CaptDeuce's Journal: Slashdot interface? What's that?

OK, I've been using the "latest and greatest" CSS version of Slashdot. Its dorked. Stuff that I've become accustomed to because, oh, I've been using it for years is either missing -- or worse -- moved.

How do I hate thee? Let me list the ways. First, what's been moved:

• In the main page (list of articles) the Read More link is way over on the right. It used to be on the left.
• On the article page, the Comment score is way over on the right instead of tucked snugly at end of the article title.

• What's been added:

  • Links to Slashdot Sections all over the forkin' place. This is at least as annoying as Amazon's "this book? maybe you'll be interested in >these. Please, spare me. Actually, they snuck these things in earlier but I thought I managed to stamp them out.

  And the plain ol' bizarre:

  • On the article page, the menu there's curious item, "Top". A strange name for an item since it's already at the top of the comments. So what does it do? It hides article text. Seems to me that "Hide" is more descriptive than "Top" even if it's not at all obvious what will be hidden.
  • So, now that you've hidden the article text, how do you get it back? Perhaps a "bottom" menu item? No, the article's title in the article menu. Yeah, that's intuitive.
  • Want to create a new journal entry? Is there a menu item for "New" which has been standard since at least 1984? No. It's "Write in Journal". Instead, the email client crap shoot approach is used where instead of sticking with "new" the interface designer decided to get all English Composition 101 on us with names like "write" or "compose". Even "create" would be a better choice. Standards? Pick one.

  The inexplicable:

  • On the journal entry page there's a "preview" button (lowercase p) whose purpose is pretty clear, as well as a "save" (lowercase s) button and a check box labeled "Submit" (uppercase S).
    
    OK, what happens if I click on save? Will it store what I've been diligently typing for the last hour and let me continue on with my composition? Or will it do what a "submit" does when posting a comment to an article? Or is that only if the Submit box is checked? But what happens if the Submit box is checked and I click on the preview button?

  • Answer: checking the Submit box doesn't kick you out of "Write in Journal" when clicking "save". Now that's intuitive!

  • A nice list of allowed HTML. Slash will list 'em but we gotta type 'em. That is, other web sites that include buttons to insert the HTML for you suck. The command line interface is the epitome of user interfaces, so there.

  My fingers hurt. I'm done for now