Tech support and advice threads.

[bixaorellana]

Thanks, Bjd! I think the new skin is quite attractive.

Everyone will see the Help button for the time being, until a way is found to remove it without messing up anything else. At least people can log in and out at will now!

[bixaorellana]

Hooray!

It's fixed!

[Deleted]

Thank god. It was completely spoiling the site for me and I had nearly stopped posting.

[Don Cuevas]

My congratulations to the brilliant web developers who enabled the cool, graphic rollover flashettes as the little arrow passes over a category.

Now: how can I turn them off?

(Please pardon me if this has already been discussed and explained, but my Internet time is limited to the hours in the dark of night.)

Oh—what happened to the preview button?
(It's back!)

(If we are trying to keep up with TT in changing the interface; forget it. TT has already pissed off more cranky members than we'll ever have on APIAS.)

[bixaorellana]

Don Cuevas, the board highlight images can't be turned off individually. If they really bother you, simply avoid rolling over them. You can access the boards by clicking on the far right column.

The other new stuff on the forum was discussed in replies #66 and 73 on the previous page of this thread: anyportinastorm.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=2240&page=3

The preview button problem would have to do with your server or computer.

[Don Cuevas]

If the flickering fluttering flash is annoying you, you can get READABILITY for free. lab.arc90.com/experiments/readability/
It installs easily in your bookmarks toolbar. One click turns off the glitz and the bling, and you can then easily read text and see pictures without the dizzying distractions.

If and when you are ready to return to the Vegas Strip of modern Web pages, one click restores the full flamboyance.

(Just don't click READABILITY while in mid-post writing. )

[Don Cuevas]

It appears that READABILITY doesn't work well on home pages, just individual pages. So, it's back to the drawing board. Maybe very dark sunglasses are the answer?

[Deleted]

When I return to the office on Monday, I will have the restful dull version, since the office system filters out all images, including skins. Actually, it filters out all images except the ones posted by bjd.

It gets very dull at the office.

[bixaorellana]

Do I love Firefox or what?!

My power went out just now, for at least twenty minutes. When it returned & I turned the computer back on, there was my google page, the slot still filled with the word I was typing when the power went out. Also, the partly written post here in AnyPort was patiently waiting my return.

The only thing lost was the video I was uploading to youtube -- operation aborted. Oh well, a few clicks and it's loading again.

[Deleted]

Is there any particular reason why,(at first, it didn't bother me,but, if I'm in a hurry,it's real unnerving...) right after posting, the screen jumps back and forth to the recent post,then,to the top,then back to the most recent post.

[bixaorellana]

I really have no idea about that one. It doesn't happen to me, and I think you said somewhere previously that you're using the same browser I do (FF).

[hwinpp]

I like the individual backgrounds on the opening thread, looks quite good, everything else too!

[bixaorellana]

(( )) <-- supposed to be a hug

[Don Cuevas]

Several questions. I hope that I can clearly explain them.

First, I don't like the flickering graphics on the opening page. But I can stand them.

Two, why does my skin turn color at different times? Earlier it was pale green, no it's pale red...
Oh. It's because the sun is filtering through the red curtains.

Three: a real annoyance, at last: When there's a multipage thread shown within its category, and I click, for example, on the page 4 link; why doesn't it take me to that page, but instead, it goes to another listing. I need to save time! I don't have time to waste drilling endlessly through pages.

Other than shutting up and going away, what can I do? (That, too! )

[bixaorellana]

Don Cuevas, darling ~~ it's easy to avoid mousing over the part of the forum where the image highlights are, then you'll never see them.

I assume you're being facetious about the skin color.

If you click on the far-right column on the main page, you'll be taken to the board list, where you click once more for the chosen topic. That's two clicks, hardly a terrible time-sucker. Also, opening the board can introduce topics that might otherwise have been missed.

I'm sure you'll quickly get used to these small innovations and they'll become second nature. Please check out the other new features, and you will find yourself accentuating the positive.

As far as time-saving goes, there are several that you might well feel were designed especially for you:

1. New bar across top of forum: PMs / PM preferences / Modify Profile / Bookmarks / Most recent posts. Toggle date & time on far right to get board info.

2. Fast return to main page -- just click on the logo.

3. Want to edit a long post and don't feel like scrolling back up to the top? Double-click on the post and modify away.

4. Fork/split threads. This is a way to quickly springboard off one topic to a new one you create.

5. Not so much a time saver, but something many might appreciate -- the option in Modify Profile to remove the background in any skin.

[Deleted]

With reference to the jumping around of the screen after posting,I am using the same browser,Linux,FF. It never did this until the recent renovations is why I'm asking.

[bixaorellana]

There was briefly a host-forum problem a while back, just before the new stuff was introduced here, that caused the go-to-last-post feature to malfunction, but that was corrected.

I use Windows, not Linux. There are some snarling fights on the web about using Firefox with Linux -- all stuff that goes over my head.

Everything here was multi-browser tested by our host, then installed on a test board and tested again for compatibility and function before being used here. There has been a recent Firefox update. Can you check to see if your system was updated? That's the only thing I can suggest, besides talking to someone who knows Linux and might be able to trouble-shoot.

[Deleted]

Thanks Bixa,I will speak to my guru about,(who despises Windows,so,I feel kind of at his mercy as he does all my computer work for free,I am not in too much of a position to question...).
I really do appreciate all your efforts,and don't mean to come across as an ingrate,I just seem to whine better than I gush.

[bixaorellana]

You didn't sound as though you were whining. It's like that stretching problem. When it was aired here, it turned out not to be an isolated problem, and that that it was fixable. So yeah, technical stuff like that needs to be mentioned on this thread. Even if it turns out to have nothing to do with the forum, there's the chance someone else will know of a solution for a specific problem.

[bjd]

I have Firefox with Linux and haven't had those problems, Casimira. It has all worked smoothly.

[Deleted]

Aug 1, 2010 13:19:04 GMT bjd said:

I have Firefox with Linux and haven't had those problems, Casimira. It has all worked smoothly.

Yes,I saw that posted earlier BJD. Compared to when I was using Windows a while back,these glitches seem minor in comparison.


In the meantime,a kind and observant soul has pointed out to me that many of my pics are suddenly not showing in the threads they were previously posted in. I had seen this in one thread (on cycling in the city) but,wasn't aware of it in other threads.
I don't know why this has happened,and will begin looking into pronto.
If anyone happens to see other places where this has happened if they could drop me a PM,and tell me where, I would be most grateful.(Time does not allow for me to go through the umpteen threads and hunt for each one).
I am clueless.

[Deleted]

The only place where I noticed your missing photos was in the cycling thread, Casimira, but if it has happened on other threads, I bet we can find out very quickly in Putting Down Roots. (But I can't check right now on my no-photos office computer.)

[bixaorellana]

I received notice of Casimira's pictures not showing up, and immediately went to the Foliage thread because she had posted several there, as had I. None of them were showing, and of course I could check my own at the source. I think it had something to do with the host server having problems yesterday. It was loading so badly that the pictures were not loading. By forcing a page or image reload, though, they all eventually showed up.
===============================================
amended to add that I just checked the cycling thread:

Those photographs seems to have been removed from Casimira's photo hoster.

When you can't see a photo here, right-click on it, then (in Firefox):
try Reload Image. If nothing happens, try View Image.
View Image will take you to a new page that will either display the picture or, as in the case of the photos missing in Cycling, will show something like this:
lh5.ggpht.com/_9PPxoV4fFEU/TDXb7jA9NgI/AAAAAAAANLM/JI-mA_p_8o4/P7030003.JPG

What that looks like, will depend on the photo host. Sometimes it just says "404 - not found", for instance.

In Internet Explorer, right-click, then choose Show Picture. If it doesn't appear, right-click again and choose Properties. In the case of the cycling pictures, the Properties window will show "not available".

This happens when a photo has been removed from the host, or moved from its position in an album there, for instance.

That means it is not a technical problem with the forum, but something the poster needs to check on where his/her photos are hosted.

[Deleted]

This is heartening,thanks good people. I can account for the disappearing bike pics now,I did do some cleaning out of some pics but,only a few of the ones that were missing all total, did I edit out...there's one in SKYWATCH as well,that's gone,I edited out by mistake.
I didn't edit out any garden pics and these were of particular concern when they were suddenly not visible.
More is being revealed,again,thanks.

[bixaorellana]

Simultaneous posting -- read edited portion above about moved pictures.

[Deleted]

Thanks! Is making more sense now. I am going to reshoot the bike path and stick back in there.

[Kimby]

Related but not connected: I revisited the Otis family farm thread, and found to my horror a photo of two strangers and a car in place of my beautiful bayou-like picture of glass creek. An ImageShack error, I assumed, and went to My Images on ImageShack to re-harvest the link. Guess what? My picture is GONE and in its place is the impostor! I will find and repost the photo, as soon as I can, but for now am maintaining a place holder in the thread.

[bixaorellana]

Not related to the above, but something that came up in another thread ~~
Google Gears -- gears.google.com/

Apparently, this is not so much being phased out by Google as semi-abandoned, to be replaced by
Google Docs -- explanation

I don't use Gears because, as far as I can understand, you need Chrome in order to load it and Chrome is a browser that does nothing for me. Apparently the great appeal of Gears was its offline function, the very thing that is being disabled.

This is just being mentioned because I looked up Gears after reading about it in Don Cuevas' excellent review of Picasa. (#7 here)

=======================================================================

While we're on the subject of Google, one of its best uses should be mentioned in this thread, that is, tech support. Of course you can use this thread and get advice from people you know, but what if you need help immediately?

Google your problem and you will be surprised at the hits you get that are written in clear regular language that you can instantly follow to trouble-shoot &/or fix whatever it is that has you tearing your hair out.

And if you don't understand the computer terminology used, simply google what is _ _ _.

Google is also an excellent source for manuals. The instruction booklet that came with my camera doesn't tell me much more than where the batteries go and not to store it in the bathtub. The online manual is lengthy and complete.

[Don Cuevas]

I have the Google Gears plug-in loaded in Safari for Mac, 5.0
I'm not absolutely sure it's necessary to use Picnik, but gears turn and mesh when you do some action on a photo.

[bixaorellana]

Here is a tip that makes life smoother. It's particularly handy on multiple-page threads, as you're not left wondering if you missed something on a previous page. It also lessens the likelihood of responding only to the last post because you didn't see anything above that one.