Hi Vic..I am just as guilty as some here, in that I spend more time lurking, than entering into threads, even those I find interesting.
I put this down to these two main causes:
The first - I have, for family reasons, severely curtailed my online and flying time. There is nothing like a seriously ill family member to affect ones interests, or to alter your priorities so much that all else pales in comparison. I make no excuses - I just cannot throw as much attention at these activities at the moment.
...and here is, IMO, the second reason that I spend far less time online here.
You all may recall that I have had, and hope to have in the future, many longish conversations with many of our colleagues on (and from) the 'old' FSforum on CSi. I really enjoyed my time on that forum - and I agree that should this site gain even some of that popularity, then no-one would be more pleased than me.
However, and again I stress that this is my opinion, and I do not wish to offend anyone, especially you, Vic - the current limitations of the OLR, and the (to me, anyway) 'strangeness' /discomfort /awkwardness of this type of forum irks me.
I long for that relatively simple (but bloated, I agree) CSi 'front end' that allowed one to delete / save / threads or individual messages into my own folders, to peruse at leisure at some later time. I find the OLR to be very difficult to use, in that I find myself being returned to some really repetitive thread which saw light back in 2001, which I would dearly love to erase, but cannot.
I long for that relatively neat, full page 'box' that allowed me to see the thread title, and to be able to wipe or copy it as I wished, and to set the date so that nothing prior to that date appeared.
Perhaps I am being a little unfair.
Having some knowledge of programming, albeit limited and certainly I've forgotten most of it by now, I realise that it is no mean task to write an OLR for distribution. However I consider that since I am paying for the privilege, (and I have renewed my subscription willingly, because I wanted to, and would like to consider this as my FS 'home') I reckon that you won't be too upset at me providing some criticism of the current OLR.
I find very discouraging as soon as it hits the screen - that it tends to 'put me off' so to speak. I can't put my finger on any one reason why I dislike it - I just do. I suppose if pressed, I'd put the fact that I cannot delete any thread, is a major reason. Another - I have to re-enter 'Edit' mode before I'm allowed to cut 'n paste. As to wiping the lot, and starting again from a limiting date, I find that I just cannot be bothered - I just wish to delete a thread at a time.
Am I asking too much ?
I consider that that is a major cause of the lack of postings - the 'live' forums are attractive, but I suspect, in common with a lot of other lurkers (and potential posters) the system is not friendly. Were we spoiled, I wonder, with that CSi front end ? I think it really spoiled me, and I find it really difficult to adjust. I don't suppose that a return to a 'text' based screen is just not possible, is it ? A great pity.
Perhaps it is just me.
Sorry to be so critical. I'd love to partake a little more often, but I find it so difficult for these reasons.
Regards
BillC
-= VPC OffLine Reader 2.1 =-
Registered to: Bill Cusick
-OLR.PL v1.80-
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