Ideas for ILX

Does anyone have any ideas for things they'd like to see - I've kind of run out of ideas for now. I can't promise I'll do them: some things are easy, some are hard, some might be unrealistic (need to bear in mind performance and avoidance of poxy fules and so on); also, how much it interests me is the most important motivating factor... It'd be good to hear people's thoughts.

I will put the stats thing back at some point, but perhaps in a bit of a different form.

Oooo!

More poll forms would be fun. One that allowed you to rank the options from first to last, say, or just allowed you to tick multiple boxes, livejournal style.

• make a toggle option allowing mods to see either images or image links
• let poll options allow more characters
• get rid of suggest ban
• pizza subs tuesdays

The mod image thing is a security thing. If it weren't any sort of issue I would just turn them on.

Oh right, you've said that before. Perhaps I am ignorant, but I don't get why it's a security thing?

Love Gravel's ideas.

A preview screen. I've been tempted at times to just throw in a [//x] every once in awhile so at least the BBcode warning page will let me take a second glance.

It's a long and complicated story, but the root of it is that when your browser tries to go and get a picture, it doesn't check that it's a picture and if it's a piece of script instead, will just happily execute it, which can be subverted to make existing mods do things they didn't know they were doing (e.g. grant someone else mod privileges or whatever).

a kudos/props/Suggest Unban button, with the 51 resulting in an automatic permaban being an aggregate of the two. last time I mention this, I promise.

I see. What about for mods that don't have that many privileges in the first place, like me and other subboard mods? Sorry to go on about this, but 1p3 is 90% picture threads!

Also, I think ILX is great as is and I would just say: continue keeping it simple and plain.

Roxy, yes there's less danger there, but you can still ban people, delete posts, delete threads, unban people etc.

I mean if it helps, happy to unmod you.

continue keeping it simple and plain

^^^ seconded - I love love love the way that ILX threads load up super quick, compared to other boards where you're sitting around waiting for two minutes.

Sheesh, just asking!

avatars

No avatars! Ever!

Nick, that's OK: suggest ban is the best feature I've ever come up with - I think there are any number of ways you could subtly modify it and I have changed it recently it to drop older SBs from people, but I doubt we'll ever conclude on the 'right' way for it to work, and the people who don't like it, I doubt will ever be convinced, so would be good if this thread didn't become about that; I've little doubt it'll be discussed probably at length elsewhere.

Yeah, I wasn't really thinking of avatars!

no avatars - please, I think that's the start of a slippery slope towards phpBB style bloat

i echo Roxy's simple and plain praise. love that.

i would also love to see a magenta screen with white font option

I love love love the way that ILX threads load up super quick

Yes I like this - someone described other message boards as having a kind of underwater feeling... That said, ILX isn't fast because it's minimal on the screen; it's because of the server software - could afford to put quite a lot more on the screen without it becoming slow. Not that this is necessarily a good idea.

Surm, appreciate CSS might not be your thing, but if it is, then you can make a stylesheet to look like that and I'll stick it up... There are some instructions (a little out of date, but basically OK) here: http://www.ilxor.com/ilxstyles.html

ignore lists

http://www.b3tards.com/u/c2d08cf4e23cfbd9a0c0/duck_hunt_dog.gif

i've got no complaints except olive is still showing up blue on SNA colors!

maybe i can get kenan to make me one... i'm using his gray one now and it's real nice

Oh bugger! That's easy enough to fix, Harbl.

Bug, yes I was thinking that would be something I should do.

ilx is the hottness of message boards. i do think surm's suggestion should be mandatory not optional, though. :)

Harbl, fixed the colour thing - it'll be Olive when I next upload the software.

=) <3 xp

More poll forms would be fun. One that allowed you to rank the options from first to last, s

I like the sound of that.

I love the "view previous page" option, by the way.

No avatars?

http://i25.tinypic.com/4rqkvc.jpg

thanks :) xp

Some kind of two minute "Edit my last message" option in case of tpyos you only notice after you hit submit.

On the other hand, ILX is ILX because there are no Avatars or Edit after submit options. Read what you tpye before you submit and you won't post typos.

XML access to bookmarks that have new answers is top o my wishlist :)

ILX threads can get so fast that it's more like chat than forum, so even 2mins can be way too long.

Could there be a count of the number of users online displayed at the top somewhere? Just a simple count of logged-in users (but not names, cos that would be crepey). Wouldn't be at all useful, just mildly intersting.

ILX threads can get so fast that it's more like chat than forum, so even 2mins can be way too long.

― stet, Saturday, 1 August 2009 21:00 (2 minutes ago) Bookmark

This is the reason I Love ILX over all others. It's both at the same time. And needs to stay that way.

"I have changed it recently it to drop older SBs from people"

this sounds like a really good idea! can i ask what the cutoff point is?

I think the general feeling is: nothing drastic, please, only small functional adjustments. Right?

People who haven't posted for six months should have all the bans they've suggested returned to them in a box.

I would like a way to see how many SB's you have. (Now, I have no idea how annoying I am.)

Yeah, I'm not a fan of SB in general, but it seems like it would do more good if a person saw that they were getting close to the mark.

some sort of something to fix the webmailing reply issue

Could there be a count of the number of users online displayed at the top somewhere? Just a simple count of logged-in users (but not names, cos that would be crepey). Wouldn't be at all useful, just mildly interesting.

Yeah that's a nice idea, maybe wouldn't be too difficult to do either.

Stan - I've never been convinced by people's anti-SB argument around the "for the lols" thing, because no-one can see it. This is why I didn't make it available, so that it couldn't be used in this way. That said, I've been considering maybe warning people when they get to 40 or something. This would only affect a few people. Also - I wouldn't worry about your own position re: SBs.

S1ocki, I don't know what the issue is. I was asked recently to remove 'reply to' from webmail, because people were being hassled off board.

Ok, thanks, that makes sense (why SBs aren't public). xpost

S1ocki, I don't know what the issue is. I was asked recently to remove 'reply to' from webmail, because people were being hassled off board.

― Keith, Saturday, August 1, 2009 5:11 PM (1 minute ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

there was ever a "reply to"?

every webmail i've gotten has been unreplyable. which is ok, but maybe there shoudl be some sort of reminder to put your own email address in the message? or even an optional field for your email addy?

More poll forms would be fun. One that allowed you to rank the options from first to last, say, or just allowed you to tick multiple boxes, livejournal style.

Would like this!

Also, if you decide to _not_ bring back lists of ILX-wide stats, I would still be interested in personal stats on on each person's profile page re: how many posts they've made, how many threads they've started, etc. Or at least a way for each user to see their own info.

xpost
DJP, have you been here since the very first day? Definitely think you and Ned should be given little DAY ONE avatars on the new new ilx.

That would be mortifying

please do it

You guys were on that news group so maybe you could all get AMA avatars too?
I was here first week, can I get a johnny come lately one?

Maybe we should start charging for blue checks to raise money for new computer gizmos

I have a suspicion that this was one of, if not, the first thread, but the various site migrations put our early, funnier stuff out of order?

Songs About Quitting Your Job?

It was definitely up and running in 1999. Nick D put me onto it.

Poked around on the sandbox and I think I like most of the new features. Will take some getting used to, but it would be nice to be able to see a live preview of what the page will look like with all the settings change. I know i can open it up in a new tab and refresh, but would just be easier to see right in the settings.

Also, I think attracting new users to the site is good! I don't know if any of this will facilitate that, but new people would be good.

Maybe we should start charging for blue checks to raise money for new computer gizmos

― Cow_Art, Monday, August 10, 2026 10:07 AM (twenty-eight minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

Someone's forgotten the past donor tier with the custom emoji 😏

DJP, have you been here since the very first day? Definitely think you and Ned should be given little DAY ONE avatars on the new new ilx.

*adjusts "Grey Eminence* sash* Now, tales of the Olden Times.

xp haha I did forget about that!

I was never an ILMer and I hung back from posting on ILE at first because I was so intimidated by the other discourse-ers and all the things they were conversant in that I didn't know! It was a quick education for a hayseed who grew up before the internet connected everything.

Is there a way to find your first post? Or how long you've been on?

if you remember the first name you posted under, you can go to the search -> Search For Threads or Posts Written By a Given User -> put in your original email or dn -> Posts -> Oldest first

haha oh god don't remind me (yes I have looked before)

arguing with dan selzer, wtf was I thinking

assuming I remember the correct name, I'm still a relative newcomer when I popped out of lurking in December 2003

I have very little confidence that I remember my earliest screen name. Maybe I can poke around.

I was anonymous for the 1st few years and don't recall the names but Tom E and Mark S noticed and one day started a thread for the anonymous regular non troll poster. I have no idea if they deleted that thread or not.

I did start the infamous dave matthews thread but that was a few years into ILX

he's funky. let's do that again on ilx 3.

Why are reactions so bad & hated?

👍

Reactions such as Likes are weird because it’s assigning a points system to posting that bums people out.

objections to reactions have been explained in detail on the locked thread

Statscocks: Even worse than Reactions?

he's funky. let's do that again on ilx 3.

― doc (soda), Monday, 10 August 2026 18:14 (thirty-two minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

Funnily enough, it was pre-poll era and there never was a poll on why Dave Matthews was so bad and hated.

Most of the fun came from random googlers. Especially the guy who said some of the greatest music ever was bland.

We lost all that when everyone was forced to register (because of bots iirc)

It was always so random which threads got the random googlers. There's a Toby Keith thread full of fans talking in marketing platitudes. And, of course, on ILE the crazy flame wars in the Joan Crawford vs Olivia de Havilland thread.

Joan Fontaine I meant! Hah, if those random googlers were still around I'd have gotten my head chopped off for that.

wow never saw that one!

Weren’t there some spammers hawking oz gallstones?

ox

haha yes!

it’s really sad, they needed guess papers

this "in the real world lol" shit is what I find really offensive. Having people's input is so messy and complicated, best leave it all to the adults in the room. I don't even think that's keith's stance but it sure is what some ppl seem to be advocating.

xpost to daniel and others

certainly didn’t mean to offend by “in the real world lol”, sorry. xyz, you mentioned that too, so i’m sure others thought that was too much and didn’t say anything. sorry, for real. wasn’t trying to insinuate anything about who the adult is in the room, and if anyone is an emotionally tender child, it is most certainly me.

xposts regarding me throwing the word “trust” around, and also the idea that trust is something that must be earned

i mentioned on the depression thread or something adjacent recently i think, but yes, i do think of “trust” different than most people, i’ve realized. i’ve tried to live in a way where i give trust upfront. i do that because the most meaningful and lasting relationships in my life have started that way (with a starting point of trust). i’ve also been burned so many times by trusting people! but yes, that’s a good point xyz, and i do think asking people to earn trust is the most common approach and probably the best for most people (not me).

but applying that thinking, yes, if i think about who has really earned the trust, then yes, i trust a small team of mods developers who have always been really straightforward with me and who i’ve seen do the best they can many times before and also right now on this issue, are carefully listening to sandbox feedback and making changes and explaining things (over on the sandbox)? they have earned my trust, yes.

i don’t want to revisit personal stuff and slack a few years ago and horrible all that was, but i suppose it’s true that if i’m thinking of who has “earned” my trust, then i suppose i do recognize that there are certainly people here who do not deserve my trust

alex in nyc arrived via a bunch of angry killing joke fans quite early on. Remember that?

i’d trust some people to run a web forum but not to wash my car. tricky concept

but can I play guitar through my bass amp?

as long as you understand that every speaker is also a microphone

Which sandbox display setting melts faces?

crossposting this from the sandbox, useful summary thread by emily
https://sandbox.ilxor.com/thread/1/1593

So, I thought it might be good to have a thread to compile tips on how to use the settings to make the site more comfortable for the change-haters and simplicity-lovers among us. I count myself among that group, as an old.css user, although I am enjoying a few of the changes brought about by this redesign and willing to see if I get used to others (not the reacts though, all my friends hate reacts). Some of these settings were here at the time of The Big Reveal, others have been added by Keith since then, so if there’s something you really miss it’s worth raising to see if it can also be added.

My tips:

Wide view. Gets rid of the unused space at the sides, text fills more of the screen.
Metadata at the bottom of posts. Keeps the old ILX format—I’m not actually using this myself, I think I’m getting used to the left-aligned poster information and quite like it.
Board menu shortcuts. So you can have ILM and ILE at hand easily, as you can on the site proper (and you can add others too).
Disable sticky menus. So the title of the thread doesn’t follow you as you scroll.
Hide poll results charts. So you don’t get the graphics on the polls (I do like having graphics but imo they’re too big so I’m using this one, I might turn on the charts every now and then though).
Disconnect mode. No more notifications. I think I’m going to play with this being on and off for a bit, I don’t like the notifications but I’m willing to try them out again for a bit and see if I change my mind.
Anything I’ve missed?

I would like to clarify that post by emil.y as Keith has made some additional changes, so that when you enable sticky menus (the default iirc), it no longer causes the thread title to follow, only the menu, which I think is pretty nice.

To be clear, imagine if the links to SNA, etc. at the top of each thread remained at the top when you scrolled through a thread, which reduces the need to scroll back up to the top when you finish reading a thread.

Ah cool, there wasn't a "wide view" setting before.

it no longer causes the thread title to follow, only the menu, which I think is pretty nice.

it IS pretty nice! i like it

yeah it's much better xp

yeah “wide view” makes threads look much much better.

i still want to see a “wide” view for the Recent Activity (formerly _titled_ Site New Answers) page, though - it still defaults to 2 columns and my ilx-2 mind wants to see it all in one wide column. i think others have mentioned that too, though, and i do think they’re working on it

Is the font size still really big for anyone else?

it's like 16pt for me

srry for not posting feedback on the box

Are those using wide view on zing? I'm on a laptop and didn't like it as I also have ticked these
https://i.ibb.co/c7FtfxY/Screenshot-2026-08-10-221151.png
https://i.ibb.co/DPsGVSsV/Screenshot-2026-08-10-221418.png

What settings do the rest of you use with wide view? I think these ones work best for me on a windows laptop.

Brimstead: for me the post text font is 14pt, which is just a little bigger than the current site. Possibly settings affect it in ways I'm not sure about.