Comments on: Welcome to the *NEW* Bad Astronomy homepage! http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/07/09/welcome-to-the-new-bad-astronomy-homepage/ I am an astronomer, writer, and skeptic. I likes reality the way it is, and I aims to keep it that way. My real name is Phil Plait, and I run the Bad Astronomy blog. Wed, 25 Nov 2009 01:06:14 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Derek Rodgers http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/07/09/welcome-to-the-new-bad-astronomy-homepage/comment-page-1/#comment-17068 Derek Rodgers Mon, 17 Jul 2006 19:50:55 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/07/09/welcome-to-the-new-bad-astronomy-homepage/#comment-17068 Phil, MODx might be good for what you want. It's a highly (and easily, I might ad) costomizable CMS (Content Management System). As the name implies, it is very easy to modify the cms and add modules to it. Here is the MODx Site: http://modxcms.com/ And this is a demo of it in action: http://opensourcecms.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=2101&Itemid=159 Notice how easily the fourms are integrated into the site. Phil, MODx might be good for what you want. It’s a highly (and easily, I might ad) costomizable CMS (Content Management System). As the name implies, it is very easy to modify the cms and add modules to it.

Here is the MODx Site:
http://modxcms.com/

And this is a demo of it in action:
http://opensourcecms.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=2101&Itemid=159

Notice how easily the fourms are integrated into the site.

]]> By: icemith http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/07/09/welcome-to-the-new-bad-astronomy-homepage/comment-page-1/#comment-17067 icemith Mon, 17 Jul 2006 18:32:54 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/07/09/welcome-to-the-new-bad-astronomy-homepage/#comment-17067 Dang! the "mug shot" layout got messed up. I'm sure missing a preview button. It would, or should, show just how the comment would look in the post, and any glaring errors would, or again should, be more obvious, and any funny spacing would stay as required. And I'm still not game to try some of that XHTML Markup stuff. Maybe we need an XHTML 101 course! Ivan. Dang! the “mug shot” layout got messed up. I’m sure missing a preview button. It would, or should, show just how the comment would look in the post, and any glaring errors would, or again should, be more obvious, and any funny spacing would stay as required. And I’m still not game to try some of that XHTML Markup stuff. Maybe we need an XHTML 101 course!

Ivan.

]]> By: icemith http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/07/09/welcome-to-the-new-bad-astronomy-homepage/comment-page-1/#comment-17066 icemith Mon, 17 Jul 2006 18:14:29 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/07/09/welcome-to-the-new-bad-astronomy-homepage/#comment-17066 I've just starting getting the new layout, or is it a newer layout? Re-design mark ll even? Curiously this only happened after some frustration due to overly long delays and time-outs trying to download/open links. But it was about time I refreshed the router/modem, marvelous how that little action peps up the performance. Just switch it off for half a minute and it "goes like a bought one"! I think it may have been mentioned before, but I do now suggest that the biog details Phil, after the reply box, is positioned just a little way down the page, and could be missed. I mean, that is where you advertise your goodies. There is too much space around your mug-shot . Not sure how you can rectify that, but maybe 'headlines' or 'pointers' for what's below, would be my humble suggestion. Secondly I find it hard to reason with having black lettering on dark blue or darkish blue on the darker blue, or on the dark grey. I know this is for your suppliers of the site and facilities, but they probably deserve a little more prominence, for their sake. (I don't believe I'm saying this after working 30 years in Public Radio and TV, where commercials are not wanted, at least not for paid ads, we did have plenty of promotions for our own programs though!). Surprisingly, I've already gotten used to the layout, so I guess it must have a lot going for it. With those couple of mods. and a preview button, (I looked and did not find one), it is at least an improvement over the old style, but still only 8 * (stars) out of 10. Ivan. I’ve just starting getting the new layout, or is it a newer layout? Re-design mark ll even? Curiously this only happened after some frustration due to overly long delays and time-outs trying to download/open links. But it was about time I refreshed the router/modem, marvelous how that little action peps up the performance. Just switch it off for half a minute and it “goes like a bought one”!

I think it may have been mentioned before, but I do now suggest that the biog details Phil, after the reply box, is positioned just a little way down the page, and could be missed. I mean, that is where you advertise your goodies. There is too much space around your

mug-shot .

Not sure how you can rectify that, but maybe ‘headlines’ or ‘pointers’ for what’s below, would be my humble suggestion.

Secondly I find it hard to reason with having black lettering on dark blue or darkish blue on the darker blue, or on the dark grey. I know this is for your suppliers of the site and facilities, but they probably deserve a little more prominence, for their sake. (I don’t believe I’m saying this after working 30 years in Public Radio and TV, where commercials are not wanted, at least not for paid ads, we did have plenty of promotions for our own programs though!).

Surprisingly, I’ve already gotten used to the layout, so I guess it must have a lot going for it. With those couple of mods. and a preview button, (I looked and did not find one), it is at least an improvement over the old style, but still only 8 * (stars) out of 10.

Ivan.

]]> By: Max Fagin http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/07/09/welcome-to-the-new-bad-astronomy-homepage/comment-page-1/#comment-17069 Max Fagin Mon, 17 Jul 2006 05:19:06 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/07/09/welcome-to-the-new-bad-astronomy-homepage/#comment-17069 I'm accessing the website now at 11:00 PM MST. Are you in the middle of redesigning? a lot of things have changed. I’m accessing the website now at 11:00 PM MST. Are you in the middle of redesigning? a lot of things have changed.

]]> By: The Bad Astronomer http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/07/09/welcome-to-the-new-bad-astronomy-homepage/comment-page-1/#comment-17071 The Bad Astronomer Sun, 16 Jul 2006 00:35:50 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/07/09/welcome-to-the-new-bad-astronomy-homepage/#comment-17071 I have added a second navigation bar under my banner-- it has links to the most topics. I have been fiddling around for hours with the blog, and I have determined that the template software I am using is too cumbersome to add a left hand menu. I think I could use one, to be honest, so the choices are stick with what I have and continue trying to hack it (very hard), or redo the whole dang thing from scratch using better CSS (also very hard). I got very close to being able to add the menu with the existing template, but somewhere, deep in the code, it won't let me float the menu <i>and</i> the right hand side at the same time. The RHS always gets pushed down to below the main content. I think it's because of the order in which files are called in the template, but the template is a mess logistically, so it's hard to tell. I might try to dig up a three-column template and see if I can make it look like what I have now... I have added a second navigation bar under my banner– it has links to the most topics.

I have been fiddling around for hours with the blog, and I have determined that the template software I am using is too cumbersome to add a left hand menu. I think I could use one, to be honest, so the choices are stick with what I have and continue trying to hack it (very hard), or redo the whole dang thing from scratch using better CSS (also very hard).

I got very close to being able to add the menu with the existing template, but somewhere, deep in the code, it won’t let me float the menu and the right hand side at the same time. The RHS always gets pushed down to below the main content. I think it’s because of the order in which files are called in the template, but the template is a mess logistically, so it’s hard to tell. I might try to dig up a three-column template and see if I can make it look like what I have now…

]]> By: Dan http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/07/09/welcome-to-the-new-bad-astronomy-homepage/comment-page-1/#comment-17070 Dan Sun, 16 Jul 2006 00:13:06 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/07/09/welcome-to-the-new-bad-astronomy-homepage/#comment-17070 I understand that you need to balance bandwidth efficiency against keeping the page up to date, but I was seeing "Why we must fund NASA– will no one think of the chimps?" with just one comment for a few days. I thought everyone must've gone on vacation or something.... I understand that you need to balance bandwidth efficiency against keeping the page up to date, but I was seeing “Why we must fund NASA– will no one think of the chimps?” with just one comment for a few days.

I thought everyone must’ve gone on vacation or something….

]]> By: The Bad Astronomer http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/07/09/welcome-to-the-new-bad-astronomy-homepage/comment-page-1/#comment-17072 The Bad Astronomer Sat, 15 Jul 2006 17:05:07 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/07/09/welcome-to-the-new-bad-astronomy-homepage/#comment-17072 The pages are cacxhing because the server load is getting a little hot these days. By caching, the pressure on the server is relieved. I could take the main page off the cache, I suppose, but I'd need to check carefully to see what the impact is on overhead. The pages are cacxhing because the server load is getting a little hot these days. By caching, the pressure on the server is relieved. I could take the main page off the cache, I suppose, but I’d need to check carefully to see what the impact is on overhead.

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