To: Paul and Karen ~

'Scuse me, Cinder and Smokey, but Dad wants to play with "our" 'puter for a bit...

I don't know if you know it or not, but PetTalk is in good company with the upgrade to this latest and greatest InfoPop BBS software ~ *Firehouse.com*,
the *huge* Firefighter's web site, also just switched to this version.

All of the new features are great and not all that hard to get the hang of. But... (there's always gotta be a but...)

I'd like to offer the following suggestions:

1} I surf from the main PetTalk "master" index page - the one that shows ALL the general forum subjects (all the dog, kat, general topic areas), then click onto a sub-heading (like Dog Rescue), then start in the middle of the Topics based upon my known last visit date and time. I then use the old "go to next newest" which now just says "next" , to read my way "up" to the newest or most recently posted topic. Things are cool, works just like the old version, UNTIL you get to the top of the sub-heading and run out of "next newest" topics... The OLD version then went to a drop-down box that listed ALL sub-headings (including the one you were just finishing with) and gave you the ability to move to a different sub or main heading area. The new version "automatically returns" you to the last newest topic you just read >>horrible waste of time<< before you are given a chance (drop-down box) to steer yourself on to another area of interest. The point?? Rather than forcing us back to where we just came from, can the new version present the choice of subject area drop-down box like the old version did??

2} Instant Icons are super neat; but after selecting one, my curson jumps to the TOP of the message box and starts Overwriting and ERASING the beginning of your (my) carefully created pearls of wisdom and mirth.
Absolute Maximum Bummer if you (I) don't catch the jump and keep pounding away on the keys without looking up to see things going away. Not a fun event if you don't see it happening before you've erased a paragraph or two!!!! The "fix" is you (I) have to manually scroll or mouse back down to the bottom of the message window and reposition the cursor after the newly created smilie icon.

3} Instant UBB Code feature: Another neat-o feature, but I think it set the [ and ] brackets incorrectly when I typed in the Firehousc.com address above. I'm not going to correct the possible mistake till I sent this and see what is produced. I thought the "http//" offered by the box that opened would remain - I don't think it did. Here's what is shown in this rough draft before I send it (less the quotes I added below:
"*Firehouse.com*"

4} Posts that use the ""plauder-smilies.de"" site to post fancy smilies are often very slow to load and sometimes "never" finish loading... I see the NetScape 7.46 "progress window" repeat the message "www.plauder-smilies.de contacted, waiting for reply..." many, many, many times while the PetTalk post is trying to load and display a page. I've tried to call up the plauder-smilies site directly several times and had the same thing happen - a looooong wait before the site loads and displays. And sometimes after p-s.de does load, the moving icons don't move.

Well... Now that I've come across as a nasty, junque yard dog having a bad day, allow me to again say the new site look is great. I'm sure these problems are growing pains that can be remedied. Don't loose a lot of sleep over these issues! At least hudreds of the old posts did NOT *vanish* into cyber-space during the upgrade - like happened to Firehouse several upgrades ago .

Cinder sez sign my own name - she and Smokey don't want to be involved with my rantings...

/s/ Phred, "Dad" to the un-mentioned FurKids