We've released a major patch to the new DU software

[EarlG]

Last edited Fri Dec 1, 2023, 04:13 PM - Edit history (4)

Since the new software was launched last month we've taken everyone's feedback on board and made some changes. I mentioned before Thanksgiving that we would have a big patch coming after the holiday -- we released it today.

CHANGES OF NOTE

Tabbed navigation
The most significant change is to the nav system at the top of the page. Originally we wanted DU4 to be much improved for mobile users, but after launch it became clear that the "one-size-fits-all" approach of the two-button navigation system wasn't working well for everyone. So the two-button system has been replaced with a more traditional DU3-style tab navigation system. This change will happen on both desktop and mobile.

All Forums page
One of the post-launch requests was to bring back a page which lists all forums. Under the two-button navigation system we linked people to the category pages, but with the tabbed navigation system we're bringing back an All Forums page. Please note that this page is not currently finished, so it just provides links to the main forums and categories at the moment. The next job on our list after this patch is to complete this page so it displays every forum on the site.

Sidebar collapser
A number of people asked for this and we've been able to do it. There is now a new button at the top right of the sidebar box where your username, member info, and forums list are (this is for non-mobile users).



This button collapses the left sidebar and stretches the width of the rest of the screen elements to fill the gap. We think this will be particularly useful for people on smaller laptops and tablets. Note that because the left column is required to show ads, this feature is for Star Members only. Also note that it only works on Default Mode and Night Mode, not Skinner Mode.

Share By Email
This is a new share option found at the bottom of OPs. It's easy to use but requires a little explanation so I'll probably make a separate post about it.

UPDATE: I've posted a thread in DU Community Help about the new Share By Email function.

Reverted Greatest Page layout
The Greatest Page has been adjusted to provide the traditional DU3 view, with most recently recommended threads on the left and most recommended in the last 24 hours on the right hand side.

Dozens of small styling changes
We've done a lot of work on tightening up the layout, font sizes, and spacing. This work will likely be ongoing, but for now we think the changes are an improvement. We've also been able to do things like restore usernames to the Trending and Greatest sections on the home page, and add the site search button to the header on mobile devices.

THINGS TO KNOW

If things don't look right for you after the update and you are on a device with a keyboard, hold down the Shift key on your keyboard and click your browser's refresh button. There's a good chance this will fix the problem.

As usual, a big update like this could cause unforeseen errors. If you spot a bug or problem please report it in the DU Community Help forum.

Thanks for your patience while we continue to work on the site!

-- The Administrators