Ok, the new site is up for a day now, we would like to have your opinion on the new website. What do you think of the new lay-out? Did you spot any bugs, do you have suggestions for future features (we already have some quite interesting plans), etc.



For instance, many visitors have to get used to our new logo, and the new design of the front page, where news posts aren't displayed chronologically anymore. Maybe it helps to explain how our current system works.



News posts are divided in two kinds: Headlines and reports.

Headlines are large blocks of text, nearly articles which mostly contain important information, big MSX news. Reports are smaller notices which mostly contain information on link changes, MSX-related news, site updates etc.



On the front page, the headlines and reports are displayed as follows:



-Most recent headline-



-most recent report- -second most recent report-



-second most recent headline-



-third report- -fourth report-



While designing the website, we felt that this way both the smaller and the huge news posts get more attention.

- Bugs, I don't see any anymore.. {Because the poll-bug had been fixed}

- No Smilies in news posts?

- I liked the old logo.. (it contained the MSX logo)..

- Frontpage : Mwah, good and not good.... Why don't you put the articles under each other, and the most recent at the top..



Conclusion : Site is good, and what about language option... delete it, if ya can only choose for English...



Greetz,

Koetje MSX.

koetjemsx@hotmail.com

I'm very sorry caus you spend a lot of hours in this but the logo sux!!! Use the old one!!

We have chosen the current logo because of copyright issues with the MSX logo. Until we have official permission of the current MSX copyright holders to use the MSX logo, you will have to look at the current one.

Quote:

Frontpage : Mwah, good and not good.... Why don't you put the articles under each other, and the most recent at the top..

In the future we might create themes that give the news in chronological order. We decided to seperate headlines and reports in the default theme (and currently the only theme available), because we felt dat most headlines were moved from the frontpage too quickly, by - often - less important reports. The other way around occured some times as well. By separating headlines and reports, both types of news get more time on the frontpage, and thus more attention. This is especially nice for people who don't visit us every day.



For instance - if we had just been posting news without thinking about the order of posting, the MSX Resource Center Restyled newspost would have been moved from the frontpage even before the site was actually launched.

Quote:

We have chosen the current logo because of copyright issues with the MSX logo. Until we have official permission of the current MSX copyright holders to use the MSX logo, you will have to look at the current one.

So you had problems with the MSX Association for using the MSX logo in your site's logo? This is strange... this means that the MSX logo cannot appear in any web site?

if the japanese are starting to do difficult and become like: "its our logo so take ur hands off!" then i'd say: **** them!



and i wonder, why did nishi even go to the 2000 tilburg fair if they dont even bother to create and english site or communicate with NL a bit more. ASCII cant even send (due to some weird reaons) the upcoming MSX mag abroad. Looks like they are doing everything for themselves again like they always did!



very sad

hey, what do i see?? konami man? Nestor, is that you??

Quote:

if the japanese are starting to do difficult and become like: "its our logo so take ur hands off!" then i'd say: **** them! and i wonder, why did nishi even go to the 2000 tilburg fair if they dont even bother to create and english site or communicate with NL a bit more. ASCII cant even send (due to some weird reaons) the upcoming MSX mag abroad. Looks like they are doing everything for themselves again like they always did! very sad

I think (like Sander also said a few times) we just have to be patient.

Some fine day... we may be surprised!

Quote:

So you had problems with the MSX Association for using the MSX logo in your site's logo? This is strange... this means that the MSX logo cannot appear in any web site?

We did not have problems with the logo yet, but the logo itself is copyrighted material, and we do not want to risk anything now we're a foundation.

Mark Jelsma wrote:

Quote:

and i wonder, why did nishi even go to the 2000 tilburg fair if they dont even bother to create and english site or communicate with NL a bit more. ASCII cant even send (due to some weird reaons) the upcoming MSX mag abroad. Looks like they are doing everything for themselves again like they always did!

First, there IS an english version of the MSX Magazine site!



Second, ASCII *can* send MSX Magazine abroad. It has been said before talks are under way. Come on, it's not even out in Japan yet and you are already saying they can't get it here?!



Please base your posts on facts and do not spread FUD! (Fear Uncertainty Doubt)

People saying fundamentally wrong things like this do not improve the situation.

Quote:

and what about language option... delete it, if ya can only choose for English...

Language option has been removed for the time being ^_^

their english site is nothing. What useful information did they not translate at alll??? soo much. their english MSX site is nothing compared to the japanese version!!!!

No, but you can not expect a new product to be released world-wide on the same day. Especially not magazines or emulators. Their main focus currently is the Japanese market, the English site and the international banner demonstrate they have not forgotten us (yet) . Also, Nishi giving a lecture in Tilburg would have had no meaning if he wanted to keep MSXPLAYer and future revival-products Japan only.

That is true, but instead of redesigning the site (if I can rember right, the site looked different before) they could've spend some more time on translating a bit more to english.

For instance on how to order the mag.



As for not being able to ship it abroad. It is even said on their site:

Quote:

From The MSX Magazine Page and this book can be shipped only within Japan. It is because export to a foreign country cannot be performed by the contract.

But we are getting offtopic.... please split this discussion to a separate discussion and let us continue on the site:



-I for one like the new logo It is stylish =]

-The themes thing you mentioned is a good idea (though I think you are confusing themes with templates ) I have had this idea for the MSX-Xpress as well and have already inplemented it in the V5 which will be launched Q1 2003

- The smilies look good, but the expressions are hard to recognize... make them a bit bigger and/or try to animate some of them...

-the articles system are is not very well worked out... I do not think you should implement the choice in a theme (ie. Template), but set it as an option in the Control Panel of the users.

-Good work on changing to PHP!



oh and add a signature option to the forum... phpBB should have it



more comments later...