The BOINC MANAGER interface appears to have aquired a very nasty blue column down the left hand side. Perhaps someone is happy with it. I, however, think it is a stinker of a silly, useless, space filler! Please, please very definately REMOOVE EEET!!! Then the rest of my columns can fill out. I might then even be able to get a whole message on the screen, as used to happen!

John

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This context menu replaces the right click functions from previous clients, though, I must admit it is a bit cumbersome. The lack of a right-click menu can be a right pain in the arse for someone who is used to the older clients.

Maybe removing it completely is a bit extreme, but please, please, include an option that hides this side-bar and allows these functions to be accessed by a right-click context menu or visa versa.

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I would love an option to hide this blue, win-xp like bar. And , as Im just writing, it would be cool to get the 4.19 (and previous) disk space diagramms back, as well as the graphical indication of progress, because the rare numbers arent as fast to read as the yellow line...

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I hate this "blue column" also. I wish to can remove it. It's quite useless.

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SETI Gym

I agree: the blue bar is terribly big and annoying. Please add the possibility to remove it or at least resize it, and put back the right-click context menus.

There are other things that should be fixed too, like the column sorting and the progress bars, which were kind of helpful.

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<img src="http://boinc.mundayweb.com/one/stats.php?userID=31">

I agree that the blue bar is ugly; it also doesn't work properly.

Try this: reduce height of window so that only the Tasks section is visible (a large blank area being unneccessary); click on Projects tab; click on a task; scroll down the blue bar to Web Sites; point to either the BOINC or Project link. The view immediately jumps back to Tasks: it is only possible to click on the link by first expanding the window.

Any reason we couldn't have buttons instead of links? The Show Graphics and Abort Result links are dangerously close together.

Talking of Show Graphics: I am running BOINC as a service, when the awful (SETI) screen saver and graphics are not available; not that I actually want to use them, but why are the options still shown?

To end on a positive note, I do like the general concept of providing more control over what is running, and 4.25 is certainly an improvement.

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"Progress just makes bad things happen faster." - Granny Weatherwax

> I agree: the blue bar is terribly big and annoying. Please add the possibility
> to remove it or at least resize it, and put back the right-click context
> menus.
>
> There are other things that should be fixed too, like the column sorting and
> the progress bars, which were kind of helpful.
>
I know there was a problem with column sorting, but it would be handy to be able to sort WUs by deadline, closest at the top. With the new found ability to temporarily disable a given project, when put together, there should be no reason for anybody to miss a deadline again!

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> Any reason we couldn't have buttons instead of links? The Show Graphics and
> Abort Result links are dangerously close together.
>
I noticed this too... Almost aborted a CPDN model by ALMOST hitting the wrong option. Only the saving grace of an AYS dialog saved me this one.

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Other than the (small) possibility of finding BEMs, the coolest thing about SETI was the classic screen saver. The BOINC screensaver looks like a 3rd grade computer art project. Now we have aquired a big blue thing, (perhaps a tribute to IBM?) that blocks half the screen and doesn't work properly.

Unless I have it full screen, the only way I can click on the "project" button is to sneak up on it real slowly, and then half the time it jumps up anyway and I click on something else. I also really liked the progress bars. I kept them in a narrow window on the bottom of my screen and I could keep an eye on things.

I would suggest that the BOINC people back up a bit on the inteface, and concentrate their efforts on debugging and speeding up the client itself, the part that does the science. We users don't ask too much in exchange for our electricity: a chance to participate, an interface that is easy and make sense, and perhaps our nifty old screen saver. It was a blast to see someone interviewed on TV and see the SETI screen saver in the background.

I know you folks @ SETI are overworked, underfunded and stuck with some facilities from the Dark Ages. All the more reason to concentrate on the science. We were happy with the old system, and happy with the old BOINC. (Except the 2 bit, Atari-like BOINC/SETI screensaver.) Remember, the wisdom of experience in software changes: evolution, not revolution. Tiny, tiny steps, get feedback, more tiny, tiny steps.

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> I would love an option to hide this blue, win-xp like bar. And , as Im just
> writing, it would be cool to get the 4.19 (and previous) disk space diagramms
> back, as well as the graphical indication of progress, because the rare
> numbers arent as fast to read as the yellow line...
>

Agreed.

I don't like the left hand gigantic space-wasting bar either. Can't see all the messages text because the rest of the columns can't be widened enough.

Also miss the yellow progress bar.



Now I'm sad.

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