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

After the last set of updates, I have to finally admit that Plain is no longer workable. Most of the non-original blobs don't work, and I can no longer navigate on threads longer than one page (well, not without extra work).

Much as I love Goo, I can't get away with it at work that well, so I've got to jump to Alabaster. The layout of Alabaster is better than Plain, but I'll miss it's simplicity and lack of colour. And the 'My Conversations' function (partly made up for by the layout of my Space).

It's a whole new world in here...

There's a "My Conversations" button on Brunel, you know....

Oh yes, but Brunel is too garish to get by at work. Even Alabaster is brightly coloured compared to Plain. Much as I know that Brunel has some nifty gadgets (bookmarking and so on) I just can't bring myself to use it. Ill put up with minimising a window of my Space that shows the My Conversations bit.

Cor, it's nice to click on the 'More Conversations' button in Ask and actually have it display them. I've got used to changing skin just to view that page.

I've switched myself over to Alabaster just for an experiment. It is a bit easier on the eye. The two panes thing in conversations is good. But it's got that blasted fish at the top. I got used to using Brunel before I realised there were options. Hey, I've just realised there are no automatic smiley buttons here! That wont do. Back to Brunel.

I have the fish at the top of my Space anyway ('cause I like having a nice link to PR), so now I get it twice.

I just find it easier to put my emotion in and hope there's a smiley that fits.

I would make a 'Oh, the young 'uns don't know they're born' speech, but a five-digit U-number will come down to remind me of those pre-BBC days when could still use shortcuts... o-o

I'm a very slow typerist, so if I can do this by clicking six buttons rather than typing thirty-odd characters, it's very helpful. And I don't end up with 2legs' and the like all over the place.

Seven buttons. See? My typing's rubbish.

No, I agree it's a handy tool for smilies and it's great for creating Entries in GuideML too. I bet it'll be a standard thing on the new skin. Well, I hope so anyway.

Being a fast typer, it's easier for me just to type the words than to stop typing, reach for my mouse and find the correct little icon to click. It would be good to have it in the new skin so that people can choose which way they find easiest.

Fantastic. I've just discovered that I can still get the My Conversations feature in Alabaster (but not in IE6, which is what I'm forced to use at work). At least I can have it at home in Firefox.