Is this the new server working?

[canderson]

Earl, Leela and others. I think I have sorted it out as far as Firefox is concerned. Click on "reply" to bring the box up with all the icons that don't work. Then press Ctrl and F5 at the same time and the page refreshes and the cache is cleared and it now works ok for me.:)

 

Phil

Too strange. Sounds like it had cached an incomplete version of the page. Glad to hear it's fixed.

[LMKohler]

Sorry, I'm confused about spell check. I access cruise critic through Internet Explorer and I seem to have all the smilies and everything working. How do I get spell check from/for this site? Mind you, I'm not computer-literate:o

 

Thanks,

Lucy

[excitedofharpenden]

Hi Lucy.:) You should have a little tick and ABC in the top right hand corner of the reply box. Click on it and it will ask you if you want to download spell check and click yes. If you haven't got that box, you can download spell check from iespell.com.

 

Hope that works. I can't have spell check on Firefox, but I don't nead it, thank goodness.

 

Phil

[LMKohler]

Hi Phil:D I'm so glad you are there to help me:o Silly me, I never even saw that box (feeling a little embarassed). It did say I had to download it so I'm going to try that.

 

Lucy

[excitedofharpenden]

If it works Lucy that will be info from one non-tecchy to another:)

 

Phil

[bob278]

Wow Phil. I'm impressed. Here's another technical challenge for you.

 

When I click on reply, I have a box in the upper right with two letter A's on it. When I hold the cursor over it, it says it is to Switch Editor Mode. Any idea what it does? All it does for me is make the screen blink a little.

 

I am not allowed to download "unofficial" software at work so will have to wait until I get home, but probably don't need it. I have the Google toolbar and it has a spell check. I think it works in the CC reply box, but I will check that out tonight.

[Leela]

Check this out! (space below)

 

(space above) My paragraph spacing works now, even using Firefox.

 

Thanks!! Coolness! Great job!

[excitedofharpenden]

Bob, it seems very strange me giving you technical advice so I am going to copy and paste this thread into Word for posterity:D

 

I think clicking on the two As changes the the format from WYSIWYG to Standard interface and vice versa that you would usually do the long way round by going into "Edit Options".

 

I you need any further information, please don't hesitate to ask! LOL

 

Earl, are you impressed too?

 

Laura, glad it worked for you too!

 

Phil

[LMKohler]

Phil-Whatever THAT means, LOL:D Mine works so I'm not changing anything;)

 

Lucy

 

P.S. I haven't downloaded the spell check, may have to wait until I'm home rather than at work.

[canderson]

Earl, are you impressed too?

Positively EXCITED, Phil! Between us, perhaps we can provide enough information to CC that they can figure out what's what. It looks like there have been some configuration changes along with the jump to 3.5.0. I read some of the update notes at Jelsoft, and it looks like there are some reverse compatibility issues that required CC to make changes to their configuration.

[excitedofharpenden]

Positively EXCITED, Phil! Between us, perhaps we can provide enough information to CC that they can figure out what's what. It looks like there have been some configuration changes along with the jump to 3.5.0. I read some of the update notes at Jelsoft, and it looks like there are some reverse compatibility issues that required CC to make changes to their configuration.

Earl, now you are losing me again. You stick to the technical stuff and I'll just be there to press the buttons:D

 

Phil

[canderson]

Earl, now you are losing me again. You stick to the technical stuff and I'll just be there to press the buttons:D

 

Phil

The short version: there are a whole BUNCH of things that CC can configure to make this software look and operate in the way they prefer. It appears that some of the files they had been using to do this weren't going to be compatible with the new version of the software, and I'm not sure that 100% of everything got tweaked quite the same way this time 'round.

 

Are you also noticing that the edit screens are showing the "raw" code of any 'special effects' rather than the results (e.g., the kind of hypertexty looking stuff on either side of a word that would *indicate* something like an underscore rather than the underscore under the word itself?) It didn't look like that before, did it?

[bob278]

Phil,

 

I don't doubt that you are right and it does "compute" that I wouldn't see much difference. I went the long way around and did a screen print of the reply box in WYSIWYG, then went to CP and changed it to Standard. I gotta tell you, I can't tell a lick of difference between them.

 

It reminds me of an old comedian, George Carlin, who used to do funny bits about words. In one of them he said, "There's flammable, inflammable and non-inflammable. ........................... Why are there three? Either it flams or is doesn't."

 

I feel the same way, why are there three editors when two of them seem to be identical? Basic and WYSIWYG would be plenty.

 

If they can follow up with the software upgrade and get rid of the WSOD and lost posts, I will forgive them for making me log in every time. But for now, I don't see where anything is better (except for the spell check) and I'm a purfect spellur anyway so don't need it. (OK, I stole that from you.)

[mii]

I really hate to complain but right now it is still very slow, have gotten the white screen twice in the last 15 minutes. Maybe they are trying to work the bugs out. I just wish they would report in sometimes to keep us updated. Really that is all we want to know.

 

Marilyn

[excitedofharpenden]

Marilyn, I got a blank screen a couple of times earlier too, but touch wood it has been generally ok and this is the time I have normally had problems before. I'll keep my fingers crossed and see how it pans out over the next few days. It's good to get here in the morning time here and it really is quick then!

 

Bob, I thought you might ask me "why the need to change interfaces" and I am all prepared for that one too. Because there is, OK?:D

 

Phil

[HeatherInFlorida]

I'd love to be positive about this "upgrade", but I have to tell you that here and there it works great, but the rest of the time it's moving at the same sluggish speed it was before. I notice virtually no difference over the past week. It's better than in previous weeks, but no better than last.

 

Have to say I'm disappointed.:(

[canderson]

I'd love to be positive about this "upgrade", but I have to tell you that here and there it works great, but the rest of the time it's moving at the same sluggish speed it was before. I notice virtually no difference over the past week. It's better than in previous weeks, but no better than last.

 

Have to say I'm disappointed.:(

I'm not disappointed as I wouldn't expect the speed to have changed -- it's doubtful that there was some massive rearchitecture of the bulletin board software's database system that would zing it up, and while some of the other problems were the bulletin board application (and seem fixed!), I think all of the general performance problems have to do with the Cruise Critic platform itself.

[HeatherInFlorida]

Canderson, I don't mean to be dense but I don't understand what you mean. Perhaps the term "sluggish" was the wrong word. What I meant to say was I'm still getting "website not responding", the white screen, etc.

 

So if the upgrade wasn't to fix those things (which they indicated that it was), then what was it for? Spell check? The ability to change pages on a thread more readily?

 

Have to admit my confusion about what it was for if not the dreaded white screen and posts not posting, etc.

[canderson]

Canderson, I don't mean to be dense but I don't understand what you mean. Perhaps the term "sluggish" was the wrong word. What I meant to say was I'm still getting "website not responding", the white screen, etc.

 

So if the upgrade wasn't to fix those things (which they indicated that it was), then what was it for? Spell check? The ability to change pages on a thread more readily?

 

Have to admit my confusion about what it was for if not the dreaded white screen and posts not posting, etc.

There were a number of feature upgrades, and after CC got bit on version 3.0.8, I imagine they're keeping an eye on the revisions at Jelsoft more carefully these days.

 

As I read the docs for this release, it looks like they did make some kind of changes to the database afterall.

 

One of the BIG changes is that developers of "add ons" to the software don't have to dig directly into what should be a stable application -- Jelsoft has left a bunch of new "hooks" for people to add their own features. That should help keep the application stable over the long run since everybody and their grandmother won't have their pinkies in the core code.

 

They rewrote the message editors, and you're now supposed to be able to swap between WYSIWYG and standard modes on the fly. Haven't tried this yet.

 

A text search should run faster as a MySQL query (if you don't know, it doesn't matter). We'll have to see about that.

 

It sounds as though there's been some big change to the way the users' thread and forum "last read" markers are stored.

 

It appears that there's some new features available for image attachments, but I haven't checked to see if CC has implemented any of them. Among other things, you should be able to imbed an image in the middle of your message rather than just having it show up at the end.

 

We should be able to PREVIEW edits to our signature lines before we save them now... another thing to check.

 

Lots of other stuff.

[canderson]

See if we can do this.

[attach]allosaurus small.gif[/attach]

and more typing here.

Hmm.. either I can't figure the syntax, or it's not available yet.

[bob278]

Phil (or canderson),

 

Why there is a need to switch between standard and WYSIWYG? I know that you need to go to basic when inserting a clock and some special coded material, but I didn't think you could do it in standard mode. Is that what you are talking about?

 

I agree that I wasn't expecting a speed improvement other than to avoid having it sit there for 1 minute + and then going to the WSOD (I love that acronym for white screen of death) or taking 2-3 minutes to go from a forum to a thread. But I have seen all that today so I am hopeful that the software upgrade is just the first step in the trip to stability.

[catmand]

"I think all of the general performance problems have to do with the Cruise Critic platform itself."......................

perhaps a little ***** would help things along?

To most of what you guys are saying, I have to reply...............what?

 

I am having problems with the edit function.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[canderson]

"I think all of the general performance problems have to do with the Cruise Critic platform itself."......................

 

perhaps a little ***** would help things along?

 

To most of what you guys are saying, I have to reply...............what?

 

I am having problems with the edit function.

What's it doing to you?

[DeltaOne]

I've noticed something unusual since the upgrade. I read two boards, Princess and Celebrity. Say I visit both boards at noon. Then return at 6 pm, visiting the Princess board first. It says I last visited at noon, and shows what's new since then.

 

Then, after finishing on the Princess board, I switch to the Celebrity board. Everything is marked as read...the stuff since noon isn't showing up as new. What's up with that?

[bananavan]

I am unable to post using my AOL server. I have to use the Internet Explorer that came with the computer. Anyone else have this problem? I cannot log on at all with AOL.