Please welcome the new owners of Deskthority

[Muirium]

What is your alignment? I'm lawful neutral myself.

I prefer chaotic good

Examples of this alignment include copper dragons, many elves, and unicorns.

Checks out.

[depletedvespene]

What is your alignment? I'm lawful neutral myself.

Never mind that. What is keyboardjoy's main daily driver's alignment?

(probably evil, as it surely uses MX blues)

[ddrfraser1]

I'm a bit late to the party as we just had our newborn. Anyway, my first question was 'who is this guy' and 'Did they really just hand the keys over to a noob?' However, it seems that in a case like this, you want to 'hire' someone with a certain set of organizational skills which Oliver seems to have.

Corporations often make the mistake of promoting their top sales people to executive/managerial positions only to find that their skillset is not aligned with leadership.

That said, someone with a history and expertise with vintage mechanical keyboards won't necessarily be the right choice to run a shop like this but someone who A) has the background, and B) has the passion, time and energy, will be. It's kind of like a company bringing in an outsider CEO (see article - https://hbr.org/2016/04/outsider-ceos-a ... -companies )

Anyway, I'm optimistic. All I can say is:

Welcome doomed mortal.

[kbdfr]

Completely off-topic, do not read!

Spoiler:

I'm a bit late to the party as we just had our newborn. […]

Wrong. She or he just had you

[ddrfraser1]

Completely off-topic, do not read!

Spoiler:

I'm a bit late to the party as we just had our newborn. […]

Wrong. She or he just had you

Yes. Who’s the doomed mortal now?

[Palatino]

Congratulations ddrfraser1! My two-year-old already knows "rubber domes" and "keycaps" because he found a few loose ones scattered on the floor of my office study keyboard den. It may soon be time to unleash this (which Chyros reviewed a while back):

Spoiler:

s-l300.jpg (11.1 KiB) Viewed 17422 times

[derzemel]

DT has a new owner? I must have fallen of the planet

Welcome Oliver and best of luck in this new adventure!

Spoiler:

And do not blame us when you will be broke because you bought too many keyboards

[hellothere]

[…] For market reasons, I would love you and webwit to disclose the amount of the sale deal. That would be great because it will give us an insight of how a high quality niche community and a well curated wiki is worth. […]

I would rather oppose that. It would most certainly trigger a fierce discussion about the market value of DT as opposed to its intrinsic value, which to me is what matters.

I... actually agree with kbdfr.

I also agree with kbdfr. I have some experience with this. However, you're the owner, so do what you want.

@keyboardjoy, I may know you from association with a friend of mine fountain pen community. I might send you a PM on that in a week or two. I'm sure your inbox is blowing up, right now.

At least one person mentioned forum software upgrades. keyboardjoy, if you're interested in ever doing that, please make backups. And backups of those backups. And a backup of those that you're storing in a safety deposit box or something a couple miles away from where you live. Make sure the backups work, too.

[inmbolmie]

Welcome, this is my list of demands for the new ownership:

1 - Please don't move the web to a dark theme. Please.

End of the list.

I'm a bit late to the party as we just had our newborn.

Congratulations, ddrfraser1! But now you have one less room to store your stuff!

[Muirium]

1 - Please don't move the web to a dark theme. Please.

Give me that option and me love you longtime, GI.

[matt3o]

I vote for both versions

[keyboardjoy]

I must say. You had concerns of coming off as an intruder, and, given all prior information, it seemed as if you were.

But, you gave a good introduction, if it is sincere, then you will have earned my respect, and I wish this forum and the wiki, and yourself, the best regardless. And, you have Webwit's blessings. I've trusted the administration of this site so far, so graces must be given for this.

I am seconding the call to know, maybe, some of the other communities you have moderated/involved yourself in, because I think looking at those could help put more immediate weight in your words and to help harbor more trust among the skeptics in us.

Oliver, welcome to DT, from me! I'm open to contributing how I can in improving it, let us all ensure Deskthority has a brighter future together!

(Also, if we are to ever make changes in this regard, I do recommend promotion of the DT merchandise, I am a fan of my mug, haha.)

What about a Deskthority...keyboard?

[matt3o]

What about a Deskthority...keyboard?

uuuuh you asking for troubles

[Muirium]

There can be only one.

[depletedvespene]

What about a Deskthority...keyboard?

The Switch Wars have started.

[ddrfraser1]

Oo yes to dark theme

[sharktastica]

+1 for dark mode, +2 for an option between modes. Everyone will be happy.

[depletedvespene]

Can we have a mid-gray option, too?

[kbdfr]

A dark theme is a no-go for me.
My old eyes simply cannot make out white text on a black background, so I’m afraid I would have to leave DT.

Spoiler:

I hope this is not going to be considered an argument in favour of a dark theme

[Wodan]

Love the ideas, so ...

1) MOAR Merchandise
2) Commercialize in the „brand“ some more with a DT Keyboard (Model MF - literally 99% done)
3) Loot boxes which potentially unlock the dark theme or other fancy forum perks
4) Make the forum more like discord and the wiki more like reddit - make DT great again!

Jkjkjkjkjk nobody has any intention of building a wall!

[NeK]

White on black is trendy. But it kills your eyes!

It is a proven fact that dark text on white background is way more legible, easier to read and way more relaxing for your eyes.

Spoiler:

The argument for the above is that our eyes are constantly adapting to the general luminosity, by widening or narrowing the eye pupil. If it is dark, the pupil gets wider, in order for more light to enter the eye, and vise versa.

In the case of a diluted/wide pupil, any cornea deformities that your eyes may have, are greatly exaggerated. In simple terms, myopia and astigmatism issues get much more pronounced, resulting in a far worse image.
The text gets way more blurry, along with double image and halos around bright sources (i.e. the text), which is obviously harder to read. Additionally, the eye gets tired and strained, because the internal light receptors are unevenly stimulated, i.e. most of them receive no light at all, where some of them get hit by intense rays and get strained. This results in the famous "lingering image", that happens when you look at a dark-with-bright-spots image for a while and then look elsewhere, you can still see the previous image, as it has been temporarily "burned" into your vision. Also the whole eye constanly tries to adapt to the changes in tbe light intensity, as you change images (i.e. scrolling, going to another page etc) and some have more text and give out more light and some have less text and give out less light. This is pretty stressing and tiresome for the eye.
In general, reading on a dark theme for hours, must be the worst thing that you can do to your eyes.

On the other hand, a shrunken/narrower pupil, forces the use of a smaller area of the outer eye-lense (cornea) and thus the light passes through less cornea deformities, effectively minimizing their bad effects.
And additionally, as it lets in less light, it amplifies the "camera" phenomenon, providing a more focused projected image in the internal eye and therefore resulting in a more clear and crisp image. Also, most of the receptors are evenly stressed, as almost all receive the same intensity of light, and the eye doesn't get much strained, as it adapts once and then "works" more smoothly.

Therefore:
dark text on white background = minimizes eye issues, image is more focused, more clear and much easier to read.
White text on dark background = exaggerates eye issues, image is more blurry, with double-image and halos around text, and is harder to read and more tiresome.

[ddrfraser1]

I thought the opposite was true. Case in point, partially blind people set their computers to display light text on a dark background.

On the topic of changes, I know it’s unlikely but fwiw I would love to see some sort of like button. Would help to engage with people’s posts without having to post. There are many times you might make a post but there’s no engagement so it makes you inevitably think ‘well that must have been shit’ when in reality there are plenty of people who likely enjoyed the post.

[Muirium]

I’ve been browsing in dark mode for decades: ever since I got my first Mac and found invert display colours in Accessibility settings. The headaches it’s saved me over the years! It’s not just a hip thing for me, it’s a serious eyestrain saver.

Fun fact: try inverting the colours of this page and see what happens to my avatar.

You can use this hacky JavaScript bookmarklet of mine, which is harsh but gets the job done in a pinch:

Code: Select all

javascript:%7Bfunction%20setDocumentColors(node,%20bgcolor,%20color)%20%7B%20%20%20%20if%20(node.style%20!=%20undefined)%20%7B%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20node.style.backgroundColor%20=%20bgcolor;%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20node.style.color%20=%20color;%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20node.style.textShadow%20=%20'none';%20%20%20%20%7D%20%20%20%20if%20(node.hasChildNodes())%20%7B%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20var%20children%20=%20node.childNodes;%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20for%20(var%20i%20=%200,%20len%20=%20children.length;%20i%20%3C%20len;%20++i)%20%7B%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20setDocumentColors(children%5Bi%5D,%20bgcolor,%20color);%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%7D%20%20%20%20%7D%7DsetDocumentColors(window.document.body,%20'black',%20'white');%7D

I have it in my bookmarks so I just hit Command + 2 any time I need to kill a white background with extreme and instant prejudice!

[Go-Kart]

On the topic of changes, I know it’s unlikely but fwiw I would love to see some sort of like button. Would help to engage with people’s posts without having to post. There are many times you might make a post but there’s no engagement so it makes you inevitably think ‘well that must have been shit’ when in reality there are plenty of people who likely enjoyed the post.

I concur. I typically lean toward, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it," but I think a little tweak like this would add to the great sense of community spirit people find here on DT.

[Muirium]

Aren’t “likes” the dynamic Reddit is based around? I’ve honestly no idea, as whenever I’ve seen it, I’ve sure as shit *not* liked it.

That’s not to say it won’t work here. (If phpBB has such a thing.) But it needs not to overwhelm the conversation in every thread. It’s such a blunt instrument, and does no end of harm on social media, where it’s smack bang inescapable.

Downplay it, I say. Maybe even make it invisible to all but the liked post’s writer themselves. A thank you rather than an invitation to grandstand and troll like we see dominate elsewhere.

[depletedvespene]

Aren’t “likes” the dynamic Reddit is based around? I’ve honestly no idea, as whenever I’ve seen it, I’ve sure as shit *not* liked it.

That’s not to say it won’t work here. (If phpBB has such a thing.) But it needs not to overwhelm the conversation in every thread. It’s such a blunt instrument, and does no end of harm on social media, where it’s smack bang inescapable.

Downplay it, I say. Maybe even make it invisible to all but the liked post’s writer themselves. A thank you rather than an invitation to grandstand and troll like we see dominate elsewhere.

I concur.

[Go-Kart]

Aren’t “likes” the dynamic Reddit is based around? I’ve honestly no idea, as whenever I’ve seen it, I’ve sure as shit *not* liked it.

That’s not to say it won’t work here. (If phpBB has such a thing.) But it needs not to overwhelm the conversation in every thread. It’s such a blunt instrument, and does no end of harm on social media, where it’s smack bang inescapable.

Downplay it, I say. Maybe even make it invisible to all but the liked post’s writer themselves. A thank you rather than an invitation to grandstand and troll like we see dominate elsewhere.

A fair point and probably a better idea again.

[ZedTheMan]

I must say. You had concerns of coming off as an intruder, and, given all prior information, it seemed as if you were.

But, you gave a good introduction, if it is sincere, then you will have earned my respect, and I wish this forum and the wiki, and yourself, the best regardless. And, you have Webwit's blessings. I've trusted the administration of this site so far, so graces must be given for this.

I am seconding the call to know, maybe, some of the other communities you have moderated/involved yourself in, because I think looking at those could help put more immediate weight in your words and to help harbor more trust among the skeptics in us.

Oliver, welcome to DT, from me! I'm open to contributing how I can in improving it, let us all ensure Deskthority has a brighter future together!

(Also, if we are to ever make changes in this regard, I do recommend promotion of the DT merchandise, I am a fan of my mug, haha.)

What about a Deskthority...keyboard?

If we do this it has to be DIY, and with as many switch types/families supported as possible. MX, Alps, Futabas, SMKs. And, it should support as many layouts as possible within the form factor (including some of the more obscure vintage ones, you own the wiki now, so I may direct you look at some of the different layouts found on Northgate, Zenith, and Focus keyboards. Lots of bottom row and modifier configurations....). And, this is relatively unique to this site, but I reckon the most desired layout would be fullsize. Also, the case should come in the colors of the site among others, I reckon (same shade of Beige/White). (Also, a secret label that says "MX Browns are the best" on the inside would get you 2000% more purchases by kbdfr, and 100% less purchases from anyone else, so that's an option you could take if you were feeling extra saucy)

It's a lot of spitballing but that's my two cents on that.

When you could find the time, it still would help to assuage any worries I and others might have if you could give us an idea of some of the other forums/projects you've worked on. Or, maybe Webwit could assure us on that if you want to keep that private/anonymized?

[sharktastica]

Downplay it, I say. Maybe even make it invisible to all but the liked post’s writer themselves. A thank you rather than an invitation to grandstand and troll like we see dominate elsewhere.

Agreed. That would go a long way to help the writer of a given post know their post is appreciated/acknowledged when most people simply have nothing worth commenting and/or not the type to drop a generic one-liner like "Great stuff!"

[Findecanor]

On the topic of changes, I know it’s unlikely but fwiw I would love to see some sort of like button. Would help to engage with people’s posts without having to post. There are many times you might make a post but there’s no engagement so it makes you inevitably think ‘well that must have been shit’ when in reality there are plenty of people who likely enjoyed the post.

I see your point. The purpose of a like on a single post is to provide a way to express "I agree", "LOL", "Love it!", "Good job" or "My condolences" without cluttering up the thread or bumping it to the top. Some posters abstain from such low-information posts out of consideration to others, and some forums even have rules that forbid them.
The only forums I've been to where I think likes work are where they actually work as substitutes for replies: where 1) the liker's names is clearly visible, and 2) the like-category is required and visible.

By having likes not be anonymous, that provides a slight resistance against doing it. First, people will have to stand up for their opinion. It is important that people should not feel obligated to click every Like button, and people should not feel bad for not receiving many likes.
By being able to see who liked your post, you can discard likes from people you know are idiots (...), and appreciate likes from people you have respect for.
By having the purpose of the like required and visible you would avoid misunderstandings to as the purpose of the click.

I think that there should also be an option when creating a thread, to have like-buttons disabled in that thread.
I'm not sure if likes should be reset if you edit a post, but at least the "This post was edited" message should certainly be visible if you edit after receiving the first like.
I think also that ideally if a user both likes and replies to a post then the like should be removed from view (at least to other users).

I'm not sure about the idea of having all likes hidden: if the liker's name is visible, then that could be useful for others to see: a like on someone else's post from someone you respect is an endorsement.
On the other hand, I believe that people are more inclined to click the button on posts that already have many likes, which makes them less honest. Maybe there should be a limit to how many are visible.

Likes should not be confused with up/down-votes Those are merely a crude substitute for not having moderators/doing their job. Those systems often degenerate into bullying of people with different opinions — which proper moderators should abstain from.
Even simple anonymous up-votes can be used for bullying, e.g. when people up-vote an abusive reply.
Reddit, where even threads are up/down-voted is not a "proper" discussion forum like this one: it is a social-media stream for news and quick posts. Deskthority has topics and posts that are more long-lived and cross-reference each-other, whereas Reddit threads automatically get locked after time period. Threads here contain deep information, and there are many links to threads and posts from the Wiki.