- Jul 24, 2006
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The load time is around 4s longer than the current home page for me, with ads blocked so that I'm only loading the "real" content. The size of the page isn't that much of an issue. The load time is probably longer because there are 88 GET requests instead of the current 36. I didn't check if they are all synchronous or if some are asynchronous though.
SmileyTPB1
Distinguished
- Jul 26, 2006
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I'm tired of this beta thing already. Just change it over so I can get to hating it and stop visiting TH sooner.
calmstateofmind
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- Jul 2, 2009
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+1 for dormantreign's design.
the only change i would do is to make the forum feeds bigger with more entries.
the only change i would do is to make the forum feeds bigger with more entries.
Would be great if the topics selector in the 'latest news' carousel could instead act as filters, e.g I could select CPU+graphics+storage if I justwant to view articles in those sub sections.
ojas
Distinguished
- Feb 25, 2011
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Beta 3 looks good, though the 'Tom's Hardware Awards' and Congiguration links at the bottom have a '/' missing after.com, so in effect the link's broken. the config one is a 404 btw.
Otherwise it's good!
p.s. your integrator app should be on the site and not facebook, or at least it should be on the site, even if you're particular about keeping it on fb.
if you have to keep it on fb, a very strong suggestion would be not to have access to personal details and friend lists etc, seeing that fb isn't very good when it comes to combining apps and privacy. Since you're the programmers of that app, i think protection of user data is your job as well. Easiest way is to not collect it at all.
That said, it's still annoying to have to log in to fb just to access that app.
Remember, Tom's came before fb. The app should belong to this site, not fb.
Otherwise it's good!
p.s. your integrator app should be on the site and not facebook, or at least it should be on the site, even if you're particular about keeping it on fb.
if you have to keep it on fb, a very strong suggestion would be not to have access to personal details and friend lists etc, seeing that fb isn't very good when it comes to combining apps and privacy. Since you're the programmers of that app, i think protection of user data is your job as well. Easiest way is to not collect it at all.
That said, it's still annoying to have to log in to fb just to access that app.
Remember, Tom's came before fb. The app should belong to this site, not fb.
- Jan 5, 2010
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Great feedback so far - and we're happy to see that the overwhelming response to the latest iteration has been positive.
I'll make mention to the design team that some of you are looking for the Torque Report, and narrow down where it went to and why.
I'll make mention to the design team that some of you are looking for the Torque Report, and narrow down where it went to and why.
freespace303
Distinguished
- Oct 21, 2008
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how about adding a button at the top that switches the page to a widescreen version?
i saw this feature at some website and really liked it.
http://www.techenclave.com/
see the blue arrow at the left side ?
i saw this feature at some website and really liked it.
http://www.techenclave.com/
see the blue arrow at the left side ?
- Jul 24, 2006
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Techenclave has a fairly simple layout that is easier to scale horizontally (and it is supported natively by vBulletin as well). There's more complexity to the TH home page.
To be honest, as much as I used to be a fan of ultra-wide websites, I've become accustomed to the narrower ones. Unless there is more content being added to fill the space, simply stretching out the site provides no added benefits and just reduces readability.
To be honest, as much as I used to be a fan of ultra-wide websites, I've become accustomed to the narrower ones. Unless there is more content being added to fill the space, simply stretching out the site provides no added benefits and just reduces readability.
I enjoy the 3rd beta and I'll be switching to it.
I especially like how you can choose how many News articles to show; that's nice!
My only suggestion would be to make it so that it remembers my change of how many News articles to show. It may be that you intended that, because when I revisit the page, and click the settings thing, it says 50, but still only displays 20 News articles. To fix it I have to set it to 20, then set it back to 50 for it to display them. I'm running Firefox 6 beta, so maybe that's the problem, but this is the first time something has messed up which makes me cautious to put the blame on the internet browser.
Other than that, it's good, and I can get to what I want quickly (articles/news).
Keep up the good work, you've made impressive progress versus the first beta. I feel that you're close to the final beta.
I especially like how you can choose how many News articles to show; that's nice!
My only suggestion would be to make it so that it remembers my change of how many News articles to show. It may be that you intended that, because when I revisit the page, and click the settings thing, it says 50, but still only displays 20 News articles. To fix it I have to set it to 20, then set it back to 50 for it to display them. I'm running Firefox 6 beta, so maybe that's the problem, but this is the first time something has messed up which makes me cautious to put the blame on the internet browser.
Other than that, it's good, and I can get to what I want quickly (articles/news).
Keep up the good work, you've made impressive progress versus the first beta. I feel that you're close to the final beta.
Brazilian Joe
Distinguished
- Jun 4, 2010
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The latest new at the top is OK, but I think the images should be at least double the size. OK to have less entries on the front page. I'd even use a translucent box over the image to place the news header if possible.
I think everything should be more spacious. The layout is not finger-friendly in general, but i guess it will not have a proper solution without a full redesign.
I also think the site have a general noisy look-and-feel, and much of this noise can be attributed to the 3-column layout. I think a 2-column proposition would be great.
I think everything should be more spacious. The layout is not finger-friendly in general, but i guess it will not have a proper solution without a full redesign.
I also think the site have a general noisy look-and-feel, and much of this noise can be attributed to the 3-column layout. I think a 2-column proposition would be great.
- Jan 5, 2010
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Hey there friends,
Again, fantastic feedback!
Here's some responses on what you've provided us:
■ Torque report: As Tom's is all about hardware and computing, we felt that the Torque Report isn't really related to our editorial motif and opted to put more emphasis on our features and articles.
■ Regarding moving the charts above forums: The charts icons are static and don't really inform the user about updates, and we're focusing on dynamic content. All chart updates are mentioned in the news feed and typically with an article as well, so you won't miss them when new things happen in charts even with them at the bottom of the page.
■ On the subject of "If it isn't broken, don't fix it..." look out for an a blog post later this summer detailing our MVTesting procedure that will elaborate more on the process of refinement.
■ dormantreign - your recommendations and feedback helped tremendously, though in your most recent version ads are missing in IAB formats, titles on "Latest Articles" and forums are too small despite previous user demand to increase font size on the home page (which is now 12 instead of 11). Also, our tests show that users tend to click more on a link in a list of links when they are in 1 column as opposed to 2. Other ideas from your design (and others) were very much implemented in the latest iteration of the beta though.
■ mrtrank - On the subject of page loading time, we have improved load times for multiple visit users on the homepge. The new layout is an average of 25% faster in those cases thanks to better use of the browser cache. We do still have some work to do to improve general load time, but progress is being made.
■ ojas - Much obliged for catching that bug. Missed it in last iteration, but it will be addressed in the next update.
■ Did you guys notice the article number display option now available? Now you can customize the number of news articles and forum posts that appear on the front page, as many have requested. Give it a whirl and tell us what you think!
We really appreciate all the excellent feedback in this beta process. We'll be closing it down here soon. Thanks again!
Again, fantastic feedback!
Here's some responses on what you've provided us:
■ Torque report: As Tom's is all about hardware and computing, we felt that the Torque Report isn't really related to our editorial motif and opted to put more emphasis on our features and articles.
■ Regarding moving the charts above forums: The charts icons are static and don't really inform the user about updates, and we're focusing on dynamic content. All chart updates are mentioned in the news feed and typically with an article as well, so you won't miss them when new things happen in charts even with them at the bottom of the page.
■ On the subject of "If it isn't broken, don't fix it..." look out for an a blog post later this summer detailing our MVTesting procedure that will elaborate more on the process of refinement.
■ dormantreign - your recommendations and feedback helped tremendously, though in your most recent version ads are missing in IAB formats, titles on "Latest Articles" and forums are too small despite previous user demand to increase font size on the home page (which is now 12 instead of 11). Also, our tests show that users tend to click more on a link in a list of links when they are in 1 column as opposed to 2. Other ideas from your design (and others) were very much implemented in the latest iteration of the beta though.
■ mrtrank - On the subject of page loading time, we have improved load times for multiple visit users on the homepge. The new layout is an average of 25% faster in those cases thanks to better use of the browser cache. We do still have some work to do to improve general load time, but progress is being made.
■ ojas - Much obliged for catching that bug. Missed it in last iteration, but it will be addressed in the next update.
■ Did you guys notice the article number display option now available? Now you can customize the number of news articles and forum posts that appear on the front page, as many have requested. Give it a whirl and tell us what you think!
We really appreciate all the excellent feedback in this beta process. We'll be closing it down here soon. Thanks again!
Reynod
Administrator
- Mar 26, 2007
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News on the left seems right ...
charts are a big plus for the site and well worth emphasising ... along with the regular graphics and CPU updates (best CPU / GPU for gaming at different price points.
We need a dedicated section for smartphones / tablets there ... and a new reviewer to work on it ... maybe smartphones / tablets will takeover the world ...
One day i might have a USB 8 socket in the back of my skull ... though wifi seems more likely.
/cognitive functions on standby ...
charts are a big plus for the site and well worth emphasising ... along with the regular graphics and CPU updates (best CPU / GPU for gaming at different price points.
We need a dedicated section for smartphones / tablets there ... and a new reviewer to work on it ... maybe smartphones / tablets will takeover the world ...
One day i might have a USB 8 socket in the back of my skull ... though wifi seems more likely.
/cognitive functions on standby ...
Beta 3 = NO. Less forum space would be a plus.
The original site is much better for several reasons. The featured sstories with images on the left is the main attraction for hi interest topics on the site. Having the simple carousel of additional news stories available right next to it is clean and easy to use. Also having the separate gathering points for the individual categories lower on the page is a fast way to find slightly older topics that are still of interest for discussion in the workplace. Best part, no wasted space on forum feeds. If I wanted to dig into the forums I would do so. Keep that in a small space where it belongs. The majority of visitors to Tom's are there for the stories and not the chatting. Make the kids in the forums click one time extra and give your older populace more news space.
The original site is much better for several reasons. The featured sstories with images on the left is the main attraction for hi interest topics on the site. Having the simple carousel of additional news stories available right next to it is clean and easy to use. Also having the separate gathering points for the individual categories lower on the page is a fast way to find slightly older topics that are still of interest for discussion in the workplace. Best part, no wasted space on forum feeds. If I wanted to dig into the forums I would do so. Keep that in a small space where it belongs. The majority of visitors to Tom's are there for the stories and not the chatting. Make the kids in the forums click one time extra and give your older populace more news space.
skaz
Distinguished
- Jan 1, 2011
- 1,567
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I like the old version better. I really like having the main articles in the center. I don't think anything is wrong with the original layout to be honest.
In regards to the original/old/current/before beta, I think an update to the "buttons" and color palette would be okay. The layout itself is fine though.
In regards to the original/old/current/before beta, I think an update to the "buttons" and color palette would be okay. The layout itself is fine though.
eddieroolz
Splendid
- Sep 6, 2008
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It's okay. I can use it, but I have a major concern regarding its speed. It lags when scrolling rapidly using Pale Moon 5.0 and the old page does not do that.
Beta 3 is looking pretty good. It's starting to feel and flow like an interactive magazine. I think I'd move the "Charts" in between "Latest News" and "Forums", it would help by being a natural divider and put that information closer to the action area of the news.
Cheers
Cheers
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