Performance: We implemented performance fixes today, which have decreased load times of pages and removed the intermittent delays many users were experiencing.
- Configuration changes on the proxy
- Increased cache size on the application server
- Removal of Javascript from the homepage dropdowns and the right column
We are working to further reduce the amount of Javascript in the next few days, especially on the homepage. And we are continuing to monitor performance and work with Jive Software to resolve issues.
We are now turning our focus to the many usability fixes and improvements you all have been reporting.
Lost in Transition: To start off, we are working on the following Forums features missing in Clearspace:
- Threaded view
- See all posts from user -- now you can only see the new threads started by a user, not all posts and replies
- View communities with unread threads at a glance, so users can scan the list of communities and see which ones have new posts since they last visited
- Visible indicator of watches/favorites so users can track threads they were researching or working on answering.
- Set # of posts per page as a per-user configurable preference
- Search returns per-Message results, i.e. if a search term shows up in several messages of a thread, it should return one result instead of one result per message
- Turn off the editor and use a plain text editor
- User filter in search, i.e. ability to search by user
- Code markup missing, e.g. for [code], pre , and [url]{noformat}
- Search in this community (currently only search in all communities)
- Advanced search so users don't have to do a blank search to get to the advanced search functionality
- No PM notification if private email
These are roughly in priority order, although we may increase the priority of the editor fix, since that prevents some users from posting. We will update here and in the Missing Features thread.
Other Usability Fixes: We are also looking at other usability fixes, and will have a fully-prioritized list tomorrow. Among others, we are looking at the following:
- Making Discussions the default tab (not All Content), which will make read tracking of threads more visible
- Fixing OR search
- Turn off default email notification
Low-Hanging Fruit: While we investigated the more important issues, we slipped in some easy fixes:
- Fixing of Reply button so it doesn't fall off the page -- we enclosed those pages in a <table>
- We will add tables to a few other pages with similar problems
- Put "Up to Discussions" link at the bottom of threads as well -- they were only at the top
- Put points in Top Members boxes
- Ensure all listings have Previous and Next buttons -- listings on All Contents tab did not
I know many of you continue to be frustrated, but I ask you to bear with us while we fix these issues. With a little patience, I still firmly believe the benefits of the new features will become more and more apparent. One is already apparent to us behind the scenes -- this platform is much easier to customize and bug-fix than Forums. We are working to push out fixes as fast as we can.
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