[Closed] The STW forum still sucks

... such as switching the linked image served to something like lemonparty.

When user-embedded images load, they're served from the originating server rather than STW. So, we use the original host's bandwidth rather than our own, which they're paying for.

I know what hot linking is and I explained up there what the images aren't meant for and what the rules state. Removing the ability to post images will have a huge effect on the forum. Allowing people to host images on the ST web server would cost and then there's the issue of copyright. God forbid someone might hotlink too then what a mess. I'm not sure there's a simple answer to this though as trying to mod linked images is not easy.

I hated it to start with, difficult to follow, to know what's been posted since last visit etc, getting the hang of it now after a couple of months, but it makes it more time consuming than maybe it ought to be and I'm such a bad forum addict, it's not good for me.

I hated the original pre hack forum, only posted a couple of times then lost my original ID in the switch, I don't miss the avatars, certainly don't miss the signatures, quotes are a bit cack handed but agree with the sentiment that endless long multi quote posts screw up threads.

Had only intended to stay a short time to work out what was what, sort out the cocks from the clowns, but there's some really interesting stuff and bright folk on here if you look hard enough, I guess some of them are not flame proof enough to overcome the cock factor, but every now and again some real gems emerge, so I think I'll hang around a bit longer, even though my covers blown a bit in certain quarters..

Forums are only the sum of their content at the end of the day and there are still some very valuable contributions despite any perceived issues with the layout/functionality..

PM the database and bandwidth drain would be huge, now before you say other forums have it take a look up there and see how many posts there is here.

Oh, and compared to this place (which provides all the facilities which are lacking here, and doesn't suffer from the issues others complain about - a far nicer forum to use all round) you're not even in the same league:
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/index.php
Threads: 1,516,030, Posts: 19,816,628, Members: 386,810

aracer - that forum looks horrible though... but then I'm not a super-geek and interested in RC things, so maybe it's not meant to appeal to me.

molgrips - Member
Have you seen the amount of visual spam on other forums? This place is a blessing

That + 100,000

That site made my eyes bleed.

Have you seen the amount of visual spam on other forums? This place is a blessing

If you haven't take a look at the site aracer posted.

[b]Hobbyking.com[/b] where are [b]Hobbyking.com[/b] all the posts [b]Hobbyking.com[/b] in the forum [b]Hobbyking.com[/b] that you [b]Hobbyking.com[/b] linked to [b]Hobbyking.com[/b] aracer?

This and UK climbing have the forum style I prefer. No frigging animated gif avatars, no crap about what level ninja the poster is. Just the text.
Makes arguing with people far more pleasurable 😀

I explained up there what the images aren't meant for and what the rules state.

That's all well and good in theory, but it's roundly ignored by everyone.

It's no skin off my nose ultimately, I just think you're setting yourselves up for a fall.

The front page is admittedly messy - I presume those commenting on how awful it is didn't look beyond that. I never look at the front page there - try looking at an individual forum page and a thread where you lose all the rubbish down the side, and actually have less visual clutter than on here.
eg http://www.rcgroups.com/indoor-and-micro-models-85/

Its all those sub forums - its a style I dislike. You never know where to post or find stuff.

Oh and look, here's another forum with more posts than STW which also manages to do PMs (and all the other stuff)
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/forum.php

You'd get used to subforums quickly enough. But as an example of a style this forum could aspire to, you might as well have linked to [url= http://www.lingscars.com/ ]Ling's Cars[/url]

Aracer - but very few on here want all that stuff.

That site is horrid!
This place looks so much nicer than most forums.

Its all those sub forums - its a style I dislike. You never know where to post or find stuff.

Anyway, that's not the point, I'm not suggesting STW sub-forums as it clearly works well like it is - I was just shooting down the myth that it's impossible to do these things because STW is "so big".

BTW how I actually normally use rcgroups is not even looking in sub-forums, just monitoring threads I've subscribed to - something which isn't possible to do as easily here (where you can't go to the first new post).

We could have an arguing sub forum! No one could post new threads in it but the mods could move all the threads from other sub forums that spiral down into name calling/the same old names arguing at eachother to it 🙂

Given how popular that is

I may start trolling it 🙂

but very few on here want all that stuff.

I'll state again - I'm not suggesting STW changes to look like those I've referenced, just that they're bigger forums than here which manage to do these features properly.

Ah well I guess all the regulars on here like it the way it is and never experience anything else to realise what they're missing - it's when I go from using other forums to here that I get irritated by what it's not possible to do.

hambl90 - Member

It's fine as it is , if it works don't try to fix it.

I agree, how often does tinkering with something that is not broke end up with something awful 😉

I was just shooting down the myth that it's impossible to do these things because STW is "so big".

There's more to it than number of posts too, Mark may come along and give you the real figures. I'm not sure if you noticed but that site has one or two thousand adds on it. PM sups bandwidth and hogs databases there's no denying it.

You wouldn't like quoting to work better

Works pretty well for me. How would you improve it?

Oh and look, here's another forum with more posts than STW which also manages to do PMs (and all the other stuff)

In 8 years it's achieved what STW has done in 2, hmmm not sure you're grasping this.

Ah well I guess all the regulars on here like it the way it is and never experience anything else to realise what they're missing - it's when I go from using other forums to here that I get irritated by what it's not possible to do.

Hmm! I'm a member on at least 12 other forums so no it's not that.

It's the using of an American dictionary to highlight incorrect spellings. That's what I'd change.

Works pretty well for me. How would you improve it?

It was actually the spacing thing when I was putting multiple quotes in a thread which prompted this - for those who don't get what I mean:

Here's something I'm quoting #1

Here's something I'm quoting #2

Here's something I'm quoting #3

So not the color then or add a favorites tag.

I'm not sure if you noticed but that site has one or two thousand adds on it.

My point.

With more features is the possibility of increased costs, now they can sack staff, charge for content or increase the ads. You see that's the difference you're posting links to none commercial sites, ones with lower running costs you can't really compare them.

It's the using of an American dictionary to highlight incorrect spellings. That's what I'd change.

That's your browser not the forum. Use the UK/GB version of the browser.

nested quotes are a pain - I use a couple of other forums and far prefer this one to all the multifuncionality that you propose that simply IMO causes confusion and visual nightmares

Whats wrong with that multiquote post? spacing looks fine to me

"best looking flashlight ever" 😐

With more features is the possibility of increased costs

you're posting links to none commercial sites, ones with lower running costs

Whats wrong with that multiquote post?

Yeah as I thought.

The sites you are linking are run by fans or small commercial, they're using free or cheap hosting the ads generate money for the host not the owner of the site. ST is owned and ran by Gofar they pay for the hosting which when it's as busy as this with as much content, not just a car crash of sub forums and spangly banners like the ones you linked, it costs a lot. They also have a IT team that looks after the site, an ad man who sells the ad space. Then there's the writing team, oh and the man who makes everything look pretty, he'll be in cold sweats at the very thought of avatars. i could go one but you must get the idea by now, please.

aracer i think you need to switch you computer off for a bit. about a month should do. 🙂

aracer - Member

"Whats wrong with that multiquote post?"

Check out which replies are to which quotes, and how the reply to quote #1 is actually closer to quote #2, making it seem more associated with that than it should be.

Eh? its very simple to put more spacing in if you want - and thats not how I see it at all

Hmm.. a quick multi-quote experiment:

Here's something I'm quoting #1

Here's my reply #1

Here's something I'm quoting #2

Here's my reply #2

Here's something I'm quoting #3

Here's my reply #3

Okay that looks fine. I suspect you get the weird spacing because you don't put an empty line between the quote block and the reply?

So if I'm right this will look different:

Here's something I'm quoting #1

Here's something I'm quoting #2

Here's something I'm quoting #3

Edit: Yeah that looks different to the previous post on my browser (Firefox 8.0). I suspect the bottom margin on the blockquote style needs tweaked.

GrahamS - Member
Okay that looks fine. I suspect you get the weird spacing because you don't put an empty line between the quote block and the reply?

So if I'm right this will look different:

Here's something I'm quoting #1

Here's my reply #1

Here's something I'm quoting #2

Here's my reply #2

Here's something I'm quoting #3

Here's my reply #3

GrahamS - Member
Hmm.. a quick multi-quote experiment:

Here's something I'm quoting #1

Here's my reply #1

Here's something I'm quoting #2

Here's my reply #2

Here's something I'm quoting #3

Here's my reply #3

Posted 4 minutes ago # Report-PostGrahamS - Member
Okay that looks fine. I suspect you get the weird spacing because you don't put an empty line between the quote block and the reply?

So if I'm right this will look different:

Here's something I'm quoting #1

Here's my reply #1

Here's something I'm quoting #2

Here's my reply #2

Here's something I'm quoting #3

Here's my reply #3

Edit: Yeah that looks different to the previous post on my browser (Firefox 8.0). I suspect the bottom margin on the blockquote style needs tweaked.

Posted 2 minutes ago # Report-PostThe Southern Yeti - Member

GrahamS - Member
Okay that looks fine. I suspect you get the weird spacing because you don't put an empty line between the quote block and the reply?

So if I'm right this will look different:

Here's something I'm quoting #1

Here's my reply #1

Here's something I'm quoting #2

Here's my reply #2

Here's something I'm quoting #3

Here's my reply #3

?

wow 🙂

[b][i]{Note: The following information is for geeks only}[/i][/b]

Hmmm... actually it looks like the HTML generated by the forum is different depending on how you enter them.

If you add a blank line between the quote and the reply you get a <p></p> in the HTML, otherwise you get a <br >

Ah jeez. I'm lost now.