Beginnings of a new forum icon set

As some of you may have noticed, we've slowly begun to update the icons used in the forum displays. This is just a tease of what we're working on with the Xoops 2 upgrade.

Since I was in the original code last night, I actually removed a lot, if not most of the CSS calls from the showforum.php page. Since I only use PC browsers any more (except for occassional testing through WinUAE), I never noticed the degree to which the forums relied on CSS for color display. Sorry folks, but since no one EVER mentioned it sooner, I never noticed.

Wayne

[odin]

Don't want to sound like an grumpy old whiner (even though I am ;-)..well...not old), but......the icons make it a bit unclear which are threads with unread posts. Perhaps using icons which have more differences than only colour would be better?

The old icon set had no change other than color, so I fail to see your point. You'll get used to it.

[fragment]

Wayne wrote:
The old icon set had no change other than color, so I fail to see your point. You'll get used to it.

Already-read-and-hot-topic and new-messages-and-hot-topic have the same icon now.

Already-read-and-hot-topic and new-messages-and-hot-topic have the same icon nowFixed.

[Speelgoedmannetje]

uhm, I do not know how to say this, but I think they're abit too much WindowsXP-ish, too slick
but again, tis just me.

I was thinking about this over lunch, and you are correct about the fact that they're a bit confusing. Perhaps simply because I got confused and used mixed colors when putting them together. I'll see what I can come up with to sort it all out.

Ok,

I've rebuilt the icon images using a more steady color scheme.

Red folders -- New posts
Red folders with flame ball -- New posts / Hot topic
Silver folders -- No new posts
Silver folders with flame ball -- No new posts but was a Hot topic (many replies)
Blue folder with lock icon -- locked (cold) folder.

Hopefully this will be better, but I heartily invite anyone with any graphics skill to try and improve on them, or suggest better ones.

Wayne

[that_punk_guy]

Those look better than the first experimental set. Although, I still really like the black ring round the old ones.

@punk

Has ANYONE *ever* liked ANY change? Or is it more likely that some people are simply likely to bitch any time anything gets updated?

If you don't like the simple folder icon changes, you're really going to be unbearable to live with when the new theme is revealed. :-)

[cecilia]

when i saw them the other day, i liked them immediately. and for some reason they don't look windows XP to me at all.
maybe because they are on an amiga site and not surounded by the usual Windows xp Bulls**t, but, well......I like them, so you can all go to Heck!
:-o

[that_punk_guy]

Wayne... Dude, calm down I wasn't bitching, honest... :-)

[Cyberus]

I think people are resistant to change in general Wayne.

Silly analogy I know, but when a friend gets a radical new haircut and you think it looks terrible, then a week later you're used to it and actually quite like it.....:-)

[Speelgoedmannetje]

I am not bitchin' either, but it slickness isn't my taste, I am a minimalist. Everyone their own taste eh?

@punk,

I'm calm. I'm actually having a lot of fun analyzing people's input. So far, aside from the fact that the earlier color choices were bad, most of people's input are of the "It's new, I never like anything new" nature.

It *will* grow on you, honest. The new site looks fabulous to ALL of the admins, but I'm saving it for a surprise. Suffice to say most of it won't look like your average copycat Xoops site, but it won't lose ANY of the functionality of the current site.

Hell, even Kermit likes it :-)

Wayne

[Trev]

I like the water color look of the folders, but the little flame doesn't really look like a flame to me--it's more like a little orange flower. I'm on a 21" monitor at 1280x960. A simple candle flame might be easier to see, but it doesn't carry the same meaning.

Trev

@Trev

If you can find me a suitable substitute (scalable) for the "little flame", I'll be more than happy to consider it. I just don't have the artistic ability to hand-color flames onto the folder itself.

[iamaboringperson]

Howabout something less bright?

Colors that are somewhat more subdued?

[odin]

Wayne is indeed right......change always sucks in the beginning :-).

[Trev]

@Wayne

It might be a bit too subtle, but a partially burnt folder (something mostly whole with a few signed edges and tiny holes) might be fun. . . . But that kind of implies a burnt out topic instead of a hot one. How about a hot pink lipstick kiss? Maybe not. But with the flames, I think that showing the aftermath of the flame is often more effective than the flame itself, but again. . . .

EDIT: Looking at your Buddy Jesus avatar, I'm thinking that a little puffy heart would be just as clear as a little flame--only it conveys that people love the topic instead of it being a hot topic. It's also a more positive symbol. You think? I'm getting dangerously close to criticism here, but that's not my intent. :-)

Trev

[that_punk_guy]

Wayne wrote:
It *will* grow on you, honest. The new site looks fabulous to ALL of the admins, but I'm saving it for a surprise.


Yeah, I can appreciate that we're seeing them out of context :-)

[Seehund]

As long as this http://www.amiga.org/images/smilies/icon_razz.gif "hah hah I'm a happy mongoloid" GIF mistranslation of the :-P smiley is replaced with something sensible, I'll be a happy camper. :)

Because I'm a such a wonderful person, I'll donate (http://medstud.gu.se/~mair/lager/sicksmiley.gif) one alternative: http://medstud.gu.se/~mair/lager/sicksmiley.gif

[amigamad]

New icons look good to me.

[cecilia]

Wayne wrote:
Hell, even Kermit likes it :-)
then it HAS to be a work of pure genius!!!
:-D

(and I mean that in the nicest possible way. really)

[Wain]

I like the new set(I swear I do! ), but I have a small request/observation...

Would it be possible to change the color a little bit on the padlock on locked threads?? It kind of bleeds into the gray background area and makes it hard to see.

@Wain

I'll see what I can do.

:-)

Would it be possible to change the color a little bit on the padlock on locked threads?? It kind of bleeds into the gray background area and makes it hard to see.

Better?

[Glaucus]

At first I was wondering what all the fuss was all about, then I did a forced refresh... oooo pretty! Good job Wayne! :pint: :-)

EDIT: Btw, would it be possible to incorporate Amigamad's avatar into the icon set?!? :-D

- Mike

[voytech]

@Wayne:

icon for hot thread??
why not a small pepper/chilli pictogram?

think it would say better what's about than lips or heart ..
:-)