... lighter text and missing quote option. Since the recent upgrade, the text in posts appears much lighter (greyer) and harder to read on my screen. I much preferred the bolder/darker font from before.Also, when pasting and quoting from a news source, I no longer see the option to display it as plain text instead of a full embedded/preview block. Previously, there was a way to avoid the automatic links/underlines to related stories.Are others experiencing this, or is there a new setting I'm missing? Thanks!

Please keep the politics out of the thread.

I find it ok, change has freshened it up, have you considered an eye test?

I believe we use "Google’s Material Design Accessibility Guidelines" which covers all kinds of factors: -

• Text size (minimum readable sizes, scaling behaviour)

• Colour & contrast

• Line height & spacing

• Touch target sizes

• Visual hierarchy & clarity

Having worked with them IRL, I have come to the conclusion that software engineers are aliens with very different eyesight, definitely different from an aging human like myself.

I have noticed that running in dark-mode makes it easier on my eyes, YMMV.

And the Arrow on the left doesn't work any more, plus emojis are hard to use and with the bottom default ones only some show not 78

3 minutes ago, brian69 said:

And the Arrow on the left doesn't work any more, plus emojis are hard to use and with the bottom default ones only some show not 78

A picture paints a thousand words? there are 520 emojis

Lets move this into forum support and keep these in one place for people to see easily.

10 minutes ago, CharlieH said:

A picture paints a thousand words? there are 520 emojis

No, there are 520 emojis under the "Smileys & People" heading but brian69 is referring to the "default" heading which claims 78.

9 minutes ago, treetops said:

No, there are 520 emojis under the "Smileys & People" heading but brian69 is referring to the "default" heading which claims 78.

And of course, the "Defaults" are at the bottom!

Once you've used a few they do appear in a more useful location mind.

Why are those images so big?

Yes I can zoom out, but my eye sight is not as it used to be

Ps: Not running an ad-blocker

9 hours ago, Crossy said:

…I have come to the conclusion that software engineers are aliens with very different eyesight, definitely different from an aging human like myself…

Also I would prefer black or a much darker grey text on a white background.

Light grey on white seems to have become a fashion and I stopped reading many news sites because of this.

I've tried the black background but can't get used to it.

11 hours ago, riclag said:

…missing quote option…

I highlighted the text I wanted to quote and the "Quote selection" button popped up. A click on it started, as previously, this new post with a box with the quote in it, to which I added the ellipsis where needed to indicate skipped text.

"

13 hours ago, MJCM said:

Why are those images so big?

Yes.

Good question.

But, you know:

This entire thing is NOT about....whether or not any specific change might be INHERENTLY good, or not good.

The KEY to understanding upgrades is this: Almost any change is beneficial, good or bad.

Why is this?

When anything becomes stale, then....what happens?

So, just keep on a-changing, and this is really all that is required.

Have you never listened this song, for example?

Just one question, how do I get to the last answer on the old layout, I just clicked on the number on the right, which brought me to the previous answer, but it does not seem to work on the new system. I have no problems with the fast up button or layout. Sometimes I don't want to read all the answers.

Since the recent update I've lost nearly everything. I joined up in 2004 and now I'm only classed as an apprentice member with whereas prior to the update I was a silver member. I've tried 2 different email addresses with basically the same results.

14 hours ago, MJCM said:

Why are those images so big?

Please let me further clarify, if I may:

No matter how great this forum might be, and it is great, by the way....

What might happen if TV maintained the Missionary Position, year after year?

No matter how great the Missionary Position seemed, at the start...

It might become stale, over time.

Now do you see?

This is why things sometimes get bigger, one year, and then much smaller, the next.

Sometimes the colors change, and sometimes the text becomes darker, or lighter.

We must stop thinking of these changes as "Rocket Science", but rather in terms of sucking more views, by any means..

And, this is a good thing, for you and for me.

27 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

Have you never listened this song, for example?

I have all Bob Dylan albums so yes I can say I have listened to that song before, but what is your point asking me that, as the topic is about changes to the forum software and not general music knowledge

If you zoom out completely the pictures are obscenely big compared to the text (this is a screenshot when I zoom out completely)

4 minutes ago, MJCM said:

I have all Bob Dylan albums so yes I can say I have listened to that song before, but what is your point asking me that, as the topic is about changes to the forum software and not general music knowledge

If you zoom out completely the pictures are obscenely big compared to the text (this is a screenshot when I zoom out completely)

My point being that changes are not, exclusively, for the purpose of designing some format that is perfect.

IF the design were perfect, and worked perfectly, then this perfection would be imperfect, based on what the website design is designed to do.

I have done my best to clarify for you.

But, I think you might yet not understand the purpose of continual change, and for the sake of change.

14 minutes ago, still kicking said:

Just one question, how do I get to the last answer on the old layout, I just clicked on the number on the right, which brought me to the previous answer, but it does not seem to work on the new system. I have no problems with the fast up button or layout. Sometimes I don't want to read all the answers.

Does pressing Control and DOWN ARROW help? Although that sends you all the way down the screen

I just checked I should be a gold member but since the recent major update I'm an apprentice member. I currently have 22 posts, that's one every year. I joined in 2004 so all my previous ratings were first class up till now.

Let us also keep this important dynamic in mind, before criticizing any seemingly-cumbersome changes, too much:

Not all changes are for the purpose of what you might imagine.

There are good reasons why things seem too large, or might be other than what you might prefer.

11 minutes ago, mason 45 said:

I just checked I should be a gold member but since the recent major update I'm an apprentice member. I currently have 22 posts, that's one every year. I joined in 2004 so all my previous ratings were first class up till now.

If you ask me, but I am just guessing here, that the new software doesn't take into account the years you are a member but how many posts you got.

I could be wrong of course, so let's wait what @CharlieH or another Admin says about it.

15 minutes ago, MJCM said:

If you ask me, but I am just guessing here, that the new software doesn't take into account the years you are a member but how many posts you got.

I could be wrong of course, so let's wait what @CharlieH or another Admin says about it.

Correct, and seeing as 75% of his postings were made this year, makes one wonder if this is in fact a sleeper account of someone else ?😁

17 hours ago, CharlieH said:

A picture paints a thousand words? there are 520 emojis

They are not the default ones.....

16 hours ago, Crossy said:

And of course, the "Defaults" are at the bottom!

Once you've used a few they do appear in a more useful location mind.

Not any more there used to be 'recently used' that has disappeared....

1 hour ago, MJCM said:

Does pressing Control and DOWN ARROW help? Although that sends you all the way down the screen

Now you set the default in your profile ...

8 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

Now you set the default in your profile ...

I haven't changed anything in my profile (since the new software) so i must have set that previously but I think that solves @still kicking problem. Well done @KhunLA

2 hours ago, CharlieH said:

Correct, and seeing as 75% of his postings were made this year, makes one wonder if this is in fact a sleeper account of someone else ?😁

This isn't a sleeper account, the reason I used it more in 2025 was the fact the as I'm now 80 yo I'm not as mobile as I used to be. So I have a lot more free time to be in Asean Now. My main issue is that I've gone from being a gold member to an apprentice member, so I've lost all my previously stored data. Some I referenced for medical issues.

1 hour ago, mason 45 said:

This isn't a sleeper account, the reason I used it more in 2025 was the fact the as I'm now 80 yo I'm not as mobile as I used to be. So I have a lot more free time to be in Asean Now. My main issue is that I've gone from being a gold member to an apprentice member, so I've lost all my previously stored data. Some I referenced for medical issues.

I am a bit confused sorry, but how does resetting you from being a gold member to an apprentice member causes to lose data. For my clarification where did you store this data?

Or how did you access it?

Up until the new update I was a gold member, when I checked my AN account this morning I was an apprentice member (3/14). So I used my email address and I got the right user name and I clicked on the lost password to get a new password. That done I proceeded to log in and I'm still an apprentice member. So I clicked on follow managed content and I've lost all the previous posts there except for ones I did today.

23 minutes ago, mason 45 said:

Up until the new update I was a gold member, when I checked my AN account this morning I was an apprentice member (3/14). So I used my email address and I got the right user name and I clicked on the lost password to get a new password. That done I proceeded to log in and I'm still an apprentice member. So I clicked on follow managed content and I've lost all the previous posts there except for ones I did today.

So what that I think it could mean is that because of the upgrade all followed content has been erased for everyone and NOT because your downgrade from Gold to apprentice member, but that said......

As I don't use that function, I hope again that @CharlieH or another member who uses that "Followed Content" which is available under "Clicking your Username in the upper left corner and then scrolling down" if they see content from before the upgrade and can confirm this.