Date: Fri, 16 Jan 2004 06:46:46 +0100
From: Jeroen Ruigrok/asmodai <asmodai@wxs.nl>
To: "Marc G. Fournier" <scrappy@postgresql.org>
Cc: Dave Page <dpage@vale-housing.co.uk>,
	Alexey Borzov <borz_off@cs.msu.su>, pgsql-www@postgresql.org
Subject: Re: Requirements for updated site
Message-ID: <20040116054646.GX776@nexus.ninth-circle.org>
References: <03AF4E498C591348A42FC93DEA9661B872047C@mail.vale-housing.co.uk>
	<20040115123718.GM776@nexus.ninth-circle.org>
	<20040116011609.S45512@ganymede.hub.org>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Disposition: inline
In-Reply-To: <20040116011609.S45512@ganymede.hub.org>
Organisation: Ninth Circle Enterprises
User-Agent: Mutt/1.5.4i

-On [20040116 06:32], Marc G. Fournier (scrappy@postgresql.org) wrote:
>Agreed, but even someone that isn't a webdesigner has an opinion on
>wha they do find nice, and what they don't ... and it was with the
>opinions of many that the web site was designed ... I might not be able to
>really explain why I don't like Alexey's first attempt, I just know that
>the best I can say is that my eyes couldn't seem to focus on anywhere ...
>several others have commented similarly ...

I need to dig up the URL from the archives, hit 'D' a tad bit too fast.

[dual menus]

>'k, not against the getting rid of the dual menus, but am curious as to
>how that would reduce the need for scrolling?  Wouldn't that just mean a
>longer menu on the one side to scroll through?

Well, personally I wonder why you use such a small portion of the
browser window.  Those grey areas on both sides of the content are just
not used, which is a shame.

I was toying with getting the basic design redone in 4.01 STRICT HTML
with CSS: http://www.in-nomine.org/~asmodai/pgsql/

It is butt-ugly due to the text/fontfaces not having their proper sizes,
but it should illustrate the fill.  Now, if you make the fontfaces the
way they should be, you might have fit everything on the page without
scrolling (at least on a 1280x1024 resolution using opera).

Problem with scrolling is that not every person has as steady a hand as
most of us, thus making scrolling a very difficult exercise for them.

Part of it is a preference thing, but:

- either place all the relevant links/sections at the top of the screen
  in a navigational bar (Which MySQL AB seems to do)
- or place it on the left hand side with clear links

People seem to expect these kind of set-ups nowadays.  And like you
said, those three columns make your eyes wander too much, just like on
slashdot.org.

-- 
Jeroen Ruigrok van der Werven <asmodai(at)wxs.nl> / asmodai / kita no mono
PGP fingerprint: 2D92 980E 45FE 2C28 9DB7  9D88 97E6 839B 2EAC 625B
http://www.tendra.org/   | http://diary.in-nomine.org/
Don't try to find the Answer where there ain't no Question here...