Techdirt: Looking A Bit Different

from the redesign-time dept

Okay, it's only been seven years since we last did a major redesign of Techdirt, so we figured maybe it was about time -- and decided to have the redesign coincide with tomorrow's Techdirt Greenhouse event. As a few of you have noticed, we've now launched the brand new look and feel of the site, as designed by the extremely talented Jamie Wieferman. We've redesigned all our sites, including our corporate site to match this new look and feel. Among other things, we've also made changes to the system that we're using, which will allow us to add some new features as well in the coming months. We've been going through the site and fixing a few minor things that seemed to have broken in the switchover, but if you notice anything new, or have any feedback about the design, please feel free to comment or send us feedback and let us know. Thanks!
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  • identicon
    AJ, 10 Mar 2006 @ 6:39pm

    LOVE IT!

    I love the new look very modern of you guys, I loved the old one because it was very simple to use and you've continued it with this redesign...

    -AJ-

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    dan, 10 Mar 2006 @ 6:40pm

    HATE IT

    Change it back! I visited 10 times a day before this design, but I can't stand the fixed width and the huge header and colors. yuk. change it back.

    No offense, I love your content, but the design is ugh.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Edward B., 10 Mar 2006 @ 7:11pm

      Re: HATE IT

      Add another vote against the fixed width. I've got no problem with the rest of the eye-candy, but those of us running higher res than 800x600 just got magically useless plain white sidebars. On both sides. I'm not a web designer, so my knowledge of all the interesting things that can be done with HTML/CSS/etc. is not up to spec, but isn't there a way to use the full width of the window down to a certain fixed minimum width?

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Synktar, 10 Mar 2006 @ 8:18pm

        Re: Re: HATE IT

        Edward,

        Out of simple curiousity, how are the white side bars any more annoying than all of the white that the last page produced. In fact, I personally find them very nice. It keeps the content from being cluttered and the page loads fast even when I have a low signal strength on my wireless connection. Anyway, just to clarify, the previous design had tremendous more amounts of white than this one, in my opinion.

        Enjoy,
        Synktar

        link to this | view in chronology ]

        • identicon
          Edward B., 11 Mar 2006 @ 8:38am

          Re: Re: Re: HATE IT

          Synktar,

          It's mostly the single column of text down the center of my screen that forces what would be a 2- or 3-line post to be a small paragraph -- for some reason it offends my delicate sensibilities. ;-) I've found that most of the non-minimalist blog templates have a similar format, so it must be the new design thing. I agree with a lot of the later posters as well, that a constrained text block like that results in a lot more scrolling. This was my first time posting here -- I'm surprised that it got so much notice!

          link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Anonymous Coward, 12 Mar 2006 @ 5:25pm

        Re: Re: HATE IT

        get a bigger monitor. =)

        link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Vamidus, 11 Mar 2006 @ 6:23am

      Re: HATE IT

      I agree.. The old look was plain but to the point. Now it's all eye-candy! But you guys must be set on keeping it...
      Suggestion: Can we have different switchable css styles that we can can be saved in cookies? ...one of them being the old design?

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    jdw242, 10 Mar 2006 @ 6:45pm

    change means progress

    get used to it; change is inevitable.
    Nothing stays the same; everything changes, no matter how slowly.

    Cheers TechDirt; I'll be around; kicking the tyres.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    OH MY GOD, 10 Mar 2006 @ 6:57pm

    LOVE IT

    Its sooo sexy now.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Matt, 10 Mar 2006 @ 6:59pm

    Awesome

    Love the new look. Very clean looking.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Jared, 10 Mar 2006 @ 7:04pm

    YEA!

    Definitely what I have been looking for,I never understood the last design it was bascially only white with text,this is a major improvment in my opinion!

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    dan, 10 Mar 2006 @ 7:04pm

    awesome

    amazing design guys, very simple, yet very smooth looking, it gets the job done with out interfering with the content. congrats

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Tin Ear, 10 Mar 2006 @ 7:08pm

    Change is good...

    I like the new layout. I'm not that much into esthetics, but this is a good thing. If you don't like it, nobody is twisting your arm to come. Don't be so shallow and superficial that you stop reading the content...

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    DittoBox, 10 Mar 2006 @ 7:17pm

    This is good

    As a designer, I find this design much better.

    I do everything fixed width because expandable makes no sense at all it reduces readability greatly, it's one of the things I hate about slashdot but love about OSnews.

    Great work.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    havi hoffman, 10 Mar 2006 @ 7:22pm

    redesign

    great lines. beautifully articulated.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Jared, 10 Mar 2006 @ 7:24pm

    Why?

    Why the hell are you running 800x600,thats ridiculous,step it up a little to at least 1024.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Damien, 10 Mar 2006 @ 7:31pm

    <3's It

    Long time reader, first time commenter. Luvs the new look.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Dustee, 11 Mar 2006 @ 12:17am

      Re: <3's It

      Been reading for awhile myself, but first time posting. I must say I love it!!!

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Chas S., 10 Mar 2006 @ 7:31pm

    Long overdue. Thanks for fixing the site.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Von Riesling, 10 Mar 2006 @ 7:38pm

    Looks spiff.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Paul, 10 Mar 2006 @ 7:58pm

    Very Professional

    I hated the old layout...loved the news. Now I can finally like both! Looks way more professional, and much better.

    Unlike some of the whiners here, I'm fine with the fixed width. I run 1024, and am not bothered by the look of the site. As a webmaster, I know designing for 800x600 is the best policy if you're not going with expanding width tables or DIVs.

    Layout looks so great X3 A lot like Wordpress blogs.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      filmg33k, 12 Mar 2006 @ 9:12am

      Re: Very Professional

      Word.

      Love the new look and feel -- much more professional and just cooler. And ditto 800x600. I'm running 1024 (at least on two computers) as well, and don't mind the fixed width at all. In fact, it makes it feel cleaner to me.

      Awesome job, Techdirt! Thanks for updating!

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Synktar, 10 Mar 2006 @ 8:13pm

    Love It (Much Better)

    I absolutely love the new look. The old look was pretty dirty and ugly in my opinion (sorry). Also, the logo that was used on the old one always reminded me of something sexual (again, sorry, but it did...). Anyway, very nice job, I'll definately be reading the articles more often now?

    Oh, one last question, will there be a version for mobile devices such as my pocket pc so I don't have to try and scroll back and forth (that's always annoying).

    Good job again and keep up the wonderful work,
    Synktar

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Mike (profile), 10 Mar 2006 @ 8:16pm

    Thanks for the feedback

    Thanks for the feedback... we'll continue to roll out more improvements over the coming weeks.

    As for the question about mobile devices... yes, we will have a mobile version. We're pretty close on that, but wanted to get this one out first.

    Thanks everyone!

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Synktar, 10 Mar 2006 @ 8:20pm

      Re: Thanks for the feedback

      No, no, thank you. I will finally be able to read the site on my pocket pc! Also, excellent name you have, Mike. I think that Mike happens to be one of the best names around ;). (If you didn't catch it, my name is also Mike, heh). Excellent work and keep it up!

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Tracy Sheridan, 10 Mar 2006 @ 8:18pm

    Well Done

    This is brilliant, minimalist, keen design. All you need, no more - no less. Count me in for a "Love it!" vote.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Andrew Strasser, 10 Mar 2006 @ 8:18pm

    Awesome Job Guys and/or Gals...

    Good site design without much loading time. Certainly a good choice to update once in awhile.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Michal, 10 Mar 2006 @ 8:26pm

    sux

    Fixed width and hard to read. Fixed width is for people with low resolution.

    And without threaded view hard to keep track of conversations.

    The new look feels way too busy.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Synktar, 10 Mar 2006 @ 8:33pm

      Re: sux

      A survey was conducted not too long ago that showed that most people that browse the web (that took this survey) use 800x600. This simple fact alone means that developers need to build for that specific resolution rather than others to make sure that most people are properly accomadated. Trust me, designers don't want to design in 800x600, at least not most of the time, it really limits the possibilities, but it is needed to make the website viewable by the largest group of people.

      Just a thought,
      Synktar

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Dave, 11 Mar 2006 @ 5:44am

        Re: Re: sux

        Another mystical survey with no link, no details as to the sample set, the demographic, margin of error, nothing. *sigh*


        I work for a site that handles around 250k average daily logins. A quick parsing of our server logs for any given day in the last week yields 64% average per day using 1024x768. This simple fact alone means that your "data" is craptastically useless.


        Bring back the old resolution-independent, clean, readable, simple Techdirt that was here before.

        link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Michal, 11 Mar 2006 @ 9:47am

        Re: Re: sux

        800x600 is small, and probably way to small for someone that would read techdirt. Your postulate without at source is complete bullshit. Furthermore resolution independant design works great at all resolutions, the old site looked better. A wide screen monitor makes the new one look like shit.

        link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        LukeD, 12 Mar 2006 @ 5:39pm

        Re: Re: sux

        Okay so most people use 800x600. Most people also use AOL for some crazy reason. I have a feeling there are not very many 800x600/AOL users on this site.

        I do like the new look of the site BTW

        link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    EdB, 10 Mar 2006 @ 8:27pm

    blech

    Fixed width is lame. Other than that pretty nice.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 10 Mar 2006 @ 8:34pm

    FUCK THIS

    HELL FUCK NO, GOODBYE FOREVER TECHDIRT

    CANNOT STAND TO LOOK AT THIS SHIT

    DELETED FROM RSS FEEDS SINCE I CAN GET THE SAME SHIT FROM SLASHDOT (ALBEIT 3 DAYS LATER)

    MY CAPS ARE JUST AS ANNOYING AS YOUR HUGE FONTS

    MY EEEYYYYEESSSSS...........

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    discojohnson, 10 Mar 2006 @ 8:43pm

    eehhhh

    the fixed width is really a killer. it's truly a big turn off to have to scroll 3 pages to see 10 comments (exagg.)...at least give me the option (you save stuff in my cookie anyway, what's one flag?). don't forget that simple sells (ever seen a simple website?)--i like that the comment block is at the bottom, saving a click. now you should put some js and make the preview instantaneous in a div field...

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Tyshaun, 10 Mar 2006 @ 8:53pm

    Can we get back the old...

    I liked the old site, kind of like craiglist and google less is more mantra. I come here for the text, on't care about the graphics.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Chris Maresca, 10 Mar 2006 @ 9:01pm

    Holy huge graphics!

    Can you scale down the topic icons. Well, their not really icons, more like posters....

    Chris.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Gerk, 13 Mar 2006 @ 10:34am

      Re: Holy huge graphics!

      Yes things are WAY TOO BIG. I can fit one story on my screen at a time now if I'm lucky. Used to fit 6.

      Did anyone think of the usability when they did this? It looks "neat" but I don't come here for bublegum graphics that take up my whole screen. I come here for information which I have to scroll endlessly to read now .. maybe it's time to move along.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Evan, 10 Mar 2006 @ 9:22pm

    New Style

    Looks great.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Don Gray, 10 Mar 2006 @ 9:35pm

    I'm in the hate it camp...

    Not because it isn't pretty, it is. Mostly because of the comment layout.

    It's using 1/3 of my screen width to display comments. As previously mentioned the scrolling required is excessive. Perhaps I misunderstand the goal of this TechDirt website.

    I thought the goal was to generate discussion and responses from the people reading the stories. If that isn't the goal then I think this design works well.

    If it is the goal then I think it fails badly. No threaded view of comments in conjunction with the three words per line makes it difficult to track the conversation.

    I'm not saying the old site was perfect. It wasn't (especially the magic "html now it's there, now it's not" comment submission form) but it definitely gave a more condensed view of the users comments.

    I come here to read the stories but I also like the fact that the comments by others are often engaging and a cut above slashdot.

    I'll probably still read the stories I just won't bother to comment anymore.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 10 Mar 2006 @ 9:37pm

    comment grouping

    Is there a threaded view to the comments? I don't see the link anymore.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Mahesh, 10 Mar 2006 @ 9:38pm

    Change it Back

    The graphics interferes with the content. Too much eye candy..

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    nonuser, 10 Mar 2006 @ 9:52pm

    looks great

    in fact it looks almost too good, maybe it raises the bar for the quality of comments (incl. jokes). Fortunately I tightly edit my own comments and have nary a spare word in them. In other words I don't milk 'em, waste people's time.

    Fixed width looks dressy but is slightly fatiguing to read - eyes have to sweep faster to capture the same wordspan.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    not-so Happy User, 10 Mar 2006 @ 10:25pm

    newspaper-layout no-more.

    times and dates are quite difficult to read now.

    also the fixed-width is a pail to deal with since each single comment uses up such a large part of the screen and I'm constantly scrolling to read the next comment or even to compare it to the previous comment.

    this new layout is much more of a pain since I normally read TD in the morning while eating breakfast or at a coffee shop - now I need to constantly scroll and have a greater chance of loosing my reading position.

    i enjoyed reading TD as if it was a physical newspaper - i would set it up and read everything on the page. then a minute (or so) later, I would flip the page to the next - now I constantly have to scroll every 10 seconds.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 10 Mar 2006 @ 10:27pm

    BUG?

    What is the point of asking for email & url addresses if they are not being used in the commenter's reply?

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Mike (profile), 10 Mar 2006 @ 10:39pm

    Good feedback

    Hey everyone,

    Good feedback all around. Please be aware that we're going to make some changes based on all this feedback and that some of the features (threaded comments) we're going to add, but didn't have done in time for this launch.

    So, I would ask that for those who have complaints that you keep them constructive.

    Thanks!

    Mike

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    sharv, 10 Mar 2006 @ 10:53pm

    Looks great

    Who cares about the huge icons? As long as the text they're attached to isn't shorter than the icons, I think it looks great.

    Approved.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    ananymous, 10 Mar 2006 @ 10:58pm

    looks cool

    i like the change. the old site was getting kinda boring after a while

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Nathan, 10 Mar 2006 @ 11:03pm

    Some good, some bad

    Well, I'll toss my two cents in also. I like the "look" of the redesign. But I have to chime in with the people on the fixed width issue. I just don't see much of a legitimate reason to make it a fixed width to suit one screen width over any other. It seems lazy from a design standpoint. Additionally, the lack of threaded comments (I know, you're adding them) or being forced to click "Threaded" is extremely bothersome. I remember many comments that were posted outside of their thread due to the confusing threading. Why not have threading on all the time? I don't see how it detracts from the conversation.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    David Creemer, 10 Mar 2006 @ 11:06pm

    Looks OK, does not validate...

    I like the look of the redesign in general, though I too am generally down on fixed width pages. It just doesn't seem to match the flexibility of the medium. I recognize that fixed with designs are usually easier to produce and implement, but a site like Techdirt, which has gained a (deserved) reputation for quality, rational comments on the modern online experience, could do well to lead by example.



    I predict that fixed width designs will eventually become outdated and quaint. Remember the image of a dog-eared book page in the upper corner of the computer screen to go forward or back a page? That's rigid book-thinking applied to a much less restrictive medium.



    Oh, and also the new site fails validation pretty miserably. At least get that right.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Agree, 11 Mar 2006 @ 9:38am

      Re: Looks OK, does not validate...

      Just goes to show you might be talented at web design but know nothing about standards. At a check here there are 31 warnings on this page replying here.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Rikko, 10 Mar 2006 @ 11:14pm

    My kingdom for variable width

    It's not too awful at work where I run in 1024, but at home I fly in 1280 and you wouldn't believe how truly unpleasant the comments are to read.

    Other than that the layout is pretty and shiny.. I likies.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Jon-Paul Raymond, 10 Mar 2006 @ 11:22pm

    LOVE IT

    REad daily and welcome the change.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    spam, 10 Mar 2006 @ 11:52pm

    HATE it

    God, it looks so... so... so awfully.. "Web 2.0" - bleah.

    The old design looked a hell of a lot better. And loaded faster.
    Oh well, guess this gives more real estate for things that we all need more of... advertisements. *snort*

    (Sorry, I just fear seeing blinking 'punch the monkey' ads, like many other sites.)

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Dr|J, 11 Mar 2006 @ 1:17am

    I like

    I Love
    Never actually posted b4 either. Good stuff :)

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    pheloxi, 11 Mar 2006 @ 2:18am

    good idea of good look, but ...

    check if your website work with bigger font size work, because some parts look awful (with arial 16). I use mozilla firefox to resize the letters for an easier see on my eyes.

    too many web designers forget to check larger fonts!

    a loyal reader of techdirt.
    pheloxi

    p.s. pity you lost part of identity by removing the dot after techdirt.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    SomeReader, 11 Mar 2006 @ 3:03am

    'reply to' smaller

    Please use a smaller font size for the 'reply to this comment'. And maybe also for the 'by'-line.

    Apart from the fixed width I like the new layout.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Jimmy Bear Pearson, 11 Mar 2006 @ 4:41am

    Very Fresh

    I like the freshness of it.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    cvb, 11 Mar 2006 @ 6:44am

    looks

    cool

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Dan, 11 Mar 2006 @ 6:49am

    Looks Great

    It a shame I stopped visiting about a year ago, now reading you inside Bloglines. Just so you know, you were my last holdout. You were my homepage for a long time and I couldn't read you in Bloglines. But efficiency ruled in the end. But you look great!

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    reader, 11 Mar 2006 @ 6:57am

    more crap design

    the look doesn't bother me, the fixed width is a p.i.t.a.

    when the font size is increased the text overlaps itself and other page elements

    come on guys make the whole page dynamic. i know it is possible.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Nadia, 11 Mar 2006 @ 7:00am

    beautiful but i don't like it

    it's beautiful, sexy and modern looking, but i really liked the old design better, there is just something about plain text that is very powerful, something that works especially for a fast pased content site like yours. I am sure this layout will eventually grow on me, but for now i miss the older one. Miss that clean default feel where content was the king.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    CBau, 11 Mar 2006 @ 7:15am

    New Look

    Great new look.
    Old Reason to look at Tech Dirt:
    Great Info, Ease of Use, Uncluttered Ugly Page

    New Reason to Look at Tech Dirt:

    Great Info, Ease of Use, Uncluttered Pretty Page

    Keep up the good work.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Me, 11 Mar 2006 @ 7:44am

    Good But...

    Its nice it was finally updated..
    But the blogginess, the whole web 2.0 trendy fad thing i'm getting tired of.. some originality is always nice.
    But.. hopefully it won't take another 7 years to update again.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    bob, 11 Mar 2006 @ 8:00am

    nice ... but

    it looks nice, but ... fixed width?
    I suppose if you like your content long and skinny it's ok.
    As long as it's the same quality of content it doesn't matter too much.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Jake, 11 Mar 2006 @ 8:02am

    Link color and bolding and and...

    Overall I'm liking the change initially. It doesn't look like 1997 anymore, which is good, but it is still a relatively clean layout. Overall the phrase that comes to mind is "more professional looking." I'm indifferent on the fixed width issue on the main page, as it looks fine to me either way, but the width of comments is overly narrow even at 800x600. The article titles do seem a point or two overdone, but partly that is probably years of looking at non-enlarged titles.

    The element I'm not liking is the hyperlinks. I don't doubt that the color of hyperlinks is graphically harmonious. Unfortunately it isn't functional. The blue is so dark as to be nearly indistinguishable from black when used for standard text. I'm not colorblind, but I have to really look at the text to tell what is a link. Someone with even minimal sight problems could easily not be able to tell at all. Perhaps the rollover bolding of hyperlinks was meant to offset this, but readers shouldn't need to hover the mouse over all the text to spot the hyperlink. This isn't a videogame, and text that automagically grows is something I'd expect to see on a site with red-on-green text with background wallpaper and music. Please find a hyperlink style that better fits the overall quality of the new look. Thanks.

    p.s. Also regarding hyperlinks, I am saddened to see you've joined the maddening trend of setting the "visited" color the same as the non-visited color. Again, this is style over function. The visited feature exists so readers can tell what hyperlinks they've already recently visited. This is more important than enforcing a pretty color scheme, especially when a designer can use a complementary but still different 'visited' color.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Techdirty, 13 Mar 2006 @ 9:58am

      Re: Link color and bolding and and...

      Ditto, the new look is much easier to read but the point of links is to be links, not subtlely different text. Make the links stand out and make the visited ones different. There's actually a good reason for most browsers working that way by default.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous of Course, 11 Mar 2006 @ 8:17am

    The new look

    I like the new look. Clean, functional, easy on
    the eyes.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    ScrollTooMuch, 11 Mar 2006 @ 8:21am

    On Fixed Widths

    New design is fine. Old one did seem a little dated, although I was (and am still) drawn to the site by the content, not the appearance.

    That said, please give serious consideration to the fixed width issue. Although only a minor annoyance, an annoyance it is. Why would you wish to annoy your visitors?

    Keep up the great work, and thanks so much for Techdirt. I read it daily.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Arochone, 11 Mar 2006 @ 8:33am

    It loads slow :(

    The new design loads slow...even on my 2.4mbps cable :(

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Jim Snyder, 11 Mar 2006 @ 8:34am

    Love It

    Great, very clean design. I don't mind fixed width, but this is a bit too narrow. I am even beginning to question the need for sites to target 800 x 600 at all, but if you are going to do so, make them use the whole screen. It is a nitpick, but I am more bothered by the proximity of the right-hand advertising column to the content. Let the layout breathe a bit.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    IT Department, 11 Mar 2006 @ 9:11am

    Not bad...could be better though

    Hey yeah i kinda like it but i think that it looks like a newb did it...lol kj No disrespect od course. I love the stuff tho

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    fens, 11 Mar 2006 @ 9:31am

    Fixed Width

    Make it fluid width. Then those on higher resolutions won't complain and people can resize the text without everything breaking

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Shohat, 11 Mar 2006 @ 9:43am

    HORRIBLE ! You look like all other blogs !

    Seriosly guys , go back !
    You look like a copy of Techcrunch etc... Soon u will be doing pingbacks trackbacks , tagging , permalink and other stupid stuff , huh ?

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Jezsik, 11 Mar 2006 @ 9:53am

    Prefer the old icons

    Once I recognized the icons, I really started to make good use of them for spotting the story angle. Not so with the new icons ... yeah, they're slick and all, but the over-hype and mis-uses of technology icons are not terribly informative (nor poetic).

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Kevo, 11 Mar 2006 @ 9:54am

    Much Better

    Much better, I stopped coming to the old version because it was so damn ugly. Being a web designer, I get frustrated easy with thoughtlessly whipped together sites quicky. The new makeover was much needed.

    However, I agree a great deal of the other posters, you should do something about the fixed width.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Jeremiah, 11 Mar 2006 @ 10:10am

    hmmm...

    I like the colors, but I think I liked the old site a little better, namely because the site resized to my browser (the 800x600....whaaa???) The new design looks like a template from Blogger.com. Sorry, it just does.

    For me, one of the attractions to Techdirt was the ala-Craigslist style of "bare bolts." It was easy to read, skim, and post.

    Because your site's name is "TECHDIRT", not "TECHPRETTY". I come here for content - not because i'm impressed with your webdesign. I don't need abstract icons or graphic ads to help me read.

    If I were your designer (and I'm not), I'd take cues from actual intelligence reports (see national archives or TheSmokingGun for examples) and keep the site spartan....just like the old teletype intel printouts. For "Techdirt: Corporate Intelligence" I couldn't think of a more appropos "theme".

    But I still got luv fo da TD.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Michael "TheZorch" Haney, 11 Mar 2006 @ 10:15am

    Nice

    TechDirt is starting to look like Slashdot.

    Cool. I like the new design, it was rather sparce before. This new design adds a more professional look to the site.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Ben McNelly, 11 Mar 2006 @ 10:39am

    Well duh///

    Of course they are going to update the look, I was good to be simple but it was also borderline crappy.

    - So stop complaining. Yes we lost a couple good features and diddnt gain any new ones. Ok, thats not prooving my point... But seriously, it does do somthing astheticaly for it at least and I think it will also be a little more interesting to newcomers.


    The look reminds me of an revamped http://www.lawrence.com or somthing. Overall its nice.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Joe Smith, 11 Mar 2006 @ 10:41am

    Eye candy

    I'm here for the content. Anything that makes the screen more busy without adding content I'm opposed to.

    I dislike the low contrast menu at the top of the page. Dark grey on black is not very user friendly for us baby boomers with failing eyes.

    If you wanted eye candy you should have added some (tastefully) naked bimbos.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Joe Snuffy, 11 Mar 2006 @ 11:02am

    Post 78

    Not that anyone is still reading all these posts but......I must say the 800x600 is a little out of date. If you want to upgrate your site, don't just do it half a$$ed. Keep the news coming though.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Joe Snuffy, 11 Mar 2006 @ 11:03am

      Post 79

      It is also nice to see my post right away instead of 30mins later. GJ

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Person, 11 Mar 2006 @ 11:36am

    eh

    I think it looks nice, but not a big fan of fixed width. If I want to see it skinnier, I'll resize the window. I have a wide screen and like to squish windows horizontally sometimes, but I'm probably wierd.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Steve, 11 Mar 2006 @ 12:08pm

    It's not about the design,

    It's about the information.

    There is no need to have a gigantic header just because everyone else does. This site is important because of its content.

    I liked your old-school look because it added credibility to the site. Kind of like "we've been around for a long time and have succeeded and there is no need to keep up with the Jones'" (It's kind of annoying now how far down the page the story starts... You don't need to be like Digg.)

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Jacob, 11 Mar 2006 @ 12:39pm

    Fixed Width

    I like the new site design...

    The fixed width makes complete sense for me (even though my compy res is 1600X1200)

    when I originally built my site, it was built for 1024 but then when I started getting hits I looked at the resolutions for my various readers and surprisingly a LOT of them were running 800X600, so a redesign was needed, and granted...

    my $.02

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Tan The Man, 11 Mar 2006 @ 12:41pm

    Looks Good

    Looks more polished, but I don't know how many posts you can fit onto the main page like you did before.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Gerard L. Petersen, 11 Mar 2006 @ 1:17pm

    hmm... what's changed?

    :P

    Awesome... i love it!

    Suggestion for the comments, make the replies to comments have a link to the comment that it's replying to.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Gerard L. Petersen, 11 Mar 2006 @ 1:21pm

    Suggestion

    Also I like being able to click on the main logo in the header to take you main listing.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Ponder, 11 Mar 2006 @ 1:53pm

    It's alright ...

    I have to go to the camp against fixed width. Yes, I know designers like to use fixed width and best viewed at resolution blah by blah, but as a reader I want the website to fill the screen, on all my monitors, from my tiny 640x480 to my massive 1200x1600. Set the areas as percentages of the width please! Try to design to WC3 HTML standards in future. (But all this critism won't stop me reading). Nice Comment box.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Sea Man, 11 Mar 2006 @ 2:04pm

    At least...

    make it scalable to high resolutions. I have a nice monitor and grahics card and I used to not have to scroll. Until then, nice design but I mus give a thumbs down.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Posterlogo, 11 Mar 2006 @ 2:27pm

    The extra white space is pathetic.

    This feels like a homage to the web pages of 10 years ago when some people only had 640x480 resolution. Come on!??! A 80-character width??? Feels like you're pandering to the lowest common denominator, or maybe you're going to fill all that space up with flash ads now.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    DoxAvg, 11 Mar 2006 @ 2:33pm

    Great icon design

    Out of curiosity, who did the icon design for the topics? The graphics are clean, elegant, and informative. The new design is much more professional; while that will probably be a boon for the (bill-paying) CI side, it loses some of the "geeks around the watercooler" feel that I liked about TechDirt.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    c0ke, 11 Mar 2006 @ 2:56pm

    OH MY GOD, FINALLY!

    I thought yall were just too lazy to add in a few CSS elements to your web site. It was hard enough "trying" to "try" to read your articles. I can see words much clearly now. Good job!

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    ch1x, 11 Mar 2006 @ 2:59pm

    Can we get style="vertical-align:top;" added to those side images on the navigation tabs to line things up in FireFox?

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    mark, 11 Mar 2006 @ 3:33pm

    I'm not one to automatically embrace change, but this looks real nice. Very well done!

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Krutch, 11 Mar 2006 @ 4:29pm

    Love it

    Love the redesign. Been a reader for awhile now and will contiue. Now if I could just find time to post more often

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Swati, 11 Mar 2006 @ 4:43pm

    Old was good, new is great!

    Your old design was nice, but this one is better =) Modern looking and all. Great going ;)

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    arcfixer, 11 Mar 2006 @ 6:20pm

    IF IT AIN'T BROKE, DON'T FIX IT.

    Your new format sucks. It takes forever to download. The fixed width sucks the worst. I don't need it, won't bother reading it.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Bryan Price, 11 Mar 2006 @ 6:22pm

    Wow.

    I thought the working favicon.ico was a nice touch earlier.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    LordVader, 11 Mar 2006 @ 6:25pm

    Like the look

    I like the look, just do not like the fixed width. I am running my monitors at 1280X1024 and have several inches of useless white borders on the side. I too think it would be nice to not have to scroll through so much. But other than that I do like the look of the site.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    ConceptJunkie (profile), 11 Mar 2006 @ 6:41pm

    New Look: Ding! Fixed Width: Bzzzt!

    The new is really nice, but the fixed width has _got_ to go. It makes you scroll twice as much as is necessary.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Ray Trygstad, 11 Mar 2006 @ 7:31pm

    New Site Design

    Bravo!

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    ShaolinTiger, 11 Mar 2006 @ 9:22pm

    Fixed with? No thanks.

    I do love the new look, but definately not the fixed width.

    As I'm running 1280x1024 it's lot of screen real estate wasted.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Krell, 11 Mar 2006 @ 10:51pm

    Great except for the Fixed width

    Love the new look, for the most part. Like many, the fixed width hurts the overall look of the site.

    Running at 1024, the comment section (once you get past the ads) sits in less than 50% of the available screen... at 1280 it looks kinda ridiculous.

    If the site was set to 95% of browser width it would help make better use of high resolutions and look very similar to the way it does now on low 800x600 resolutions...

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Shohat, 11 Mar 2006 @ 11:30pm

    Comments go to Zero after 100 .

    Awesome job .
    Seriosly , you look like blogger template , got fixed width , and there is nothing clever in the icons any more .
    You look like a blog of a 14 yearold + 200$ for the logo and icons .

    You are high-traffic , you actually have Alot of visitors that like your writing dont play these retarded
    Permalink , tag , trackback , pinback , feed
    Blogging games .

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Paul, 11 Mar 2006 @ 11:40pm

    I like the old one better, it was much more "indy" this one seems too run of the mill.

    The first time I followed an rss link to this new design I thought I clicked the wrong link and it led me to some crap UK news site

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Dr. A. Kristi, 12 Mar 2006 @ 12:01am

    If my voice is heard...

    Putting the icons inline with text will give it more space even vith the fixed width, so if you dont use the icon, like most people don't, you get to use the space for your text. Also making the sponsor "bar" more dynamic and inline with the posts, so it cuts only the top few will give the text(what we come here for) more space. About the design: - I could do exactly this, also with changing facecolors, etc. in under 2 hours, including integration. Something simple and original will do alot better. BTW threaded view could use some light graphics, the old site was more confusing than anything. Not to be all doom and gloom, this is a good beginning, and I think we all appreciate the effort.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Dr. A. Kristi, 12 Mar 2006 @ 12:01am

    If my voice is heard...

    Putting the icons inline with text will give it more space even vith the fixed width, so if you dont use the icon, like most people don't, you get to use the space for your text. Also making the sponsor "bar" more dynamic and inline with the posts, so it cuts only the top few will give the text(what we come here for) more space. About the design: - I could do exactly this, also with changing facecolors, etc. in under 2 hours, including integration. Something simple and original will do alot better. BTW threaded view could use some light graphics, the old site was more confusing than anything. Not to be all doom and gloom, this is a good beginning, and I think we all appreciate the effort.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    A Funny Guy / The Poison Pen, 12 Mar 2006 @ 1:18am

    Add me to the list against the fixed width issue. I have a really high resolution screen and 50% of it is white now. While the ad's are a little distasteful, all this white is hurting my little peepers @.@

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Agonizing Fury, 12 Mar 2006 @ 1:46am

    Good and Bad

    Other than the fixed width, I definately like the new look of the site. The fixed width needs to go, or it needs to be set to a higher width (or you could have the text take up the full width of page after it clears the stuff on the sides). The only other thing I don't like is it takes longer to load. If I were on my DSL at home I probably wouldn't even notice, but since I'm in Iraq sharing a sloooow satellite connection with 30 other people, it becomes painfully obvious that more bandwidth is required. Thanks for all the hard work on the site though.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    yossi, 12 Mar 2006 @ 1:51am

    well...

    i use this site on my cell through google. all that crap on top takes forever to scrol past. put the content b4 any extra text. and the pics are way huge.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 12 Mar 2006 @ 1:54am

    I wonder if we as techdirt readers could file a class action lawsuit when our scroll wheels start wearing out because we have to scroll more on the techdirt site? I mean people got money from the tobacco industry and no one forced them to smoke. Techdirt is extremely addictive, due to the fact that the news and comments are usually outstanding, and has no disclaimer on their page to that fact. Maybe this new design is the result of a deal between techdirt and the major mouse manufacturers.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anarchy_Creator, 12 Mar 2006 @ 3:07am

    geigh

    Fixed width sux.
    I liked the older version better, but that's just because I became accustomed to it.
    I'm sure I'll get accustomed to this one, but that time frame would be greatly shortened if there was no fixed width, or if it was increased.
    My screen res is, and has been 1280x1024 since about 2002, and I've can't says I've come across a website yet that makes my eyes bleed.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Curosity, 12 Mar 2006 @ 5:04am

    Logo style

    Suprisingly, i was just tinking to myself that you were becoming an iconic site, and then the new site design shows up. While it looks nice, isn't TechTV / G4 going to come after you for using a logo that looks like the old TecHTV logo just before they were sold to G4?

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Laurent Van Winckel, 12 Mar 2006 @ 6:40am

    Nice

    Looks a bit better than before, so it's okay :)

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Pencil Nebula, 12 Mar 2006 @ 6:46am

    Learn to program before doing web design

    Totally Completely 100% screwed up.

    If you are going to redesign the web site for gosh sakes learn enough programming inorder to do such.

    At present your website uses 1/3 of available desktop space leaving 2/3 as 1/3 on each side of a center 1/3 of content as blank white space.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Rod, 12 Mar 2006 @ 7:11am

    I like it...

    I had no idea it had been seven years since you did a redesign. I DID know that I thought the looks of the site were very outdated and bland.

    I like that fact that you did something new, and that is refreshing.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    acousticiris, 12 Mar 2006 @ 8:17am

    Looks fine ... except

    As was mentioned by others, the only problem I have with it is that it doesn't dynamically size with the browser.
    Old techdirt made use of my entire 1280 pixels of width on my home PC, the 1920 width on my pc at work or the limited 480 width on my Axim. Now, I haven't had the opportunity to test this on my mobile device. But so far on my other PCs, as my resolution increases, your page layout just centers itself leaving a large area of unused space and a big scrollbar.

    Besides that, the the design is great. It's a clean look and feel and a hell of an improvement. But form has to follow function. Please, please make the width of the entry's text scale dynamically.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Syed, 12 Mar 2006 @ 8:20am

    WAY Better!

    This design is very clean and makes you look like a rich and powerful company. I'm not sure the "dirt" is there anymore.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    DV Henkel-Wallace, 12 Mar 2006 @ 8:54am

    Doesn't do it for me

    I liked the old, spare site which didn't look outdated to me. The enormous icons and fixed space are a problem for me (especially when I try to read in a small window). Basically it looks cluttered which makes it harder for the eye to trivially find the content.

    Maybe, once you have it, I can just read the mobile version on my computer. That usually looks far better for the sites that do that. Of course the best sites are the ones that don't _need_ a special mobile site....

    Just my $.02....

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Michael Parekh, 12 Mar 2006 @ 9:00am

    design change

    Wow! What a difference! Terrific change...especially love the category presentation re-do. Great job.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Prashad, 12 Mar 2006 @ 10:05am

    Looks great

    Great re-design.
    Pages look very clean and you immediately get a sense of where things are on the page. On most webpages you have to look at the page for a little while to find out where everything (content,menu,adverts, etc..) is.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Piwacket, 12 Mar 2006 @ 11:03am

    Nice job

    Superb, much much better than the old one.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    dan, 12 Mar 2006 @ 11:33am

    Needs work

    The overall look is fine, nice visual elements, but the fixed width is terrible. My laptop is a convertible wide screen tablet, and it looks bad in either orientation. Landscape has huge white-space areas on either side and in portrait it is to wide. On my desktop, with a 20 inch wide screen, it takes up less than half the screen.

    Tweak it a bit, huh?

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Kirsti, 12 Mar 2006 @ 12:55pm

    Scared of white space?

    Some people can't stand silence, and apparently others can't stand white space. I love the look. Great job!

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 12 Mar 2006 @ 1:00pm

    not a fan of the new layout. liked the old one better, in particular, the wide column of text.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    shableep, 12 Mar 2006 @ 1:10pm

    I like it. So your monitors have great tracks of l

    I like fixed width. It reads more pleasantly. It's familiar to the width of a good book. I like everything. Huge improvement.

    I know you guys probably paid $900 for your 24" wide screen, and are pretty pissed that your valuable acreage isn't being used effectively... But no one ever complained that a book wasn't wide enough. 24" screens are oversized for news in this format. Try reading a magazine where one page is 18" wide, no columns. It's not pleasant unless it's loaded with huge pictures to fill the space. A webpage can completely lose its visual integrity if it has ultimate scalability. Just shrink down your windows a bit. You know you want to fill in that left over acreage with some pleasant scenery and/or attractive women.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Dave, 12 Mar 2006 @ 1:36pm

    Spiff-o

    Nice, the gradient is soothing. Much easier to see each separate article. Keep it up.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    discojohnson, 12 Mar 2006 @ 1:41pm

    counter error

    fyi, when the comment count breaks 100, the counter is modding (98, 99, 00, 01, ...), causing odd looking counts.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    SH, 12 Mar 2006 @ 1:56pm

    Looks are part of the equation but IMHO this site will be minor league forever unless they decide to start staying open on the weekends. It's as simple as that.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Scott, 12 Mar 2006 @ 2:53pm

    New Not As Functional

    Your site read better a before you implemented the fixed width site. Your graphics are a little large as as id the font for the article title - I am here for information-not images and facny fonts. Additionally you could see maore descriptions per page without have to do major scrolling pre fixed width page. Other than that the site looks great

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Glo, 12 Mar 2006 @ 3:36pm

    Uh Oh!

    Errrr mmmmm ... Did you, perchance, test your site with Firefox? ... Renders poorly here. ... Fonts do not fit in on the background images for them, in particular: the list-item class="selected" had the text overflowing the bottom of the div containing it.

    Try again.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Pesti, 12 Mar 2006 @ 5:25pm

    Works for me!

    Considering the fact that due to the "age" factor my eyesite sucks, the big font works. Also now I can go staight to the bottem if I want to reply to the main article.
    Easier, Faster,......Pesti

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    JM, 12 Mar 2006 @ 6:37pm

    Looks sweet.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Heratiki, 12 Mar 2006 @ 7:44pm

    Nice!!!

    I think it's great... I was wondering when Techdirt was going to step out of ASCII block format and move up... Look's great and keep it up...

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Bob, 12 Mar 2006 @ 8:09pm

    Goodbye

    "A free service of techdirt corporate intelligence"?

    That's it, I'm outta here. I simply can't believe the audacity of this guy.

    I like the redesign Mike, however you've taken the idea and plowed it with your self indulgent attempt to inflate yourself as something more than you are. You've obviously forgotten your roots, and who it was who got you here.. your community.

    If you want to become yet another un-original corporate shill that's your business, but how dare you do it on my time.

    I wish Techdirt and its mere 5 comments per article well in its endeavors.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    gplana, 12 Mar 2006 @ 8:39pm

    ACCK!

    This new format and page layout is totally unfriendly to people who use their PDA's to access this site, which I do. I had to use a desktop computer to post this comment, which should give you an idea just how bad it is.

    Please, fix this problem ASAP!

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    wOmP, 12 Mar 2006 @ 8:59pm

    New Look

    I agree a new look was needed, but why so much?
    the content needs more room.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    ./Decius, 13 Mar 2006 @ 1:40am

    Never really noticed

    I never really noticed the old layout, and I been comming for for about a year now. Just kind of came for the news, and read all the flames in the comments. But I like the design, although like stated like 20 times, the fixed width kind of sucks. Being Im running at 1600x1200 but I'll live

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Flanker, 13 Mar 2006 @ 1:59am

    Love the New Design

    I'll miss the old Techdirt, but the beauty of the new design lightens the blow considerably. I don't really mind the fixed-width that much, although I usually keep my browser window around 950px wide. Congrats to Jamie Wieferman for a job well done.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    mikol, 13 Mar 2006 @ 5:10am

    new look...

    .....terrible waste of space and effort..long read,,quite inconvenient to move around..get a refund from your design firm..

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    thecaptain, 13 Mar 2006 @ 5:17am

    somewhat love it

    Looks slick and stylish.

    however, I can't pin it down, but somehow it became a lot harder to read. Maybe its the choice of fonts and colors...

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Elaine, 13 Mar 2006 @ 5:30am

    New design.

    Very nice. And I so appreciate that you manage to include advertising with annoying the hell out your readers.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Marc J King, 13 Mar 2006 @ 6:16am

    Fixed-Width

    Please add one more vote towards getting rid of the fixed-width. Other than that, I think the new design is great. Some other people have implied that it looks very "generic", but I don't think that's a bad thing. Techdirt looked pretty generic before, only an old generic. Keep up the good work, but please correct the width, it is much harder to read now.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Xanthir, 13 Mar 2006 @ 7:14am

    Mixed Feelings

    I like the overall feel of the site, but have a few big complaints.

    Things I don't like:

    1) The fixed width has to go. Failing that, we need more than the middle half of the screen as text. Seriously, the comments take up a *ton* more vertical real-estate now.

    2) I don't like the jarring effect of the dark header with the white rest-of-site. Either a lighter header is needed, or you need a nice gradient transition so it isn't such a sharp line.

    3) The 'Related Stories' box is waaaaay down at the bottom below all the ads.

    Things I like:

    1) The comment box put right there at the bottom! It's a small thing, to be sure, but it really makes it feel like it's easier to comment. I like it.

    2) The fact that 'Related Stories' is now actually related stories, not just the article's links stripped out into another box.

    3) It's still the same ol' Techdirt.

    Things I'm not sure about:

    1) The ginormous story icons.

    2) The new way of indicating icons.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Xanthir, 14 Mar 2006 @ 12:26pm

      Re: Mixed Feelings

      Okay, after a while, the "I'm not sure" column has been eliminated. I'm cool with the big icons and the bolded hyperlinks.

      I'm still *not* cool with the sudden change from black top to white body. That's just... jarring.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    paperrhino, 13 Mar 2006 @ 8:36am

    Changing font sizes makes it harder to read

    I like the new look but I find the text harder to read becasue of the changing font sizes for the cross links. I usually quickly scan the article but that is harder because all I pick out now are the cross link words. Making them the same font and just changing the color would help a lot.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    I Like the layout, 13 Mar 2006 @ 8:38am

    The new layout looks great in my opinion. I slightly agree with all of you who hate the whitespace on the sides, but it does keep the content organized. Why should page be developed using 800X600? Anything viewed at that resolution looks like shit, we should start coding for 1024X768 and leave the people who run 800X600 a hard choice:
    A. Deal with it
    B. Get a new monitor the one you are using from 92' needs replaced
    C. If you can't handle either of the other suggestions kill yourself.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Matt, 13 Mar 2006 @ 9:07am

    Fixed Width

    I like the actual look of the new design, but I'm in the category seeking to eliminate fixed-width. I despise fixed-width, and while I saw a couple comments saying they appreciate it, I just can't comprehend. I bought a nice big monitor to support high resolutions, so I could use it - not stare at 8 inches of nothing.

    I suppose maybe I'll just write a GreaseMonkey script to take care of this, or perhaps, maybe someone else already has!

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 13 Mar 2006 @ 12:37pm

    Fixed Width

    I like the look quite a bit, it's pretty clean. I agree that the fixed width should go.

    Fixed width on a web page is one of those things that is popping up more and more, for only one reason: It lets the web designer make a prettier site. By nailing down margins and column widths to the pixel, the designer can specify layout as precisely as they can on a printed page.

    The problem is that it's unfriendly to the visitor. It flies in the face of how HTML is supposed to be coded, which should be a suggestion to the visitor's browser about how to render the site. Sites shouldn't be 'built for x resolution'... they should be built to be rendered however the visitor wants, whether they're a leet hacker @1600 or a nearsighted senior citizen @ 640.

    But, rant aside, I like the redesign. I've always been partial to white, silver, and blue... Good old Amiga 2.0 colors.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 13 Mar 2006 @ 1:40pm

    If you do not understand computer systems and technology well enough to produce a working website, why would anyone bother to visit your site?

    Your new design is broken in many respects and you obviously did not bother to test it thoroughly across multiple architectures, operating systems and web browsers.

    The use of fixed width and fixed height shows you do not understand the simple fact that there are many possible screen sizes and resolutions. For me, someone who likes large text fonts (and has configured his browser to always use them), your site is now unreadable since lines of text are now partially obscuring each other.

    If you highered a supposed "web developer" to create this new site, please fire them for incompetence.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Mark Liedtke, 13 Mar 2006 @ 4:33pm

    New web site design

    Is there a "lite" version of the site for handhelds? I used to be able to access the site with ease from my Blackberry and now it is very slow and painful.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 14 Mar 2006 @ 4:13am

    Go back to the old design

    The new one adds lots of flash but no substance. TechDirt's strength
    is its analysis and insights, and those can be expressed more than
    adequately in plain ASCII text. Leave the all-singing-all-dancing
    web site design to the clueless newbies who think the 'net is a video
    game or a TV commercial. You're not peddling trendiness here,
    you're peddling clear thinking -- why muddle it with worthless crap?

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 14 Mar 2006 @ 7:41am

    Hmmm? I'll say 20% Progress, 80% Motion.

    Yes, lose the fixed width, it wastes a lot of desktop and makes the page harder to skim and read.

    The large headline and icon add a lot of visual clutter. Less is more.

    And get some intervention help for the designer. He may have joined a neo-Jakobology cult while no one was watching... sheesh...

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    David Hewett, 14 Mar 2006 @ 8:23am

    New Site Layout

    Ok Im a web designer so perhaps im biased - I actually like clean layouts great navigation and uncluttered sites.
    I hated the old site and when I clicked on my feeds I always groaned at the old site and thought it was a mess.
    The NEW Layout is GREAT - Well done - its easy to skim through the articles of interest - easy to read looks CLASSY!

    Dont roll back guys, I LOVE IT!!! Well Done!

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 17 Mar 2006 @ 6:36am

      Re: New Site Layout

      Given that you don't seem to know how to use punctuation, you wouldn't be designing any web sites for my company.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Danno, 14 Mar 2006 @ 11:48am

    Nice! No longer feels like 1997!

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Danno, 14 Mar 2006 @ 11:50am

    PS: Consider adding more paragraphs to entires. Breaks up the visual flow of the block and makes things easier to read.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    JoeR, 14 Mar 2006 @ 9:35pm

    Bah!

    There was little wrong with the old design ... and while change *may* be inevitable, change for change's sake is rarely a good idea. I'm not opposed to redesign when it works - the revamped Register looks and works great.

    This redesign absolutely represents a triumph of style over substance, and I didn't think that was what Techdirt was about.

    The old Techdirt had the look of a news site for techies and geeks - the new look screams "corporate" and really, it now looks no different than the other thousands of corporate sites on the Net. The only thing that's missing is the overuse of the Verdana font, the only one "webdesigners" seem to know about.

    I'll still read Techdirt for the excellent articles ... unless *that* changes for the "better" as well.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    William C Bonner, 16 Mar 2006 @ 1:28pm

    Too much header in Thunderbird RSS Mode.

    I read this primarily in Thunderbird's RSS Reader.

    The old format was one of the cleanest content that I read. It was something that I could recognize immidiatly, and read the contents of. Now, the header fills half of my readable space, and the text isn't as readable.

    I understand the need to Ad placement, it's just if the content takes me longer to interpret, I'm less likely to digest it in the first place.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    TJ, 17 Mar 2006 @ 6:24pm

    Hello Mike?

    So is Mike or whoever even listening anymore? It seems no one is, since the site hasn't had even the *slightest* improvement since the 1st reply on this thread. We visitors shouldn't have wasted our time providing feedback, because it appears we have been soundly ignored.

    I still don't care about fixed width, but a HUGE majority of posters do and want a non-fixed width site. The one thing that makes me think they are right is that arstechnica.com looks like ASS because of a fixed width that bears ZERO relation to my screen resolution. "Stupid web designer, fixed is for pricks..."

    So Mike, are you going to comment AT ALL on the 160+ feedback comments, or is Techdirt going to bury its head in the sand and do whatever you damn well please despite what your visitors want???

    Considering how much you criticize companies for ignoring their customers needs and wishes, it really isn't cool for you to ignore what your site's visitors want. You get what we're all saying? Hello?!?!?!?

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    mhh5, 24 Mar 2006 @ 3:35pm

    we're listening..

    give us some time... we're trying to implement some changes... thx for your patience.

    link to this | view in chronology ]


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