Low-Fi Version?

Quick question / suggestion - Is there a way of turning off the Snowflake effect and/or the Animated banners?

I like them, but they send my CPU usage through the roof (90%+ CPU usage with the snowflakes, and even now with them stopped (as happens when making a post), the rotating banner causes a 40% spike each time the animation cycles.

Are the effects Java-based by any chance? If there's no way to change the viewing template, I might be able to block the applets locally.

Hi Dilettante, yeah the snowflakes will be going soon they're just a temporary thing for the holidays, I always leave them up longer as I like them.

The scrolling things i'd prefer to stay as it's part of the forum (they can be turned off) but if they are bugging members I may have to think about doing that.

You'll perhaps recall that I don't like the animations either but they don't actually cause technical problems on my computer. But it would be oh so nice to have the option of setting the operating conditions although over time I've grown accustomed to ignoring (as best I can) the annoyance it causes.

Violet wrote:Hi Dilettante, yeah the snowflakes will be going soon they're just a temporary thing for the holidays, I always leave them up longer as I like them.

The scrolling things i'd prefer to stay as it's part of the forum (they can be turned off) but if they are bugging members I may have to think about doing that.

Righto - For me, the snowflakes are the main issue, so if they're going soon then I think it's problem solved. :)

Dilettante wrote:

Violet wrote:Hi Dilettante, yeah the snowflakes will be going soon they're just a temporary thing for the holidays, I always leave them up longer as I like them.

The scrolling things i'd prefer to stay as it's part of the forum (they can be turned off) but if they are bugging members I may have to think about doing that.

Righto - For me, the snowflakes are the main issue, so if they're going soon then I think it's problem solved. :)

Good you're sorted. I find all the moving stuff a big annoyance, animated emoticons included, and most avatars get the chop in my browser and any other silly pictures I find elsewhere. No frills with, or for, mac!

Mac you can disable the smilies, go into your profile and look under 'preferences.'

Violet wrote:Mac you can disable the smilies, go into your profile and look under 'preferences.'

thanks, I'll do that.

I can disable the scrolling banner too but that in turn disables some of the buttons and when I did it once before I found myself unable to edit 'cos I could no longer see the button! That took quite an effort to resolve so I've left things alone since then. ooops

up late again, Violet....

Yeah, I am most nights a dirty stop up, are the scrolling things at the top any better? I slowed them down.

Violet wrote:Yeah, I am most nights a dirty stop up, are the scrolling things at the top any better? I slowed them down.

YES! thank you - markedly better! I don't know when you did it but I probably wouldn't have noticed anyway as I keep away from the scrolling banner as much as I can and look away as much as possible if I have to use the Home page.

Violet wrote:Mac you can disable the smilies, go into your profile and look under 'preferences.'

Just tried it twice, V, but it doesn't stop them appearing in the body of a posting or at the left side of a page....

Perhaps it just prevents you from using them, did you try clicking on one?

Hi Mac, please respond to this post and check it out, click on the box just below the reply box which says 'toggle smilies panel' which is what i've just done and there isn't a smilie to be seen anywhere.

Thing is you'd need to click it with each reply, but it could be handy for longer posts

Violet wrote:Perhaps it just prevents you from using them, did you try clicking on one?

No I just assumed they'd disappear from view - I'll try using one now. Well that worked even though I'd set it to disable in Preferences

Violet wrote:Hi Mac, please respond to this post and check it out, click on the box just below the reply box which says 'toggle smilies panel' which is what i've just done and there isn't a smilie to be seen anywhere.

Try this

Violet wrote:Thing is you'd need to click it with each reply, but it could be handy for longer posts

It's a curious website, V, but don't spend any more time. I can live with the emoticons even though I don't use 'em! I do, however, routinely use emoticons on other websites and for email - those are far less fussy and I use 'em to emphasise points or just for greetings.

Violet wrote:

Violet wrote:Hi Mac, please respond to this post and check it out, click on the box just below the reply box which says 'toggle smilies panel' which is what i've just done and there isn't a smilie to be seen anywhere.

Try this

All I saw was a line of asterisks.....was that what you sent?

mac wrote:

Violet wrote:

Violet wrote:Hi Mac, please respond to this post and check it out, click on the box just below the reply box which says 'toggle smilies panel' which is what i've just done and there isn't a smilie to be seen anywhere.

Try this

All I saw was a line of asterisks.....was that what you sent?

I can't figure the Toggle Smilies Panel - where do I look?

Directly beneath the reply box there is a box with 'toggle the smilies panel' written in it, if you can't see that it's possible it's an admin only function which is a shame as it obliterated all the smilies and would have been perfect for you.

I haven't got a clue what 'toggle' means in a forum, in my olde worlde a toggle is a button on a duffel coat

Violet wrote:Directly beneath the reply box there is a box with 'toggle the smilies panel' written in it, if you can't see that it's possible it's an admin only function which is a shame as it obliterated all the smilies and would have been perfect for you.

I haven't got a clue what 'toggle' means in a forum, in my olde worlde a toggle is a button on a duffel coat

'toggle' means to move from one state to another - an electrical 'toggle switch' simply switches on or off or from one electrical status to another such as switching from one bass level setting to another on a CD player.

Pity I don't see the smilies toggle as you do - as you say an admin. function - thanks for trying, Violet.

Worth a try yeah it switched from smilies to no smilies, I suppose some admins might see them as a necessary evil and want them off when doing forum work.

Violet wrote:Worth a try yeah it switched from smilies to no smilies, I suppose some admins might see them as a necessary evil and want them off when doing forum work.

I can block the image of the icon but I'd have to do it with each individual one and I don't have that much enthusiasm or concern! Pity, though, that it's not possible from one's personal Profile panel.

That would be a pain doing them all individually, you never know, they might grow on you, or you might just get where you don't notice them any more.

Violet wrote:That would be a pain doing them all individually, you never know, they might grow on you, or you might just get where you don't notice them any more.

I have already grown to ignore them, Violet but I really don't like the selection - I use them infrequently here but extensively elsewhere - they can lighten the mood - some folks get quite upset at times.