Release Notes 1/12/10

[+setsujoku]

[*]The practice of bringing the site down mid-day, without apparent warning, should stop.

It's always the middle of the day somewhere in the world...

For example here in Australia it's the middle of the day now, but in England it's only very early, and in America it's still yesterday.

[+generalred]

As Korea Geocacher

 

13287: South Korean province mispelled

Fixed

 

It Still wrong, didn't fix

 

Not Chunchen buk do/nam do but chun(g)chen(g) buk do/nam do

You missed the both gs

[+pppingme]

11424: Attributes included in GPX files.

Added ability to set version preference in user profile; default is still the original (old) version

This is poorly documented, so does 1.0.1 mean attributes? If so, something on that page should clarify this

 

Probably more like

 

1.0 (standard gpx)

1.0.1 (with attributes)

 

Or a note on the page.

 

Or am I even looking at the right place?

[MnCo]

14583

"Your" versus "Mine" on profile page

Changed “Mine” to “Your” for consistency. Will review the choice to switch from “My/Mine X” to “Your X”

 

Whats to review... not only is it incorrect, but many people here have already asked for it to be changed back to My/Mine.

[+rambrush]

I am used to Mine instead of yours but sometimes change is good.

[+aB5dEglYeS5P]

line-height:1.75em;

in

http://www.geocaching.com/css/yui27-reset-fonts-grids.css

 

makes the cache description bubble on a google map ridiculous

(in addition to what it does everywhere else...)

 

(IMO my implies I have control / your imples I'm being told what to do)

Edited January 13, 2010 by aB5dEglYeS5P

[+Hoppingcrow]

I'm confused by all the comments about white space. White space where? Everything looks fine to me.

So maybe we should rather refer to it as "line spacing"?

On my screen it looks as if there are lots of extra empty lines on the new pages that blow up the page size.

Not on yours?

 

(running Firefox 3.5.7)

I'm not sure which pages you're referring to. Although, my profile page looks the same as the example that Crow used earlier.

 

I use both IE8, and Firefox 3.0.12 (I guess that's what I'm using). Things look fine to me on both of them, although I can see what some people are talking about with not needing the extra space that could be used to widen the info more.

 

I'm also using one of the more recent versions of Firefox. Not only is there an excess of white space between lines and paragraphs on the cache page, but peoples' logs have turned into islands. Navigating to them is an all-day project.

 

[GOF and Bacall]

Um...Ugly.

[+bittsen]

It's really simple to send out an Email to everyone (like the weekly one) to let everyone know the site will be down for maintenance.

 

Of course most companies run secondary servers so they just swap servers when they make changes.

[+StarBrand]

...

[*]The practice of bringing the site down mid-day, without apparent warning, should stop.

...

 

Always mid-day somewhere - this is a world-wide activity.........

[+dakboy]

It's really simple to send out an Email to everyone (like the weekly one) to let everyone know the site will be down for maintenance.

Like any other "push" notification though, that assumes that people will read it.

 

Of course most companies run secondary servers so they just swap servers when they make changes.

Groundspeak doesn't even have a secondary DNS located in a different datacenter; additional servers for a switchover would blow the budget, it seems.

[+Frank Broughton]

PLEASE adjust the colors on the lists of caches. the grey and the blue on the list (when you are looking at found vs. not found) are too close.

 

Perhaps you may need to adjust your monitor brightness and contrast. They colors contrast fine for me here. Most monitors default settings are too bright and wash out colors.

[CoyoteRed]

Yep, white space is good.

 

Just taking any old layout and adding white space? Bad!

 

Just my personal opinion, but most of the new pages are butt ugly. First, don't just add line space between all lines.

 

Ah, forget it. Hire a real graphic artist to design the pages and then program to the design. The layout has sucked since day one and really hasn't gotten better. This is not a step up.

[+Dgwphotos]

When I try to run a search using nearest caches from my home coordinates, I get the message Internet Explorer cannot open this page, operation aborted. It does it even after the page is fully loaded and after I refresh the page. I'm running IE 7 on XP. Add my name to the dislike the new design list as well. The old one was fine.

Edited January 13, 2010 by Dwoodford

[knowschad]

I have a strong complaint!

 

I recently got the temporarily down for maintenance page. While it is very nice looking, there's something wrong with it!

 

WHERE IS SIGNAL?!?

 

He used to be on those pages, like this:

 

 

Or like this:

 

 

You guys know how much I like Signal. Where's my refund?

 

MY complaint was that it directed people to the forums, and that caused so much traffic that I couldn't get into the forums! Please redirect people to Terracaching.com next time, OK?

[+Dr.MORO]

Domo!!!

A bug report.

 

When you try to view "Your Trackable Items", the "Location" column does NOT show the proper location indicating icons, and only show a "?", probably meaning the links are not correct.

 

One more: In the "Geocaching > Your Profile > Your Trackable Item Details" page, in the Right lower "Your Inventory" column should be showing the Unique icons, correct?

 

I also second for "Too much White space" complaint.

 

-Dr.MORO

[+fegan]

Add me to the list of those who dislike the new look and some of the changes.

 

My profile looks horrible!

 

My cache pages look horrible!

 

Way too much wasted (white) space!

 

 

Next?

[+Corfman Clan]

I'm creating a new cache page. I added a picture to the gallery and now I'm trying to change it (clicking edit button below the picture) and I get an http 404 error. I don't know if this is due to this update or something else.

[+J-Way]

It's really simple to send out an Email to everyone (like the weekly one) to let everyone know the site will be down for maintenance.

 

Of course most companies run secondary servers so they just swap servers when they make changes.

People make this complaint after every major update. I've made it at least once after not being able to download PQs the night before a big trip. They always ignore the complaint.

 

But here again, it's simple. Update is 100% checked out and ready to go? Instead of immediately shutting the site down, post a simple announcement to the "Announcement" thread to give people a few days to a weeks warning: "Major upgrade planned for next week. Site will be down for a few hours starting at 10:00am PST on nn/nn/nn."

 

Lots of people subscribe to the Announcement thread and can adjust their schedules accordingly. Yes, people will complain, but not nearly as many people as complain when they shut the site down without warning, yet again.

[knowschad]

PLEASE adjust the colors on the lists of caches. the grey and the blue on the list (when you are looking at found vs. not found) are too close.

Perhaps you may need to adjust your monitor brightness and contrast. They colors contrast fine for me here. Most monitors default settings are too bright and wash out colors.

Why should we need to do that? I don't want to mess up everything else just to fix that one problem, Frank.

[+dakboy]

PLEASE adjust the colors on the lists of caches. the grey and the blue on the list (when you are looking at found vs. not found) are too close.

Perhaps you may need to adjust your monitor brightness and contrast. They colors contrast fine for me here. Most monitors default settings are too bright and wash out colors.

Why should we need to do that? I don't want to mess up everything else just to fix that one problem, Frank.

What he's saying is that what you're seeing everywhere is wrong - it's just that the low-contrast color selection here makes it obvious.

 

And he's right. Most displays are incorrectly tuned.

[+Nazgul]

Always mid-day somewhere - this is a world-wide activity.........

 

Really, that's the best you can do? Seriously??? Because they couldn't possibly have server logs that tell them when the high and low traffic peaks are. And I'm going to hypothesize that noon Pacific Time is a heck of a lot closer to the high traffic peak than the low.

 

Please.

[polskikrol]

It's really simple to send out an Email to everyone (like the weekly one) to let everyone know the site will be down for maintenance.

 

Of course most companies run secondary servers so they just swap servers when they make changes.

 

This would make sense as I doubt there were any major database schema upgrades... use the same databases and servers even if you use load balancing. Apache/Tomcat/JBoss can run on custom ports and still have a Virtual IP Address listening on a standard port. All you need to do is change the Pool with the server nodes. This is how every company with production systems handles such upgrades. Takes like 2 minutes to make the switch... issues, just switch back. Also, any reason why more of the geocaching community was not invited to beta test? This would have I am sure prevented many Day 2 issues.

[knowschad]

PLEASE adjust the colors on the lists of caches. the grey and the blue on the list (when you are looking at found vs. not found) are too close.

Perhaps you may need to adjust your monitor brightness and contrast. They colors contrast fine for me here. Most monitors default settings are too bright and wash out colors.

Why should we need to do that? I don't want to mess up everything else just to fix that one problem, Frank.

What he's saying is that what you're seeing everywhere is wrong - it's just that the low-contrast color selection here makes it obvious.

 

And he's right. Most displays are incorrectly tuned.

So, what are your plans to remedy that situation? If most displays are incorrectly tuned, then either provide a means to correctly tune them, or respond to "I can't see it!" complaints by fixing the problem.

 

 

For what its worth here are a few of the many sites on monitor calibration:

 

http://www.imaging-resource.com/ARTS/MONCAL/CALIBRATE.HTM#

 

http://www.wikihow.com/Calibrate-Your-Monitor

 

http://www.displaycalibration.com/

[+trowel32]

My maps aren't loading at all anymore either - Firefox 3.5.4 They worked great before the change.

 

My eyesight is excellent but I am also finding it hard to distinguish between the gray highlighted caches I have found and the blue highlighting placed over every other cache name - what's the purpose of that light blue highlighting anyway? Just adds confusion in my opinion.

Edited January 13, 2010 by trowel32

[+Ashallond]

Yeah. Blame the monitor. No comment that I had NO PROBLEM WHATSOEVER telling the difference easily without carefully looking at the colors and for a check mark before the update occurred.

 

And for the record, the only spot that I am having problems seeing the difference between colors is the list of nearby caches. The blue is too close to the gray. I have no problem anywhere else, and I wasn't the only person who commented on this.

[+dakboy]

PLEASE adjust the colors on the lists of caches. the grey and the blue on the list (when you are looking at found vs. not found) are too close.

Perhaps you may need to adjust your monitor brightness and contrast. They colors contrast fine for me here. Most monitors default settings are too bright and wash out colors.

Why should we need to do that? I don't want to mess up everything else just to fix that one problem, Frank.

What he's saying is that what you're seeing everywhere is wrong - it's just that the low-contrast color selection here makes it obvious.

 

And he's right. Most displays are incorrectly tuned.

So, what are your plans to remedy that situation? If most displays are incorrectly tuned, then either provide a means to correctly tune them, or respond to "I can't see it!" complaints by fixing the problem.

How can a single website "fix" the complaints when each mistuned display is mistuned in a different way? Nor can a website tune your display. But you already know both of those, you're probably just trying to stir something up.

 

Low-contrast is bad for a number of reasons, but that's no excuse for not making sure your own display is set up properly.

[+tnt4utvols]

The <hr> tag no longer appears to work in cache HTML.

[+Frank Broughton]

(IMO my implies I have control / your imples I'm being told what to do)

 

Thus the change 8-)

[polskikrol]

Your Friends is not showing the correct number of hides for a few geocachers in my list. Presume this is either broken or the list is not being refreshed each time one browses to this section of their profile.

[knowschad]

So, what are your plans to remedy that situation? If most displays are incorrectly tuned, then either provide a means to correctly tune them, or respond to "I can't see it!" complaints by fixing the problem.

How can a single website "fix" the complaints when each mistuned display is mistuned in a different way? Nor can a website tune your display. But you already know both of those, you're probably just trying to stir something up.

Low-contrast is bad for a number of reasons, but that's no excuse for not making sure your own display is set up properly.

No, I am not "trying to stir something up" and I do not appreciate that insinuation. I am trying to make things better. If a change to using low contrast colors becomes an issue with the majority of users, then do not use low contrast colors. Its simple. You can't ask everyone that uses your website to calibrate their monitor.

[+AtwellFamily]

BUG:

Server Error

500 - Internal server error.

There is a problem with the resource you are looking for, and it cannot be displayed.

 

I selected to sort my trackables by last log.

[+Dr.MORO]

Domo!!! And more bug reports.

 

The Geocaching Maps do NOT load at all.

You just see the back Loading Map... message and the arrows keep chasing each other endlessly.

 

I use Safari 4.0.4 on Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard.

 

And again, I do not like the White spaces.

 

- Dr.MORO

[+bittsen]

Perhaps you may need to adjust your monitor brightness and contrast. They colors contrast fine for me here. Most monitors default settings are too bright and wash out colors.

 

I will not adjust the colors on my monitor. They are fine.

If I adjust to get contrast on the new layout, it messes up all the skintones on my por... um, photographs.

[knowschad]

Perhaps you may need to adjust your monitor brightness and contrast. They colors contrast fine for me here. Most monitors default settings are too bright and wash out colors.

 

I will not adjust the colors on my monitor. They are fine.

If I adjust to get contrast on the new layout, it messes up all the skintones on my por... um, photographs.

So, you have some Portland photographs too, huh?

[+bittsen]

It's really simple to send out an Email to everyone (like the weekly one) to let everyone know the site will be down for maintenance.

Like any other "push" notification though, that assumes that people will read it.

It would at least give them some credit for trying.

 

Of course most companies run secondary servers so they just swap servers when they make changes.

Groundspeak doesn't even have a secondary DNS located in a different datacenter; additional servers for a switchover would blow the budget, it seems.

 

Please assure me they have more than one server. Can you magine if the computer crashed? One server would be INSANE!

I hope you are wrong.

[+bittsen]

Perhaps you may need to adjust your monitor brightness and contrast. They colors contrast fine for me here. Most monitors default settings are too bright and wash out colors.

 

I will not adjust the colors on my monitor. They are fine.

If I adjust to get contrast on the new layout, it messes up all the skintones on my por... um, photographs.

So, you have some Portland photographs too, huh?

 

~PHEW~

 

SAVED!!!

[+AtwellFamily]

Logging a note on a trackable. Page loads with left column down lower then main section. It was on the page where you enter the log. Not sure if this will help but here is a link.

 

http://www.geocaching.com/track/log.aspx?w...6e-7a67677bf173

[+Gitonyerhorse]

geocaching.com google maps don't work. They just say "loading caches" with a spinning wheel and that's all. Both Chrome and Firefox are affected.

 

As for the colors and contrast, I'm very visually impaired in the area of contrast and this will really take some adjustment. I can't even imagine someone suggesting to "change my monitor" when every other website I visit regularly has lovely contrast that doesn't need altering so I can see it.

 

I'm probably going to have to stay away from the site for a while, and see if I can deal with it later. Ugh. This is the most horrible visual change this site has done so far. Seems to me that all this change just to add some longer words was entirely unnecessary.

 

FAIL.

[+Camper Gal]

This site is VERY SLOW. Screen jumps up and down while loading and doesn't let me get to the sites. Most of the time we get google maps won't load. Like where you put the load the gps but it screwed up the find date collum. We are running XP and IE6.

[+Zarya.]

Good:

The google maps is quite snappier and somehow feels nicer.

Not many people appreciate engine and code optimization, but as a programmer, I do. It takes lots of effort. Great job!

 

Bad:

Holy cow, too much margin/padding! Both from an end-user and website designer's perspective!

[+colin&daddy]

I must say, the speed increase seems impressive. That is the one positive I can report. Other than that.... oooooh man! Sorry, going to have to add my abhorrence of the redesign(?) to the list. Far, far, far, far too much spacing where not necessary and not enough where it is. Please fix or revert.

Specifically: too much vertical (line spacing?) in the cache logs, in the listing of finds on My(Your?) Profile;

not enough horizontal (as has been well reported) in same listings — really:[ Visit Log ] on two lines?

In the geocaching.google maps—which I use constantly— the table listing displayed caches is now WAAAAY to narrow and vertically spaced. Where I used to have to scroll 2-3 times in that table now requires 10x that to see the list. That table area needs to be much longer, not shorter. Also, the pop-up bubble on cache icon mouse click is hosed: GC number overruns the bounding bubble, some weird outline box displays at bottom, appearing to strike thru the text across the lower edge. And, yes, the display numbers are too big.

Log type radio box selection much wider than necessary. The encrypted hint disappears at its new location. I suggest putting it right underneath the Additional Hints heading, with the decrypt matrix underneath the hint.

 

Would also have appreciated some warning of redesign, and opportunity for feedback/suggestions before rollout.

Just my twopence (that's tuppence). Thanks.

 

Mac OS X 10.4.11 Safari 4.0.3

[+Mortes Porta Vitae]

The new changing´s on the pages (ugly, not really working) are just another evidence that Groundspeak just fight tooth and nail against people who develop really useful tools. Apparent Groundspeak is not able or don´t want to make the site intuitive and easy for use.

 

The option to implement the third party tools seems impossible. But has Groundspeak ever considered WHY such tools are developed? Because they make the using of this sites easier.

 

Hello..!!! Wake up. WE are your customers... Please ask what WE want and don´t ban users who publish Greasemonkey tools because of your are not able to provide a good site.

 

In times of more and more open source is this way of thinking antiqued.

 

On the other hand GC.com is not the only platform for this hobby.

 

Regards

Oliver

 

Sorry for mistakes in writing or word order.

[+colin&daddy]

Believe me, as a designer, I know it's impossible to please everyone.

 

But this:

 

is just less than optimal. And when I say less than optimal, I mean "crap."

 

How about:

 

[ ] Encrypt this log entry (If your log contains information on how to find the cache, you can make it unreadable until the reader clicks "decrypt." If you decide to encrypt the log entry, text within brackets [like this] will remain readable.)

 

Just another halfpenny. (That's hayp-nee)

 

Glad I'm not in charge, I can tell you that!

[+colin&daddy]

Believe me, as a designer, I know it's impossible to please everyone.

 

But this:

 

is just less than optimal. And when I say less than optimal, I mean "crap."

 

How about:

 

[ ] Encrypt this log entry (If your log contains information on how to find the cache, you can make it unreadable until the reader clicks "decrypt." If you decide to encrypt the log entry, text within brackets [like this] will remain readable.)

 

Just another halfpenny. (That's hayp-nee)

 

Glad I'm not in charge, I can tell you that!

[+Jon Snow]

Well done.

I like the new design.

 

Only the additional Waypoints:

The notes should have the same backgroundcolor as the line above.

[+fizzymagic]

Well, since the forum mods have close the other threads, I guess they want the feedback on the aesthetics in this one, despite my recall that Nate only wanted technical feedback.

 

The new design is horrific. Unreadable font sizes coupled with unnecessary verbiage that conveys no useful information, and lots and lots of empty space. And you still can't select the cache coordinates with a mouse.

 

Good website design is about maximizing information transfer with a minimum of repetition and intuitive navigation. I'd say the new design is a FAIL on both counts.

 

Oh, and the background color change, in particular, has me feeling nauseous.

[+FluteFace]

Just a few thoughts . . .

 

I agree that there is too much blank space, white or otherwise. However, to me, it seems to be related to column width. Some are certainly too wide, while others not wide enough. Additionally, my 'Your Friends' page which used to be neatly displayed is now a mess, with huge blank spaces scattered through out. Each friend's space is no longer uniform in size.

 

I made an attempt to edit a picture that I had uploaded to my cache page for Blue Moon (GC22G6T) but ended up with a 404 - File or directory not found error when I clicked on an Edit link.

 

On my 'Profile for User: FluteFace' page, my homepage link, which should go to fluteface.com no longer works, instead pointing to http://www.geocaching.com/controls/fluteface.com. I've looked at a few others, and my problem seems to be an isolated incident.

 

Oh . . . and if you felt like adding more purple as you go through your design process, I certainly wouldn't' mind!

Edited January 13, 2010 by FluteFace

[+kusanagi]

I would like my profile back. I don't need to be told who's it is, I know it's mine. Same as my gps devices, and my trackables. If you're going to insist on calling it yours. Could you also edit the url, so that it says geocaching.com/your instead of geocaching.com/my. You also may as well change the link so that it says your public profile, instead of my public profile.

[+PacoBlu]

If I look at a single log with a picture, pictures are not displayed.

 

Cheers

FamWa (who is missing his Greasmonkey scripts )