Eric

On 8/3/2021 at 11:39 PM, jklcpa said:

I see your response!

I cleared cache & history on my tablet earlier this evening and had NO TROUBLE logging in again.  

Thank you, Eric.

Well, now I see it too.  I'll delete it.  You're very welcome!

I host websites for a number of municipalities, banks, and hospitals, and they all seem to be common targets for brute force attacks, which can cause very high server load when multiple are ongoing simultaneously.  I'm working on mitigating those attacks, because I feel like these issues crop up on this website when the server bogs down due to the load.

I swore that I responded earlier.

I was getting that 2S119/1 error in the back end of the site.  I cleared/rebuilt the software's template cache and those errors went away.  Hopefully they went away on the front end of the site as well.

So far, so good it seems

I have talked to Max W about his issue--he was trying to do a password reset I believe but wasn't able to receive any emails from the site.  I think that was more of an email system issue, probably related to an overzealous spam filter on the provider end of things.  

These other problems are unrelated.   The server experienced a period of extremely high load earlier today, and I suspect the login issues were related.  I'm making sure there aren't any lasting issues as a result, so please let me know if any of the login problems persist.

Windows 11 is an arbitrary version number; it's just a prettier version of Windows 10 with a few new features.  They have refreshed/refined the visual style but everything basically works the same.  For the most part, it's no bigger an update than any of the previous Windows 10 feature updates which most have installed without ever knowing.

Microsoft had previously said that there wouldn't ever be a Windows 11 because they have moved to a more iterative release style where they gradually add features over time.  They decided to change their mind and bump the version number because it's a nice marketing tool.

I wouldn't let it cause you any anxiety either way.  It's just another free update, and like the rest of the Windows 10 feature updates it's best not to be the first to install them on a computer used for work.

The site is responsive, so depending on magnification and screen width (or browser window width if not full screen), the design of the site adjusts to accommodate whatever you've got going on.  From a significantly magnified desktop monitor, to a small laptop, to a tablet, down to a phone in portrait orientation.

It will not adjust to accommodate Internet Explorer, however.  The browser's been discontinued everyone should be switching to Edge.

1 hour ago, mircpa said:

@Eric

How do I contribute ?

I believe we all should chip in whatever we can. Eric is providing such a wonderful service to our community

Thanks Eric

It looks like you figured it out.  Thank you.

And thank you to the rest as well!

Alright, so I'm sure many of you have noticed some changes.  For a few brief moments, everyone had little badges next to their avatar/photo but I've disabled the feature for now.

The new version of the forum software introduced a new Points/Rank/Achievement/Badge system that's more complex than the previous system that gave points/ranks entirely based on the number of posts you've created.

When I get some extra time, I plan to take a closer look, so some of those badges may return later(?)

If anyone specifically dislikes any of the new features, this is the place to discuss it!

Venmo is owned by PayPal.  It's safe.  

I'm not sure why it needs the weird social aspect, but that's a different subject.

The 5 minute limitation helps to alleviate certain situations that can be difficult to navigate as a moderator.  We only have one rockstar moderator on the forum (thank you so much, Judy), so if it's not too much of a hardship to deal with I would prefer to keep the 5 minute limit in place.

I think in situations where 5 minutes isn't long enough, 15 usually isn't either.  

It's nothing you did, Margaret, don't fear the weirdness (or Leprechauns)

It was automatic, and it's called a Topic View Summary.  It will sometimes be added to a thread based on a number of factors, but it's especially likely to show up in a thread that has seen a lot of activity.  We don't see many threads that get this long here, so that's probably why you haven't seen it before.

Quote

A topic is more than a collection of posts; it's a living entity that ebbs and flows over time.

Evergreen topics can see month-long gaps between posts and longer topics spanning numerous pages can end up hard to navigate through to find useful content.

With this in mind, we've added numerous improvements to the topic view to bring context and summaries key areas within the topic.

Quote

This sidebar acts much like a summary of activity within the topic. It very quickly lets you know how old the topic is and how long it has been since the last reply. This context is essential if you are unwittingly replying to an older topic.

Quote

• Most topics are driven by a handful of key members. The topic activity section shows you who have been most active within the topic
• Popular days lets you dig into the 'meat' of the topic which may have evolved quickly over several days.
• More often than not, a single post attracts more reactions if it is particularly helpful or insightful, and this is shown too.
• Finally, a mini gallery of all upload images allows you to review media that has been attached to posts.

I was under the impression that the home office deduction was meant for people who are self-employed.  So, my question had more to do with whether it was proper to continue taking the deduction since the use of that space is no longer 100% related to that particular business and source of income... it is now shared with my day job.

I have a home office that has, in the past, met all of the necessary requirements of the deduction. The freelance work I do is very closely related to the work I do 9-5, and since March I've been working that 9-5 job from my home office in addition to doing my freelance work in the same space.

My normal 9-5 office still exists, but it's not really available for me to use for the foreseeable future. 

Do I still qualify for the deduction?

I didn't see much difference between the default post font color (very dark grey) and black, so I ended up increasing all font sizes across the site to 110% of original size. See the attached image.  Top is default, middle is black, last is 110% font size and black.

These changes have only been made to the Default theme.  "Compressed" has remained with the defaults, since increasing the font size might be at odds with the goal of increasing information density to prevent the need to scroll as much.

4 hours ago, Margaret CPA in OH said:

Thanks, Eric, for this explanation.  Interesting that you recall my earlier comments - guess I've a reputation and not a good one

 not at all, I'm glad I could improve the usability for those who prefer a more information dense layout.

3 hours ago, Lion EA said:

And, Eric, I just noticed the Follow topic switch. I just toggled it to see how it'll work.

You should have a notification or an email (depending on your settings) letting you know that this post is waiting!

The one useful feature I've noticed that gets removed in the Compressed view is the Follow feature.  There are other ways to access it, but it's not as convenient.  

It will be difficult to strike a balance between removing elements and required functionality that meets everyone's needs, but I'll do my best based on feedback.

15 minutes ago, Lion EA said:

I just tried Eric's new Compressed Theme. I like it. More fits on my screen. My boards are on the left half of a landscape monitor (with my email on the right half) so this view lets more show. I'm less likely to miss a new thread or a new reply, need less scrolling. I'm going to use this for awhile to see if it's my favorite! Thank you, Eric. And, thank you, Judy, And, thank you, Marilyn, for your unsolicited opinion!

Glad you like it!

Hi Margaret, I know this has been an issue for you for years.  As design trends change over time in an effort to be more mobile friendly, stacking elements instead of displaying them side-by-side becomes more common.  More white space between elements is meant to make things easier on the eyes--same goes for increased font sizes.

This is experimental, but we'll give it a shot to see how it works out.  I have created a custom theme for the forum that removes some (hopefully not too important) elements and squeezed some things together for a more compressed layout. 

I'm not sure if that's easier on the eyes or not... maybe it works out alright with a magnified screen / lowered screen resolution? I'm happy to have some feedback.

You can switch between the Default theme and the Compressed version at the bottom of the forum (scroll all the way down).  Click the Theme link and choose Compressed.

Thank you all for the donations. I apologize for being such a slacker about responding to each of them individually.  My work has increased considerably due to COVID-19, but I'm hoping to see that decrease a bit now that summer is arriving, which is usually my slow time.  We'll see, though--everyone is looking for ways to do things online that had ordinarily been done in person before. 

Thank you all again! I hope you're all staying healthy and sane. 

When things are less hectic, or if it becomes a serious nuisance, feel free to reach out... send me a private message (if you can) and we'll get things straightened out!

It's almost certainly not related to Chrome in general--it's a popular browser and there aren't any other reports of similar issues form other people using Chrome.  The software that runs this site is complex, though, and there are lots of different ways that third party applications, browser plugins, etc could cause this site to behave incorrectly that wouldn't necessarily affect something like consuming media/browsing news sites.

First, I saw that you posted many times in that thread, although I've cleaned up the test replies just now.  I even signed in using your account (something only the Site Admin can do) and was able to post there, and send a message to Judy without any problem... so the issue is most likely not with your account itself. 

I did notice that there can sometimes be a slight delay before the content editor opens when sending a private message... if you try to fill in a name and subject and hit send before the editor opens, the message will not be sent.  All three fields (To, Subject, Message) must be filled out before it can be sent or else you'll be reminded that required fields have not been filled. See image below.

Second, if that's not the issue, the very next thing you should try is a password reset so that you know what your password is for this site.  Then try logging in with Edge or Firefox (or IE if you must) to see if you can reproduce the issues.  I'm suggesting this not because I think it's a Chrome problem, but because we need to remove variables from the equation to narrow down where the problem is.  If you have problems in Chrome but not Firefox or Edge, and we know the problem isn't a Chrome problem, then we know it's a Chrome *configuration* problem, or a Chrome Plugin problem, or a third party (security?) application that is affecting Chrome.

If all else fails, we can try to set up a remote desktop thing so I can watch you reproduce the problems, and seeing it might provide additional context.  If you like, I could check out other areas like antivirus software or browser plugins to see if there is anything likely to be problematic installed/running.

For future reference, here are also some instructions for resetting chrome to mostly default settings if you have a particularly pesky browser-related issue that could be related to a misbehaving extension or something else that you're otherwise unable to pinpoint:

https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/3296214?hl=en

Interesting.  I'll add one more question for Lion.  Has the site has reverted to a similar state where you can no longer see those profile details when browsing a thread?

  (I'm still curious about the the details from my previous post too)

I agree with Judy that it's interesting that you had this problem before and it resolved (temporarily) when you got a new computer.

Can you think of any software, plugins, apps, browser plugins, anything at all that you may have installed or updated between the time that it was working as expected and when the site broke again? 

Antivirus/security applications, ad blocking plugins, etc could be blocking certain files required by the site to function properly, but that's just a guess.  I think I remember that the problems you had before had a visual component as well... the site didn't look as it should have, but you didn't realize there was an issue with how the site looked until it was resolved and you were finally seeing is it should be.

I could be wrong about that, my memory isn't the best.  If anyone can help me find that old thread, it might be helpful too.

For now, what browser are you using?  Can you try using the site in a browser other than what you normally use?  (If you use Microsoft Edge, try Chrome or Firefox, etc).  Also try logging into the site while using Incognito mode, or Private Browsing.

Thanks for the feedback everyone, it's been added

Unfortunately, I'm not a customer, and so I don't know what the correct URL is either.

If the one posted above (https://community.atxinc.com/forums/23/ShowForum.aspx) doesn't work, then I don't know what to use.

Does this work?

https://community.atxinc.com/forums/

Once I have a confirmed working URL, I can add a link to the top of this site, next to MyATX

Would it be useful to include a link at the top of this site to the Official ATX Community/Forum/Board/whatever they call it?

If so, what do they call it, so I can label the link properly at the top of the site?