Gc.com's New Look

[Jeremy]

Great new look. Maybe it was just my setup, but I had GC.com as my start page and it was bookmarked to www.geocaching.com/default.aspx.

Good point. I changed from default to index so I could test them at the same time. I removed the old default and replaced it with the index page, removing index.aspx.

[+strikeforce1]

Freaked me out when I first saw it ... one minute it was one way, and *poof*!

Me, too.

I thought my machine hick-uppped, one too many times.

 

Looks nice so far.

 

And everyone though, Jeremy took the cache cash and ran.

 

Now you know, where he has been!

 

Thanks Again for all the hard work on the site, Jeremy

 

SF1

[+sbell111]

I've been wondering why Jeremy was popping into the forums late at night and on the weekends. He was cuffed to his desk.

[The Alethiometrists]

Second comment:

It's a pity that visible background is now far less - this had contributed a lot to the cache "feeling"...

 

BS/2

Hmm... Good point. I may reduce the width to a lower percentage to allow more greenspace to show up. I was just trying to maximize the viewing area for smaller browsers.

I'd just like to add my second to the motion -- most of my caches and travel bugs have backgrounds, and you can hardly see them now, and when you can, you can only see small parts, which looks worse than not having a background at all. Oy. And here I've been developing a bunch of new cache pages with backgrounds.

 

Anyway, other than that, it looks great. The change happened while I was looking at caches for an out-of-town trip, and I was pleasantly surprised.

[+sbell111]

I'd like to congratulate Jeremy, et al on making their deadline. Two weeks ago, Jeremy mentioned that he expected to have ignore lists up and running within two weeks. Less than 15 days later, here they are.

[Rabbit and Turtle]

Overall I like the new look. My one concern is that it appears the side bar navigation is not available from the state maps pages. ie http://www.geocaching.com/map/ME.asp has no left hand nav bar any longer.

[+Allen_L]

I like the new width, more text less eye-candy.

[robertlipe]

Everything seems to render OK on my combinations of Mozilla, Firebird, and Firefox on the Linux systems that are within reach. Hopefully that more prominent 'resources' link in the left navbar will get more attention from the newbies, so that's a good improvement. ("Palm Hint Decoder" on that page really should probably be moved to the "software" page now that I'm looking at it carefully, though...)

 

I will cast a dissenting voice from the "we want our screen real estate wasted with backgrounds" crowd. The reduced background/outer frame (well, table entry) really improves the information density of the page. (And there's the little detail that the way backgrounds are commonly done are guaranteed to be malformed HTML anyway.)

 

I'll testify that ignore lists are very handy to have. That's a nice thing to put in the hands of the masses.

 

Thanx.

Edited February 16, 2005 by robertlipe

[+Teach2Learn]

Second comment:

It's a pity that visible background is now far less - this had contributed a lot to the cache "feeling"...

 

BS/2

Hmm... Good point. I may reduce the width to a lower percentage to allow more greenspace to show up. I was just trying to maximize the viewing area for smaller browsers.

I'd just like to add my second to the motion.

I'll add my third, though I think it's been mentioned more than that by now.

 

The backgrounds allow for more creative cache identity while still maintaining the same basic page format for the coords, attributes, description, maps, and links. Hope you can find a happy medium.

 

Appreciate the other changes and effort.

[+sbell111]

I'm in the other camp. I like more info, less background.

[+Baptist Deacon]

Overall I like the new look. My one concern is that it appears the side bar navigation is not available from the state maps pages. ie http://www.geocaching.com/map/ME.asp has no left hand nav bar any longer.

Wow, I never knew that part of the website existed. Go figure. IT's amazing what kind of stuff you learn hanging out in the forums. Some of it is actually good.

[+Teach2Learn]

I will cast a dissenting voice from the "we want our screen real estate wasted with backgrounds" crowd. The reduced background/outer frame (well, table entry) really improves the information density of the page.

I don't think anyone wants to "waste" space, but I do think that some of the background space should be returned to provide a balance between the visual versus text info crowd. I enjoy both elements.

[+sbell111]

Wow, I never knew that part of the website existed. Go figure. IT's amazing what kind of stuff you learn hanging out in the forums. Some of it is actually good.

 

Sure, but the rest makes us go to church to say we're sorry.

Edited February 16, 2005 by sbell111

[+Hynr]

I'd really like it if you would  consider reducing the width back to where it was on the cache page

I wouldn't go *THAT* far. The percentages used on the old site were a horrendous waste of space. The percentages used now are good, IMO, but somewhere in between might be ok.

I agree with Hemlock; I prefer the way that there is now less screen space dedicated to background. I have to increase my broser's display font size to a greater level than typically intended by the page developers and I need all the screen real estate just to see what I need to see. In fact, I would not be upset if the border around the sides were completely eliminated.

[+the hermit crabs]

I just switched over to Firefox today, so it took me a bit to realize that the changes in the site's appearance were real. I had initially been thinking, "Hey, gc.com looks way better with this browser than with Netscape or IE..." Only when I saw people here all talking about the changes did the light bulb go on.

 

I love the new look. And the new bookmark list option. And the ignore feature.

 

Thanks!

[+mrking]

I'm in the other camp. I like more info, less background.

Diddo

[+Baptist Deacon]

I just switched over to Firefox today, so it took me a bit to realize that the changes in the site's appearance were real.  I had initially been thinking, "Hey, gc.com looks way better with this browser than with Netscape or IE..."  Only when I saw people here all talking about the changes did the light bulb go on.

 

I love the new look.  And the new bookmark list option.  And the ignore feature.

 

Thanks!

I must cast my vote for the way the cache page looks now. I like it better with less background. The backgrounds used to confuse the cache page, making it more difficult to focus in on what's important.

 

Welcome to Firefox...Hope you like it as much as I do. It's GREAT...

[+Hemlock]

I had initially been thinking, "Hey, gc.com looks way better with this browser than with Netscape or IE..." Only when I saw people here all talking about the changes did the light bulb go on.

[+Anonymous']

I think the new look is awesome. I usually don't think change, but this time it was good change.

[Jeremy]

I just switched over to Firefox today, so it took me a bit to realize that the changes in the site's appearance were real. I had initially been thinking, "Hey, gc.com looks way better with this browser than with Netscape or IE..." Only when I saw people here all talking about the changes did the light bulb go on.

 

I love the new look. And the new bookmark list option. And the ignore feature.

 

Thanks!

That's pretty funny. Oh, I mean, congrats on moving to Firefox. We just redesigned the site for you folks

[+Kilted Cacher]

Very nice job on the new look. Thanks for all the effort to improve this site and make it even better for the cachers out here.

[+Bob Blaylock]

It looks broken under Mac OS X with Apple's Safari browser. The buttons and text in the upper right display multiple times.

I own a mac and it looked fine. Hmm...

  Jeremy, if you have a Macintosh, please go to http://www.icab.de/ and download and install the iCab browser, and use it to view various things on the site.  This is the browser that I use.  It tends to be rather picky about some things.  If you can get everything to render correctly in iCab, and if there's a green smily face near the upper right, then you can be quite confident that the page will render correctly on any browser.  If there's a purple frowning face, or a brown neutral face, clicking on it will bring up a list of things that iCab thinks is wrong with the page.

 

  With the current “New Look”, iCab is having issues correctly displaying extended Unicode characters; these displayed just fine under the “Old Look”.

 

  More coverage at this thread.

[+The Cache Hoppers]

It's a pity that visible background is now far less - this had contributed a lot to the cache "feeling"...

I don't think anyone wants to "waste" space, but I do think that some of the background space should be returned to provide a balance between the visual versus text info crowd. I enjoy both elements.

 

Just echoing the comments on this - preferred it the old way. Sorry. Nice new look apart from that, haven't really tried out all the new features yet to fully appreciate them.

[+Team Shibby]

This was what I caught a glimpse of the other day when I posted here. So far I like it!

 

Kar

[+Team Snorkasaurus]

Hiya Jememy,

 

Thanks for all your efforts! The changes look great and everything seems to work on my system. I enjoy the custom backgrounds, but this setup seems to have better proportions. Great job!

 

[+Ambrosia]

Second comment:

It's a pity that visible background is now far less - this had contributed a lot to the cache "feeling"...

 

BS/2

Hmm... Good point. I may reduce the width to a lower percentage to allow more greenspace to show up. I was just trying to maximize the viewing area for smaller browsers.

Good idea.

 

I got sidetracked by the same topic in general topics, and made my point there. I guess that this would be the better place.

 

All in all, I like the changes, and the new colors.

[+Durango!]

Jeremy,

Thank you for rotating the little boy with the pickle jar off the front page! I always wondered if it might have encouraged people toward glass containers

 

Now if you could just get Signal to stop flipping people off on the contacts link

I miss that little boy.. I remember it as one of the first images I saw when I started in 2002.

[+Durango!]

Second comment:

It's a pity that visible background is now far less - this had contributed a lot to the cache "feeling"...

 

BS/2

Hmm... Good point. I may reduce the width to a lower percentage to allow more greenspace to show up. I was just trying to maximize the viewing area for smaller browsers.

It is GREAT having less wasted space on the sides. Please keep it reduced, I love it!

 

thanks!

[+flask]

love the new features.

 

hate the new colors.

 

still want BM PQ's.

 

still want expanded photo galleries.

 

thank you.

 

your work is never done.

 

kiss, kiss.

[+yodadog and corvus 2]

I don't think anyone wants to "waste" space, but I do think that some of the background space should be returned to provide a balance between the visual versus text info crowd. I enjoy both elements.

 

Couldn't we perhaps compromise then? My caches usually have themes to them, and the body background adds to the theme. It's like having my decor is missing when I go home. The only alternative is to just put the picture in the body of the cache description, I suppose, and I guess if that is the compromise, I can deal with it.

 

Alas--Jeremy, you did a great job (thank you!), and it sounds like I'm howling instead of saying a happy "Magooo!" for a great job! Love the changing pics on the front page every time you sign in, BTW--great!

[Jeremy]

As site redesigns go, this is going surprisingly well.

 

Regarding the background colors I'm getting a lot more yeahs than naahs about leaving it the way it is now. Though I understand the desire for the background images there are still a bunch of folks using very small monitors. I need to keep a happy medium which makes this difficult.

 

I do hear you about the grey background farther down the page. I'm really not sure what to do about that since the old design had its own problems. For example the login text was completely obliterated by many of the background images.

[+Ambrosia]

As site redesigns go, this is going surprisingly well.

 

Regarding the background colors I'm getting a lot more yeahs than naahs about leaving it the way it is now. Though I understand the desire for the background images there are still a bunch of folks using very small monitors. I need to keep a happy medium which makes this difficult.

 

I do hear you about the grey background farther down the page. I'm really not sure what to do about that since the old design had its own problems. For example the login text was completely obliterated by many of the background images.

True.

 

I'm very sad to lose a lot of my backgrounds, though.

 

Everybody needs to buy bigger screens!

[+shunra]

Second comment:

It's a pity that visible background is now far less - this had contributed a lot to the cache "feeling"...

 

BS/2

Hmm... Good point. I may reduce the width to a lower percentage to allow more greenspace to show up. I was just trying to maximize the viewing area for smaller browsers.

I actually like it much better now, for the reason you say.

 

The background is at most relevant to the cache pages themselves, not to any of the other pages. Perhaps cache *owners* could control the width of the borders of their own pages only, with the default being minimal borders, as per the change you made?

[+Teach2Learn]

Second comment:

It's a pity that visible background is now far less - this had contributed a lot to the cache "feeling"...

 

BS/2

Hmm... Good point. I may reduce the width to a lower percentage to allow more greenspace to show up. I was just trying to maximize the viewing area for smaller browsers.

I actually like it much better now, for the reason you say.

 

The background is at most relevant to the cache pages themselves, not to any of the other pages. Perhaps cache *owners* could control the width of the borders of their own pages only, with the default being minimal borders, as per the change you made?

This would be a solution for both parties, if possible and practical.

[+TheWilkens]

Love the re-design!

 

I have a question and perhaps a request (depending on whether or not it's already been implemented):

 

The new "picture at the top of the main page that changes every time you enter the page" thing, it's realy cool, but is there anyway to know if a picture of yours has been used? A little icon next to the picture in the gallery that it was once a main page picture, or an asterix next to the picture description... or even an icon on the "user cache list page" that this user had a front page image?

 

It'd beel nice to know that a picture of mine had been used, although I may never actually be around to see it!

 

Keith.

[+Wild Cat Bud]

Like many who have already posted, I liked the wider visible background. All my caches are themed and the most fun part about placing a cache for me was/is creating the cache page. Now all that work is destroyed if the changes remain in place.

 

Is there not a way to have some sort of HTML switchit code to add to our cache description that would allow those who wish it, to continue to have the use of the wider background space available in the old version.

 

WCB

[Ben Pid]

The background not being there is also an issue for me....so many of my pages have the background on them too.

 

I personally think a happy medium in the size of the table is the best way to go..... Any bit of background is better than it currently is....

 

Apart from that its spot on in every way....Especially in Firefox!!!

 

Possibly think some curved edges wouldnt go a miss, butit isnt nesscesary.

 

Pid

Edited February 17, 2005 by Ben Pid

[+Teach2Learn]

Regarding the background colors I'm getting a lot more yeahs than naahs about leaving it the way it is now...I need to keep a happy medium which makes this difficult.

 

You must be receiving off-thread comments concerning the backgrounds. My count on this thread's first two pages shows a slight lead for those who either wish for the old background or for at least a compromise when the issue is specifically mentioned.

 

I like the "clean look" but that doesn't mean I don't wish for some of the background space to be returned to allow for cache themes and to console owners who worked so hard to create such pages.

Edited February 17, 2005 by Teach2Learn

[+mrking]

Thank you for the bookmarks!!!!

[+planetrobert]

holy schnikees, I like it.

[+Rattlehead]

I'm digging the new look.

[+webscouter.]

I like the new cache borders better, I don't need to see the borders.

[+shunra]

The background is at most relevant to the cache pages themselves, not to any of the other pages. Perhaps cache *owners* could control the width of the borders of their own pages only, with the default being minimal borders, as per the change you made?

I don't see why graphical information should be outside of the page, rather than on the page. Pages should be as big as possible. This would ALSO provide more space for those of us who want to add themed graphics. In other words: the new design is better for everone.

 

The only argument for wide margins would be the preservation of themed art in existing caches. I suggest to solve that problem by having a wide lower margin. The theme elements could still be viewed by scrolling down.

[+nfa]

Nice new look, nice new features...gc.com has been busy, and it has paid off

 

Thanks to Jeremy and the other gc.com programmers for a job well done!

 

nfa-jamie

[+Warriorrider]

Did the font just get smaller on the cache pages?

 

I must need new glasses. It seems awfully small.

[+Hemlock]

Did the font just get smaller on the cache pages?

Did you just hold down the ctrl key while rotating the middle wheel thingy on your mouse?

 

Menubar --> View --> Text Size --> ?

[+SeventhSon]

Now that we have the disable button, is the "click to temporary disable" link below the cache name needed? Or is this a different function?

[+Warriorrider]

Did the font just get smaller on the cache pages?

Did you just hold down the ctrl key while rotating the middle wheel thingy on your mouse?

 

Menubar --> View --> Text Size --> ?

DUH

Thanks Hemlock

[+Maingray]

I prefer the new borders and less-background look. Thanks.

[+wilsonjw]

Heh. That didn't take long. A minute?

I was doing a little surfing through the site today when *bang*, the look-and-feel changed. It'll take a while to get used to it, but I think I really prefer the new look.