28 replies to this topic

[Faken]

Well folks, it's finally developped into a problem... it's starting to become obvious that the current layout, intended for a graphics portfolio, it starting to get a bit squeezed. We have a lot of upcoming features that will be included into the main page, which is already HUGE and I get the feeling that many people are not using the site because of high loading times for slow connections.

Just to give you an idea, the main page is a 160kb download not including images! It's also getting very difficult to organize content because each time I add a box, it pumps the image count even higher and it's starting to get ridiculous.

So what are we going to do about it? Well I am seriously looking at creating a new template, which will use more CSS color coding than images, and getting rid of basically 80% of the image load currently on the site simply from the layout. The site would also be recoded and the code size would probably be cut in half or more.

So what do you think? Would you mind losing the current GUI, which I really do like, for something faster and better organized? To be honest, this will probably happen eventually either way, but I'm curious how you guys feel about it. Another thing is that a simplified corporate look will bring in more people to the site, because as one friend put it "The site is awesome, but it looks like a hacking or gaming site." With that in mind, we lose a lot of the adult viewers that may be turned off by the complicated GUI.

There's also a ton of other reasons which we don't need to get into... so what do you guys think?

Faken

[Jamie Huskisson]

Faken, on Oct 14 2004, 06:45 PM, said:

With that in mind, we lose a lot of the adult viewers that may be turned off by the complicated GUI.

very well put, it seems alot of young people are on this site

but at same time, i guess its only the young ones that need tutorials (for the most part)

and yus, i do agree with the need for a new layout, and am proud to be doing the coding, if not doing leading all the coding on the next version

[Faken]

Jay, on Oct 14 2004, 02:52 PM, said:

Faken, on Oct 14 2004, 06:45 PM, said:

With that in mind, we lose a lot of the adult viewers that may be turned off by the complicated GUI.

very well put, it seems alot of young people are on this site

but at same time, i guess its only the young ones that need tutorials (for the most part)

and yus, i do agree with the need for a new layout, and am proud to be doing the coding, if not doing leading all the coding on the next version

<3 <3 <3

Faken

[Atomica]

a new layout would be cool if it loaded faster in 56k mode, but im not complaining.

[Plumpen]

Can we make the site darker? It gets quite painful at night.

As for the layout, I don't know much, but I'm sure you and your team will make the right choice. Good luck.

[Faken]

We're thinking of going for a professional corporate look... think more along the lines of yahoo Probably the same brightness if not more white actually Turn a light on!

Faken

[Jamie Huskisson]

yahoooo!!!

[Unreal]

that sounds awsome, cant wait

[JamesPickens]

If it does come to a new layout make sure its all in .gif so it loads faster for any speen but i really do think a new P2L would be nice and i am here to help any way i can

[CLawes]

addiction, on Oct 14 2004, 08:03 PM, said:

i am here to help any way i can

me 2

but i love the lay out at the mo is well gd wot u going 2 do wiv it if u make a new template? im on brodband and the site loads in seconds!

gd luck!

[theguid]

I dont have any load time problems but I'm game for any kinds of change that helps others.

[Andy]

I defiantly am game for a new version of P2L.. when i started reading the topic, i thought to myself... 'naa its fine the way it is' until you pointed out the... what you could say, problems in the current version. I honestly love the deviantart site, and that was what i had in mind **pictures it** but the yahoo style i think would be great. That would just leave tons and tons of room.

Can we keep this topic 'what are you going to do with the old layout' - 'can i have it' please

Its very nice to know though, that you care about what other users think of the site..... i don't really like to admit it, but when a new version comes out for my site, i don't think to ask the 'public' what their views are.

Andy

[Jamie Huskisson]

we just want to make sure we aren't missing any things in the new site that one of you lot may have thought of

[Gio]

We should definitely gzip the new version, makes things load much faster.

[Faken]

Andy, on Oct 14 2004, 05:12 PM, said:

I defiantly am game for a new version of P2L.. when i started reading the topic, i thought to myself... 'naa its fine the way it is' until you pointed out the... what you could say, problems in the current version. I honestly love the deviantart site, and that was what i had in mind **pictures it** but the yahoo style i think would be great. That would just leave tons and tons of room.

Can we keep this topic 'what are you going to do with the old layout' - 'can i have it' please <3

Its very nice to know though, that you care about what other users think of the site..... i don't really like to admit it, but when a new version comes out for my site, i don't think to ask the 'public' what their views are.

Andy

Dunno what will happen with the old layout, but the new one won't be as dark or quite as simple as DA, nor will it be as simple as yahoo. Basically the plan is to redo http://www.tutorialseek.com (This is just tutorials in the P2L DB without the extra stuff) with a simple and quick layout and we'll probably port it to P2L afterwards. The new layout will be similar in terms of simplicity and color as the current TS layout, but it will be much more profesisonal and corporate looking. The current layout took me like 20 minutes to do.

Now that we more or less know the direction P2L is taking, we are able to plan for the massive amount of content that is obviously already in the site, and the amount that is to come. So this gives us a chance to sort of redo the site's look and how the current content is presented. The backend won't change, just the layout and the coding. Then when we want to add new features, it won't be such a pain in the ass. We plan on eliminating about 100 redundant PHP pages with the new site.

Faken

[SERB-4-LIFE]

faken u selling this layout, when u make another one, how much would it be?

[Gio]

SERB-4-LIFE, on Oct 15 2004, 08:09 AM, said:

faken u selling this layout, when u make another one, how much would it be?

I doubt it.

[Faken]

It won't be sold... to be honest, there's so many includes and what-not that it would be near impossible for someone who hasn't directly been involved in it's construction from the start to piece it all together.

Faken

[Jamie Huskisson]

i think he means the layout itself, not the backend coding etc.

even backend coding as messed as this would go for $1000+ at least in my opinion

[ronson]

i think you shud keep this layout its brilliant and yahoo sux so u dont wanna copy them