h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

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H2G2 has a President - Hypatia

"Obviously I&#39;d rather people linked to the new site, but I can&#39;t tell you what to do!"

If it's all the same to you, I'd rather we didn't put people off.

"H2G2 has a President - Hypatia"

And an absent but benevolent overlord - Nighthoover.

>> If it's all the same to you, I'd rather we didn't put people off.

Well, we're damned either way:

Ancient look, feel and functionality with a completely confusing navigation system (Oh yes it is)

vs

Clean and modern look and feel, full of bugs and 404s

At least it should keep the price down.

Actually, if they can't see beyond the themes to the content and the community, we don't want 'em anyway.

You have a point

That's a good point, Mrs. Zen.

I'm one of those "strength in diversity" idealists that likes to let people have a bit of leeway in how they look at this site. I'm talking about the variety of "skins" we have. We have at least 3 or 4 of them, not counting Barlesque. Surely there must be *one* current skin that is not antiquated.

Over the years, I have tried lots of products that claimed to be "one size fits all," and have often found that it's more like "no size fits well."

But that's just my opinion. Maybe there is some "skin" out there that everyone would like if they could only see it. I don't know where Barlesque is going to end up, but the new owner might want to have us avoid being mistaken for the BBC's sites....

"Surely there must be *one* current skin that is not antiquated. "

We do. It's called Goo.

"one-size-doesn't-quite-fit-all"?

But seriously, I hope that a potential buyer would have more insight into the site than just what it looks like. OK, Brunel is outdated and Barlesque is buggy, but that's nothing which cannot be fixed relatively quickly. On the other hand, a community / site / whatever like ours takes ages to build up.

>>"Surely there must be *one* current skin that is not antiquated. "

We do. It's called Goo.<<

Goo isn't to my taste, but I would welcome the thought of having it available for those who wanted it. Unless the mythical skin that everybody loves comes along.

>> Unless the mythical skin that everybody loves comes along.

It's not just a matter of taste though, it's a matter of what you want to do with the site.

Perhaps we should offer different themes one optimised for readers, another for writers and another for talkers?

What I like about Barlesque is I can keep an eye on who's posting in which threads. Alabaster-with-frames is good in this respect too. This makes it good if you want to keep a broad eye on the site/

Brunel has the conversation pop-up which is really useful if you aren't so bothered about what's going on outside your own sphere.

And so on.

Ben

Once again let's look at BBC sites with a cut down DNA engine.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/ouch/ and http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/memoryshare/home
Didn't the skins come out of the DNA engine.
Surely the fully functional DNA engine doesn't have to be cut down to give it a pretty front page ? Or does it ?

I don't know what's considered prety these days, Ancient brit. Time moved on while I was having a good time. I think a lot of the buzz words and catch phrases that are used these days are horrid!

I desperately need to find an island where it's still the '60s or '70s. I'll settle for early '80s if I have to.

I've worked for people who were fond of saying that function should take precedence over form. What if form and function are joined at the hip, though? The Shaker chair is considered a perfect example of form and function that are inseparable. The human shape could be said to be another example, at least in part. Our *form* -- that of a biped with two arms that can grasp things and a head that swivels on a neck -- contributes brilliantly to functionality: we can carry things in our arms while we are walking or running, and our heads can turn in several directions to see where we are oging.

and let's not forget The Archers - http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/mbarchers/F2693940 Who grumbled like hell about the shift to DNA but still exists.
This begs the question, that I have asked before.
If the BBC retains programs driven by the DNA engine just how much do they save by disposing of h2g2

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Cost-saving is not the driver behind the BBC's decision to 'dispose' of H2G2. It simply doesn't match with the new vision of its online content.

It could be old fashioned but I have added the dolphins to the bottom of My Page.http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/brunel/U197657 . Links and Tabs can be added to it to your hearts content. Wasn't/Isn't the existing Front Page just a special guide entry and so long as it is created within the range of DNA Engine can't it fit the bill. My antiquated an technically inadequate brain just can't understand where the problem lies.

"Surely there must be *one* current skin that is not antiquated. "

We do. It's called Goo.


I repeat toybox's


I love goo - shame it never got the last updated round of smileys and so on. I found it really easy to read. Maybe it was a little kitsch, but hey! I could live with it!

Good grief, do we have to rehash the skins issue in this particular thread?

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It's really good to have a time frame, thanks Nick

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I'm not sure I want democracy.

There's all sort of talk about attracting attention and new users, but what happens when the 'immigrants' outnumber we who have been here for a long time? What protection will the original point of H2G2 have without a 'king'? What will keep H2G2 from becoming 4chan, if the majority wants 4chan?
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Not only do we have Hypatia as Pres, but isn't 2legs King (or Queen depending on his mood)?

I take your point though anhaga, and there will be discussion about who should get voting rights. I've already suggested it should be based on contribution to the site, but no reason why there also shouldn't be a time period requirement as well.