Beyond Forum Upgrade - Open Beta

[rage2]

Hey everyone. Just wanted to open up our beta site up for users to take a look, have a test drive, and see our progress as we inch closer to the go-live D-Day. The beta site is based on a backup from earlier this week, so all the content is there for you to play around with.

You should be able to login using your existing credentials from here. If you don't know your password, you can use the beta site's forgot my password to retrieve it (it won't affect the current forums password). Hopefully your email is up to date, because we won't be updating emails on the beta site.

Throughout the next week(s), we will be refreshing the database from the live instance when needed and without notice, so expect your posts to randomly disappear there. If you update your email here, a future database refresh will push the emails to the beta site when we run a refresh.

Please note the current Known Issues list below, these are things on our radar that we're working on. Feel free to give us some feedback on what you like, don't like, suggestions, etc. and I'll filter things down to our development team. The site is designed for desktop, tablets and mobile, so any feedback should note what platform you're on. Please only post feedback over here in our live site and not the test site. We won't be monitoring posts there.

The test site is located at: http://beta.beyond.ca

Enjoy!

Known Issues

1. Trader rating missing.

2. User rating missing.

3. [video] tag is new for embedding all video formats. Accepts full URLs.

4. Rules page missing: http://forums.beyond.ca/articles.php?action=data&item=1

5. SOLD and FOUND prefixes missing. To be added to marketplace prefixes.

6. The highlighted edges can be double clicked on a desktop to mark forum as read. Can't do that on mobile.

7. Link to View Active Discussions in last 24 hours missing from Nav Menu

8. "What I drive" is missing.

9. Messy and redundant Nav links.

10. Beyond.ca logo links to forums (was linked to blog)

11. Missing Terms of Use, Advertising Info, and Car Blog on bottom bar.

12. Various font sizes and spacing. We're currently tweaking and optimizing against multiple devices so things may look funky as we finalize the targets.

13. @Mentions aren't setup yet.

[BensonTT]

Looks good so far. Will there be a mobile version :)

[rage2]

Originally posted by BensonTT
Looks good so far. Will there be a mobile version :)

Originally posted by rage2
The site is designed for desktop, tablets and mobile

[D'z Nutz]

Man, searching within a thread is going to be so useful.

[EK 2.0]

Originally posted by D'z Nutz
Man, searching within a thread is going to be so useful.


:clap:

[eglove]

Where's the new posts link?

[jwslam]

Originally posted by eglove
Where's the new posts link?
"What's new" right under the logo

Does it have the same timer as current?

[rage2]

Originally posted by jwslam
Does it have the same timer as current?
No more timer. It remembers what threads you've read and stores that data for the last 30 days.

You can mark all as read, or on the forums pages, double click the green light on the left to mark the whole forum as read.

[eglove]

Originally posted by jwslam

"What's new" right under the logo

Does it have the same timer as current?

Haha, durr

[BokCh0y]

Love the new features: join date (so we can make fun of the 17's haha) and also the rep power. Gave eglove a +1 rep to test.

[eglove]

Are you going to move the avatar and user info into a table on the left or are you going to leave it above the post like it is now

User Mentions don't work with @

[rage2]

Originally posted by eglove
Are you going to move the avatar and user info into a table on the left or are you going to leave it above the post like it is now

User Mentions don't work with @
We're not going to change the layout. This layout actually reads better on mobile (especially in portrait mode). In the current site, users on phones would zoom into the column to read the posts and scroll left to see who posted. This stacked view fixes that behavior.

Plus, it'd be a shit ton of work to change the default layout and probably break future upgrades.

Mentions aren't installed yet, I will add that to the list of known issues.

[killramos]

This explains why i got a subscription test email from a beta version of the forum on the weekend. I almost had a heart attack when i saw the change :rofl:

[A790]

Can we make it less... 2009y?

[know1edge]

Doesn't show the number of pages per thread in the topic list?

[schocker]

Will there be more themes? The classic beyond grey/light grey is quite pleasant on the eyes.

[RealJimmyJames]

One theme for all, like a true proletariat!

[flipstah]

What's rep power?
Does mentions work as notifications like a PM?

Also uploading photos just got more cumbersome on mobile. However, it is better than the current state so I'll approve.

[brucebanner]

Originally posted by schocker
Will there be more themes? The classic beyond grey/light grey is quite pleasant on the eyes.

x2

[rage2]

Originally posted by know1edge
Doesn't show the number of pages per thread in the topic list?
We're still toying with this right now. We removed it to make it cleaner especially for mobile.


Originally posted by schocker
Will there be more themes? The classic beyond grey/light grey is quite pleasant on the eyes.

Originally posted by RealJimmyJames
One theme for all, like a true proletariat!
:rofl:

For go-live, it'll be just the 1 theme. At some point, I'd like to work on a night theme, but we'll see...


Originally posted by flipstah
What's rep power?
It's the new reputation system. Not sure if we're keeping that yet, but probably going to have it open for people to play with at launch.


Originally posted by flipstah
Does mentions work as notifications like a PM?
Scheduled for post launch.


Originally posted by flipstah
Also uploading photos just got more cumbersome on mobile. However, it is better than the current state so I'll approve.
We're going to try to improve that on mobile devices. But yea, the buttons and such are too small, and too clunky using a manage interface. Stay tuned!

[Maxx Mazda]

Maybe I'm alone in this, but I really preferred the username info panel off to the left instead of on top of each post. Just tried the new beta on a PC, an iPad, and my phone. Most of my Beyond'ing happens on my phone or iPad, depending on if I'm taking a shit or not.

With the old layout, I can double tap, and read the thread, and if I need to see who posted something, simply scroll left. This new layout seems a little too "busy" Maybe.

[flipstah]

It's just getting used to it.

I like it. However, it strains my eyes when it's all white at night.

[R154]

I don't like change. This is threatening. Any chance the old forum will have legacy support in a post vb4 world?

[rage2]

Originally posted by rage2
In the current site, users on phones would zoom into the column to read the posts and scroll left to see who posted.

Originally posted by Maxx Mazda
Maybe I'm alone in this, but I really preferred the username info panel off to the left instead of on top of each post. Just tried the new beta on a PC, an iPad, and my phone. Most of my Beyond'ing happens on my phone or iPad, depending on if I'm taking a shit or not.

With the old layout, I can double tap, and read the thread, and if I need to see who posted something, simply scroll left. This new layout seems a little too "busy" Maybe.
You're not alone. I polled a couple of people on how they used the current forums on the phone, and everybody did this including myself. This was one of the big changes moving to the new forums without rewriting/breaking a lot of stuff. I've spent a week with it and have gotten used to it. The old way seems so "ghetto" now. We basically conditioned ourselves to a workaround, making it a little difficult to do things properly.

This is why we are planning on having a decent beta program length, just so people can play around and get used to things for a smoother transition.


Originally posted by flipstah
It's just getting used to it.

I like it. However, it strains my eyes when it's all white at night.
The colors are still being worked on. And ya, it's making me uber tired reading the new site at night, so that's on the radar to be addressed.

Kinda funny how many things we got "right" with the original site design. Reading beyond on tablets and phones in bed with the lights off wasn't even a thing back in 2002. Nobody hauled their laptops in bed back then.

[flipstah]

Keep up the great work, team!

[Maxx Mazda]

Just a thought, but how does the new forum compare to the old in terms of data usage? I have a good data plan so it's not too much of a concern, just asking out of curiosity. I beyond a LOT so if it's significantly more, it could add up over the long run.

[rage2]

Originally posted by Maxx Mazda
Just a thought, but how does the new forum compare to the old in terms of data usage? I have a good data plan so it's not too much of a concern, just asking out of curiosity. I beyond a LOT so if it's significantly more, it could add up over the long run.
There's a 69% savings on bandwidth on a typical thread view (not counting ads). We're aiming for 80% reduction, so still more work to go. :eek:

Remember, the current site was never designed for mobile, so it's actually quite data heavy. The new site will be heavily optimized to load fast and light on mobile devices for a better experience.

[RealJimmyJames]

Seems lower contrast and a bit harder to read. Using Chrome and a desktop if that matters.

[D'z Nutz]

Originally posted by Maxx Mazda
Maybe I'm alone in this, but I really preferred the username info panel off to the left instead of on top of each post. Just tried the new beta on a PC, an iPad, and my phone. Most of my Beyond'ing happens on my phone or iPad, depending on if I'm taking a shit or not.

Yeah I disliked the format at first cause I didn't think it was a good use of space, but after using it over the last week I'm used to it now. It didn't even occur to me that it would work better for mobile, but it makes sense now that I think about it.

[rage2]

Originally posted by RealJimmyJames
Seems lower contrast and a bit harder to read. Using Chrome and a desktop if that matters.
Still a ways to go in finalizing colors/contrast. Things are changing non stop right now because we're OCD haha.

[D'z Nutz]

http://i.imgur.com/gHl5hcR.gif

[rage2]

Originally posted by D'z Nutz
Yeah I disliked the format at first cause I didn't think it was a good use of space, but after using it over the last week I'm used to it now. It didn't even occur to me that it would work better for mobile, but it makes sense now that I think about it.
As I said earlier, there's a big focus with mobile optimization. Try viewing both sites on your phone back to back and see the massive speed difference. vB2 feels almost unusable to me haha. The beta site is running on shitty hardware right now too and will only get better when we go live.

[Swank]

I know you said text spacing/font is still in the works. Quoted text is tough to read, just leave it as regular text, not italic and bold, might as well add underline, strikethrough and flashing while you're at it :rofl:

Everything else looks great :thumbsup:

[eglove]

Originally posted by Swank
I know you said text spacing/font is still in the works. Quoted text is tough to read, just leave it as regular text, not italic and bold, might as well add underline, strikethrough and flashing while you're at it :rofl:

Everything else looks great :thumbsup:

Yea I agree it's too small. Even make it like this

OP by Swank View Post
testing

instead of

Originally Posted by Swank View Post
testing

[CompletelyNumb]

So far not mobile responsive. It saves, but not responsive. Same small text and layout. Is that intentional?

Also agree with Cam on the design, could be brought up to date.

Happy to see the upgrade though, way better features in vb4.

[rage2]

Originally posted by CompletelyNumb
So far not mobile responsive. It saves, but not responsive. Same small text and layout. Is that intentional?
Font sizes scale based on the screen size. Even columns get hidden when it can't fit.

[R154]

I take it all back. I love new beyond. took me about 1 minute to get used to it, but 3 days to get over the old look being gone.

Man the mobile interface is slick.

I like it :thumbsup:

Thanks for the upgrade!!

[rage2]

Thanks R154. Still a lot of work to go (especially on the backend) to get things acceptable for launch. I know a few people have asked me when it's going live, right now we're targeting the first or 2nd week of June. Yea, that's how much work is left. :(

[R154]

Its so intuitive. I really didnt think I would like it. But, Man is it every fast. I like how easy it is to differentiate different post types. And no more squinting or resizing.

I genuinely appreciate the work you guys have put in.

Where is the donate option? (aka beer fund?)

[rage2]

Thanks man, no beer fund necessary. I think I speak for all those working on this project that we enjoy new shit. Being in management these days, it's tough to get my hands dirty, so it's actually fun (aside from the lack of sleep).

The infrastructure changes I've been doing have been pretty awesome too. Learnt so much new stuff, and even applying some new things that can benefit Replicon. I'm presenting Beyond next month on some of these new things to the Replicon engineering/infrastructure teams to leverage some of the cool ideas that I've found.

[D'z Nutz]

I can't wait until we go live with the new Beyond.ca. Just from doing all the testing/QA, I feel like I'm getting a new toy.

[Tej.S]

@mentions, meaning you can tag people in posts? :D

I like the new layout. However, I agree that it's still a little bright haha. Looking forward to the update Rage + team :thumbsup:

[heavyD]

Not much of a complainer but maybe the blue font could be a tad darker? I have a 27" Retina 5k display and the there's lot of white in the background combined with the light blue makes for a bright looking screen.

[Greek Wizard]

Can I ask why you are using vBulletin 4.2 over vBulletin 5.x?

I have worked with vBulletin now for well over 10 years, and I can tell you that vBulletin 4.2 (that the new version is using) is now obsolete (as has been for a few years now) and will not receive anymore bug fixes (only some security ones).

I would highly suggest you make the move to vBulletin 5 instead.

Going through all this process just to install an already very old, non supported version does not seem very logical, but I assume you have you reasons.

[rage2]

Yup. We evaluated both vB4 and vB5 and vB4 blows vB5 away in usability. Trying to make posts in vB5 is like pulling hair, and still today has issues with browser compatibility which annoys the fuck out of me.

I use quite a few forums on vB5 and personally hate it, so yea, the choice is strictly from a user experience perspective.

Yes, we understand vB4 is obsolete, I ran into that detailing a problem with the latest vB 4.2.5 with PHP7 support, and they're not willing to fix it. At this time, for the users sake, it's the best option. They are still committed to fixing security issues, so that's at least one good thing.

Maybe down the road we will pursue something completely different, like Zenforo. I'm sure you're aware of all the backlash in the forum community against vB over the last 5 years, and why most people have actually moved away from vB completely. Sticking with vB was a tough choice for us, but it was the best path forward to get at least semi-modern and maintain a relatively familiar user experience, with an open path to other software down the road.

[The Cosworth]

I like it, maybe I missed it but will there be a +1 or something. I want a middle ground from lurking to full out posting. haha.

I like the idea of reduced data, the better mobile format, and the 'whats new' being a bit smarter.

Good work.

[bookem]

Originally posted by The Cosworth
I like it, maybe I missed it but will there be a +1 or something. I want a middle ground from lurking to full out posting. haha.
+1

[mr2mike]

Beyond is messing up! OP suddenly becomes second comment in a thread.

http://forums.beyond.ca/st2/railroad-ties/showthread.php?s=&postid=4661899#post4661899

[rage2]

Sorry about that. Fixed.

Stupid Windows and their clocks fucking up.

[flipstah]

Are attachments auto resize now?

[rage2]

Yup!

[jwslam]

Still using the old site currently.
Just jumped over to the beta and everything seems to be stuck on May 29 or something...

[rage2]

Originally posted by jwslam
Still using the old site currently.
Just jumped over to the beta and everything seems to be stuck on May 29 or something...
Yea, it's just a backup from last week that we migrated over. Looks like we're at the point where we're ready to go live this weekend.

[eglove]

Originally posted by rage2
Looks like we're at the point where we're ready to go live this weekend.

Exciting!! :bigpimp:

[D'z Nutz]

https://media.giphy.com/media/5mBE2MiMVFITS/giphy.gif

[ExtraSlow]

Is this going to fix the fact that people cant PM me?

[D'z Nutz]

Originally posted by ExtraSlow
Is this going to fix the fact that people cant PM me?

No, upgrading Beyond won't make friends for you. :rofl:

I sent you a PM on beta, if you want to see if you got it.

[never]

Originally posted by rage2

Yea, it's just a backup from last week that we migrated over. Looks like we're at the point where we're ready to go live this weekend.

Fucking finally!!!!

[CompletelyNumb]

Originally posted by rage2
Sticking with vB was a tough choice for us, but it was the best path forward to get at least semi-modern and maintain a relatively familiar user experience, with an open path to other software down the road.


I can't even imagine the meltdowns from members here if you opted for something modern like Discourse :rofl: vB is like a drug you just can't ween off of.

[ExtraSlow]

Originally posted by D'z Nutz


No, upgrading Beyond won't make friends for you. :rofl:

I sent you a PM on beta, if you want to see if you got it. That's just hurtful. :cry:

But I did get your PM, so I guess I'm satisfied. Now if only this new software could make me thinner and get me some work!

[flipstah]

Are we doing a launch party? Karaoke and Korean fried chicken.

[rage2]

Maybe next weekend. Not looking forward to 12 hours of work through the night and into the morning.

[flipstah]

Done. Mibz loves karaoke.