minor redesigning of HI site & request for some info

beoram

beoram

Joined
Nov 27, 2001
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After getting some advice from a more HTML-savvy friend, I decided I want to tweak the HI website a bit (the advice is essentially not to use java-script...some might remember the gymnastics involved in getting the screen resolution to work right? well, clever as it is, it gives some browsers problems, so...).

The preliminary version is HERE

Please tell me if all photos are loading, and how it looks at 800x600 and different resolutions, &c. Other comments/advice is most welcome too. (don't worry about the links, I know they aren't working for the test-page).


Sometime going to be working on a new'New Stuff' page, M43, Cherokee Rose (Yvsa - you wouldn't happen to have a clever description 'blurb' for that, would you?), katar (??), Berk's dvi-chirra (??).

Thanks all,
--B.
 
"hello from Nepal" does not load - "Properties" shows "file:///D:/t/birgorkha-hello.jpg", so it apparently has not yet been uploaded to a web site.
 
fixed hello from nepal pic and took out text beneath it.

thanks for helpful comments all.

-B.
 
Athough the total page size has gone up from the current 355KB (approx.) to 410KB with this new layout -it's ok :) 'Because where before, nothing displayed until the entire page had loaded, now it's displaying AS IT LOADS. Thus the wait is much more tolerable and pleasant. All loads fine for this old PC, AOL 7 and Opera 6.01 on Win98 (1024x768). Pix at a smaller/thumbnail size a plus too. Also, I like the two column format better -visually easier to navigate. As usual, two thumbs up Beoram :)

Ok, I hope not to offend anyone's sense of taste with this thought ...would you consider using a different background. Rice paper is the right background choice, but maybe in a more ...uhmm warm, dynamic, less drab and blaze' color/tone. Perhaps FoxJaw would be willing to share the background swatch he used for the HI banner .gif?
 
Thanks billpaxton :) Hopefully the file size increase is fairly negligible (try to keep it down due to transfer limits). I dropped the javascript screen-size detection because I've found that some people aren't running javascript so in that case no pictures would display (in theory, I don't know anyone who has had this problem with the page) - that's part of why I adjust the columns, so they should work fine with different resolutions (more or less, things will move round abit obviously)

I don't have any feelings one way or other on the background - course we can always keep the 'rice paper' background for the subsidiary pages and use something else for the main page background. I don't have any objections (not having seen the alternative that is).

--B.
 
Rather than rice Beo works for Nepali cigarettes which reminds me I'd better send him a couple of packs of Shikars.

Great stuff, Beo. I wish I knew how to do some of it.
 
Originally posted by beoram
Other comments/advice is most welcome too.
Click to expand...

This is just a reaction from a new visitor, who has been to the site a few times, both old and new versions.

Overall, the page is much improved.

However, I find it very confusing. It is hard for me to navigate and try to understand the full content of the website.

A menu would be helpful. The table-organizing that you have done already, has improved the layout a lot.

My main suggestion?

Chop this page up into 2-3 pages instead of 1. It will load faster, look cleaner, and be easier to understand.

Hopefully, my cricism will be constructive.

Dan
 
I am unable to view the page like a first timer viewer so all advice and comments from newcomes is most welcome.
 
Originally posted by pendentive


This is just a reaction from a new visitor, who has been to the site a few times, both old and new versions.

Overall, the page is much improved.

However, I find it very confusing. It is hard for me to navigate and try to understand the full content of the website.

A menu would be helpful. The table-organizing that you have done already, has improved the layout a lot.

My main suggestion?

Chop this page up into 2-3 pages instead of 1. It will load faster, look cleaner, and be easier to understand.

Dan
Click to expand...

Dan - I've looked at the site so many times that it's hard for me to see how to make these sorts of changes to it.

Have you suggestions on where one might chop it up, and where the menu might go (and what it might have), &c.?

many thanks for the help,
--B
 
Originally posted by beoram
Have you suggestions on where one might chop it up, and where the menu might go (and what it might have)
Click to expand...

Email has been sent.

Here's what is attached:

page1.htm
page2.htm
page3.htm
links.htm
template.htm - to create future pages

plus all the original graphics I pulled from your site.

Hopefully, this will give you a good idea of what I had in mind.

If you like it and want to use it, just let me know and I can tidy up the links, etc. and make sure it is working 100%.

I put in a few links to non-existant pages in hope that you will create the necessary pages.

Feel free to email me if you have questions, etc. I'll be out for the rest of the day today, but I'll be in first thing in the morning.

Best,

Dan
 
I agree with Pen....didn't get a chance to post until later in the day, though.

Breaking up all that text, and condensing the information on the first page would make it easier for someone who is new to the site to figure out what is what.

The chunk of big blue text would work very well within the first screen or two - it gives a message that would make someone want to put $$$ on the barrel head (even though a khuk only costs $ or $$, but how many of us have stopped at just one :p

Also, I like the new "Welcome from Nepal" pic.

All in all, great work!
 
Thanks for good help. I've looked at that page so many times since day 1 that I am totally useless for opinion. Beo has looked at it too many times to see it as a first timer, too. Much appreciated.
 
Originally posted by beoram
Sometime going to be working on a new'New Stuff' page, M43, Cherokee Rose (Yvsa - you wouldn't happen to have a clever description 'blurb' for that, would you?), katar (??), Berk's dvi-chirra (??).

Thanks all,
--B.
Click to expand...

Ben, sorry I don't have anything clever.
The Cherokee Rose' apt description is a " Large Scagel style Southwestern Bowie" made by the famous kamis of Nepal.

I agree that the page would be better if it was split into more than one page.
It gets really busy by the time one gets to the bottom right now.

I noticed down by where Yangdu is holding the large village knife that there's at least three references to the tourist, shoddy, and phony khukuris made in India and elsewhere.
Personally I think those comments would be best incorporated into a single paragraph rather than spread out as they are now.
Perhaps Uncle Bill has had some customers seeking the cheap tourist knives, but I feel that any true knife nut is going to be looking for the real thing.
 
Pen's very kindly sent me a new version of the HI site, and I've tweaked it a little bit more - breaking up the pages is a good idea, takes someone who hasn't looked at the page hundreds of times to make it happen though :). Thanks again Pen. Stay tuned for an upload of the new test page(s) today-tomorrow.

--B.
 
Beoram--It loads a little slow on my rig but looks great. I can't imagine how in hell you're doing all that, my hat's off to you. :) :)
 
decided to post a prelimary trial of the new new page:

New New HI page

Pen's responsible for most or all the new good changes - but I've tweaked it a little so if something looks a bit off it's most likely my doing....

as always, comments & criticism welcome & appreciated,

--B
 
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