Sites that drive you crazy! [warning: rant]

**webfreebies** · Jul 28, 2005, 06:05

I just visited Download.com and discovered the monstrosity that is its new design-- a monstrosity, I might add, that creates a huge horizontal scroll on my 800x600 screen! I want to strangle the people who thought it was a great idea to design for rezzes above 800x600! Thanks, Cnet! Thanks a lot!

And then of course, there is Gamespot. Hey, I know that many of its users are DSL people downloading gigs of demos and such, but this is a site for all kinds of gamers. Why is it that whenever I want to just read a blinking review for a PC game, I have to wait a buzillion hours for the page to download, because all of the graphics are so high in file size??? Why do the screenshots HAVE to be over 1.2MB and at over 1000 pixels?

Amazon.com is a Godsend, but I'm so sick of its lousy, lousy search function. You could type in "Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt" and it will return the result of, "Sorry-- we were unable to find this," just because the author is listed as Jacob J. Schmidt or *Jacob Schmidt!* Sometimes you have to be 100% exact with a title--anything less than that, even if it is .0001% inaccurate-- or you won't get the results at all!

Sorry for the rants. It's just that these sites drive me crazy! If I didn't have to use them, it wouldn't be a big deal. But I use them on a continuous basis, so I feel like smashing my monitor whenever I surf them.

Just curious-- are there any "major" sites that drive you all crazy? I know it's fashionable to focus the spotlight on lesser known sites that have usability issues. But even the major sites have their problems. What about everyone else? C'mon, get it off your chest!!

**revsorg** · Jul 28, 2005, 06:13

I hate the way the listings in ebay.co.uk are so heavily poluted with rubbish, either people who are not selling what you want to buy because they have thrown a couple of unjustified keywords into their description, or because they are selling something totally different, like a document that tells you how to earn loads of money on ebay...

I don't have a problem with Amazon searches though, it seems to work for me.

**Defender1** · Jul 28, 2005, 09:34

Originally Posted by webfreebies

... that creates a huge horizontal scroll on my 800x600 screen! I want to strangle the people who thought it was a great idea to design for rezzes above 800x600!

Why don't you come join us in the 21st century eh?
I haven't met (until now) someone using 800x600 since Windows 95.

Originally Posted by webfreebies

Why do the screenshots HAVE to be over 1.2MB and at over 1000 pixels?

Gamers want good screenshots. We want high quality & high resolution.
If you can even view the screen shot, how do you expect to play the game?
(Unless by some odd conincidence you're on a honking box with a miniscule screen.)

And to stay a bit on topic, I despise ebay's layout & search. It's just horrible.

**Mike Empuria** · Jul 28, 2005, 15:31

Don't you think BBC is a bit big?

**SoCalled** · Jul 28, 2005, 16:00

Defender1 research organisations are still showing 800x600 as the most widely used resolution. We aren't all gamers on the net, (well okay excluding the game l currently have paused), and a lot of people actually use it for ecommerce, news, etc.

**Mike Empuria** · Jul 28, 2005, 16:03

Quite right

**webfreebies** · Jul 28, 2005, 16:11

Originally Posted by Defender1

Why don't you come join us in the 21st century eh?
I haven't met (until now) someone using 800x600 since Windows 95.

And how about you step out of your elitism and realize that not everyone who is a designer [or techie] surfs with the same standards as you do? Most web developers don't seem to feel the way you do, because-- hey, wouldn'tcha know it-- as *antiquated* and *20th century* as my resolution is, isn't it interesting how all the sites I surf all fit neatly in my browser, as opposed to the miniscule few that don't?

And no one will take your comment seriously that I am the 1st 800x600 user you've met since Windows 95. I know I don't.

Originally Posted by Defender1

Gamers want good screenshots. We want high quality & high resolution.

So what? Gamespot can't have two different sets of pics-- one low rez and one high rez? Or just realize it's the web, and that it could be more sensitive to people on dialup instead of saying, "To hell with them?"

Originally Posted by Defender1

And to stay a bit on topic, I despise ebay's layout & search. It's just horrible.

So it's two votes for Ebay-- both US and UK!

Ebay, are you listening?

**mmj** · Jul 28, 2005, 17:21

I haven't visited download.com since 1982.

**Andrew K** · Jul 28, 2005, 17:23

I liked the new look to tell the truth, i think the site looks good.

**Egor** · Jul 29, 2005, 00:11

download.com's redesign is brilliant. Loads faster than before.

**sid egg** · Jul 29, 2005, 00:12

Originally Posted by mmj

I haven't visited download.com since 1982.

Well, actually, I haven't visited since I found out they charged for people to list their downloads.... because, before they did that, it had quality freeware.

**daniel_eastley** · Jul 29, 2005, 01:57

the sitepoint forums annoy the hell out of me! I spend so much time here that I never get any work done!

**petesmc** · Jul 29, 2005, 01:58

Originally Posted by webfreebies

And no one will take your comment seriously that I am the 1st 800x600 user you've met since Windows 95. I know I don't.

Actually i do take him seriously. Personally I've haven't seen anyone using 800*600 in at least 5 or 6 years. Even my 70 yr old grandma is on 1280*1024.

I love that new download.com design, thinks it nice and smoooth.

**Andy Forsberg** · Jul 29, 2005, 03:17

Originally Posted by daniel_eastley

the sitepoint forums annoy the hell out of me! I spend so much time here that I never get any work done!

Amen to that!

But yeah, seriously, if you're still on an 800x600 resolution then you're outta the loop my man, get with the friggin' picture! The new download.com site looks GREAT!

**spikeZ** · Jul 29, 2005, 03:45

I agree with the sentiments of many of the posts (esp the one about getting no work done cos I am addicted to sitepoint!) and personally think the redesign look damn good.

A large proportion of casual home user do still use 800x600 but anyone who has bought a computer recently will probably be on 1024 or higher.

HOWEVER
dont forget about those people like me who have visual impairments who can't actually see what's on a screen at a resolution of more than 1024x768. It's times like that when I thank god for a big resolution!

Cheers

Spike

**Egor** · Jul 29, 2005, 03:53

Originally Posted by spikeZ

HOWEVER
dont forget about those people like me who have visual impairments who can't actually see what's on a screen at a resolution of more than 1024x768. It's times like that when I thank god for a big resolution!

This is why browsers have text-resizing capabilities.

**spikeZ** · Jul 29, 2005, 03:58

And why I wear glasses!

**petesmc** · Jul 29, 2005, 04:16

Originally Posted by spikeZ

HOWEVER
dont forget about those people like me who have visual impairments who can't actually see what's on a screen at a resolution of more than 1024x768. It's times like that when I thank god for a big resolution!

Operating Systems have options available to increase all the text / icon sizes so a high resolution isn't a problem.

**spikeZ** · Jul 29, 2005, 04:53

I know they do, I was merely saying that there are some people who still use 800x600 for that purpose!

**ethanp** · Jul 29, 2005, 05:12

If you're on such as small screen you really should upgrade, or try using Opera's Fit to Screen feature. It works quite well, but still doesnt' match up to having a real monitor. I find download.com to have a very good layout.

Sites that really annoy me are devshed.com (a huge amount of ads and I can never find what I want) and paypal.com (there are too many ads when I login for other services, very annoying).

**jonboi** · Jul 29, 2005, 05:13

Hey cool thread, the new download.com page would definetly be better as a fluid designed page.
my parents use 800x600 on a 17" monitor, and they dont have any eyesight issues, they just like everything big LOL.
I must admit ive been on 1024 for a long time and wouldnt feel right on 800x600 anymore.
I guess your on 56k too if your moaning about load times, cos i am, and its failry horrible these days.

**webfreebies** · Jul 29, 2005, 05:24

Originally Posted by charmedlover

Sites that really annoy me are devshed.com (a huge amount of ads and I can never find what I want) and paypal.com (there are too many ads when I login for other services, very annoying).

I just checked out devshed. Yikes! Very, very scary. Ads to the left of me.... ads to the right of me! Yes, I can see how that would drive you crazy! I'm surprised that in this day of Google, sites are still relying heavily on flashing banner ads.

**Defender1** · Jul 29, 2005, 07:50

Originally Posted by webfreebies

And how about you step out of your elitism and realize that not everyone who is a designer [or techie] surfs with the same standards as you do? Most web developers don't seem to feel the way you do, because-- hey, wouldn'tcha know it-- as *antiquated* and *20th century* as my resolution is, isn't it interesting how all the sites I surf all fit neatly in my browser, as opposed to the miniscule few that don't?

And no one will take your comment seriously that I am the 1st 800x600 user you've met since Windows 95. I know I don't.

Elitism? Hardly.

I realize that plenty of people use 800x600, I just haven't met any.
In order for technology to progress, you gotta leave the old stuff behind.

Originally Posted by webfreebies

So what? Gamespot can't have two different sets of pics-- one low rez and one high rez? Or just realize it's the web, and that it could be more sensitive to people on dialup instead of saying, "To hell with them?"

I'd never expect a site that covers the latest in entertainment (PC & console) to hang onto technology that old.
If your site is showcasing the latest & greatest in the gaming world, your site is going to match that.
Today broadband is everywhere. If what you're presenting can't be done so to the small minority, then some are willing to do so (like gamespot).
If you don't like that you're free to go somewhere else (http://www.ign.com ?).

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