Pet Talk software upgrade

[4 feline house]

There's one thing that I always liked that I see is now gone - when you are replying to a post, you can easily refer back to the old posts by scrolling down. I did this alot when I was commenting on several peoples' posts or could not remember a poster's or pet's name that I was going to refer to. Is there a way to get that back or will I have to keep two windows open when I think I might become memory-challenged?

[4 feline house]

HEY!!! Has anyone else noticed we can IM each other now? NEAT!!!

[ June 28, 2001: Message edited by: 4 feline house ]

[AdoreMyDogs]

Actually, 4 feline house (I don't have my name list here at home, only at work) I thought that was true also until this evening. What you do is go to the bottom of the page when you are posting a reply and go to the Pet Talk window on the bottom of the page...you will see a scroll bar on the right and you can scroll down and check out the other posts. That option is still there, it's just shrunk down to an itty bitty size

Karen and Paul...the more I look at all the cool new stuff, the more I like the new upgrade! It really is cool!

[karen israel]

Ok...I honestly thought I was going nuttier than usual. You blew my mind. Just when I was learning the tricks of the trade! K9karen forgot her password so KI is filling in......

[Cinder & Smoke]

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

[Paul]

To quickly begin to address your excellent message:

   #1 is a problem that should be fixed.

   #2 is obviously a bug. This feature works fine on my machine even in Netscape. You said you are using Netscape 7.46. However, the highest version available is 6.1. Also, which operating system are you using?

   #3 worked in your message. However, #3 relies on javascript just like #2. Since #2 does not work on your machine, you will be lucky if #3 works reliably.

   #4 is not a problem with our software. It is probably a problem with the plauder site or the Internet connection between their server and your machine.

   I know there is a bug in Netscape 4.76 on the Macintosh which slows then stops the loading of not just graphics but everything. If it is this bug quitting Netscape then re-opening it will fix it. At least then you would know it was the browser software and not the Internet connection.

   My guess is that the plauder server sometimes does not have enough resources to deliver the smilies.

[4 feline house]

Adore-thanks for the tip! I see it now. The more I get used to the new BB the more I like it!

[Cinder & Smoke]

Hey Paul ~ Cinners here ~

Dad getz his finnerbonez mixed up when he's poundin onna pawboard ~

I jest looked - we're usin NetScape 4.76; not 7 sumpin .

#1} Hope you can do a fix!

#2} Is a pain. Our Java stuff werkz purdy well allua time. We can't unnerstand why the liddel blinkie bar keeps jumpin up top??

#3} Dad jest thunk it looked phunnie on the message composing screen when he used the Instant URL kliker - looks to me like it werked jest fine! Klikz to Firehouse fer me!

#4} Dad agrees the slow load IF there's a buncha plauder-smilies onna page is not your problem; mebee p-s.de will jazz up their puterz...

#5} New squalk frum Dad ...
Few times we've tried to jest "Reload" a page wiffa NetScape "Reload" button; screen goes blank, the connection twin screen icon starts blinkin back an forth, progress bar lights up wiffa "Document: Done" message; but the screen sits either completely blank or just fills in the top "PetTalk" header stuff and quits there. The "fix" is to hit the Reload button annuder time and usually the screen fills in purdy quick-like after the second Reload request.
Dad sez that happened on Firehouse.com a lot during some previous BBS upgrades. Their WebMaster wrote back to Dad and said they found some missing ":" (semi-colons) inna option page coding whut caused the random blank screens.

EDIT: Hmmm... The header only, no page content thing just happened when we "sent" this message and the BBS said "Thanks, we're returning you to the topic..." Hard drive did sum spinnin, connection icon did sum blinkin, the PetTalk header filled in ~ then the "Document: Done" appeared but the topic contents never showed up. Dad waited 2 minnits with nuttin happenin, then punched the Reload button ~ the page then popped up purdy quick. Dad jest sez "I dunno...".

We tolded Dad to quit sqwalkin at you an Miz Karen cuz yer jest gettin started wiff this new verzion of the software; but he sez he thinks you guyz wanna know summa these things. Smoke an I a fearful that you'll tell us ta go *bother* sum other poor sole WebMasters and take away our names .

[ June 29, 2001: Message edited by: Cinder & Smoke ]

[Freckles]

To Cinder and Smoke's Dad. Re: #5. If I understand what you are saying, clicking on the traffic signal stop will instantly load the page. (I use Netscape also) Sometimes the photos aren't there, but the text is.

[Cinder & Smoke]

Hi, Miz Joan ~

Dad sez the "traffic signal" usually stops the loading process; but we have to hit the Reload to get anything to happen after a traffic signal "stop".

Dad furgot to look atta " T-Signal" when the last *page didn't fully load* problem happened. We'll try it now .

[Cinder & Smoke]

Nutz! It figgures - the page took some hard drive spinnin to pop up, but it came in after the "Thanks for posting..." message without having to hit Reload.

Just like takin the trakter kar to the Kar Vet - alluz werks fine when yer trying to show the problem!

[Cinder & Smoke]

Miz Joan (Freckles) !

Eh, no, not a real E-mail from you...
Just got an instant message e-mail alert for a instant from Auggie...

Read the e-mail alert; clicked on the link which took me to the instant message on the site. Read it and clicked Reply. We sent a reply. Went back to re-read the instant message (cuz we frogot to answer a question) and now the silly site sez "Can't see that message cuz it wasn't addressed to you (us)."
And it's not listed shown on the "Cinder&Smoke" profile page either??

Someday we'll all get the hang of this new version **maybe**!

As for the blank screen and/or partial loaded page problem - no rhyme nor reason to when it happens - sometimes you get the Whole Page, sometimes it's a Blank...

Haven't seen anything good happen if we use the Traffic Light to try and stop things; and it has never encouraged a page to fully load after a pause or hang-up. The only thing that seems to fix a partial blank page is a "Reload".

[K9karen]

HUH?

[Genia]

Ditto

[4 feline house]

K9 & G:

Me, too !

I got lost on Phred's first post! No offense, Phred, not a reflection on you! But I quit using Netscape a LONG time ago because of some of the problems (the ones I could understand) that are mentioned in those posts! Not that IE is that great, but I seem to have a LOT less problems with it.