On 4 Jan 2005 03:25:01 -0800, "Jonathon"
wrote:

Ken

Thanks - a fuller reply reflecting the time and effort you in turn took
has been / will be sent off-list.

Can anyone here please suggest a fix for me to the scrolling problem
without the need for a site-wide rewrite?


Jonathon
I am late to this thread, and was chagrined at the sad way it
developed early on. I could comment on why I think this happened, but
I think I will forego getting into the fray, and confine my comments
to woodturning and page display/design.

As to the scrolling/display situation, I had early problems because my
default browser is Opera ..(if I click on a link in my newsreader, it
is opened in Opera) . It seems there are 'differences' in how Opera
interprets some features, most noticably color background, which
remains white, no matter what I do. Also, Opera did not originally
recognize scrolling at all, but that seems to have been the result of
some of my settings, which can override the settings of site
designers. (When I tried to change settings, Opera didn't seem to
adapt easily and closed...and even 'seemed' to cause my entire PC to
re-boot to adapt to the new setting... *shrug*)

Fortunately, I often use the Mozilla "Firefox" browser, and upon
opening the page in it, I seem to see the page 'as it was intended'.
....There are still some differences in the two browsers, even beyond
the background color issue.....in Opera, on the 'home' page, the two
arrows originally are smaller, and point at 45 degrees inward, as if
'waiting', then become larger 'up' and 'down' arrows when I mouse-over
the upper one. In Firefox, the arrows are in the full size up/down
configuration at all times.

As to page design and scrolling direction...it took me about 3 seconds
to realize the way the arrows worked...the up arrow moved the text or
list 'up'...etc. I might not have done it this way, but since there
were only two choices, I adapted rather quickly.

Since Opera continues to NOT display the complete page as intended, I
will refer to the Firefox view. (Opera simply does NOT, so far,
display the black background OR the decorative art work/graphic above
the thumbnail panel!)

In Firefox, my impression is of a clean, uncomplicated page with easy
navigation, once I realized what the mouse-over trick was supposed to
do. Nothing detracts from the emphasis on the wood as the point of the
page, and I was able to quickly look at various artists (some of which
I know, and some I don't).....

Regarding the pop-up window with right click 'disabled'....In Firefox,
I get a separate, pop-up, which closes if I right click on it...in
Opera, I don't...it simply opens a 'forward' page, which I could save
easily if I had the inclination.....then I go 'back' to the thumbnail
set again. There 'are' settings in Opera to control how this works,
(and I also use a filter program called "Proximitron' which may
partially control pop-up behavior...have not checked)

As to 'taste' and 'style'...well, my goodness! *grin*...that IS
personal! Anyone who collects shows certain general preferences, just
as anyone who TURNS does! There are many elegant examples of various
artistic preferences shown....and often, as might be expected,
reflecting emphasis on UK/European styles. I see pieces that I would
be proud to have turned, and pieces that I never would have even
tried, as they are not what *I* do...but most seem like excellent
examples in their way.

I do appreciate the comment about wishing to know and meet the
artists, as I hate to sell one of my pieces to someone I have not met.
I do occasionally, in a gallery or 'boutique', where I am not there
constantly....but then I don't get to talk 'wood' with those who
admire it, or tell the story behind the piece, where the tree grew,
why I made the piece curve this way rather than that...etc. It is
important for ME to know where my creations are going...even if, as
often happens, they are slated to be gifts. I am often told, "oh, this
is for my uncle who LOVES wood, and he used to have a Plum
tree."...etc.

In the UK, I am told, there is not nearly as much 'free' wood...fallen
trees and forests and the like, and many artists buy wood
commercially, and I'd think this affects their decision about how to
use it, price it, and market it. I sometimes buy interesting and
exotic wood, but most of what I have is just 'found' wood, and given
to me by friends. (My best sales the last couple of years were pieces
made from roots of Yew shrubs dug up by friends!)

Well, I have rambled, I see....perhaps if I had seen this discussion
earlier, I might have said less, with more thought than trying to sort
it all out at once.

In short....except for the eccentricities of Opera, I like the site,
appreciate 'most' of the works displayed....and note that Jonathan
seems willing to talk wood, design and collecting when the furor over
debating styles dies down..*grin*
....(we humans haven't yet learned to use this virtual medium yet, it
seems....stuff is said that I doubt would ever come up if we all met
in a room together).....

I shall read further 'discussion' with interest...and trepidation)

ßill