Add your comment about the new look and feel of CodeGuru

Some of you have already shared your opinion about the changes to the codeguru site. Please share your opinions and suggestions here.

What are the changes you liked and what are the ones you did not like?

Thanks,
Zafir

[1999-9-7 10:15pm]
Just finished talking to the lawyer. I know I said the terms would get updated today but there was a little confusion and I ended up getting something that applied to the other sections of developer.com but not CodeGuru. I am hoping it will get done tomorrow.

There is absolutely no problem in stating that the authors retain their ownership since that is indeed the reality. However, Earthweb on it's own cannot grant unrestricted use of the code without help from the authors. Since the only reason to submit code to CodeGuru is to share it with other developers we will make the free use permission a part of the process.

More later...

[1999-9-7 12:44pm]
Well, I took off on long weekend and am now ready to take on the world. Actually I am still submerged in work so it will be a while before I take on the world.

Status:
Legal notice: The lawyers have been contacted and the legal notice should get updated today. Here's what I've proposed

"We encourage the use of the source code in these pages in commercial as well as noncommercial software. Please note that if you want to republish the code in source code form, you need to get the authors' permission"


The laywers are sure to change the wording but I hope that the new document will allay any fears about the code use.

Many people have commented about the sale of the website and the sale price. I have no regrets about the sale although I could certainly have done a better job of the transition. After working eighty hour weeks, you start to wonder how long it can be sustained. I am proud to have been instumental in creating such a resource - and it still is an excellent resource for developers.

I hope you will continue to find the site useful and continue giving us feedback on how to improve the site.

I will now respond to some of the posts individually so please be patient.


[1999-9-3 6:47pm]
Mark Schlack, Vice President for WorldWide content at Earthweb has made a couple of comments to clarify the issues (see below). The gist of the post are

1. The author of the code is still the owner of the code.

2. Since Earthweb does not own the submitted code it cannot assign any right to the users.

3. Here's a paragraph about code use from the submission guidelines.

While we are talking about copyrights, you retain copyright of your article and code but by submitting it to CodeGuru you give it permission to use it in a fair manner and also permit all developers to freely use the code in their own applications - even if they are commercial.

CodeGuru has always been about sharing code and helping each other.

As for the wavy green margin, a redesign is in the works and it will certainly be removed.

We will be fine tuning the search engine over the next few days and hope to provide a much better functionality over the next few days.

The system folks will be looking into the speed issue.


[1999-9-3 4:47pm]
There has been a lot of posts about the use of the code and its ownership. Here's what the legal stuff says

"PLEASE NOTE THAT YOU RETAIN OWNERSHIP OF ANY COPYRIGHTS OF ANY CONTENT YOU SUBMIT"

That is, although the web page is owned by Earthweb, the copyright of the code is still retained by the author of the code. You can continue to use the code within the limitations set forth by the author (some of the authors require you to add their name in the about box etc.).



[1999-9-2 3:10pm]
The general comments seem to be
a) the wavy left margin sucks
b) the search engine doesn't work
c) the site is slower
d) the width of the pages have been fixed

Here are some quick responses below but first I'd like to request you to keep the comments coming. Do also make suggestions on how we can improve the site.

a) personally I don't care either way about the wavy left margin. What I care about most is the quality of the content. This is where my focus is going to be.

b) the search engine is certainly important. We are working on it and it should be fixed soon.

c) speed is certainly an issue. Needs investigation.

d) although the width of some of the pages have been fixed (mostly for the benefit of non techies), the articles themselves don't have a fixed width. Widening the browser window will cause the articles to use the extra space.

Some of you have already shared your opinion about the changes to the codeguru site. Please share your opinions and suggestions here.

What are the changes you liked and what are the ones you did not like?

Thanks,
Zafir

[1999-9-7 10:15pm]
Just finished talking to the lawyer. I know I said the terms would get updated today but there was a little confusion and I ended up getting something that applied to the other sections of developer.com but not CodeGuru. I am hoping it will get done tomorrow.

There is absolutely no problem in stating that the authors retain their ownership since that is indeed the reality. However, Earthweb on it's own cannot grant unrestricted use of the code without help from the authors. Since the only reason to submit code to CodeGuru is to share it with other developers we will make the free use permission a part of the process.

More later...

[1999-9-7 12:44pm]
Well, I took off on long weekend and am now ready to take on the world. Actually I am still submerged in work so it will be a while before I take on the world.

Status:
Legal notice: The lawyers have been contacted and the legal notice should get updated today. Here's what I've proposed

"We encourage the use of the source code in these pages in commercial as well as noncommercial software. Please note that if you want to republish the code in source code form, you need to get the authors' permission"


The laywers are sure to change the wording but I hope that the new document will allay any fears about the code use.

Many people have commented about the sale of the website and the sale price. I have no regrets about the sale although I could certainly have done a better job of the transition. After working eighty hour weeks, you start to wonder how long it can be sustained. I am proud to have been instumental in creating such a resource - and it still is an excellent resource for developers.

I hope you will continue to find the site useful and continue giving us feedback on how to improve the site.

I will now respond to some of the posts individually so please be patient.


[1999-9-3 6:47pm]
Mark Schlack, Vice President for WorldWide content at Earthweb has made a couple of comments to clarify the issues (see below). The gist of the post are

1. The author of the code is still the owner of the code.

2. Since Earthweb does not own the submitted code it cannot assign any right to the users.

3. Here's a paragraph about code use from the submission guidelines.

While we are talking about copyrights, you retain copyright of your article and code but by submitting it to CodeGuru you give it permission to use it in a fair manner and also permit all developers to freely use the code in their own applications - even if they are commercial.

CodeGuru has always been about sharing code and helping each other.

As for the wavy green margin, a redesign is in the works and it will certainly be removed.

We will be fine tuning the search engine over the next few days and hope to provide a much better functionality over the next few days.

The system folks will be looking into the speed issue.


[1999-9-3 4:47pm]
There has been a lot of posts about the use of the code and its ownership. Here's what the legal stuff says

"PLEASE NOTE THAT YOU RETAIN OWNERSHIP OF ANY COPYRIGHTS OF ANY CONTENT YOU SUBMIT"

That is, although the web page is owned by Earthweb, the copyright of the code is still retained by the author of the code. You can continue to use the code within the limitations set forth by the author (some of the authors require you to add their name in the about box etc.).



[1999-9-2 3:10pm]
The general comments seem to be
a) the wavy left margin sucks
b) the search engine doesn't work
c) the site is slower
d) the width of the pages have been fixed

Here are some quick responses below but first I'd like to request you to keep the comments coming. Do also make suggestions on how we can improve the site.

a) personally I don't care either way about the wavy left margin. What I care about most is the quality of the content. This is where my focus is going to be.

b) the search engine is certainly important. We are working on it and it should be fixed soon.

c) speed is certainly an issue. Needs investigation.

d) although the width of some of the pages have been fixed (mostly for the benefit of non techies), the articles themselves don't have a fixed width. Widening the browser window will cause the articles to use the extra space.

Hate the cyan wavy left margin.
Hate that the main page is hardcoded to a specific width regardless of how wide my browser is.
Hate that the main page takes even longer to load than before.

Well, hm, the old one is better :)

2nd - whem I'm in searching mode, it'll be nice to "fixed" buttons (prev/next) to one position on the screen. Because when I'm in "flat mode", now, I must scroll back if I want more examples.

Also, it'll be nice that "home" button exist.

Best regards.

Goodbye CodeGuru, now that you have disappeared into the bowels of Earthweb and developer, a lot of source code will now be withdrawn from the codeguru site. The "old" guru was unique and we always knew where to look for good MFC code. Navigation is a nightmare, the colours are dreadful, the look and feel is equally appalling. Try entering a search for "MFC source" from Earthweb. - 0 documents returned.
Farewell, I will now look for another site known for its uniqueness and mindful of its target audience.

You have to change the wavey patch on the left. It's obscuring some of the text in the articles, and clearly that sucks. Make it narrower or change the margin on the articles or something. As far as the look goes, I was quite partial to the old design. I hope the flavour of the site does not change !!

One word.... Dreadful!

I was worried when I heard about the acquisition (sp?), but my fears are confirmed. Its much slower, the colors are horrid,
and the layout is cramped. I hope that the other qualities of codeguru do not follow suit.

I guess all good things come to an end sooner or later (horrible fact of life) ;(

well.. to put it simply... it sux
the old one was much better

It's all screwed up. The link's are broken. Example, go to:
Advanced UI --> General --> Voice Command Enabling Your Software
and click on the Comments links at the end of the article. Even the Comments from the page raised by the second link have nothing to do with the article itself. This sucks big time, if it is indicative of the changes.

This is terrible. Codeguru WAS the best. This really sucks. I was concerned when I read about the transition. Now I have to look elsewhere for good MFC examples and developers to chat with. I am sorry but the new site really sucks. The old one was the best.

Earthweb really sucks as well. They have been known in the developer community for nothing. The earthweb site sucks, and the content is absolutely worthless expecially to MFC developers.

Why? Why? Why?

I have read a few of the previous comments and I heartily agree that this site now both sucks and blows at the same time. I used to check this site twice a day at least. I have found the code samples extremely useful. I can't even find them on the search engine now. This afternoon at work you had a now utility to download. It was a syntax highlighting editor. Tonight at home with the new site, it doesn't even show up on the "What's New" list. In fact most of the August additions don't show up. I tried searching for "syntax", and "editor" on the search engine and they didn't show up there either.

I hope you are just in transition and that things pick up in the near future. You have a LOT of unhappy campers out here, and I'm joinging the list.

The old was was definately better.
As for the sites in general it was a very good one. This developer.com style drops this down several and several steps. Codeguru was clear, easily read and made sense.. Now.. =(
It would be nice to see old site back, add some logos/links to developer.com or maybe they could redesing their site..

All the new stuff is gone... source links are missing... search links are gone... and developer.com has a reputation as a site by the clueless, for the clueless. CodeGuru was good; kudo's to the people who cashed out for better things and off to find the next CodeGuru...

Holy slow! I can't believe how much slower the response time is now!

What's with the fixed width, anyway? I'm positive my video card can handle greater than 640 pixels wide... wait, let me check... wow, it goes all the way up to 1600 pixels wide!

Hey, I can write a search engine like that... lessee:

printf("Your search matched 0 of 0 documents.\n");

And oh, the missing links.

Bring back the old site, please!

I'm very sad and disappointed. The new "codeguru" is just plain awful. I don't like the motif, the color, or the association with developer.com. I liked the old codeguru because it had substance--a rarity in this society nowadays. And because real code gurus posted substantive articles there. They provided real answers to people's questions, whether the questions were simple or complex. People held nothing back as far as I could tell. They felt free to post good code and discuss real issues rather than wonder if they were potentially losing $ by saying this or posting that for free. Everyone was uplifted by it. In my opinion, the stuff on developer.com has always been pretty innane, the standard "yes you can!" pap we see so much in popular magazines, programming and otherwise. I guess yet another thing of real substance bites the dust in our increasingly superficial society. I sincerely hope I'm wrong in guessing that codeguru "has reached the end of its development cycle", as they say. Please tell me: Where do I go now?

The colours are really bad. i salute anyone who
can tolerate it for more than 5 minutes.
between that and the amount of information
that is clearly jammed into a area much to small
makes it even worse. i do hope for a better layout.

1) New Codeguru is slow
2) Links and updates of August 25 are missing

But I hope you make a lot of $, Zafir.

:))))))
I saw that we all have the SAME, well, critics.

BUT now a really serious, now I can't find for example "Restore Window Position". Try it, and you'll see.

I think, that here is guys who want to know what they (are) do/doing. This kind of people are programmers, for Gratios Sake, not "mice" users, who don't cares what is hiding under the icon.
So, be nice, and beautiful like you were, and brig us back the old page.
OK, mabe to put more accent of searching engine, jump to the home, previous/next stuff.
Thanx.

the older version was better (especially the search function)

Color is very bad!

I have been coming to this codeguru for a couple of years now, and it has saved my bacon on more than one occasion. I had visited developer.com in the past and could not find anything remotely useful there. Codeguru has and I hope will continue to provide useful information in an organized fashion to developers all over the world in a timely fashion.

Developer.com has bought a lot of eyeballs, I just hope that they can maintain the quality that we have all grown to love.

I don't like new design, but I think that we can live with it till the content (and the duscussion boards) will remain as before.

Jack Shainsky
Jerusalem, Israel
[email protected]

And one more thing. Even if you're now cooperating (or working under) Developer.com and EarthWeb, you could to add these links and advertisements into the old design, because I haven't see any good opinion about the new one.

Jack.

Oh man, what have you done? Design is awful (scroll, scroll, scroll...), colors are disgusting.. And what happend to the search engine, which had been very good, till now ? Bad idea, really bad idea what you have done with this site.

Bad - the search does not work in the used way that brought useful results!

Apart from the new design (half of my screen is white ...) I'm pretty concerned about the contents to come. Earthweb has really poor contents and I wonder,
if CodeGuru will change that way, too. Can I have a CD of the contents of CodeGuru *before* those changes take place?

OK... Everybody say the same things...
So, one thing different :
The job section has been replaced by a link to www.dice.com which concerns
only the US... I'm living in Belgium (Europe) and found sometimes interresting announces on the job section... The job section was also ONLY dedicated to C++ programmers -> No more the case... We've lost here something I found good...
N.B. : the other changes are details for me...

I HATE THE CYAN WAVY MARGIN !

What have I done to you that you did that to me? I don't like the new design at all. The left border takes too much space, there's almost no space between the cyan wave and the articles, ...

Please re-activate the old design!

~ My login details are not captured (cookie reader dysfunctional?)

~ CodeGuru doesn't even allow me to login correctly

~ The themes clash (wiggly left hand frame)

~ The search isn't useful anymore

~ CodeGuru was programmer oriented and then tried to advertise. Earthweb is the other way round.. obviously so.

Groan... Codeguru was always my first stop. What happened? Been bought out? Buy it back!!!


... And yes! I would love a CD in it's former format!

mailto:[email protected]

The search facility is a mess! It used to be very easy to turn up useful information; now I can't seem to find anything relevant. I just want to search only the section I'm interested in, and if there are no results, I want to continue searching just that section - not all of developer.com etc.

Like others, codeguru used to be my first point of reference. Now I'm looking elsewhere.

1. That left margin is awful! AHHHHH!!!!! Somebody up there has really wretched taste!!
2. Too many adverts. I can't keep my brain focused on what I'm reading.
3. All in all, WAY too much extraneous information in margin menus, ads, etc.

This used to be a developer's site. It's being morphed into an ad site with some information as an excuse to browse it.

With netscape I have a Bad Request at the beginning and at the end of each page and when I try to print an article it never ends.
The left part is too big so with some articles I have to scroll horizontally (awful).

For me the most important thing about a web site is speed not look: this is professionnal site.

The old is far better.
Please Revert back to the old one.
Search is returning no documents for the string
for which it gave many results.
I hate this

Hey Zafir - if you have sold CodeGuru then I am pleased for your sake that you have some well earned cash. Earthweb clearly sucks, and everyone is going to be on the lookout for a codeguru equivalent. Why not go and start another one up?!

Very good idea, but perhaps Zafir can't do this himself... We can perhaps do this ourself ! What about the appartenance of all the sources on codeguru ?

Hi,
It would be beneficial for all regular users if a Login and pwd edit fields are displayed the moment they visit codeguru. This will enable them to login and immediately go to the appropriate discussion area.
Thanks,
Satish

Please remove the fancy stuff such as the undulating left margin. It is extremely annoying and it takes too much space. Concentrate on:
(1) speed
(2) quality of material
(3) timely updates

I've just finished reading the messages posted here. I must agree with ALL of them, even without seeing the whole site. I (used to) use this site on a regular basis and have always found it very useful, but now it seems that many of the people that contributed are going elsewhere - and I'll probably do the same. Which is a great shame since Codeguru _was_ the best developer web site.

More importantly though why hasn't there been any responses from the new "controllers" of the site? I'm sure everybody would like to hear what EarthWeb have to say about the issues raised in these postings.

I hope things improve.... rapidly.

Tony

please remove the background picture. the old version was 5 ^ 100 times better.

The section posts and the main screen do not use the full screen capability of the browser (in my case I.E. 5 running in 1024 * 768). Is it possible to make the pages use the full width instead of stopping about 2/3rds of the way across, so that more info can be viewed at once?



Roger Allen aka [CB]RIGamortis, the quake2 player.

OK Guys. We have to give them some time to integrate all of the Codeguru stuff into their system. If that means living without a search engine for a couple of days, so be it. And I'll agree with everyone that the color scheme is not the greatest. But, we can harp on these guys for days, and that won't solve anything. I haven't been able to find anything better than CodeGuru myself out there. We won't see the old CodeGuru, but maybe in time, once they get all of the bugs fixed, it will be usable. And by the way Developer.com people, some responses just to let us know you're alive would be nice.

What a sad day for all of us MFC/C++ Developers. Codeguru and its many supporters have provided a wealth of usefull code and information which I now fear is lost. I agree with all the other posts here that the new site sucks big time. The old site was simple and very effective. I've never found developer.com of any use.

Where do we go from here?

Neville Franks
[email protected]
********soft.com

Change is all too constant these days, and when it is for the worst it is so disappointing. The old codeguru was too good to be true.

I echo all previous comments.

In addition the jobs forum on the old site was excellent. Linking this to Dice is a disaster. 99% of all listings on Dice are from recruiters and not the hiring company. With the old codeguru.com the majority of listings were from the hiring companies - this makes a huge difference.

At least reinstate the old jobs forum. Go back to the old site period!

Where the heck do we go now ?!?! I can't stand this !!!
Anyone got any ideas??
CRAP..just CRAP..
...

The World has to move on I suppose!
Can the web designers note that some of us have large 21 inch monitors! Codeguru used to spread over my screen! It now occupies my left margin. Zafir, teach them some html :-)

Otherwise, not too bad a transition.

bart
Applied Techcom
http://www.techcom.co.uk
[email protected]

Three initial observations ...

The big blue vomit splash is an incredible iritation.

My monitor is wider than 3". Why won't your content use more width?

What happened to the August "Latest Updates" ?

The site has slowed... and it looks terrible.

And the discussion board is broken...
I hate to say you sold out, but, you sold out. What's next? Charging for source code? Or perhaps charging to place a comment or question on the discussion board?