Suggestions

Iris What date were you told a lot of people like this new tree? They stated that on 2nd Aug. Did they tell you lots liked it before or after 2nd August?

It seems pretty clear to me that lots don't like it. And the few who say they like it are not using it anyway to build their tree.

Just short 0f 4k in my tree.

I'm having great difficulty with the new format and would like to access the old one, but don't know how to. Can you help

gwyngor .................


short answer ..............


the old tree has been removed


you can no longer access it.





sylvia

I'd like to suggest that the Genes Reunited team hold an urgent meeting with their managers at Bright Solid and then jointly explain to their parent company...long established and revered publisher D.C. Thomson...why they are losing a massive percentage of their customers on a daily basis.

Obviously input from the bottom up is not getting through.

The BrightSolid site at Scotlands People just glitters with efficiency, so what's going on here?

I'm off to speak to Daddy Bear in Dundee and see if he has any answers.

Malcolm,

May I ask what information or proof you have to state that Genes are losing a massive percentage of their customers on a daily basis. I must have missed something. Thank you. Cx

The new tree is unacceptably slow in IE8 + WinXP (containing about 1600 individuals), e.g. whilst waiting for the search dialog to accept keyboard entry.

I've found that a surname search produces a list of matching people, but clicking on a given person simply closes the dialog and nothing further happens ! (e.g., by showing the selected person's tree box on screen). IE8 displays 'Error on page'.

Also, I have received a message from another Genes Reunited subscriber, but cannot view their tree, even though access has been granted:

"Server Error401 - Unauthorized: Access is denied due to invalid credentials.
You do not have permission to view this directory or page using the credentials that you supplied."

This is under investigation.

In my view, the new GR tree has been a major retrograde step and is only used now by myself as a last resort (I also subscribe to Ancestry). Scrap it and start again !

hello David i also have IE8 + WinXP but mine contains 20000 if you find this slow
you may consider using another browser. I also use Maxthon 3
The error messages you get are to do this IE8 and XP also you will find that you are
unable to upgrade to IE9 for this is not compatible with XP.
If you have a problem viewing another tree contact the staff.

I have 58 sites in my Favorites and all of them work well with IE8 XP.
I also look up sites on Google all works well.

Genes works well until I go to my tree that's when the fun and games start.

I have read a lot of these boards of late trying to find a solution, I realise that IE8 has a time span that is running out but why should I change my set up just to suit Genes.
1 I can't afford a new Computer.
2 I am not that clever at downloading off the net, a bit frightened of it I guess
3 Why should I change anything when all my other site s work fine.

Please Genes sort this mess out,you have destroyed a perfectly good site,I have sent another message of disapproval to Genes ...fat lot of good it will do .
sue

Hi Sue,

I read your message about 5 mins ago using Google Chrome. I also use IE8 and IE9 and have been toying with the idea of Mozilla Firefox because I have heard good reports of it.

I have just downloaded it and am using it now. I still have Genes open on Chrome too.

It's a matter of personal choice as to which browser suits you best or runs faster for you.

You don't have to buy anything so be brave and just google another well known browser and follow the instructions. Just remember not to click the little box which says to make it your default browser. If you get to like a particular one, you can make it default afterwards. <3 <3

This thread is about suggestions to improve the current tree not how to support legacy platforms. My suggestions in your context are

(a) redesign the edit dialog so that it uses screen space effectively and does not drop off a typical screen with vert res of 900 pixels
(b) allow users to set the colors as they wish

Getting to your specific problems.

Microsoft has already ceased support for IE8 and XP apart from security patches. Google is dropping support for IE8 for all Google apps from November 2012. And so on...

Users of XP/IE8 have a number of choices.

(a) do nothing - little by little they will find more and more sites do not work as expected

(b) upgrade to a more modern browser eg Chrome, Firefox, Opera, PaleMoon. This is free. It is not the job of GRU to hand hold you through installing another browser.

Time to ask a friend... or to get started go here

http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/

and press the big green button, follow the instructions - make sure you choose British English if you are not in USA/Canada.
This does NOT require a new computer.
Firefox can import yr current bookmarks.

Firefox even has a "skin" which allows it to emulate IE.
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/collections/someone4863494/ie8_theme_in_firefox/

(c) If you wish to stay with IE (goodness knows why) then upgrade to a computer running WIndows7 - this can be quite expensive with the cheapest 2nd hand machines with a valid licence over £ 200. Every so often Microsoft manage to roll out a good OS. Win7 is fine. Win8 is such a mess that it is pushing up the price of Win7 2nd hand licenses and kit, so if you want to do this get on with it.

The number of things wrong with IE8 is too long to list here. Suffice it to say that adapting web sites for all the foibles of IE8 and before is expensive. A feature that can be implemented easily in a modern browser can take a staggering amount of work to emulate in IE8. So most new development won't bother - e.g. GRU.

It may be worth mentioning that the German government has advised its citizens to drop IE8 due to poor security even with MS patches.

It is really easy to get an LCD flat screen display with resolution 1280x1024 in good condition from eBay / preloved etc etc for about £ 10. These screens will work with the standard VGA port and can be added to any notebook as a second screen.

True GRU have made a dogs dinner of the edit dialog for the tree. The dialog drops off the screen for most people and you have to use the scroll bar to see all of it including the elusive save button - there is no need to use full screen or change screen size. The colors are unhelpful. Overall this is extremely poor design. However by moving on from IE8 you will at least see the tree correctly displayed, or if not correctly as GRU currently intend it to be displayed.

In part the current poorly implemented tree is down to GRU developers and designers using very large screens and failing to test properly on the screen sizes in use by most of their user community.

All the same you can be sure that GRU are not going to bring back the old tree nor will they bust a gut to support IE8.

good luck

Stephen_SG (and others) - many thanks.

'search/select person' problems - It's a 'Compatibility View' issue, now unticked so 'search/select person' now functions as expected.

But the GR Tree processes generally are still slow in comparison with other web sites, with each step taking a few seconds, e.g., scrolling down the RH side panel window for a given person. A few seconds for a single step isn't of great consequence in itself, but in a sequence of several steps, then the interface is a major drag and a discouragement for further use.

I know this is not really the correct board....but as it is a continuation of posts from Sue and Cynthia plus all the dire warnings from Rollo :-0

Being as one with Sue and her comments.... I have taken Cynthia's advise about being brave and downloaded Chrome....however having not made it my default browser ...yet.... how do I get it to open to see if I like it ? :-|

Just get the screen blocked by a notice telling me it is not my default !!

Elizabeth, you don't have to make it your default browser, you should be getting the option to make Chrome your default browser...or not. If you don't want to use it all the time, then select No.



You can switch between browsers quite easily. I have two browsers open at the moment......depends which mood I'm in as to which I use. :-D

Cynthia

No option-just making Chrome the default or "don't ask me again" which I clicked and could not get any further !!

Uninstalled it now !!

Rollo, et al,

I've been using Firefox for ages quite happily until GRU introduced the new tree when everything went to pot. As you correctly say, Rollo, the edit screen is incredibly badly designed (and probably the one bit that we ALL want rejigged) and the SAVE button fell off the bottom of the page.

I referred all sorts of problems to GRU and eventually it was suggested that I should change from Firefox to Chrome.

I did...

...and it is still all just the same as when I was using Firefox.

GRU must take responsibility for making a complete b+++s up of the new design and they must take urgent steps to get it sorted so that us paying members can use it properly and effectively as we did quite happily for all those years with the good old tree.

Elizabeth, I don't understand why there wasn't an option. :-S :-S :-S


I can use my tree on IE8/9, Chrome and Firefox......maybe I'm just lucky..... :-S

its obvious clients prefer the old tree for its simplisity give us back what we paid for

That is not at all obvious. There have been perhaps two or three hundred who prefer the old tree enough to complain about it on the boards and blogs.

As has been pointed out numerous times no one on GR pays to use the tree, they pay to use the boards and records and to send messages.

Perhaps a majority of the free members prefer the old tree but we have no way of finding out.

Jeffery, The tree on GR is free and always has been,

Roy