InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "BRAP ON"

flamencanyc (flamencanyc) wrote in qaf_coffeeclub,
@ 2009-07-03 19:42:00

Update on the status of bjfic.net
Cael posted an update on the status of bjfic.net the other day:
http://community.livejournal.com/bjficsite/24377.html

Then today, she posted with a request for suggestions to implement in the revamp:
http://community.livejournal.com/bjficsite/24675.html

Just thought that you all, as avid B/J fic readers, would want to know.

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	maxymama 2009-07-04 04:20 am UTC (link)
	OOh thanks for this. I was just lamenting about this today. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	flamencanyc 2009-07-04 04:47 am UTC (link)
	No problem. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	noteverything 2009-07-04 04:29 am UTC (link)
	I have never been to bjfic.net, unless it's been through a link from somewhere else. That's probably some sort of punishable offense... (Reply to this) (Thread)

	flamencanyc 2009-07-04 04:46 am UTC (link)
	Not at all. It is what it is. I like it because it's a good central archive for B/J fic, and because it allows you to see all of even the longest fics on a single clear, legible, savable/printable web page (or as individual chapters if you prefer, but I don't). (midnightwhispers.ca does too, but fewer of my favorite authors post there.) (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

felonius_monk
2009-07-05 05:54 pm UTC (link)

Thank you so much for this information! Last week, I was on a website that had a link to a fic on bjfic.net that I wanted to read. I clicked on the link and got that hideous "Internet Explorer cannot display the webpage" thingee. I had a massive panic attack because I didn't know what was going on.

bjfic.net has been such a blessing for me because I am visually impaired. Being able to choose a "skin" that was soothing for my eyes and being able to max out the text size has meant more to me than I can express.

it allows you to see all of even the longest fics on a single clear, legible, savable/printable web page

OMG! I never knew I could do that. WHEN the site comes back up, I hope you will tell me how to do that.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

flamencanyc
2009-07-05 06:38 pm UTC (link)

Well, you should be able to increase the text size on any web page any time you want to. You don't need to have increase/decrease text size buttons on the webpage itself to do that.

On a Mac, every time you hold down the Command (Apple) key then press the +/= key the text will get bigger (whereas holding the Command key and pressing the underscore/- key makes it smaller). Keep pressing, and it keeps getting bigger. I don't recall the analogous commands on a Windows machine, but I know they exist because I used to use them all the time.

As for the all-on-one-page thing, you go to the story page, then click on the link on the right that says "Story" (as opposed to "Chapter").

Midnightwhispers has it too. There, the link looks like a little printer icon, and is found on the upper right next to the ratings stars. (Sometimes it automatically triggers a print command too, so you just cancel it.)

Across the Pond (ATP) has it too, but their formatting is screwed up so that for most of their stories, when you choose the all-on-one-page option many of the carriage returns are lost and the text for each chapter gets glommed into one big paragraph without any breaks, making it very difficult to read. In chapter-by-chapter mode the formatting's fine though.

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felonius_monk
2009-07-06 06:45 pm UTC (link)

The increase and decrease text size shortcut key combinations work the same way for Mac and Windows and I'm well aware of them and have been using them for years.

I earned a Degree in Computer Science waaaaaaaay back in the early 1980's during The Days of DOS. I still hate the mouse and worship the keyboard! Back in the “good old days,” my fingers never left the keyboard. A maximum amount of pleasure and a minimum amount of bullshit.

I have to keep my screen resolution set to 800 x 600 pixels because I can’t see comfortably without risking further damage to my diseased eyeballs. That causes problems. So many websites now don’t display all on one page when I access them. When I increase the font size, the webpage goes even further off the grid and I’d have to do the scroll up and down and back and forth and all around thingee. Can’t do it.

The “Accessibility” features on my Dell laptop are annoying and have provided me with no relief. Way too difficult to navigate and control!

I’ve accessed so many QAF fanfics on so many websites over the past two years. Screaming yellow background with pale blue letters. Screaming blue background with pale yellow letters. I’ve have to abandon many promising fics because there is not enough time in my sightlife to copy and paste these visually destructive stories.

I know it’s my issue and that The QAF Fandom doesn’t revolve around me. That’s why I don’t complain and why my IJ is plain and unadorned.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

flamencanyc
2009-07-06 07:15 pm UTC (link)

Good to know. Just wanted to make sure. There are so many people who are online regularly yet have no understanding of basic commands, I figured I should offer that up.

So, does the font size button on bjfic behave differently from just doing the command+?

I also was totally thrilled when I discovered, fairly recently, that Firefox has a lovely View > Page Style > No Style command which I use whenever I run across one of those hideously laid out or colored fics. It renders them in simple black on white, properly wrapped to your own screen, in a decent generic font. Much faster and easier than cut/paste. It's a godsend.

Most of the visually and/or physically impaired folks I know really like the accessibility features on the Mac, but I have no idea if/how they differ from the Dell. Hell, I use the speakable items thing constantly myself out of sheer laziness!

I'm with you. My LJ & IJ are plain because I'd rather spend my time reading fic or interacting with people than dicking around with layouts, plus I find most layouts and headers more annoying than helpful or aesthetically pleasing anyway.

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felonius_monk
2009-07-08 04:01 pm UTC (link)

OMG, I KNOW!! I honestly have no comprehension of how people navigate their computer systems at work or at home without basic commands/shortcuts. *throws a Kinney Death Stare at hated mouse and watches it sizzle* Life without Alt-Tab would be Hell for me.

Yes, the functions work differently. If I use the font size button on bjfic or midnight whispers, the text enlarges and still keeps neatly wrapped on one page with no scrolling. If I use Ctrl+, it enlarges the text and the screen width and I’d have to scroll.

Firefox has a lovely View > Page Style > No Style command which I use whenever I run across one of those hideously laid out or colored fics. It renders them in simple black on white, properly wrapped to your own screen, in a decent generic font. Much faster and easier than cut/paste. It's a godsend.”

I want to be able to do that! That would be a godsend for me also. I keep bumping shoulders in the WebUniverse with those who have switched to Firefox, but I’m hesitant to let go of IE 7.0 because I’m in a comfort zone and so dependent on the way I have my laptop set up. (When Windows Vista recently automatically updated me to IE 8.0, it was a nightmare until I went back to IE 7.0.)

I found the accessibility features on my laptop cumbersome and annoying. If I can’t figure out new technology easily, I get bored and pissed off. Probably says more about me than the accessibility features.

As well as being sight impaired, I am also hearing impaired. Just in the past year, I finally turned on the Closed Captioning feature on my TV (stubborn, proud bitch that I am). I turned on the “speakable items” feature on my laptop and the male electronic voice scared the everloving SHIT out of me and my cats and I had to promptly turn it off!! It was hilarious in that sick-twisted-humor way I love so much!!

FCUK. I’ve never told another living soul those things in RL or online. It’s all YOUR fault. *rolls eyes*

I'm with you. My LJ & IJ are plain because I'd rather spend my time reading fic or interacting with people than dicking around with layouts, plus I find most layouts and headers more annoying than helpful or aesthetically pleasing anyway.

And I’m with you about the plain journal and reading and interacting. But, I cherish layouts and headers and banners and icons and screencaps and picspams, etc. I need to read the words and hear the voices and see the sights. I need it all.

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