11 January 2011
Blog template changed
My query at the Blogger help board hasn't elicited any replies, so I'm just going to try a new template. The exact color, the fonts, the highlights etc still need to be optimized. The only question now is - does this new template eliminate the problems of 1) slow or jerky scrolling, and 2) "wandering" YouTube videos overlapping text?
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I never had problems with the other design. :(
ReplyDeleteBut this is fine as well... no problems with it.
Firefox 3.6.13
This seems to be a Safari issue as I still see wondering vids...
ReplyDeleteWorks fine for me, I use Google Chrome 8.0.552.224 or Google Reader.
ReplyDeleteScrolling a lot better.
ReplyDeleteI use Chrome 8.0.552.224.
Much more pleasant, aesthetic-wise.
ReplyDeleteHas always worked fine in Opera.
I use an arcane version of explorer (blame work) and it only loads slowly. Other than that, no probs.
ReplyDeleteI like this one much better. :)
ReplyDeleteI use Chrome and I've never had any issues.
ReplyDeleteI love your blog no matter what the background looks like.
Yep, I think it's a Safari problem. I'm a huge Mac fan but have noticed that Safari does cause problems at times. Aside from the Safari issue I'd say that this new design is much better. Simpler and easier on the eye. Whatever the design, yours is the best blog I read!
ReplyDeleteDoesn't surprise me too much. Safari uses Webkit as its HTML rendering library. Webkit is merely not very good, which is impressive considering its origins. It started its life as KHTML which is the single worst HTML renderer I have ever crossed paths with.
ReplyDeleteNo.
ReplyDeleteIf I try to scroll up or down one page in Firefox by clicking in the empty part of the scrollbar, it actually scrolls up or down two pages. This is a problem I also had with the previous design, and the only problem I have had. Other methods of scrolling work fine.
Is it really necessary to have as many as 25 posts on the front page? Having fewer, and making people use the "Older Posts" link more, might help.
Scrolling is much smoother )Firefox). Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI really like this design! Keep it (and It works fine)
ReplyDeleteI like this one much better. The jerky scrolling on the previous one was quite annoying.
ReplyDeleteThanks for such a consistently brilliant and interesting blog.
I loved the colors and design of the other template but the scrolling is much improved with this new change.
ReplyDeleteI continue to enjoy your blog!
I kind of miss the original green, but don't matter to me all that much. I love the tan color, and its the content, not the "eyecandy" that matters anyway. :) I'll be visiting no matter what color you decide on.
ReplyDeleteHave you thought of customizing with your own title and background? (like play around with the template designer)?
This is -much- easier to browse; the jerky/stuttered scrolling has ceased entirely.
ReplyDeleteRunning the most recent version of Firefox.
Alas, Youtube videos are still wandering on Safari.
ReplyDeleteSorry we Safari users are such party poopers. On the good side, I like this template better than the last. But I liked the old (original) design best, to be honest.
I noted no functionality changes, but then I had no problems with that the first time around. However, the font/color combination you've implemented now is painful (literally) to read. I do use a widescreen monitor so I get huge expanses of beige on either side which is at least partially at fault. The closest analogous phenomenon would be a 'blazing gray day'.
ReplyDeletescrolls lots better
ReplyDeleteusing mozilla firefox
Using IE 8 Beta (9.0.7930), the scrolling issue has now gone away. Did not ever experience the youtube issue.
ReplyDeleteSincere thanks to everyone for the feedback; this blog really has become something of a crowdsourced community project.
ReplyDeleteThe switch of template was just to resolve that question re the background image/scrolling. The other problem re YouTube embeds is apparently Safari-based.
My Google Analytics tell me that visitor browser usage is Firefox 38%, Chrome a surprising 21%, Explorer 20%, and Safari 16%. For the moment Safari users will have to tough it out.
My next step will be to fiddle with the colors and fonts and all. I'd like to put a personalized header at the top and all that, but just a reminder that I'm an English major who is more comfortable correcting comma splices than altering any computer codes.
The mantra will continue to be "content is king", but we'll work on the interface a bit more.
I use Safari and the YouTube videos are still covering the text beneath them, but generally speaking I like the new template.
ReplyDeleteI have no idea about the embedded videos or slow scrolling as I never experienced that, but the new template displays nicely on wider monitors which is a huge plus in and as of itself.
ReplyDeleteScrolling a lot better :)
ReplyDeleteFirefox 3.6.13 on Mac 10.6.6
ReplyDeleteThis template shows jerky scrolling for me, which, I think, was not a problem before. Can't be positive because I use page down or space bar to navigate. Videos don't wander, but they never did for me.
I'll echo the first (Anonymous) comment -- I never had a problem with the old new template (which is an oxymoron). This one is fine too -- but not as cheerful (I think that it was the greenery that made things so much more bright).
ReplyDelete...and like GFS and Dominique, I'm also using Chrome 8.0.552.224 (and it's awesome).
Try shorter pages (Fewer articles on one page). The loading time, can mean some scrolling issues for those with slower connections.
ReplyDeleteLiked previous template better- but agreed, less herky jerky.
ReplyDeleteI think the jerkiness might be related to videos loading into the cache. I've noticed that sometimes my ability to scroll down pauses or stops as I pass a video link. But once I've passed the link, or watched a video, it won't cause any more hiccups.
ReplyDeleteAnyone else notice this or can confirm it?
If my hypothesis is true, pages with no embedded videos should always scroll fine. And the problem should be worse if one's computer and/or internet connection are slower.
Yea, I think the jerky scrolling issue is definitely caused by the cache loading. If the page has been scrolled through once and the cache loaded with all the images, then it will subsequently scroll smoothly. But once the cache is emptied (when that happens depends on one's individual settings), the jerkiness will return. And it will be most apparent if one tries to scroll down the page quickly (before the cache has a chance to fill).
ReplyDeleteAnyone else is welcome to verify this. Scroll down the page ignoring any jerkiness, scroll up, then scroll down to verify that everything scrolls fine (the cache should be loaded by now). Then exit the page, empty the cache (some browsers have a menu command for this), go back to TYWKIWDBI and try to scroll down the page quickly. The jerkiness should return.
How to fix it? I dunno. I'm not a web guy either. But knowing that the scrolling stalls are caused by cache loading is at least a diagnosis. If I were a physician, that'd be worth a lot.
And you're not the only one with the safari bug problem...
ReplyDeletehttp://www.google.com/support/forum/p/blogger/thread?tid=16eb0512f688c42f&hl=en
There may be one way I can decrease the scrolling problem if it's cache/memory-related. I don't want to have fewer than 25 posts on the page, and I certainly don't want to put up 25 text posts in a row, but I could start using more photos that I've uploaded to the host rather than hotlinking to photos at other sites, especially if I shrink the photos with JPEG in the process. Some of the Wikipedia art-related images are a couple MB in size, but I can reduce that by a decimal place with compression. It's worth a try.
ReplyDeleteThe "wandering" YouTube videos appear to be a Safari-based rendering problem, and I'm unlikely to have any success with that unless Blogger comes up with a fix for the template.
Yea, having less to load into cache should help. Or people should just make a habit of pausing for a sip of beverage after loading the page or something.
ReplyDeleteAs for Safari -- It seems to be a bug in Safari version 5 (the most recent version), since the embedded videos are anchored fine in Safari version 4. So, as much as I hate to suggest this (I use Safari 5 and the video wandering has been plaguing me): I think it's Apple's problem, not yours. We should all wait and hope the bug is fixed in the next Safari update.
It looks perfect now with my Safari. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteI love your blog. Please don't stop sending interesting messages. I tend to save it up over several days as a needed treat.
ReplyDeleteI miss the darker background and the beige is a little bland. It's a bit too much milk-and-tea. It will not stop me from reading, but the pictures on the side and the darker background were lovely.