Not only are there giant white bars down the sides, but all the useless stuff no one reads (and the poll) are always on the side.
It makes the comment section - which is a large part of the slashdot experience - seem like something tacked onto the end of a news article where people post one line responses.
It makes the comment section - which is a large part of the slashdot experience - seem like something tacked onto the end of a news article where people post one line responses.
This.
Slashdot's biggest selling point, as it's always been, is the conversation the stories generate. If I wanted day-old news with a barely-considered comment section, I'd go to Yahoo or visit the local Gannett affiliate's website.
A-Freakin'-Men. When I saw it my first thought was, "this is every other new site on the planet." One of the reasons I come to/. is to not have my time wasted (too much) with useless fluff. The new design = all useless fluff.
Slashdot's biggest selling point, as it's always been, is the conversation the stories generate.
Exactly. And how does the new design reflect this?
On the new design it looks like you cannot link to a specific comment or thread. Check out your user page and look at your comment history. No links to comments, no comment scores.
I suppose comments are simply an unsightly appendage in their new "modern" design (they must clash with all the bullshit social media icons everywhere). Just think of all the "old cruft" they could get rid of if there were no comments: threaded layout, moderation, meta-moderation, karma, all users with a UID less than 7 digits, etc. Replace all that with a flat "top 20" comments listing and a little "Like this on Facebook!" button and it'll be nirvana.
Bingo. And I actually fear that the danger may be more insidious, since a narrower comments section not only makes it harder to read, but also implicitly encourages commenters to leave shorter, more trite comments. I'd expect that a load of users who would have others left a +5 Insightful/Informative/Interesting comment will instead just leave a quick quip. And while I love the +5 Funny comments we have, I'd hate it if we had a design that essentially encouraged them to the detriment of the others.
The current design(s) do a good job of supporting long-form responses, while at the same time encouraging the user to make their point clear from the get-go by having only the first line displayed when the comment is initially collapsed. The comments need to use the full width of the page, or darn close to it. As it is, the beta comments section looks like a standard Disqus-style thing, and I don't exactly associate sites that use Disqus with places where quality conversations can be had and reasonable people can be reasoned with. In contrast, I do expect that of Slashdot, and I too see that as its biggest selling point.
If they neuter the conversations, they'll strip away the most defining aspect of Slashdot, since I'm entirely with you: I can find my news elsewhere and faster with better signal-to-noise ratios.
"Biggest selling point"... Right — Probably that's right for us users. But not necessarily for what generates the revenue for Slashdot.
Slashdot's biggest selling point is the amount of eyeballs that, looking for that conversation, end up looking at their advertisements. And, of course, the site admins/redesigners will do their best to have as many eyeballs per ad as possible.
The stories are nothing but conversation starters. They are usually so badly edited so as to be useless for anything more than that anyway. It takes a truly amazing amount of presbyopia on the part of Dice to presume anything else. Nobody cares much about your lousy stories, slashdot.
Human beings were created by water to transport it uphill.
Link broken? (Score:4, Informative)
For some bizarre reason, https: on the link redirects to the current home page.
Who wants to start making tongue-in-cheek remarks about the current layout instead of the new one [slashdot.org]?
Re: (Score:5, Insightful)
it's fixed now.
but. the new design wastes 50% of my screen.
just make it like it was 10 years ago.
Re: (Score:5, Insightful)
It makes the comment section - which is a large part of the slashdot experience - seem like something tacked onto the end of a news article where people post one line responses.
Re:Link broken? (Score:5, Insightful)
It makes the comment section - which is a large part of the slashdot experience - seem like something tacked onto the end of a news article where people post one line responses.
This.
Slashdot's biggest selling point, as it's always been, is the conversation the stories generate. If I wanted day-old news with a barely-considered comment section, I'd go to Yahoo or visit the local Gannett affiliate's website.
Re: (Score:2)
Re:Link broken? (Score:5, Funny)
Yeah. Conversation.
Shut your festering gob, you tit! Your type really makes me puke, you vacuous, coffee-nosed, maloderous, pervert!!!
Look, I CAME HERE FOR AN ARGUMENT, I'm not going to just stand...!!
OH, oh I'm sorry, but this is abuse; you want room 12A, Just along the corridor.
Oh, Thank you very much. Sorry.
Not at all... stupid git...
Re: (Score:3)
So Slashdot wants to turn itself from a place to get into a good argument into something that just gives you abuse. Insightful comment. :-)
Re: (Score:2)
So Slashdot wants to turn itself from a place to get into a good argument into something that just gives you abuse. Insightful comment. :-)
We've always been coming here for abuse. (I was trying to fit "Eastasia" into the comment but I have failed... for now...)
Re: (Score:2)
Yes, but we come here for abuse from the commenters, not the site itself. Big difference.
Re: (Score:1)
Not at all... stupid git...
That's right! Finally someone speaks the truth! REAL programmers don't need no stinkin' revision control.
Re:Link broken? (Score:5, Insightful)
A-Freakin'-Men. /. is to not have my time wasted (too much) with useless fluff. The new design = all useless fluff.
When I saw it my first thought was, "this is every other new site on the planet." One of the reasons I come to
Re:Link broken? (Score:5, Insightful)
Slashdot's biggest selling point, as it's always been, is the conversation the stories generate.
Exactly. And how does the new design reflect this?
On the new design it looks like you cannot link to a specific comment or thread. Check out your user page and look at your comment history. No links to comments, no comment scores.
I suppose comments are simply an unsightly appendage in their new "modern" design (they must clash with all the bullshit social media icons everywhere). Just think of all the "old cruft" they could get rid of if there were no comments: threaded layout, moderation, meta-moderation, karma, all users with a UID less than 7 digits, etc. Replace all that with a flat "top 20" comments listing and a little "Like this on Facebook!" button and it'll be nirvana.
Re: (Score:3)
Slashdot's biggest selling point, as it's always been, is the conversation the stories generate.
Exactly. And how does the new design reflect this?
It doesn't - but it does make me want to stab someone in the face for turning neat and functional into flashy and useless....
Maybe someone got fired from the Gnome 3 team and picked up a gig at slashdot hq.....
Re:Link broken? (Score:5, Insightful)
Bingo. And I actually fear that the danger may be more insidious, since a narrower comments section not only makes it harder to read, but also implicitly encourages commenters to leave shorter, more trite comments. I'd expect that a load of users who would have others left a +5 Insightful/Informative/Interesting comment will instead just leave a quick quip. And while I love the +5 Funny comments we have, I'd hate it if we had a design that essentially encouraged them to the detriment of the others.
The current design(s) do a good job of supporting long-form responses, while at the same time encouraging the user to make their point clear from the get-go by having only the first line displayed when the comment is initially collapsed. The comments need to use the full width of the page, or darn close to it. As it is, the beta comments section looks like a standard Disqus-style thing, and I don't exactly associate sites that use Disqus with places where quality conversations can be had and reasonable people can be reasoned with. In contrast, I do expect that of Slashdot, and I too see that as its biggest selling point.
If they neuter the conversations, they'll strip away the most defining aspect of Slashdot, since I'm entirely with you: I can find my news elsewhere and faster with better signal-to-noise ratios.
Re: (Score:2)
"Biggest selling point"... Right — Probably that's right for us users. But not necessarily for what generates the revenue for Slashdot.
Slashdot's biggest selling point is the amount of eyeballs that, looking for that conversation, end up looking at their advertisements. And, of course, the site admins/redesigners will do their best to have as many eyeballs per ad as possible.
Re: (Score:2)
The stories are nothing but conversation starters. They are usually so badly edited so as to be useless for anything more than that anyway. It takes a truly amazing amount of presbyopia on the part of Dice to presume anything else. Nobody cares much about your lousy stories, slashdot.