to me. :)

 

[Rich Rohrich]

Originally posted by High Lord Gomer
I feel the need to go wash myself, now.

I'll fire up the Generac. :thumb:

 

[dhoward]

1. Country Flags..................................They're ok.
2. How many days registered................Member since is fine
3. Download a thread to text file...........Just cut 'n paste (thanks PoppaKeith!)
4. m-Quiz (which no one seems to use).Nope
5. Shout! (top of the screen).................Nope
6. Quotes (bottom of screen)...............Yup
7. User warnings (STM's only)..............Yup
8. Time online....................................Who cares? Just shows I have no life...
9. Collapse threads.............................Never use it
10. Weather (will rebuild if useful)........Look out the window dumbass :eek:
11. Member Online or Offline ...............Keep it

Not a better site online, period.

 

[oldguy]

I use the Download to text for figuring fantasy scores. That way I have it on paper (usually 6 or 7 pages) to do the cyphering and have a backup record

 

[RM_guy]

I have to put another vote in for #3. Try cuting a pasting a whole thread into word and then print it. It's a mess. Please keep it.

 

[XRpredator]

1. Country Flags -- Sure
2. Days registered -- Date registered is fine
3. Text file -- Hmmm . . . if it takes up a lot of space, cut n' paste is pretty simple (Hell, even I can figure it out)
4. m-Quiz -- I liked 'em, but like you say, rarely used (haven't messed with it much)
5. Shout! -- either or no real biggie
6. Quotes -- same as Shout (I do most of my surfin' through CP anyhow)
7. User warnings -- I dunno. We can always report the threads to mods
8. Time online -- eh, not so much
9. Collapse threads -- Me like this
10. Weather -- eh, weather.com works fine if I need it
11. Member Online or Offline -- well, if you're in stealth mode it don't matter

so, my recommendations: 1? 2? 9! 11?

 

[slo' mo]

1. Country Flags - cool but not a requirement
2. How many days registered - could be found by viewing profile
3. Download a thread to text file - never used it but can see usefulness
4. m-Quiz (which no one seems to use) - fun but never used it much
5. Shout! (top of the screen) - like it
6. Quotes (bottom of screen) - lose it
7. User warnings (STM's only) - never worked, I went power mad
8. Time online - lose it
9. Collapse threads - didn't know about this option, how do you do it?
10. Weather (will rebuild if useful) - lose it
11. Member Online or Offline - keep


I vote keep 1,3,5,9,11 - Does this mean there is something odd about me? :)

 

[Chili]

I say keep 1,3,5 and have a comment about 7. I have used the warnings on 2 or 3 occasions and will continue if the mods feel it truly helps with the operation of the site otherwise I say drop it although I'm not sure about how much bandwidth it will save.