****PETITION FOR MORE SMILIES****PLEASE READ!!

[mrpicard]

I see you were able to get the smilies to reproduce

Mmmm...the breed like Tribbles...I must tell them it is time to stop

[bsic]

AWESOME

[melodichaotic]

....just saw this..yes, that is very awesome...best smilie yet

[mrpicard]

Oh my gosh, what is that...

[melodichaotic]

Ahhh, that's very tempting. I personally like the black and yellow, though it would mirror the DAM site that way--maybe a black sparkle, like stars in space, might be cool--that way it could stand for the infinite tonal possibilities with BJF pedals, but hey, it's Donner's call on that.

[mrpicard]

The default style will always be subsilver2, which has the white background and blue colouring, because most people find this the easiest colouring for reading text. The version used on the BJFE Forum has no modifications from the one supplied in the default server package so that means it will always have any new features introduced by the server software developers. The downside is that is will not have advanced or custom features that could be useful for this specific forum and because it is the default package for every implementation that same style will also be used by lots and lots of other forum providers.

Although subsilver2 is the default, it is always nice to provide alternatives. The reason for this is that members may have different media/presentation requirements or use a variety of different devices where a white background may not be ideal. For example, black backgrounds are good for displaying multimedia content, such as photos and videos, and sometimes on small devices it is easier to have displays that have a higher level of contrast than traditional black text on white background. So, on this basis I have been working on a style with a black background not as a replacement but as a helpful alternative to a small number of people who may need it. It also provides a platform to experiment with interesting new features that may not be available from the standard subsilver2 style.

With regards to the colours/icons on a black background there are no decent styles that look good. The only one that is close is darksunyellow, which is what the D*A*M Forum is based on. The problem with this style is that it is very old and out of date - it is no longer compatible with the new server software. This is quite a severe limitation and one that people overcome by not upgrading their forums, which is not really a good thing. On D*A*M they have also made changes to suit some of their own needs. So, what I decided to do was write a brand new style that used the current subsilver2 as a base but changed the colouring and icons but kept the underlying HTML code. This approach means (a) it will be totally up to date and (b) it will be easy to keep it up to date with subsilver2. So, as a result the underlying files in this style are quite different from the forums using darksunyellow and this new style will also look very much like the forum default subsilver2 style. If you check the layout between the black BJFE Forum style and the D*A*M style you will see that the layout is quite different and that will get more noticeable over time. The BJFE version will continue to develop to look more professional, more refined and more modern and a bit more graphic. With regards to the yellow on black text, that is a hard one; I have tried heaps of colour alternatives and yellow on black works the best - it just looks good. So, I took the approach that lots of sites have black text on a white background so lots of sites can also have yellow text on a black background - if it works it works and nobody should own a colour . Regardless, this site will look more refined and will have more modern features implemented, which I think is really the best thing to focus on

So, if anyone wants to try it there is a new style called subsilver2black that looks like the above. It is not the default, it is not a replacement, it is an alternative; it is just the standard BJFE Forum style but with a black background for those with a special need to use it. It is still in development but it does look OK so far. One day I may even consider an alternative iPhone version....but there are no promises

[SteveA]

I've been browsing through the black/yellow scheme and it looks nice and slick. A dark grey might be better than black and easier on the eyes. Anyone else has input on the new alternative scheme?

[melodichaotic]

Thanks David for explaining that...I for one, certainly appreciate it, and wasn't meaning to sound critical whatsoever about the DAM site similarity on the visual--of course having the forum up to date and without limitation for further implements is key, and yes, I agree, no one should own a color(just like like no-one should ever be able to copyright a chord progression--Metallica anyone?).

For certain media presentation requirements, that is a great approach as well, but then that is why you are the magnificent Mr. Picard

[mrpicard]

..I wasn't meaning to sound critical whatsoever about the DAM site similarity on the visual

That is OK, I did not think that your comments were critical Quite often I race ahead without putting enough time into explaining what I was thinking. Therefore your comment was timely because it made me go, "whoops, better stop and give an explanation before I go too far". Sometimes I need to be reminded to give the horse a quick breather and write down the diary of the day before I ride off into the sunset again

..that is why you are the magnificent Mr. Picard

Oh gosh, man blushing again.. I better write a filter so that these types of comments are automatically banned before my head gets way too big...

[Jagattack]

Yeah, just wanted to add my thanks for the work you're doing, and I especially like the new range of smileys! (had to use it).

Cheers!
(I'm trying out the new display options as well).