Freaked out!

Yes, I too am surprised at such a radical--and to me at least, unannounced change--on a site which is supposed be sensitive to the fact that we Aspies are not fond of such things and don't react well to them. I realize change is a part of life, but I'd like to know the thinking behind it.

It's like Windows 8. I was happy with the old Windows, I knew my way around it, but now I don't know anything anymore. And there is nothing more frustrating to know what you want to do but you no longer know how to do it because everything has changed--and you don't even know what to ask or who to ask or where to ask, either because that has changed.. Especially when it comes to seemingly simple things. That is the quickest way to get me to come unglued. I am dreading the time when I have to buy a newer car for the same reason.

I can't say even I am "completely in the know," but the principal reason for the change was for what in tech speak is called "under the hood improvement," to make the site easier to manage and maintain. Brent has been working tirelessly the past several days, has been listening to everyone's concerns, and is doing his best to listen to and accommodate everyone's issues. We are all having difficulty adjusting (some more so than others), and things are still being tweaked to make the transition smoother. Any and all feedback is appreciated, and we (mostly Brent) are doing the best we can. I don't know the extent to which we can restore some of the familiarity of the old system, but I know these changes can be jarring, especially to us Aspies.

The important thing to remember is that, cosmetic changes aside, we are still the same community. I was/am fully aware that there would be a great amount of dissatisfaction with the sudden format changes, but we are all in the same boat. I encourage everyone to visit the feedback thread and voice their concerns.

wyv

I am finding it a little difficult as well. But I hope this won't prevent you from continuing to post here. That would itself be a sad change.

Everything you said is what I'm thinking soup, hence why I haven't been posting, it's going to take a long time to get used to this, if ever.

I don't understand how some can claim "unannounced" when feedback was requested on January 15th and left up for more than a week before a date was even set for the change. The date was announced a week in advance of the actual change as well.

I'm all for having constructive criticism and have been working to make the transition as painless as possible.

There is more than one style available to choose from. If none of the styles work for you we can look into having something added for you.

The old software was unstable, buggy and prone to security holes that made keeping it live dangerous. Sometimes it just can't be helped but the blame lands completely in the hands of the company of the former software, vBulletin.com.

I need more than "I don't like it." "It sucks." to improve the site for you. So far I have only found one suggestion from you. It is something I will look into changing.

I agree with everyone but making it purple again helped a bit
One suggestion! I miss the variety of the old emoticons