Honestly I'm not too fond of it either.
"Similar to Facebook" is definitely not a good sign as far as I'm concerned. And a lot of things seem to be outright missing or lessened.
What gets me is that I cant think of any real reason as to why it needed to be done from a practical UI standpoint. Someone mentioned making it closer to what other forums do, but... just because someone else does something doesnt mean it's a good idea.
But also, some things about this design seem like they're going to actually make it that much more confusing for those that arent too familiar with computers or the internet, which adds extra steps to any process they might do and makes it seem daunting (and frustrating). For a support forum, that is... not good. It makes it harder to communicate, and harder for others to even spot things and respond... and when someone really needs help, that's a big problem.
In my case I'm finding it much harder to keep track of what's going on. And I've been using forums for many years now.
Dont get me wrong, it's not terrible... it's not the atrocious mess that something like Reddit is, for instance. But I also cant think of anything positive to say about it.
With the passage of time, technology will not wait to keep up. It will continue to evolve and so long as you choose to, or are forced to be a user of technology, you are responsible for keeping up with it. Would you prefer to be hacked by some "twit" as you say, instead? I understand your frustration and just know that the update is for everyone's own good. It's mainly for security purposes and that's no joke.
Honestly I have trouble believing this one. Particularly as the formatting of absolutely everything changed. Shifting some bits around to look different is not security. When it comes to security, the internal stuff is what actually matters.
I could actually rant for quite awhile about this point, considering the sheer number of "helpful" updates I've seen in all sorts of sites and programs over too many years, but I'll save that for another day.
I will say though, that keeping safe on the Net should NEVER be in the hands of sites of any sort, no matter how benevolent they are, no matter how much they truly want to do things for you (and I fully believe THIS site is a benevolent one). Safety, REAL safety, is in YOUR hands only... not theirs. Everyone should learn basic safety rules on the Net. Dont use your real name, dont post personal info like your full address, dont click ads for any reason no matter what (in fact, run adblockers), and other things. Internet safety 101, really. That's how you actually keep yourself safe.
Unfortunately sites like Facebook are doing their best to teach people the direct bloody opposite of those sorts of important habits, but... that too is a whole other rant.
