Announcements
Related: About this forumWe've made a significant update to the DU home page
Hi all,
I think it's safe to say that we're mostly past the stabilization phase of the new software launch, although we are still squashing intermittent bugs here and there. However, we now feel that for the most part we can move on to the next phase, which is refinements and improvements based on the feedback we've received since launch.
The first update we have for you is to the home page. The new home page released today restores a number of items that were lost in the transition to DU4. As a reminder, you can get to the home page at any time by clicking or tapping the site logo at the top of any page.
Here are the changes:
Video column has been restored.
Latest Breaking News section moved up.
Latest Breaking News section text descriptions restored.
Doubled the number of items in the Latest Breaking News section.
Doubled the number of items in each forum category section while reducing section height.
On the mobile version of the home page:
Trending Discussions and Greatest Discussions sections moved back to the top.
Doubled the number of items when Featured Stories expands, and included text descriptions.
We hope you like the changes, and we have more improvements coming soon.
PS. Edited to add: as usual when we make changes, some people may experience problems. If you run into a bug or issue, please report it in the DU Community Help forum. Thanks!
rurallib
(63,284 posts)Now get rid of Trump
highplainsdem
(52,807 posts)malaise
(278,715 posts)2naSalit
(93,365 posts)ArizonaLib
(1,265 posts)grateful to have it!
rogerballard
(3,850 posts)so far so good
qwlauren35
(6,279 posts)I know it's a tremendous task. I've noticed how much easier it is to read DU on my phone.
Thank you.
ancianita
(38,859 posts)IronLionZion
(47,104 posts)planetc
(8,322 posts)I just noticed a minute ago that the video pictures were back. They liven things up nicely, as well as conveying what they are at a glance. Sometimes you feel like TV and sometimes you want to read something.
tavernier
(13,283 posts)Not to have to do any of this stuff myself.
Thanks for all your hard work.
RKP5637
(67,112 posts)MN2theMax
(1,755 posts)Thank you for all your hard work. I am a fan of DU4.
Oopsie Daisy
(4,555 posts)I can barely read anything there unless I force my browser to show the fonts larger.
louis-t
(23,777 posts)That's how I fixed the ads covering part of the articles when I enlarged the fonts on my screen using control+.
ShazzieB
(18,925 posts)On the question of bugs, what is the best way to communicate with you about glitches we encounter?
During the beta phase, there was a temporary forum for discussing DU4 issues. Now that it's gone, I miss it, and I'm not sure what to do.
progree
(11,463 posts)DU Community Help: https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=forum&id=1256
I did that a few days ago, and wasn't sure if I should gave done something different,
Tom Kitten
(7,371 posts)I like it!
damifino10
(48 posts)I feel at home now with the changes made.
Thanks for listening and growing.
pazzyanne
(6,616 posts)jaxexpat
(7,794 posts)Uncle Joe
(60,261 posts)Thanks for the thread EarlG.
claudette
(4,653 posts)But, I still miss the old DU.
livetohike
(23,040 posts)Hamlette
(15,541 posts)The type on the old front page was too small to read and I love that it now changes for those I have read. Love.
2naSalit
(93,365 posts)Now it feels like home again!
Bird Lady
(1,932 posts)So much better. Now you don't have to go to navigate to see the videos.
Excellent! Thank you
Scrivener7
(53,163 posts)llashram
(6,269 posts)DU
StarryNite
(10,902 posts)TeamProg
(6,630 posts)Thank you!
3auld6phart
(1,300 posts)Thanks.
wendyb-NC
(3,882 posts)sheshe2
(88,120 posts)It looks great!
lastlib
(24,983 posts)I live for latest breaking news and latest discussions. They seemed harder to get to before these changes, but I like this new format! to EarlG and Elad & crew!
WhiteTara
(30,206 posts)Thanks!
House of Roberts
(5,746 posts)and the blue links on the home page are changing to purple after I click on them like they used to do.
I like the layout better with the equal width columns and the video off to the right.
I think the Skinner mode looks a little better on my old iPhone too. I like the 'jump' button to get to LBN rather than having to scroll down so far.
revmclaren
(2,613 posts)Wednesdays
(20,315 posts)PTL_Mancuso
(276 posts)Nice work allayas! (i.e. all of you all )
Different Drummer
(8,760 posts)Duppers
(28,260 posts)relayerbob
(7,069 posts)Last edited Mon Nov 13, 2023, 04:26 PM - Edit history (1)
"Greatest" and "trending" sections are still taking up WAY too much space and are on top of the news, on the desktop version. News should be "above the fold". Considering that only a tiny fraction of readers are required to make these stories "trending" or "greatest", it obscures the actual information that I, at least, come here to see. Maybe place them in a table side-by-side in the same column, and dramatically reduce the font size of the Recs number, it's just not that relevant. As I write this, four of the top 5 are at 30 recs. Personally I would prefer those under the Pic of the Moment, and Featured Stories Under that, and News at the top of Column 2.
Video column is good, thank you.
Overall, I have to say, my time at DU has dropped considerably since the change, I probably come by 30-40% as often as before. I'll eventually get used to it on desktop, but it is not as easy to use or to find what I am looking for. The phone version is almost unusable, I don't like scrolling for ten screens (gives me a headache), past all the forums, latest, trending, blah, blah to get to actual news, so that version has dropped to basically zero for me, and not likely to be used at all.
EarlG
(22,629 posts)"Jump to Latest Breaking News" -- tap that and you'll go right to the LBN section.
relayerbob
(7,069 posts)Definitely helps.
Escurumbele
(3,645 posts)It is a question of adapting to the smaller screen, which the DU page is not doing at this time.
I am not sure what language is used for the development of DU pages, but most languages have support for smaller screens. Bootstrap, for example, allows the developer to set up the form and to adapt for different sizes, it allows support for tablets, phones etc. Bootstrap is for PHP, but as I said, most languages have that capability, if I am not mistaken it is more of a JavaScript function.
EarlG
(22,629 posts)It sounds like I may need to make some adjustments for very small screen sizes.
Hekate
(95,237 posts)PatSeg
(49,755 posts)I've noticed the improvements.
Auggie
(31,899 posts)Thank you
FailureToCommunicate
(14,348 posts)Silver Gaia
(4,908 posts)The home page is perfect on my phone now. Yay!
yardwork
(64,720 posts)IbogaProject
(3,761 posts)We appreciate all the efforts and the update.
mountain grammy
(27,374 posts)hibbing
(10,402 posts)LPBBEAR
(390 posts)Everything is in one long page one section after another. Web browser is Firefox. Tried both default and skinner. Tried changing page sizing, I'm using a Linux system on my TV with 1366x768. Tried it in another browser and its mostly ok there. If I figure it out I'll post the steps I use to correct it.
holding down the Shift key on your keyboard and clicking the Refresh button in your browser -- that will force the browser to download new files from the DU server and may fix the issue. If it persists, wait a few minutes and try again. If it persists for longer than a few minutes, please let me know.
That did the trick. Still prefer the Skinner mode though. Looking much better now. Thanks for the system updates.
Karma13612
(4,704 posts)I just LOVE DU4!!!
Thanks for all your hard work!
Chicagogrl1
(480 posts)Thanks for all of the hard work!
Riverman100
(283 posts)Most features are back,,,, good..... now leave it alone
Dyedinthewoolliberal
(15,944 posts)A mix of old and new. This feels more familiar. I like the changes and I like the comfortable feeling of it looking like the old format.
OldSWODog
(74 posts)Kudos to EarlG and the rest of the crew for making this happen. Cheers.
Richard D
(9,431 posts)I was finding it difficult to navigate. It's much better now.
dlk
(12,468 posts)Its a lot of tedious hard work. You are greatly appreciated!
kellytore
(212 posts)Warpy
(113,131 posts)I didn't think having to click on something at the middle of the page was worth grumbling about, but I do appreciate having the column restored.
SouthernDem4ever
(6,618 posts)SleeplessinSoCal
(9,737 posts)I love a good renovation!
Thanks for all the good looking improvements. So much better.
louis-t
(23,777 posts)Had some issues at first, but made some adjustments to font size, etc. Because of my ancient monitor, when I got the text size I wanted in the computer, the ads would cover part of the stories. Fixed it in my settings.
Hermit-The-Prog
(36,618 posts)ClearSky24
(299 posts)Bring back DU3.
You're now trying to make DU4 look like DU3.
Why not simply remove DU4 and bring back DU3?
You would immediately see a rise in popularity.
GAJMac
(232 posts)I noticed it around mid-day from work. I don't log in with my account while at work, but when I saw it I hoped it would be across both public-access, and logged-in homepages.
Lucinda
(31,170 posts)Quanto Magnus
(1,032 posts)Thank you for all of your efforts!
AmBlue
(3,444 posts)DU4 is great. No complaints here. Only compliments!!
orangecrush
(22,109 posts)I believe it has paid off.
I love the new D.U.!
CaptainTruth
(7,268 posts)peppertree
(22,850 posts)Thank you, sir.
LovelyStuff
(19 posts)Definitely easier to read and navigate. I definitely approve!
Maraya1969
(23,024 posts)think it is there anymore. I've been there a couple times but I think it was from following a link.
highplainsdem
(52,807 posts)BumRushDaShow
(144,091 posts)should link you to the front page. I finally tried mobile and there is a "DU" that you can click on (if you use that). The "Standard" and "Dark" modes have a big "DEMOCRATIC UNDERGROUND" header across the top that is clickable and "Skinner" mode has a Democratic Underground.com" graphic to click on.
Maraya1969
(23,024 posts)ProudProgressiveNow
(6,165 posts)Hotler
(12,381 posts)spanone
(137,660 posts)PlutosHeart
(1,445 posts)Well done and thank you for all of your hard work and ears.
TrogL
(32,825 posts)flamingdem
(39,954 posts)Thanks for all your hard work
MontanaMama
(24,087 posts)Thank you, EarlG.
PortTack
(34,825 posts)pazzyanne
(6,616 posts)Much more "user friendly".
Aviation91
(120 posts)I miss the daily toons!
usaf-vet
(7,012 posts)Escurumbele
(3,645 posts)It cuts the right side of the page and there is no way to scroll to the right, one cannot see the new video column to the right, not even the full headline of the post.
I use an Android, I know sometimes developers favour iPhones, but there are a lot of us Android users out there.
Thank you
EarlG
(22,629 posts)If possible, please send a screenshot of what you're seeing to earlg@democraticunderground.com so I can diagnose.
IthinkThereforeIAM
(3,116 posts)... have had no bugs or glitches with the new DU; I am running Ubuntu Linux and Firefox browser and a vpn.
Just thought I would add my three cents to assist in any troubleshooting conundrums past or present.
Have a good day!
Be The Light
(57 posts)Looks more professional looking and easier to use. Much like an improvement on the old site. Yes you had it right all along. But now you have improved it with a few tweaks. Bravo!
SpankMe
(3,307 posts)Hopefully, you can get to the cursor issues next. The cursor is either a text select cursor, or a pointer cursor instead of a link cursor in many areas, including the My Stuff & Navigate buttons, the Post and Preview buttons and others.
Thanks!
kimbutgar
(23,585 posts)Martin68
(24,718 posts)HuskyOffset
(912 posts)Alliepoo
(2,499 posts)cstanleytech
(27,170 posts)It kind of would be nice after all to be able to truly customize the entire front page as we see fit assuming of course its even possible.
crickets
(26,149 posts)I know you've been working hard on this for some time, and it's really appreciated.
True Blue American
(18,208 posts)But good job!
onlyadream
(2,221 posts)The layouts are not scaling for mobile views.
ShazamIam
(2,723 posts)That the recent updates should be easier for some to find favorite forums.
Axelrods_Typewriter
(298 posts)Ms. Toad
(35,607 posts)The same number of clicks as DU3.