DT Update Log and TODO

[Muirium]

I'm sorry if it looks like I want to throw updates down your throat, but this first phase is crucial and requires a lot of time and quite some technical awareness. I need to complete this first step in the coming few days because this is the only time I could dedicate 2 weeks straight on the project. This is crucial for the future of DT so I'm asking you a little patience in this stage.

Once the upgrades are done we can finally focus on optimizing the design, reorganizing the content, making things fancier and easier to access.

I'd like to merge some sections and possibly add new ones. Not sure if DT is big enough for an Interest Check section, but I'm open to discussion.

Yup, get the groundwork done while you can. We can tweak the façade to our hearts’ content once the load bearing walls are sound.

I’ll be just as angsty as the rest of us old timers when the new look hits, but this is an essential underlying shift, not change for change’s sake. Be good to the robot, he’s not haywire, he’s just really busy!

[Myoth]

I'm sorry if it looks like I want to throw updates down your throat, but this first phase is crucial and requires a lot of time and quite some technical awareness. I need to complete this first step in the coming few days because this is the only time I could dedicate 2 weeks straight on the project. This is crucial for the future of DT so I'm asking you a little patience in this stage.

Once the upgrades are done we can finally focus on optimizing the design, reorganizing the content, making things fancier and easier to access.

I'd like to merge some sections and possibly add new ones. Not sure if DT is big enough for an Interest Check section, but I'm open to discussion.

Sounds good, thanks again

[__red__]

façade

Be still my little english-speaking, diacritic loving heart. <3

[matt3o]

regretfully I won't be able to apply the updates today.

Tomorrow --Monday, 7-- the site will be closed for good part of the day for the nefarious system upgrade.

If you want step by step updates I'll be on Discord.

If you are interested the following is what will happen

Spoiler:

- close website
- backup database
- disable extensions
- fix forum database
- convert db to innodb
- upgrade PHP
- switch webserver to nginx
- sacrifice goat
- install new phpbb
- perform database upgrade
- pray Shiva
- install new theme
- install new forum spy
- check configuration and various tweaks
- disconnect wiki and forum
- perform wiki upgrade
- pray Nyarlathotep
- (try to) reconnect the wiki and phpbb
- optimize nginx cache for static and dynamic files
- did it work?
--- YES: reopen website and wait for complaints
--- NO: format server and run to Tenerife

[TheInverseKey]

regretfully I won't be able to apply the updates today.

- sacrifice goat
- did it work?
--- YES: reopen website and wait for complaints

This really got me! LOL Thanks for all the updates.

[matt3o]

The announced bloodbath was indeed bloody. Working on this till 8 this morning and I'm far from finished but it's good enough for an alpha release.

My first attempt was a disaster, I tried to keep as much as possible the original extensions and structure, but I ended up with a dirty and buggy version very hard to fix.

So, plan B. I was able to revert the forum to a vanilla phpbb 3.0. Then upgraded to 3.2.x. We lost some features but the current version is the cleanest ever.

Ahead of us a looong process of fixing and updating, but after the initial panic I'm really happy with what we have.

The wiki was apparently easier to upgrade, but I couldn't check every aspect of it. I was able to update the phpbb>wiki connection too and it seems to be working way better than before (now it's session based, not database based).

I wasn't able to switch to nginx webserver, so we are still not at full capacity yet, but anyway everything should be already a bit faster.

As I said, the update process just started. I already have a very long TO-DO (will update the first post), but if you encounter any issue please let me know here.

[whocares]

This is very much still a work in progress, but I'm liking what I'm seeing. Some of my complaints (that will probably be outdated soon):
- Some texts, such as the user info on the right and the edit line are a bit too small
- This will probably be re-added, but I miss the randomly chosen picture in the header
- Some of the icons in the header (for the wiki link and user dropdown) are misaligned
- The forum index is somewhat broken at the moment
- The Youtube embeds are also broken
- With the wider layout, image-heavy threads are a bit more annoying, a smaller max-height for images wouldn't hurt.

[andrewjoy]

Any chance we can get the old theme back ? Or is that dead ?

EDIT. Or at least the ability to move the posters info back to the left. Amazing work by the way , i like the way the new header works .

[AMongoose]

looking good matt3o

[hansichen]

Looks pretty good on the first glance. I personally think that we should bring back a highlighted "DESK"thority logo, but that's just a minor thing for sure.

One thing is still completely messed up: The subcategories have changed. Let's take a look eg pictures or the marketplace: viewforum.php?f=11
Before the update all threads were listed and you could go on "For Sale" to just show these threads. Now you have to check every subcategory manually. I think that the old way was a lot more comfortable to browse through the forum (especially for Photos/Videos/Photos&Videos section). I hope that will change back to the old style, else we should probably think about reducing the amount of subcategories.

[scottc]

I'd also really like the old theme back (if possible!). The current one feels much harder to read and is much more busy.

[kekstee]

Major issues from a first glance:
Thread tables put way too much emphasis on the titles. Doesn't work and isn't readable.

Inside threads all clarity has gone by displaying shitty user information all the time. Picture, name, maybe title. Again a LOT of space wasted vertically.

There's more but those make browsing a chore. Too many fonts/sizes logos.

Thanks for trying to maintain the software side though.

[samuelcable]

The ui looks amazing now and modern compared to the old one. Many will complain since it's new ui and people usually don't like change at all when it comes to ui but you made some legit improvements

However I have to agree with hansichen in that I prefer the old logo. Perhaps a redraw of the old logo would suit as well. Otherwise great improvements

[whocares]

Also echoing hansichen's opinion about the logo, I prefer the old one as well.

[andrewjoy]

dt_mockup.png (26.17 KiB) Viewed 11187 times

I did a quick mock-up of how the new theme can work with the old layout.

Also WOW the upload is WAYYYYYYYY faster.

I don't think we need a Subject for each post , the title of the thread is enough.

New logo is ok IMO but i don't like the cut of T

That can be our header logo with our name in and then the old DT can be a small 2 letter logo!

[Menuhin]

Great effort for the update!!!

About Forum Spy:

The entire messages are displayed and sometimes with lots of white space.

[hansichen]

I didn't want to be too negative about the logo, we'll get used to the new one and over the years logos change. But I think that the highlighted desk part was a signature thing of the DT logo, maybe we can add that to the new font?

Matt3o posted this some days ago and I think that would be a good start, now let's see that with the full deskthority text

[Muirium]

It’s live! Can’t look too harshly on that.

I disagree with a Samuel on the new look being more modern. It actually reminds me of 68kmla and so many phpbb forums of old. But I know this is early days.

[andrewjoy]

I didn't want to be too negative about the logo, we'll get used to the new one and over the years logos change.

Minor change to the logo but i think it improves it .

Another Issue is that on the main page the latest post shows the subject not the members name who posted.

90% of people are not going to change that or delete it. So its just going to show RE:<thread name> or ..... .

[Prelim]

also prefer the old logo, ui and theme, but the technical upgrades are more than welcome. Thanks for your efforts @matt3o!

[Muirium]

I’d like my wee saltire back, too, when possible. Seeing all that user metadata cruft on everyone’s posts reminded me to check my user page.

[andrewjoy]

I’d like my wee saltire back, too, when possible. Seeing all that user metadata cruft on everyone’s posts reminded me to check my user page.

As long as i can get my local county council flag too!

[Muirium]

It’s the big year now, my English friend. Don’t be too sure your Scots pals will join you off the cliff in March!

[andrewjoy]

It’s the big year now, my English friend. Don’t be too sure your Scots pals will join you off the cliff in March!

You don't have much of a choice I am afraid. But its ok, we fought side by side to to defeat the last tyrannical state that tired to rule all of Europe, we can do it again.

Anyway lets get back on topic

[samuelcable]

I didn't want to be too negative about the logo, we'll get used to the new one and over the years logos change.

Sorry

[TheInverseKey]

Hi,

I found an issue when trying to access the Wiki. It seems like there is a path missing during the lookup.

Spoiler:

2019-01-07 11_35_18-Window.png (5.32 KiB) Viewed 11112 times

Thanks,
TheInverseKey

[Muirium]

The new logo is half way to being pretty great. The typography is refreshing yet recognisable. All I’d change is bringing back that signature inverse box around desk.

[whocares]

Some of the older images are also broken, they all seem to follow the format "resources/image/{number}".

[pansku]

Will the profile info go back to left side at some point? It made the threads much more readable.

[matt3o]

Hi,

I found an issue when trying to access the Wiki. It seems like there is a path missing during the lookup.

Spoiler:

2019-01-07 11_35_18-Window.png

Thanks,
TheInverseKey

where did you get that?

Some of the older images are also broken, they all seem to follow the format "resources/image/{number}".

I'll check that as well. they are all physically there, I hope it's just a problem with the database.

The new logo is half way to being pretty great. The typography is refreshing yet recognisable. All I’d change is bringing back that signature inverse box around desk.

I'll give that a try