Sorry for that, unconstructive ranting, but really, really, i hate the forum. I miss half of the topics, i don't have a clear view of what's going on, answering to a topic is like writing in the dark (at this very moment, i wouldn't be able to see the whole messages below my text-reply box, and i have a 1920x1200 30" Dell display...), no really it's not working at all. I don't have any pleasure reading my mails, rss feeds do not equal mail layout, and i only go to the forum when i'm forced to...

i-hate-the-forum

totally agree... The old forum was much better...

the forum doesn't look any different for me.

My only complaint is that I don't receive all posts in RSS feeds.

A lot of them are only [Re:] without getting the original post, and I don't receive all replies, just some of them.

f.e wrote on Thu, 19 March 2009 12:25rss feeds do not equal mail layout

My only complaint is that I don't receive all posts in RSS feeds.
A lot of them are only [Re:] without getting the original post, and I don't receive all replies, just some of them.

ye, its very frustrating working with this clunky interface.

there is tons of unnecessary options and information. am advanced "skin" for people how don't need every single thingy on screen would certainly help. and the forum rendering on my 1024x768 firefox3 is very bad.

for me, the list used to be a integrated with my work flow so efficiently i hardly noticed i was using it. the forum is a mental block.

, 80% of the screen is not necessary. only SEARCH, POST and some formatting is necessary. almost 15% of the screen is dedicated to emoticons. do you want emoticons in your forum? you have to scroll to even write a post. bad design. bad human machine interfacing.

there were a couple of suggestions on working with rss but they where lost in the heavy weeping. it would help if someone in the flow with rss(+gmail?) compose a tutorial.

ye, its very frustrating working with this clunky interface.
there is tons of unnecessary options and information. am advanced "skin" for people how don't need every single thingy on screen would certainly help. and the forum rendering on my 1024x768 firefox3 is very bad.current viewing modethis is enough

for example, see this attempt at writing a replay, 80% of the screen is not necessary. only SEARCH, POST and some formatting is necessary. almost 15% of the screen is dedicated to emoticons. do you want emoticons in your forum? you have to scroll to even write a post. bad design. bad human machine interfacing.

And the worst thing is the topic hierarchy. You only see (with big efforts) 30 or 40 of the last active topics, but topics without answers disappear in a blink, which means sometimes talking alone in the desert...

As an alternative to the forum, Trond's list, unfortunately is not very active.

Please c74, if it's a matter of money, add 10$ to MaxMSP price, or charge us 10$ a year, but give us the list back.

I agree the button interface isn't the best evar (i don't understand why the buttons can't be aligned either), but i definitely want to see who made a post, and i don't mind seeing how many messages this user has...

With some small modifications, i think the forum is good enough as it is. Topics die when nobody answers, that's kind of logical too.

- get rid of the ability to change title in a reply, it has no purpose and only creates a mess.

- let us turn off all formatting and emoticons, the majority here doesn't use those anyway.

- get rid of 2 bars above each post, it should be 1 bar. Make icons for 'add to buddy list' and 'ignore all messages by this user' and everything will fit easily. The 'report message to moderator' should not be in the message body!

One other forum i visit, which i think looks nice 'n basic:

http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=89986

Maybe something like that? I still believe in the forum...

With some small modifications, i think the forum is good enough as it is. Topics die when nobody answers, that's kind of logical too. 

So maybe:
- get rid of the ability to change title in a reply, it has no purpose and only creates a mess.
- let us turn off all formatting and emoticons, the majority here doesn't use those anyway.
- let us turn off all user icons.
- get rid of 2 bars above each post, it should be 1 bar. Make icons for 'add to buddy list' and 'ignore all messages by this user' and everything will fit easily. The 'report message to moderator' should not be in the message body!
- align all the buttons (and arrows).

One other forum i visit, which i think looks nice 'n basic:http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=89986
Maybe something like that? I still believe in the forum...


Accessing the list through the website is OK but through an RSS aggregator it's not as good especially to organize messages by topics. It's not good either to follow topics with messages sent on a large timespan.

The most impacted by this situation are newbies I guess. I wouldn't have learned as much as I have during the last 10 years without the list.

Haha, it's awesome. And a lot more practical than the current Max forum layout. But think what you want.

And while we're at it, don't forget that the new Facebook layout sucks.

Seriously, though... although in any ways I'd prefer a good old-fashioned mail list, I'm showing my age when I say that. Web fora (or, if you insist, 'forums') are the present.

It would be a big help if the RSS Aggregator would sort by threads properly. I don't know to what extent there's anything Wally & Co. can do to make this happen, or to what extent that's a limitation in RSS.

The other Wish at this end would be an option for a more mobile-friendly output.

i dont understand how people could use the mailinglist during the last 2-3 years, wasnt it unreable anyway due to all the forum posts without thread title?

hehehe, you both have a point: gamers always have the cheesiest design sense(too stuck on some old-Europe vision of reality), but at the same time, their UI becomes efficient in terms of access to functionality.

I might as well add my two cents about the forums: I don't really care. Could go either way. I would think alot of people who eventually get into Max hardcore would either not need the forums for help or would love it no matter what because they would come here simply for community. The rest would come here with patience, anyways, or just ask support.

...all in all, i guess I like the forums, I don't really see much change... i like the look, i like that you can use html, links show up nicely, there's new functionalities... but I wouldn't mind having to depend on an email list, either(it would probably get me to participate less and thus spare everyone else my long-winded posts).

Mike S wrote on Mon, 23 March 2009 05:59This

...all in all, i guess I like the forums, I don't really see much change... i like the look, i like that you can use html, links show up nicely, there's new functionalities... but I wouldn't mind having to depend on an email list, either(it would probably get me to participate less and thus spare everyone else my long-winded posts).


RabidRaja wrote on Mon, 23 March 2009 21:13

hehehe, you both have a point: gamers always have the cheesiest design sense(too stuck on some old-Europe vision of reality)

More like a Tekkno vision of reality, which has little or nothing to do with 'old Europe' in the sense that the reality-challenged American ex-Secretary of Defense used it. But never mind.

RabidRaja wrote on Mon, 23 March 2009 21:13hehehe, you both have a point: gamers always have the cheesiest design sense(too stuck on some old-Europe vision of reality)

More like a Tekkno vision of reality, which has little or nothing to do with 'old Europe' in the sense that the reality-challenged American ex-Secretary of Defense used it. But never mind.


give them some time, 'till they realise that the list payed off, and the forum doesn't in the same amount. 

A forum is for people who don't want to read all posts, list are for people who want to read all posts. The latter keep a community alive...

Those who need advice post here, and I can only get to it occasionally...

The rss feed I receive are not coming in chronological order and seem to miss posts. 

Obviously the amount of valuable answers even from the cycling stuff went down significantly...

This is much more a problem for those who seek answers than for me. I don't know how many trials don't make it to a purchase because of the general loss of quality...

(still didn't find out how to create my signature...)

give them some time, 'till they realise that the list payed off, and the forum doesn't in the same amount. 
A forum is for people who don't want to read all posts, list are for people who want to read all posts. The latter keep a community alive...
Those who need advice post here, and I can only get to it occasionally...
The rss feed I receive are not coming in chronological order and seem to miss posts. 
Obviously the amount of valuable answers even from the cycling stuff went down significantly...
This is much more a problem for those who seek answers than for me. I don't know how many trials don't make it to a purchase because of the general loss of quality...

(still didn't find out how to create my signature...)


yep, i second this.i noticed it's now harder to get an answer to some questions. i don't know if it's relating to the lack of the list but i really feel it.

 in the top of your browser window, there's the blue colored word Control Panel.

fp: yep, i second this.i noticed it's now harder to get an answer to some questions. i don't know if it's relating to the lack of the list but i really feel it.

Most of the topics you started this month generated an answer within 10 minutes, a few within the hour. More ore less similar to what it was say in december. Feelings can be deceiving.

Quote:(still didn't find out how to create my signature...)

Once directed to https://cycling74.com/forums, in the top of your browser window, there's the blue colored word Control Panel.

Quote:fp: yep, i second this.i noticed it's now harder to get an answer to some questions. i don't know if it's relating to the lack of the list but i really feel it.

You seem comfortable with the forum (in fact i don't remember reading you as much as these days, and it's cool), but a lot of people actually don't feel good with the forum.

For example, Stefan and i didn't answered as much as we have done by the past. Same for a bunch of old timers.

I've personnally asked two things (one is about multichannel buffers in Max, one about adding a cursor mode to waveform~) since 2 weeks which are still without answers. It wouldn't have happend with the list, believe me.

ps: Sorry for speaking english like a spanish cow today ;-/

yes i know but just i noticed some people doesn't post anymore...

Good example : i don't know who you're answering to, fp...

to re-read the previous posts, even if the

if you really want to see some weird tree view, 

you can have tree view here, too, and it almost 

f.e wrote on Sun, 29 March 2009 16:26Good example : i don't know who you're answering to, fp...

and if he wrote you an email without 
quoting, and without title, you would 
know who he was answering to?

in the forum, you only have to scroll up
to re-read the previous posts, even if the
title has been changed, dont know how to
do that in an email client.

if you really want to see some weird tree view, 
you can have tree view here, too, and it almost 
looks like the synthesisters site.


I hate the forum