I agree totally. Flash 4 or higher will require the user to download (if they haven't already) the latest Macromedia flash player from their site, and this could lose your users. Javascript and/or Java applets may be the next best way to go front-end wise, until the internet browsers play catch up with all the third party folks (specifically macromedia). Director (shockwave) has some decent file input/output features for use with cgi scripts, but again, compatibility becomes an issue.
Scream: For whatever you may have in mind with working on, I'd suggest the following for your front-end design. Many things built-in to browsers and the like are generally square and rectangular, with corners and edges. Even graphics crop at rectangles, and alpha channels are sometimes required to rid yourself of the corners of the pics. Many designers are trying to make their sites as fluid as they can because of this. If you can, design toolbars with rounded corners and less-defined edges. Try getting rid of the dark blue background to your header pic and see how that looks. Frame the menu and forums with some sort of enclosed graphic (maybe enclosing some of the left and right sides as well) or design of some sort. You can insert images inside tables very easily []/w3timages/icons/wink.gif[/] also.
In addition, a logo or theme of some kind wouldn't hurt. Maybe an "http://" made out of some sewing thread that leads to a thread ...erm... dowel thing the thread wraps around, the word escapes me at the moment. []/w3timages/icons/tongue.gif[/] A more manly logo might be some sort of enlarged bolt with the threads clearly showing - machinery, when done right, can really make a site look "technically" superior, in more ways than one. []/w3timages/icons/laugh.gif[/] You could adopt an entire theme based around something along those lines, something that involves community, communication, threads, world wide web, etc. I've noticed you've swayed toward the lighter, less obtrusive colors (pastel?). I've found I like the sharper, more deep colors of quantum and matrox's websites, and also possibly Macromedia's website as well (each are self-titled .com websites). And alas, AOL has the Internet by the nuts, so paying attention to where they're headed will be a good indication of what folks will be used to in the future as far as web design - look at their beta Netscape browser and you'll see the less square, lots of shadows type of look I've talked about.
In summary:
* Make your buttons round, oval, anything but rectangle. Make them in a format that support alpha channels (like gif), and put their labels inside of the buttons.
* Try and cloak those tables so that their rigid straight lines aren't as noticeable, or surround the entire thing in some sort of pleasing framework, graphic or whatnot.
* Make those headers and footers graphics, with perhaps some text inside of them (very little outside!), and make them share a common theme or look that you want your site to have (logos?). Some like the animated graphics on their webpage, but I find them damned annoying.
If you can find the time to do those three main things (and/or recruit help from users!), I would think that would improve this software vastly.
My .02 []/w3timages/icons/crazy.gif[/]
- Six
[email protected]mYth productions
