Hello everybody.
I would like to suggest that the main page when someone arrives to ostan-collections.net would be the wiki, and not the forums. The reason is, that for a newcomer (aka someone who comes from google), the first view being the forum is surely not what he wants, and can be a bit repulsive. On the other hand, we have a very decent wiki with lots of infos. Therefore i would suggest those changes to the main page of the wiki :
* Welcome to ostan-collections
* Description of the website (a few lines, 2 or 3 max)
* As icons, links to the main ostans (to be decided), something which is appealing to have infos on for most people
* Links to the other ostan and current links below that
* Two, large, pictures as buttons to go to forums and wiki (in addition to the left links which would stay here)
All that fitting in one page without having to scroll.
If you're interested in doing that, then i can switch the main page.
I don't believe it's any longer for the usual forumers here, as it would be easily reachable from main (wiki) page. And on another hand, the website would look way more cohesive.
In case the idea of prioritising the fantastic information on the site over the discussion catches fire, we could also consider changing the domain name to something cute like ostanpedia.net. x)
Naturally, a change of domain name might be a decent idea in general, as the current ostan-collections.net, while being explicit, is very very long as a name, and especially on a mobile device burdensome to type. We've checked, for example short os-tan.net would be vacant. What do you all think? Any decent, the idea(s) presented? No? Improvements?
A shorter URL would be nice; as easy as it is to remember super-long ones like "ostan-collections.net" or "ThatGuyWithTheGlasses.com", it's often difficult to type that out on something like a tablet. My vote would likely go to "os-tan.net"; the original site name could still be used in conjunction with that
Also, I like the idea of a frontpage; using the forums as such makes it look like that's all we are, when there's so much more to the site than just that. I could help design menu graphics for the frontpage, if you'd like (Like a button for the forums, the wiki, and the gallery)
I think it'd be cool to see a minimalistic frontpage with some nice main-page art, a short description or something of the like and links to both the forum and wiki.
I have no design experience but here's a quick layout sketch I made: http://i.imgur.com/U9XCq.png
Very good, B. *nod*
I was thinking that having equally some thumbnails of OS-tans on the front page would allow to give a random visitor examples on the characters, and possibly also highlight some OS-tans made by you guys, not necessarily alone the canon ones. I've felt for a long while that considering the work some of you put into the theories, designs, etc., they could deserve some of the spotlight in the entrance in addition to the original ones.
i'd be willing to help design-wise, too. i've made buttons before. >>;
that said, i don't mind the current name, but i imagine that someone accessing from a mobile device might have trouble. but i remember seeing a site once called os-tan.net, so i think a little research would be needed to make sure we're not taking over an old domain. idk, but it just feels weird to use the name of a now-fallen os-tan site. like we'd be putting on their skin or something, y'know? :\
as long as i can leave the forum page open, i'll be happy. but if i'm gonna have to click the link to get into the forum each time, then i'd get annoyed. it sounds as simple as it being ostan.net/forum, though.
for new short domains, what if we look at the old rename thread from years past? i can't find it, save for one with the current one and "ostan-global.net". that thread mentions an older one, but i can't find it.
that said, off the top of my head, we could have os-tan.net, os-girls.net (sounds a bit porny though), os-love.net (porny again), and.....c'mon, help me out here. =__=;
@bella: there needs to be more there. *attaches example*
Quote from: Chocofreak13 on October 27, 2012, 05:34:03 PM
as long as i can leave the forum page open, i'll be happy. but if i'm gonna have to click the link to get into the forum each time, then i'd get annoyed. it sounds as simple as it being ostan.net/forum, though.
It would naturally be possible to bookmark the forum directly to avoid always going through the Wiki, as the point would not be to force unnecessary traffic either.
For the domain names, ostan-global.net was indeed an option back in time, but I wouldn't consider it at all today as it originally lost to the current title and isn't considerably shorter either. os-girls.net would work, but I personally believe keeping the -tan is still fairly interesting as the phenomenom itself is known as OS-tans. The domain name should of course be vacant as well. I'm not aware of os-tan.net site existing before, but if so then indeed moving to that address might feel a bit like moving into someone else's sarcophagus. ^^;
Dont shoot me, but i made a concept image for a home page.
Simple, includes OS-Tan images, and easy to get where you want.
(sorry if the image is a bit big ;w;")
http://i.imgur.com/PrDLF.png (http://i.imgur.com/PrDLF.png)
(http://i.imgur.com/PrDLF.png)
how does os-ta.net sound? (using the n in net for both tan and net)
Quote from: Pitkin on October 27, 2012, 05:09:11 PM
I was thinking that having equally some thumbnails of OS-tans on the front page would allow to give a random visitor examples on the characters, and possibly also highlight some OS-tans made by you guys, not necessarily alone the canon ones. I've felt for a long while that considering the work some of you put into the theories, designs, etc., they could deserve some of the spotlight in the entrance in addition to the original ones.
That would be really nice. :D
Any idea how this would be worked into the front-page design? Would the thumbnails be static, or would they be random and change whenever the page is reloaded (sort of like the gallery thumbnails feature we used to have on the frontpage of the forum)? I can imagine the later might be a bit difficult to implement, though...
Quote from: DustiiWolf on October 27, 2012, 05:55:05 PM
Dont shoot me, but i made a concept image for a home page.
Simple, includes OS-Tan images, and easy to get where you want.
(sorry if the image is a bit big ;w;")
http://i.imgur.com/PrDLF.png (http://i.imgur.com/PrDLF.png)
how does os-ta.net sound? (using the n in net for both tan and net)
Heres a demo site imade as a demonstration of my concept.
http://ostandemo.99k.org/ (http://ostandemo.99k.org/)
impressive that you managed to get a demo working. clickable buttons like that are pretty cool. and i like the format of having the information on the buttons rather than the description off to the side (though tbh i don't really mind either way, and since we have 5 buttons to implement, having them on one side might be more balanced). but the design itself, while a prototype, feels too close to windows 8. is everything you do 8-related....? ^^;
@bella: tbh i doubt having a rotating banner for the top page would be too hard. plus, it would be like it used to be with the rotating banners here. ^^ (i would demand we use some of the banners that used to be up. >>; )
@pitkin: hence why i asked for people to brainstorm. ^^; any idea what happened to the older thread? i can bring up the thread it's mentioned in, if it helps. and what about ostan-love.net? os-tannery.net? (i know these are bad. help please.)
EDIT: pitkin, PLEASE tell me you kept the nijikaku download files. that's the only way to get a working copy if you don't speak japanese.
@Kari: If she doesn't, I believe I have it stored somewhere. I'll check
EDIT: I have the files :3
@Dustii: Looks nice, but it's a little plain at the moment. Maybe add something as a background image?
TBH, my favorite names so far are "os-tan.net" (short, simple, to-the-point) and "ostanpedia.net" (if we wanna put more emphasis on the wiki / character documentation and creation aspects of this site, this would work well).
Quote from: Chocofreak13 on October 27, 2012, 07:51:31 PM
impressive that you managed to get a demo working. clickable buttons like that are pretty cool. and i like the format of having the information on the buttons rather than the description off to the side (though tbh i don't really mind either way, and since we have 5 buttons to implement, having them on one side might be more balanced). but the design itself, while a prototype, feels too close to windows 8. is everything you do 8-related....? ^^;
Not necessarily, BUT i do find the (Formerly Metro) Modern UI Style very simple and easy to use (as well as implement), as well as it looks good, while being easy on the eyes.
Quote from: PentiumMMX on October 27, 2012, 08:01:19 PM
@Dustii: Looks nice, but it's a little plain at the moment. Maybe add something as a background image?
Check it again: http://ostandemo.99k.org/
(Screenshots attatched)
EDIT: Added favicon to site
I do like the sound of "os-tan.net". Maybe "ostan-land.net" could also work...although that sounds like a really lame website from the '90s; like the long-forgotten Nintendoland ^_^;;
Maybe if we could find some shorthand for "collection", or a word meaning the same thing that is a lot shorter
@Dustii: Looks better :3
its too bad there cant be a custom extension (org, biz, gl, ly...) like OS.tan
Also, if anyone wants a copy of the files from my demo page ask and ill link them.
"good" is relative. as is "easy on the eyes". >>;
os-world.net? but then we sound like a computer repair place. >>;
Okay.. now im starting to wonder what your beef with windows 8 is?
tanpedia.net? i know its missing the "os" but it is shorter
i just don't like it. besides, having that design be the basis for the site could potentially make us seem like we favour new OSes over old ones, have some sort of specific affiliation with windows 8 (like selling it or making stuff for it or something) or even get us sued. wouldn't be the first time a computer company's sued over something minor like spoofing a design. >>;
besides, i still like the idea of the rotating banners. means that more than one OS gets some time in the sun, and though you're too new to have seen it, the banner up top used to change each time the page was displayed. some of us miss that. >>;
tanpedia could work if we want to put more emphasis on the gallery. but i've had times when i've seen 'OS-tan' be confused by the internet for "tan suede" (go ebay >>; ). i hope that wouldn't happen here.
OS-tanners.net?
I'd have agree with Choco on this one. It is a nice design, but the more I think about it, it's not right for this site; it might give some the wrong idea about what this site is, or it could lead to trouble for our admins
i guess your right... i had seen other sites on the web with that metro-y feel, but i see your points...
oh well... (mind if i leave the demo up?)
EDIT:
Out of curiosity, is it possible for a website to detect what OS your using?
some can, i think. why, were you thinking that the site could detect what os the accesser has and adjust accordingly?
go ahead and leave the demo up. it's a cool demo. and brainstorming is a good idea. but we're not a metro or windows 8 site, so having that feel isn't right.
I know this isnt a windows 8 site. i was just trying to come up with a simple landing page and used Metro as my inspiration.
And yes. i thought the landing could theme according to your OS. (Aero Style for Win7, OSx Style for Macs, Something like my demo for Windows 8, etc...)
EDIT: Changed somethings on the site, such as the title to Os-Tan Collections Preview, just to play around with it, since it is a demo/preview/concept, and its more of just something to toy around with/brainstormwith.
Also, after some googling, apparently ones OS is in the browser User Agent, so if you could program the site to detect the User Agent and changed according to OS itd be cool
http://ostandemo.99k.org/OSTan%20Mac/OS.htm
OS Tan Board Apple Style
"OS-tan Collections GM"
(Screenshot attatched)
For the frontpage :
- My idea was to use the wiki as a frontpage but if we can come with an idea to have a separated frontpage, it's also very valid of course. The simple (not in bad meaning) - clear looking and very explicit preview of DustiiWolf could be that frontpage. The worst option is nearly what we have currently, that is to fall on forums directly.
For the game :
- Duplicate of the files we have. It's better to have a link to the real place. However, we can put a direct link, if that's the problem. For the concern, we do still have the files but I would prefer to find a way to point to the original thing (why not an explanation of some japanese keywords to download it, in addition to the link to the page and direct link ? )
For the domain :
- As long as i have to maintain only one domain, i'm fine with any solutions. Personally, tried to join the site on my phone (GSII) and it's an ultra-PITA. Not to mention that the forum is not at all adapted to phone browsing, but that's another thing (should be avatarless- signatureless theme). I did check and os-tan.net is available. ostan.net is not.
For DustiiWolf (Major out topic) :
- I am bloody interested in someone who finds Win8 interesting, because let's be honest, i have way more opinions about it being ultracrap xD . So if you have some objective good points, let me know to see if it deserves its 30€ - current price offer. :)
I personally liked DustiiWolf's design idea a lot for its cleanliness and looks, but am a tiny bit worried of a potential cease and desist order. ^^; Also, making a site different for each user based on their platform would be a high-maintenance solution, and I would personally have at most two different home pages, of which one would be for all desktop/laptop users and the other for mobile phone users.
The five-year-old referendum thread is here: http://ostan-collections.net/forum/index.php/topic,265.0.html - os-tan.net was mentioned being taken back then, yes. Not anymore, however. *nod*
The changing banner won't be possible for Wiki, for the forum front page it would be doable... however: 1) it will have to be re-made every time the forum is updated which is unhandy, and 2) it will add another layer to load when accessing the front page (it'll mean reloading every time instead of taking it just from cache), which is again especially heavy for people with low internet speed. The question is, is it good practice to risk alienating a potential new visitor by lengthening the loading times further?
Quote from: Chocofreak13 on October 27, 2012, 07:51:31 PM
EDIT: pitkin, PLEASE tell me you kept the nijikaku download files. that's the only way to get a working copy if you don't speak japanese.
Yes, the files are still here for version 25. What I'm personally a bit worried about is that that our version was very very out-dated (as the current version is 48 ^^; ), it's not especially worth downloading while newer ones are available. Also, because it seems that the size of the game increases with every release (now it looks like being something like 800Mb instead of 250Mb), it'll be extremely hard to have it available directly here.
I can probably make a tutorial on how to get the game from the Japanese-language website and install it (if I get it working), but we'll also try to see if we can get the files here. In the worst case, the old version can do the trick, though its interest value might be very low.
Quote from: Re:nijikakusnip
I've downloaded the entire current build, and could probably make a full copy if anyone's interested.
Quote from: Pitkin on October 28, 2012, 05:42:26 AM
I personally liked DustiiWolf's design idea a lot for its cleanliness and looks, but am a tiny bit worried of a potential cease and desist order. ^^; ...
i noticed alot of people were afraid of a cease and dissit, but at the same time, alot of websites have adapted the metro.
examples:
http://aozora.github.com/bootmetro/ (http://aozora.github.com/bootmetro/)
https://metrodynamis.com/ (https://metrodynamis.com/)
http://www.spllive.com/ (http://www.spllive.com/)
http://naghsheh.info/Pivot/Pivot.htm (http://naghsheh.info/Pivot/Pivot.htm)
http://designerves.com/article/metro-style-websites-showcase/ (http://designerves.com/article/metro-style-websites-showcase/)
http://metro-webdesign.info/ (http://metro-webdesign.info/)
Furthermore, Microsoft themselves seem to encourage a website inspired by their UI in this case study of converting Websites to Windows 8 apps.
QuoteOur aim is to help designers and developers reimagine their websites as Windows Store apps.
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/apps/hh868264.aspx (http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/apps/hh868264.aspx)
(http://i.msdn.microsoft.com/dynimg/IC571340.png)
As you see, Microsoft themselves are encouraging their simplistic UI.
And there are plenty more sites adopting the design.
im not saying that its not a possibility to get a cease and desist; There is ALWAYS a possibility as with anything, but i am trying to show my point of view and as to why im not as worried about my Preview's design as the rest of you.
EDIT: I do think i need to do a bit more work on the preview though...
@fedora: personally, i think having the wiki being the main focus isn't too good an idea at the core of things, since while that provides useful information to those unfamiliar with the topic, for those who know about os-tans, they might want to come directly to the forums. the landing page with buttons idea appeals to me more.
os-tan.net is nice. i like it now that i think about it.
@pitkin (and partially fedora): i'm sure you know that in order to make nijikaku work, you have to download 3 seperate files and keep them together. now, before i knew that nijikaku was in the downloads section, i tried to download it directly from the site (this was build 43, i believe, or perhaps 35). i failed miserably, even after downloading basically every file i could find on there. now, maybe this was an error on my part, but i was following a download tutorial on a different site, and it still didn't work. the only working build i've been able to get my hands on was from this site, since we had all 3 needed files, glitch-free. i think we should keep the files uploaded and have a link to the site in case people want a newer version.
i like having the different landing page for mobile users, since while most people go online from smartphones, i've been able to access the net from a simple pre-paid flip phone, and regular pages are tricky to navigate on such a small screen.
as for the rotating banner, if we do a landing page with buttons to the wiki and forum, maybe we could have the banner there rotate? doesn't seem terribly hard, but then, i don't really know. ^^;
@dustii: i don't want to harbour animocity here. but really, metro isn't right for this site. notice the light blue colour scheme here? it's been here since before i came here, and is reminscent of ME-tan, the first OS-tan. we represent more than 8-tan, and there is quite a bit more artwork of other -tans than 8-tan. metro is ONLY reminscent of windows 8, which doesn't represent the people or the -tans here. we need something NEUTRAL. ><;;
OK so i'll go for the direct mode : for nijikaku, what we try to say is, we just cannot. ostan is free website, and this very download "costs" (i won't enter details) too much for us to host.
I already have enough problems to host that website currently.
host the website? what do you mean, this site?
and srsly....the download takes that much of a toll? i don't remember it being THAT big, but if you say so...
Quote from: Chocofreak13 on October 28, 2012, 12:40:21 PM
@dustii: i don't want to harbour animocity here. but really, metro isn't right for this site. notice the light blue colour scheme here? it's been here since before i came here, and is reminscent of ME-tan, the first OS-tan. we represent more than 8-tan, and there is quite a bit more artwork of other -tans than 8-tan. metro is ONLY reminscent of windows 8, which doesn't represent the people or the -tans here. we need something NEUTRAL. ><;;
Like i said. Im gonna work more on the preview. try to incorporate more things and get farther away from metro. i understand that metro in and of itself isnt right for the site, i agree, but that doesnt mean it cant incorporate it in some way. My preview was mainly to be a concept. concepts are fluid. they can change
@Chocofreak: This website, yes. Unfortunately, one of the two being unemployed and having literally zero income while living in a city means that there's not much money to invest into improving the hosting. It's more the contrary recently. :/
Of Nijikaku, while it wasn't the case every month in a year, the 250Mb file topped the bandwith use very regularly when I used to follow the site statistics more closely. It's not just to argue with you.
Chocofreak, I don't think you do understand anything about the hosting of this website. If i say it, i mean it, and it's true. Why do you think i bother myself to host something for free for so many years now ? Actually, i'll nicely remind everyone that i do pay for the hosting, so it's not free for me. At least please respect that.
I try my best to not get upset, but please consider that it's quite something to hear complains about that.
And don't go in whine mode and / or take it personnally, i'm just pissed off to have to justify myself every second posts.
I can imagine the Nijikaku file topping the download lists - this is likely the only easily indexed download location for it that's not in japanese, and it's undoubtedly more interesting than the other files for most visitors.
However, what we could do is to upload the new version (once i get it compiled) in torrent or archive form somewhere else (filehost etc), and have a link to it on the download section. Should be easy and cheap as free for all, no?
Since that way we still get indexed as a download location for it, but we don't have to pay for the bandwidth~
@fedora: i thought you meant the link to the nijikaku page. of course i know that hosting this site isn't free. i wasn't asking for justification, i was asking for CLARIFICATION. i didn't realize nijikaku was that large. it's been awhile, okay? >:\
if we get it compiled into a .rar, i'm willing to upload it to my mediafire account, if they accept files that large.
if costs are that much a concern, why not reintroduce banner ads? don't the generate a bit of revenue?
also, has everyone agreed that os-tan.net is a good new domain? and what are we doing for the updates, have we decided?
Okay. Ive REdesigned my preview.
Used blue more
made it less Windows 8-ish while still incorporating metro a bit.
http://ostandemo.99k.org/ (http://ostandemo.99k.org/)
OLD preview:
http://ostandemo.99k.org/old/index.html (http://ostandemo.99k.org/old/)
(screenshot attatched)
os-tan.net sounds good.
Quote from: Aurora Borealis on October 28, 2012, 04:06:16 PM
@Dustii: I like it! :D
thanks! now lets hope choco approves. ;w;"
me too. but if i were you, i'd tweak the colours on the squares so that it forms the windows logo (clockwise from top left: red, green yellow, blue). x) and can the background blue be a little lighter? :3
also, can we think of a way to work the irc in there? sorry to be plugging it so hard, but it was a long-running part of the site, and some people might not want to go through the forums to get to the irc. feels slightly counterintuitive. :\
@dustii: ohhh, c'mon. it's not up to me, after all. ^^;
I like it ^_^
Just because I feel like it, I might attempt to make a mock-up of Bella's design just because
I think it looks quite good Dusti. Though I'd add a little more variety to the characters in the icons - as Pitkin suggested, we want to open this up to more than just the core-canon OS-tans. I think a good mixture of characters would be a canon Windows-tan (probably ME, since she's the most iconic), a Classic Mac-tan (Sonata?), a Linux-tan and maybe a vintage- or mainframe-tan.
@bella: i like that idea. if we decide to implement an irc button, maybe we could use a hardware, software, or file extension -tan. .txt-tan is pretty cute.... ^^
@pent: i like that idea, too. having multiple designs is a good idea, so maybe i'll make a sample of the layout i made, too.
Whats the link to IRC? it used to be on the forum main but i cant find it.
I would think myself that order should be
Wiki - Forums
Gallery - Downloads
I second a smaller yet visible button for IRC, but i don't think it should be as big as the other ones.
I think also some shortcuts like smaller buttons to main tans informations would make it more friendly and encourage people to see according wiki pages. I think we have a fantastic wiki, so let's put it in advertisement !
IRC : http://chat.chat4all.net/?c=28mh06fsthfz4kx
Okiedokie. Ive updated my preview. OSx Tiger is Downloads and this Linspire image from the gallery is irc chat in the corner
Nice ^_^
Attached is a design draft I put together, loosely based on Bella's concept sketch with a few added notes. Hopefully it's clear enough, or at the very least, somebody gets a laugh at the description
Net...scape? XD lol
nice! *thumbs up*
oh! i updated my demo (its working btw)
http://ostandemo.99k.org/
Added: Updated icons, added "About OSC" which gives a user javascript activated dialog that gives a basic description AND "Random OS-tan" which loads a random page on the OS-tan Wiki.
Also recolored tiles in the style of the Microsoft Logo, formerly the Windows Flag.
(http://ostan-collections.net/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=1609.0;attach=1751;image)
(http://ostan-collections.net/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=1609.0;attach=1753;image)
That looks really good! A little more character variety in the buttons and maybe removing the actual OS logos (mostly so it doesn't look like we "advocate" any OSes in particular, and also the potential copyrights issue) and I'd be pretty much sold. ^.^
@fedora: that's what i've been saying all along.....
@dustii: do you know what irc is? it's basically as close as you can get to those cool 90's chatrooms. :3
i like both, but i'm gravitating toward pent's more. this isn't due to favouritism, it's because the design manages to get more information on the page in a solid, simple format. the design also reminds me of the site we have now. it also follows the format that me and bella originally laid out, and it manages to get in a windows, mac, linux, and vintage-tan. the banner could rotate, too, so we could get even more -tans in (including 8-tan, if we make a banner for her >w>; ). ^^
i am happy you put in the other buttons, though. i like having the irc button and the info button is nice for people who managed to trip over us. xD
dustii, you seem to put a lot of stock in my opinion. though i seem to swing a bit of influence here, i'm just one person. if other people like your design, be proud, okay? :)
I like the design very much, i think we can try it as a trial for a couple days and sees how it behaves on the long run.
I'll wait the approval or other members, but it's fine with me. That's even impressive i like a design win8-looking like :p
For those who wants to come directly to the forums, i can make (if i find the time) an option that would put you directly on forums and bypassing the login page (actually, what windows 8 totally lacks). No promises i do it tomorrow, still. Alternatively, the url will stay http://ostan-collections.net/forum so bookmarking that is fine too. But we talk about 1 extra click here :)
Quote from: Chocofreak13 on October 29, 2012, 12:23:57 AM
@fedora: that's what i've been saying all along.....
::)
Quote from: Chocofreak13 on October 29, 2012, 12:23:57 AM
@fedora: that's what i've been saying all along.....
@dustii: do you know what irc is? it's basically as close as you can get to those cool 90's chatrooms. :3
i like both, but i'm gravitating toward pent's more. this isn't due to favouritism, it's because the design manages to get more information on the page in a solid, simple format. the design also reminds me of the site we have now. it also follows the format that me and bella originally laid out, and it manages to get in a windows, mac, linux, and vintage-tan. the banner could rotate, too, so we could get even more -tans in (including 8-tan, if we make a banner for her >w>; ). ^^
i am happy you put in the other buttons, though. i like having the irc button and the info button is nice for people who managed to trip over us. xD
dustii, you seem to put a lot of stock in my opinion. though i seem to swing a bit of influence here, i'm just one person. if other people like your design, be proud, okay? :)
I am proud.
I put so much stock in your opinion because:
A: Youve been the one to, lets say, "disagree" the most with my choice to use metro, and i want you and users like you to find the page enjoyable. &
B: I dont want to pull a Windows 8 (despite the use of metro) and make something thats drastically different and alienated from what users like you are used to. some may like metro, but it also needs to be inviting and have a sense of familiarity to it.
thats why ive been putting so much stock in yours (and others) opinions. because im making this page for YOU guys. not for my personal use.
Also, as far as "more info", the dialog box doesnt have a limit as far as i know. I can add more as needed. I was actually thinking of attempting to implement some Windows Modern UI (metro) ellements to handle the "about", sinced it would probably look better if done right, but i figured itd go a bit too far for you guys, as well as a js dialog box is alot easier to do. In fact, Pentium's Design INSPIRED that about button.
If i reworked the site and used something other than Word 2013 for the basic layout and Notepad for the HTML, i could have the tiles rotate 'tans similar to the live tiles on Windows 8, which would be similar to the rotating banner idea, BUT the more fancy code you use, the slower it will load and the less cross-compatible it will be.
Quote from: Bella on October 28, 2012, 11:08:32 PM
That looks really good! A little more character variety in the buttons and maybe removing the actual OS logos (mostly so it doesn't look like we "advocate" any OSes in particular, and also the potential copyrights issue) and I'd be pretty much sold. ^.^
I added the logos since this page would be not only for current users but for first-timers, and to help show them what the site is about, i added the logos to each tile that related to its OS, if you understand what i mean.
Quote from: Fedora-Tan on October 29, 2012, 02:43:14 AM
I like the design very much, i think we can try it as a trial for a couple days and sees how it behaves on the long run.
I'll wait the approval or other members, but it's fine with me. That's even impressive i like a design win8-looking like :p...
Why thank you. Glad you enjoy it. ^^
Also: does anyone ever
TRY the new additions, or do you guys just look at the pictures?
(Demo: http://ostandemo.99k.org/ (http://ostandemo.99k.org/))
For the random ostan i can make a script which will redirect only on ostans and not any random page.
Eventually, a "contact us" could be interesting. --> admin@ostan-collections.net
Would also consider a "designed by " if you feel like it.
All those can fit in the about screen.
About the "about screen", could be a css tooltip instead of a javascript also, it's a bit more modern - the about box is not very fancy on firefox (cf. screen)
To be picky, still bits of white around the bottom right char :)
Ill look into a css tooltip. also, the character is kind of hard to remove the white. it originally had a white BG and i had to use GIMP2's select entire color feature to erase it to make it transparent, but the original image pixelated some of the white in its background around the character, making it hard to remove the white. ive tried removing it manually but i find it hard to edit it without damaging the character image itself.
and id need the random ostan to be viewable using a hyperlink <a href="link here"></a>
currently its
<a href="http://ostan-collections.net/wiki/index.php?title=Special:Random"><img...../></a>
.tooltip { border-bottom: 1px dotted #000000; color: #000000; outline: none; cursor: help; text-decoration: none; position: relative;}
.tooltip span { margin-left: -999em; position: absolute; }
.tooltip:hover span {
border-radius: 5px 5px; -moz-border-radius: 5px; -webkit-border-radius: 5px;
box-shadow: 5px 5px 5px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1); -webkit-box-shadow: 5px 5px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1); -moz-box-shadow: 5px 5px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1);
position: absolute; left: 1em; top: 2em; z-index: 99;
margin-left: 0; width: 250px;
}
.tooltip:hover em { display: block; padding: 0.2em 0 0.6em 0; }
.classic {padding: 0.8em 1em; background: #FFFFAA; border: 1px solid #FFAD33; }
and
<span class="tooltip">Some text<span class="classic">Tooltip...</span></span>
(for ex.)
Quote from: PentiumMMX on October 28, 2012, 07:21:25 PM
Nice ^_^
Attached is a design draft I put together, loosely based on Bella's concept sketch with a few added notes. Hopefully it's clear enough, or at the very least, somebody gets a laugh at the description
I think this one, could be a good first page of the wiki, improving the current one which is a bit spartian (yet efficient).
How do i change the font size and type of the tooltip may i ask? bit hard to read.
Never mind. Updated. c:
Used a different code i found online (no offense to your code).
http://ostandemo.99k.org/
No problem.
It's supposed to display here ? I ask because of the upper arrow pointing nowhere.
Just in case, :
http://www.zonecss.fr/style_css/feuille_css_font_family.html
http://www.zonecss.fr/style_css/feuille_css_font_size.html
http://www.zonecss.fr/style_css/feuille_css_font_weight.html
In french but the syntax is same.
No... what browser are you using? It shows up with the arrow on the "about" bubble in chrome. also, the blue line is not supposed to appear under the text...
(off topic: my pc crashed last night. Registry_Error. That lead to the eventual SESSION3_INITIALIZATION_FAILED. even my Windows 8 repair drive didnt work (Windows has locked this disk. please boot into windows and unlock it to continue). LUCKILY good ol' CMD, ala~DOS, allowed me to DISKPART mount my portable hd and XCOPY my entire drive to a portable one, and also, since in disk cleanup i left the "Windows Installation Files" unchecked, i copied them to a flash drive, and now ive got a fresh install of Windows 8. Im in the process of copying files from my portable drive back to the pc and installing drivers. and im keeping my Windows 8 Install & Repair drive around JUST incase :P)
Firefox 16.
Tried on IE 10, and it's just nearly all out of the screen all the time.
My resolution is 1900x1200 but it shouldn't be a concern, normally.
Besides, trying windows 8. Once i passed over the debile "lock screen" which is obviously made for touch screen just disabling the whole login (that's way better for security, yeah... forced to put password at bios-level now), AND disabled the modern-UI : too much useless things here and prevents multitasking too much - once again good for tablets but my comp is not one, THEN it's extremely decent and i would say good. For now.
I'd say, the Classic Shell (http://classicshell.sourceforge.net/) is more than a must-have, i just couldn't use the OS without that. No exaggeration. Metro is really un-usable on a comp.
i guess i need something other than that code... (tried IE 10, same problem. 1366x768 )
Off topic:
the lockscreen can be rid of using the ESCAPE key easily. (press esc and it disappears)
i don't know why you had to disable login....
and the metro ui can still be used to get things done. i usually have an app docked on the side while im on my desktop...
The desktop still works the same. and there IS a start button for the new menu. its just hidden till you move your mouse in the lower left corner of the screen as if to click start.
Are you on a desktop per-chance? (those are a little less intuitive with Win8... it helps to have the multitouch gestures on a touchpad)
also: Win8 Start Button (http://windows8startbutton.com/)
Nope, laptop.
And as a usual linux user i have to say, i need to OS to bend to what i want, and not the contrary. I could accomodate with metro, but i don't like it. What i think is sad, is that microsoft didn't leave the choice. It's about the same as the lock screen : it's not that it's difficult to do or such, like you say it takes a second and one key. But it's useless and unfitting anything else than a phone / tablet. As for the password, since it's in the middle of the lock screen and metro, i just didn't find a way to disable lock screen and metro and keeping the login. But it's absolutely not a big deal since : 1 - Login pass are just piece of cake to bypass anyway and 2 - bios password do more or less the same, it just asks before :)
I would be happy to discuss furthermore or that somewhere else maybe if you feel like it, i don't really have any problems being convinced of something, as long as it's not just telling me i'll get used ;) (because like i said, it's the OS which gets used of my usage and not the contrary).
not to sound mean, but that fact warms my heart. ;v;
i think i might step out of the proceedings here. doesn't exactly feel like i'm being heard. >>;
Okay. tooltip is out. THIS (see screenshots) is in. c:
(second one shows the X button highlighting apon mouse hover)
tell me if it works in firefox. (seems to be funny in IE10. oddly enough, alot of code seems to be funny in IE)
Also, heres a topic for us to discuss about Windows 8:
Windows 8 (topic by DustiiWolf) (http://ostan-collections.net/forum/index.php/topic,1618.0.html)
Extremely good looking, for my opinion :)
On the screenshot, that is, since on the http://ostandemo.99k.org page it just doesn't display anything when i click on it (tried on 2 different comps)
im now experiencing the problem too... idk whats wrong with the code... maybe i should upload the .js to the / directory instead of pulling it from a website...
Good luck :)
Fixed. tested in IE10 & Chrome. Works, THOUGH IE10 does require you to unblock ActiveX controls on the page due to IE10's ActiveX blocker (which is a safety precaution only IE needs)
Works for me
Sorry I'm late to the party folks, been working on my own business' website for the last couple of days with a pop in the other day.
In my opinion this website a 3/5 on my personal scale and allow me to list why:
*WARNING: I'm going to come off as harsh in this, I'll explain further afterwords. oh yea, by harsh I mean, don't take it personal because i'm going to crush this into dust. Sorry in advance if its really needed.*
(http://i349.photobucket.com/albums/q364/tcmapler/ostan-input.png)
Okay first up to the plate is everything circled in white:
Seriously, that tiling looks horrendous when you are on a widescreen monitor which is what 95% of the world has in this day and age.
The tiling really just comes off as unprofessional, like a 7th grader did this for his "learn 2 web design class" project.
But this isn't the worst of it, notice how the pictures are cut at the bottom?
Yea, that's turning me off entirely to the website just because of how ugly it looks.
If you did this in Photoshop I understand the cut off, but when you see that do you really think "Damn, that looks pro!"?
Let me answer that, "No". I'll say how this could be fixed and looking professional later on, just bare with me here.
One colour down, three more to go! Now for the Purple circle, this one is a quick one:
The yellow background and white text, change it please before my eyes need surgery, seriously.
Now for the green circle, line, and dot:
Take everything in that circle and center it, trust me, its going to look 110% better and professionally done.
Red box:
This will apply to the text in the buttons as well,
Is this Myriad Pro light/regular font? Yea, please change it to Myriad Pro Bold/Semi-Bold because that is going to look much better and be much more eye catching.
Pink circles/arrows/"X"/"?"/Check:
Okay, we got a problem here. DC Comics called and want their speech bubbles back along with everyone that has handled Manga translations & Comic books wanting their font back.
No just kidding, the bubbles are a nice touch to half-arm-no-legs-linspire-tan but you see the arrows?
Yea, get moving son, because this is what I see when I look at these speech bubbles:
random OS-tan bubble: ME-tan is saying this? But then why is she all grayed out?
About bubble: Yea, ME-tan's hand/stomach is talking, am I high or what?
irc bubble: 10/10 placement, would place again. If you move this, ya dumb son! Linspire-tan is obviously saying this one, thus justifying her being on the page in the first place.
So this is what we gotta do here:
Random comes down just above the Irc bubble, thus showing that linwhatever-tan is saying this.
About gets shifted right and down into a more understandable area.
Mess around with the placement but put them in these general areas for now until you fix the white circle problems.
Now then, that's all the problems that I have addressed and some ways to fix them other than the white circles, we are almost to that part.
You are probably thinking something like, "Kraus sure is a jag-off for just popping up and crushing something I worked hard on for some time!"
Yea, well, sorry that I speak this way but I'm not looking at it from the perspective of myself here. I could really care less how this looks because I've been around here for a while and like it quite a bit.
I'm looking at this from the point of view of someone who has no idea or has a tiny fraction of an idea what an OS-tan even is, its the first visit to the website.
If i'm coming to the website for the first time this is looking quite unprofessional to me and it is eye catching but its the first impression with stuff that looks like errors all over the place and a high bias toward windows 8. Really, I understand you like and enjoy the new platform but this is showing that the community is bias toward Microsoft and Windows 8 due to the styling.
The best thing you can do here is change the font to something like Myriad Pro bold/semi-bold because that will remove the instantaneous Windows 8 perception. You can also make the XP picture a linux-tan picture and possibly another picture a hard ware-tan just to show that we aren't all just about Windows with a little Macintosh sprinkled on top.
Now then, on the the problems with the tiling and cut offs and how we can fix them or just make them less noticeable:
take linspire-tan and move her over onto the far right where that tiling starts with Windows 95, its circled.
Adjust the speech bubbles around her like I said with the pink circles & etc., you are obviously going to place them differently than what I had said and drew.
Place a border line (White would work well here) at the cut off on the bottom (the two circles at the bottom)
Take the logo and place it either on the left side, in the center, or on the right side with "OStan-collections copyright ----" under it (play around with the placement, I think for the moment the center is going to look the best).
By doing all this the website will look 150% better and eye catching, remember that the first impression is important!
Well, that sums up my input and I hope it helps out.
One last thing though,
remember that Fedora-tan needs to attract more "customers" if you were to look at this from a business view-point (Something I do most of the time.) and first impressions are always the driving points to whether a website gets a large number of hits and the hits continue to return or that the website gets a high number of hits but continually loses the hits.
Always try to make a page that appeals to the current user base but also attracts new users with a showing of non-bias ideas.
@kraus: *hugs* you managed to address plenty of the points i had with the page. i have more, but still, eloquent and straightforward. ;v;
also, i thought it'd be nice if each button could feature a different type of -tan: windows, mac, linux, and vintage. and maybe the -tan announcing the other buttons could be a different -tan altogether, like a hardware-tan or a filetype-tan.
Quote from: Chocofreak13 on November 01, 2012, 09:01:10 PM
@kraus: *hugs* you managed to address plenty of the points i had with the page. i have more, but still, eloquent and straightforward. ;v;
also, i thought it'd be nice if each button could feature a different type of -tan: windows, mac, linux, and vintage. and maybe the -tan announcing the other buttons could be a different -tan altogether, like a hardware-tan or a filetype-tan.
Glad I wasn't the only one thinking this.
I also addressed the button featuring different tans but I like the idea of removing/replacing linespire-tan entirely with and different -tan altogether.
Also, here is reference website (Yea, I built this one) to use when it comes to my idea of a simple, clean, website with everything that is needed. Granted that this is a website with an entirely different topic altogether and that lovely CSS style on the character page was done by my co-worker on the website who handled a couple of little things after I laid everything down for him and then came up with revisions. (No the website really isn't under construction any more its just that no one has gone in and changed the home page text.)
http://www.lastrailproductions.com/enter.html
Also, I'm no longer a part of the Memento Vivere Project since after I finished my work with the website. They also misplaced me and put me in the blog section since I did that for a little while...
Good call!
@Kraus: A bit blunt, but I do agree with you on quite a few of those points. Especially the background layout and Linspire-tan, which look fine on my 700-something x 1300-something laptop screen but not so great on my 1200x1920 iMac monitor.
Quote from: Chocofreak13 on November 01, 2012, 09:01:10 PM
also, i thought it'd be nice if each button could feature a different type of -tan: windows, mac, linux, and vintage. and maybe the -tan announcing the other buttons could be a different -tan altogether, like a hardware-tan or a filetype-tan.[/color]
This, a million times. I'm still routing for something like ME-tan, Sonata, Generic GNU/Linux-tan and Amiga-tan (for the vintage/other OS-tan).
Quote from: Bella on November 01, 2012, 09:56:26 PM
@Kraus: A bit blunt, but I do agree with you on quite a few of those points. Especially the background layout and Linspire-tan, which look fine on my 700-something x 1300-something laptop screen but not so great on my 1200x1920 iMac monitor.
- A.Made this on my 1366x768 monitor.
- B.I cant really fix some of the alignment errors and here is why...
...now dont shoot me but...
i made a majority of this in MSWord 2013. ;w;
...Remember, the point of this was to show off a concept. i figured it'd have major work done by others before it ever actually was used or trialed, if it was ever to be used or trialed. And im not the best web programmer. So "learn 2 webdesign" is somewhat accurate. Id need a lot of help cleaning this up. hence the reason i offered to share the files to the preview.
*hides in corner*
(PS: I took no offense. And the speech bubbles were supposed to be pointing to each other, and the gap between them is the MSWord thing. They're in "tables")
don't hide in the corner. we're not trying to gang up on you, we're just trying to open the conversation back up. for the past 2 and a half pages (or so) you've kind of been dominating the conversation with Fedora. i thought this was being implemented, which is why i gave up since it felt like no one even cared. glad to know i'm not the only one who wants to discuss the design possibilities instead of just tweaking your design. (also, as cool as having a working preview is, i think you jumped the gun a bit making it and putting it here. we haven't even finalized the name of the post-move site yet. you don't always have to show, you can just tell. )
with that in mind, maybe we can talk about other designs as well. i still like pent's, and not just to be stuck in the background as the wiki page. :\
Dustii's design is the best I've seen so far and while it's not perfect, s/he obviously has the most website design experience of any non-admin or non-Kraus member at our forum and this should mean something to us. As much as I'd like to be able to make up my own proposal and throw it into the ring, I simply don't possess the graphic OR web design know-how to do such a thing. I don't think many people here do.
This being said, I'll support any design that Fedora and Pitkin-san choose. It's their site and they should ultimately be able to pick whichever design they feel fits best. ^^
it's my understanding that they want a group concensus. :\
also, while that may be how you feel, you miss my point. >:[ it's cool to have a working promo. but designing buttons and layout was what was originally asked of us, not programming. they can handle the code themselves. we're supposed to be discussing DIFFERENT DESIGNS here, not just focusing on the one. you CAN make a proposal and throw it into the ring. you already have, before we jumped ahead 20 spaces and came up with the finished stuff. we're supposed to be THUMBNAILING at this stage. it makes me more annoyed with dustii's design that it's already so set in stone, especially since everyone's jumping on the bandwagon just because it's "done". when's the server move, anyway? we have time. this is the os-tan talk section, so let's TALK about this. ><;;;;;
as for this "meaning" something to us, it would "mean" more to me if s/he would be more open to implementing others' designs, too. (and before s/he comes up with a retort, i mean more than just putting in a damn button.) skills mean nothing to a community if only the persons' ideas are being used.
Quote from: Bella on November 02, 2012, 12:52:43 AM
Dustii's design is the best I've seen so far and while it's not perfect, s/he obviously has the most website design experience of any non-admin or non-Kraus member at our forum and this should mean something to us. As much as I'd like to be able to make up my own proposal and throw it into the ring, I simply don't possess the graphic OR web design know-how to do such a thing. I don't think many people here do.
This being said, I'll support any design that Fedora and Pitkin-san choose. It's their site and they should ultimately be able to pick whichever design they feel fits best. ^^
First off, thank you Bella. And i actually agree; I'm happy with whatever the admins choose. The preview was mainly to show my concept, for even though for some people, choco, telling may be easy, i have a problem with conveying myself with words alone most of the time. And come on, really, if i posted on this topic "i have an idea where it could incorporate Microsoft's Modern Design (formerly metro)!", do you really think anyone would of thought of something like my preview, let alone even taken me seriously?
Second of all, im sorry if i dominated the conversation. i wasn't really meaning to. my apologies. And i do like Pentiums concept as well. it gives off this classic feel of older webpages to me, which could be equally fitting. (Netscape NOW 3.0 button doesn't help that either XD).
Finally, i want to tweak my design, because its YOUR guys' site. im fairly new here (September '12) and i dont want to come in and all the sudden change everything around at make you guys uncomfortable. SO my design is tweaked. INCLUDING the tile colors (including the yellow, which Kraus said to change before his eyes bleed), because you suggested to color them in the colors of the Microsoft Logo (Formerly Windows Flag). Im trying to make something you guys like. Im trying to listen to some of the things you guys dislike and change them.
PS: Im thinking of finding a script to adjust the page size to that of the browser window, because when viewed on anything bigger than a 1366x768 laptop, its got 2x as many errors.EDIT:Its NOT "set in stone". It is NOT "done". if i remember, the first preview (http://ostandemo.99k.org/old (http://ostandemo.99k.org/old)) was drastically different. Im changing it, working it, making it different. Its a "fluid" concept. Plus, it doesnt hurt to have a working prototype when presenting an idea.
EDIT 2:@Kraus: its Segoe UI Light. Ive never heard of Myriad...
As for myself, just a few points since i have other things planned today and this week end, generally speaking :
- I do like how the DustiiWolf page looks, overall. Of course there are plenty of things which can be improved, but it's better - way better than to come directly on a forum.
- For the points mentionned, i have pointed out some of them already myself, but i don't think it's a deal-breaker when you come accross a new website. Again, they can be improved later on.
- For me, it won't change anything if i get more or less visitors. It is not a commercial website, and i don't even try to commercialize it. There are no ads, no hidden things or whatever. It only relies on my personnal funds for the hosting, and the time the members invest in it. (Thanks to Bella and others for the wiki work!). And it's good like that. Oh well of course sometimes i come around and complain that everything is not due about the website as i think it's important to remember that, at times, but ultimately, 500000 views per day or none won't change a cent for me. I believe not everything need to be commercialized. And if anyone feels like supporting, ,the donations are open anyway. I consider that a recognition of the work, that's all.
@Kraus : Since i deal with several, and dealt with even more, websites, i could make a list of complains about the site you point in exemple that are not according to what visitors like as design. I won't do it of course, since i don't think it brings any point. Let's just say that for myself, i would like that we avoid an "enter" button (for exemple), and boring to look style. I believe a first page should just look like what the members represents the site about. Formal ? Fine for some, not for ostan. Colourful ? Surely fits more here. As for the choice of win8 tiles, i think it fits the OS spirit.
It's just my opinion of course, but i will say also, so far it's the best deisng which came as proposal, even if i agree with some of the criticisms beformentionned and which should be improved in future.
P.S. And i don't think being rash is mandatory to express a point, as legitimate as it can be. There is / are people who try to do something, myself i tend to just not read irrespectful posts and ignore them. Being right (or not), doesn't prevent to be polite and respectful of the work done.
@Fedora:
I see your point and respect that its perfectly valid and I agree fully with how my website design can be called "bland" or "boring".
This was a website that was built almost a full year ago and I can say that its probably the earliest work that I've done that is still up and around without many changes to the original design. The "enter" button was something I only ever do if I make a website that splits into different types, such as a "boy" or "girl" selection page for an example. This webpage really is a "enter" page anyway, because it just redirects you to different places of the community, I'm perfectly fine with this concept.
I also agree that it should be colourful, that does fit the theme of the community and content.
In reality it all boils down to this simple fact:
I can campaign an opinion as much as I like, I could hate some thing or like some thing but I have no physical control over anything.
In the end its your call because, you are the boss.
Whatever you do to the website won't change the fact that I'll continue to show up, I've been here long enough where I'm not bothered by changes or anything like that.
One last thing, I think I need to explain why my speech always comes off as "blunt", "rude", "disrespectful", etc.
I don't intend to come off as disrespectful or anything of the like but I've grown up in a culture and society where being critical is a must to succeed. Around here, you have to do this in order to be herd, respected, understood, to get what needs to be done done! I don't come off this way because I want to, I never want to put people down after being put down for most of my younger years but I can tell you this. Because I come off this way I show that I don't sit around playing kiss-ass to get where I need to be, I didn't form a company by being the most polite person, I didn't get to the point where I have colleges like The University of Southern California, University of California, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, Michigan, and more coming to me asking to be a student at their college. I'm no strait A student, I'm not a perfect SAT tester because I have to take my first one tomorrow! In the end we can look at the history of technology and say the following:
Steve Jobs was a great business man, he was hated because he was critical of everything and aggressive, not that I want to be like this but he grew a company to become richer than the United States Government.
Bill Gates is pretty nice guy but he was stubborn and critical with his company and he succeeded by doing so.
Mark Zuckerberg was a really really critical guy who was seen as an asshole by most people, he's running a company that shouldn't make any money but he makes unbelievable amounts of money.
You can take this is extend it quite far and also put it into different business types but in the end you see the same thing.
When you are critical, even if you are seen as a asshole, you are more likely to be successful in your market.
I dream of the day I'll be handing business cards to possible costumers with the title "CEO" under my name, I'm not going to sit here and just dream about that day because its time for me to make it happen.
There, done. Now I don't have to explain this again and you can understand why I can be like this, because its helping me get to the places I want to be.
Quote from: Dr. Kraus on November 02, 2012, 05:42:43 PM
@Fedora:
I see your point and respect that its perfectly valid and I agree fully with how my website design can be called "bland" or "boring".
This was a website that was built almost a full year ago and I can say that its probably the earliest work that I've done that is still up and around without many changes to the original design. The "enter" button was something I only ever do if I make a website that splits into different types, such as a "boy" or "girl" selection page for an example. This webpage really is a "enter" page anyway, because it just redirects you to different places of the community, I'm perfectly fine with this concept.
I also agree that it should be colourful, that does fit the theme of the community and content.
In reality it all boils down to this simple fact:
I can campaign an opinion as much as I like, I could hate some thing or like some thing but I have no physical control over anything.
In the end its your call because, you are the boss.
Whatever you do to the website won't change the fact that I'll continue to show up, I've been here long enough where I'm not bothered by changes or anything like that.
One last thing, I think I need to explain why my speech always comes off as "blunt", "rude", "disrespectful", etc.
I don't intend to come off as disrespectful or anything of the like but I've grown up in a culture and society where being critical is a must to succeed. Around here, you have to do this in order to be herd, respected, understood, to get what needs to be done done! I don't come off this way because I want to, I never want to put people down after being put down for most of my younger years but I can tell you this. Because I come off this way I show that I don't sit around playing kiss-ass to get where I need to be, I didn't form a company by being the most polite person, I didn't get to the point where I have colleges like The University of Southern California, University of California, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, Michigan, and more coming to me asking to be a student at their college. I'm no strait A student, I'm not a perfect SAT tester because I have to take my first one tomorrow! In the end we can look at the history of technology and say the following:
Steve Jobs was a great business man, he was hated because he was critical of everything and aggressive, not that I want to be like this but he grew a company to become richer than the United States Government.
Bill Gates is pretty nice guy but he was stubborn and critical with his company and he succeeded by doing so.
Mark Zuckerberg was a really really critical guy who was seen as an asshole by most people, he's running a company that shouldn't make any money but he makes unbelievable amounts of money.
You can take this is extend it quite far and also put it into different business types but in the end you see the same thing.
When you are critical, even if you are seen as a asshole, you are more likely to be successful in your market.
I dream of the day I'll be handing business cards to possible costumers with the title "CEO" under my name, I'm not going to sit here and just dream about that day because its time for me to make it happen.
There, done. Now I don't have to explain this again and you can understand why I can be like this, because its helping me get to the places I want to be.
*sniffle* *takes a tissue* *claps* Wow... just... wow...
Since the frontpage is supposed to be an extension of the forum and wiki, I'd say we should rather than throw a random unrelated design in (which looks very unprofessional when you then enter either section) put up one that's much closer to the Forum/Wiki style.
Something like this, I was thinking.
EDIT: Okay, placement and coloring is a bit derped, but you get the idea. Copy colors and icons from the existing pages and make it blend more seamlessly into the content.
@nej: a wee bit basic, but i like it. keep going with it, i think you can work it further. ^^
@dustii: not to ride on kraus's coattails, but i'd rather be critical than sugarcoat everything. art school is a tough place to be if you can't take a little constructive criticism on your work. i'm someone who tries to find the best in everything (who cares if you're fat! you've got amazing hair!). so even if i don't like something, i'll say so in a way that can be used to make it better. in this case, it's hard to be as impartial as in school since i really care about this place. but know that the people here are fundamentally good. we would never specifically alienate a member, even if they support an unpopular OS. ^^; so assume the nice version, not the mean one. ^^
Second version, added some additional icons and redid font.
@Nej: It could be spiced up with some OS-tan art as part of the buttons, but it looks good so far
So, I have a functional raw HTML version of what I presented as concept art earlier in the topic. I'm going to figure out how to make a CSS to get everything to line up like it does in the pic before I upload it somewhere, unless somebody here already knows how to do that and would be willing to help me out. Otherwise, I'll do some research this weekend on how to code in CSS
I don't think those designs would work for this site at all. The reason Fedora proposed having a front page is to put a greater emphasis on the OS-tan and Wiki aspects of this forum - save ME-tan's badga, I see nothing OS-tanny in this design at all. It's not very eye-catching or polished and is kind of giving off a cheap/plastic-y vibe, though this may just be because it's an early draft.
I was going to ask for opinions on that, Bella, but I probably won't post it in the draft. Keep in mind that all this was thrown together in GIMP over the course of an hour or so, so it's not exactly all too neat. If anyone has any ideas for -tan images to use with the icons, share! I don't really do much image browsing on ANYTHING anymore, so I don't really have much ideas for that. The wiki logo is just a quick redraw of the one that's on the wiki, and the rest are just mundane spur-of-thought things that I felt fit in to their subject. Overall I prioritized the style I think would work best - that is, one that'd more seamlessly blend in with the one we have on the various parts today. If we also make an effort to skin the wiki just a little to get the color scheme and such reasonably similar to the one used on the forum/gallery, I think it'd make for a very attractive experience overall.
@bella: that was worded a little harshly >>;
@pent: i agree on that, it has potential but for now is a good base. it doesn't feel as radical a step away from the original site as some of the other suggestions.
as for your design, cool! i have a css tools website if you'd like it. it's where i got all the colour names, they might have something that could help you.
@nej: in the morning i shall take your pic into MS paint and tape pictures of the os-tans where i think they should go, like pin the tail on the donkey. -w-
Hold on, we're getting a front page now? Oh sweet!
Ya'll have fun.
*backs out of thread quickly*
Lame stew is lame -_-
seconded. >>;
Okies, no working preview of a modified version of my concept, for part of it i cant program. But i gots pictures! ^^
Landing Page (Gallery tile will randomly shuffle through images from the gallery {minus adult images})
(http://ostan-collections.net/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=1609.0;attach=1789)
About Dialog (Could be a hidden DIV thats unhidden by the about button similar to my working preview so as to look the same on all browsers)
(http://ostan-collections.net/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=1609.0;attach=1791)
Explanation of Non-labeled buttons
(http://ostan-collections.net/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=1609.0;attach=1793)
duuuuude, this is awesome!! you really came through. i'm still gonna work on one in the name of diversity (and encourage others' designs), but if this ended up as our front page, i'd be fine with it. (i still want to see what's to come with everyone, though. encouraging participation in things that affect us all is a good thing!) ^^
Very nice. I plan on still trying to get my design working, but yours looks great now
i still want to see people's designs, too! this is like a pageant; in order for one candidate to win fairly, there needs to be multiple candidates parading around. :3
I'm REALLY digging the latest revision Dustii. Do you think you'll be able to make a working model of it?
Quote from: Bella on November 03, 2012, 02:46:44 PM
I'm REALLY digging the latest revision Dustii. Do you think you'll be able to make a working model of it?
Sadly, no. The latest version is probably quite complex to program. especially the Gallery live tile that shuffles through random images (i wouldn't know where to begin), as well as programming it to behave the same on all screen sizes, amongst other things. And im not very good at designing a page completely from code, with no GUI designing software. ive only done that once, and it took me a year to finish it & make it work right.
Not to double post or be off-topic, but earlier in the thread people were using "s/he" for me (indicating you are unsure of my gender).
just to clear things up, im male. (doesnt it say so on my profile? I thought it did)
i think most of us had an inkling, but without an official declaration these things slip away. such is the way of memories, time, and life. ^^;;
glad to hear you reveal a bit more personal info. as i said before, start posting more in the other areas of the forum so we can get to know you. if you're gonna be a real, rooted member here, then that's what ya gotta do. :3
as for your latest stuff, well, i don't think fedora expected people with coding experience to walk into this thread, so the design you made stands, since they might be able to make something like that themselves. ^^
Quote from: Chocofreak13 on November 03, 2012, 11:47:53 PM
glad to hear you reveal a bit more personal info. as i said before, start posting more in the other areas of the forum so we can get to know you. if you're gonna be a real, rooted member here, then that's what ya gotta do. :3
*ahem*
http://ostan-collections.net/forum/index.php/topic,1353.msg132858.html#msg132858 (http://ostan-collections.net/forum/index.php/topic,1353.msg132858.html#msg132858)
http://ostan-collections.net/forum/index.php/topic,1621.msg132853.html#msg132853 (http://ostan-collections.net/forum/index.php/topic,1621.msg132853.html#msg132853)
http://ostan-collections.net/forum/index.php/topic,149.msg132844.html#msg132844 (http://ostan-collections.net/forum/index.php/topic,149.msg132844.html#msg132844)
really.....you're REALLY going to play that card, when i was trying to be nice to you. you're only STARTING to post in threads that don't have to do with windows 8 or extensive projects you've involved yourself in in the past couple days (unless you count your introduction post, which here, i won't). the point i was trying to make is that in order to integrate yourself with the community more, we need to get to know you better outside of "his username is dustii, he likes windows 8, and he's a guy". but i suppose this is what i get for attempting to be friendly. (won't be doing THAT again anytime soon.)
Oh... :(
Im so sorry. *hugs*
I came off as a smarta** again, didnt i... my apologies. that's a bad personality conflict of mine.
Well, more about me... i like doctor who & sherlock holmes, am stuck at home with no life, i guess i could be considered otaku, and im somewhat of a geek.
Im also not your typical "manly man". im not fond of sports and like to shop.
*sighs*
For the sake of On-Topic: do you reaaaallly like my latest concept? i tried targeting users like you more (i want something everyone is happy with).
post more about yourself in the appropriate topics. if you like anime, go post in the anime section.
yes, i do like it. just because i want to see what everyone has to offer doesn't mean i don't like yours. you don't walk into a buffet and say "i'm only gonna look at the first 5 items". xD
Thanks! ^^ I noticed others werent as fond of my older designs.
Also, i was thinking that the forum description on the tile could change to list the latest topics posted in when a user is logged into the forum (since users already know what the forum is, and itd be another cool and useful way to incorporate live tiles.)
Either that or cycle through the latest replies to your posts. (just the topics. not the actual reply text)
i think latest posts in topics (whether they be new or used) would be a good idea for that, since we're thinking of someone totally new to the site with the design. that way, they can see what we're talking about. we could also set it to just show os-tan related topics, to advertise the site more. >w>
[Post of end of the week end]
Got back just now, i browsed the posts since my last one but didn't see anything interesting and / or which would deserve further comments from me.
@DustiiWolf : Good luck xD (you'll understand) - I'm available in email if you need any help with coding.
-- Sidenote : I don't / won't really have the time to check this topic in further days, so please if anything comes out, contact me to see in which way we can put it online. Of course, i reserve the right to place it online and front page only if it fits what i expect, but i believe i said enough about guidelines regarding that. If any problems / questions please PM me as i won't necessarily see further discussions on that topic in there.
so we're left to our own devices? should we just pick a design amongst ourselves and present it to you?
If everyone which is here is OK with the latest version of DustiiWolf, we could go on a test drive :)
Sounds good to me. I can't wait to see what it looks like once it's up
I'm cool with it :D
OK so i soon as i'm sent the page, i can put them for real-testing.
Quote from: Fedora-Tan on November 06, 2012, 01:33:02 PM
OK so i soon as i'm sent the page, i can put them for real-testing.
sent the page?
Mmmm yes, i missed a bit of posts in the middle it seems (and a out topic about personnal life).
I'm surely able to make that last page DustiiWolf suggested, i can try this week end.
Why not taking another as first try until that ?
if i find code to help me accomplish it, then sure. ill give it a go
Whatever you prefer, just tell me so we're not both on it :)
In that case i think you should do it. i wouldn't know how to make the "live tiles" that display gallery images and most recent topics. And creating it outside a GUI software would be hard for me. You most definitely have more experience with web programming then me so it'd be best if you do it.
Up to you. If it's just that the problem, leave an empty spot at those places or just put, let's say, randomPict() and recentTopics() functions there and i'll make those :)
Quote from: Fedora-Tan on November 08, 2012, 01:39:28 AM
Up to you. If it's just that the problem, leave an empty spot at those places or just put, let's say, randomPict() and recentTopics() functions there and i'll make those :)
i think i was misunderstood. ;w;"
i was saying that it would be a good idea if you made the page, since i wouldn't know how. i dont exactly know how to make a page from scratch (im used to site builders and CMSes). The live tile functions i was saying were my biggest problem, but overall, i wouldnt know where to begin on a page completely from scratch. sorry.
Can you send me, or post here, the pictures you used like the background and such, so i can reassemble everything in css ?
Attached to this post is a ZIP containing the images, and a few helpful images to show layout, and a readme explaining the contents of the zip.
Also, here is a slightly modified concept photo (the random button is now the same as the IRC and other buttons, as well as moved down there with them from its original placing by the wiki tile, and the logo has an added effect (i packaged the no-effect version in the zip just in case)
(http://ostan-collections.net/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=1609.0;attach=1820;image)
Ok, i'll try to come with something from that this week end
Just thought you guys might wanna see this. Then again, maybe not. :\
(http://i.imgur.com/bVKg8o9.png)
dustii, I never thought i'd say this, but I agree with you. this is a new site design I can get behind. *pats back* :3
(and yes, yes you did. =w=;;; )
*w*
I like this
Quote from: Chocofreak13 on December 05, 2013, 10:57:50 AM
dustii, I never thought i'd say this, but I agree with you. this is a new site design I can get behind. *pats back* :3
Quote from: PentiumMMX on December 05, 2013, 12:38:01 PM
*w*
I like this
I never thought I'd see the day choco agrees with me. /JK
Anyways, you guys really like it?
amen to that, brother.
also, yes, I like it. I still miss the interchanging banners, though. ;v;
Quote from: Chocofreak13 on December 05, 2013, 05:36:09 PM
amen to that, brother.
also, yes, I like it. I still miss the interchanging banners, though. ;v;
Interchanging banners?
when I first joined the site, the banner up top shuffled between a bunch of them, some of them animated. I had an idea for one myself, but they disabled them about a year or so after I joined. ^^;
Ah. I see. Tbh, i wouldnt even know how that works. I mean, i guess it would have something to do with code randomly picking an image in a set directory every time the page is loaded, but idk how that works.
I like that design, much better than the windows metro one that I destroyed back on page 5 but would love to see the random banner upon refresh feature that we had a long long time ago.
So the only thing I would like to see would be a randomized banner feature and everything else is good.
I actually thought about trying to make the theme for the admins to try out, but smf themes are confusing -w-;
Its not like wordpress where i can take a prebuilt themes, edit the css, add a few images, and call it good...
Quote from: DustiiWolf on December 05, 2013, 03:50:54 PM
i've learned there is more to life than colorful squares.
Well yeah, there are also fruit colored circles.
Quote from: Krizonar on December 06, 2013, 04:52:50 AM
Well yeah, there are also fruit colored circles.
*presses imaginary like button*
@Kraus: cool to know i'm not the only one that misses them! if they ever come back, i'ma make the one I imagined. :3
I remember suggesting a more simple version; where it changed once a month to fit a theme (The summer months would have summery things, December would be Christmas, etc.). I remember Pit liked the idea when I mentioned it ages ago, but I don't think anything came of it
I liked the rotating banners too and would definitely contribute designs if they're ever reinstated. :D
Also, I'm thirding (fourthing?) the others, that design looks good Dustii. It's neither too foreign nor familiar, it's just right.
Pretty art make charmander eyes sparkle, me like, yay.
@pent: oo, like my hanafuda game. that'd be a simple and elegant solution to that. :3
@bella: yay, another person that misses the banners. ^^
Quote from: DustiiWolf on December 05, 2013, 03:36:46 AM
Just thought you guys might wanna see this. Then again, maybe not. :\
(http://i.imgur.com/bVKg8o9.png)
Also, good god what a horrid final concept i original proposed so long ago... I may of drank too much of the Windows 8 koolaid...
I like the concept design, though not 3crazy5it.