CRT is re developing its website - see the Beta version.

[Laurence Hogg]

I was sent from Victoria Beckett the chance to view the "new" Beta version of the CRT website today.

What another load of regurgitated crap, how much is this costing?

I cannot see any advantages in it over the old one?

 

Judge for yourselves:

 

You can find it here:

https://beta.canalrivertrust.org.uk/

Youll need the following details:

Username: beta

 

[Password removed]

 

Please send any feedback directly to feedback@canalrivertrust.org.uk

Edited August 15, 2015 by FadeToScarlet

[Robbo]

What's with making everything large font and icons these days, to make the site workable I've zoomed to 75%!

[Naughty Cal]

Depends how big your screen is I suppose.

 

Works great on the one I'm on at the minute at work but is is a large screen.

[Guest]

What's with making everything large font and icons these days, to make the site workable I've zoomed to 75%!

It's to make them more 'friendly' to mobile devices, which is increasingly how more people access the internet.

[Robbo]

It's to make them more 'friendly' to mobile devices, which is increasingly how more people access the internet.

 

Websites can detect if you are coming via a mobile (or ipad type device) or not and it's fairly easy to configure if the web designer is worth their salt.

Edited August 14, 2015 by Robbo

[Guest]

Websites can detect if you are coming via a mobile (or ipad type device) or not and it's fairly easy to configure if the web designer is worth their salt.

Indeed. But for some reason lots of places seem to take this route, ie one size fits all. Is it perhaps cheaper to do that way, I genuinely don't know.

 

A quick look and I have to say I like it.

 

I'm viewing it on a 21 inch Dell monitor and it seems fine to me.

[jenlyn]

Had a quick play with it when I received this morning. I thought it was ok. A lot easier to use, especially with a phone or tablet.

[Jess--]

the site is built using the bootstrap framework and the reason people are seeing different views of the site is because it adjusts itself according to screen size / portrait / landscape etc.

 

I have attached a couple of screencaps of it at different sizes.

 

 

[arbutus]

I like the new website.

 

On a thirteen inch laptop the pages look clean and are easy to navigate. The new typeface looks good and is easier to read.

 

It makes the old website look ancient.

[OldGoat]

Can't blame them for trying.

CaRT is no longer just about boaters - it has to attract a wider audience, 'cos sure as eggs are eggs boaters aren't going to cough up more and it desperately needs more money.

 

I couldn't see a whole lot of difference 'cept the larger size presentation. Making a note to look at both systems side by side on separate machines.

My main screen is an obscene 32".

[RockSodem]

A bad website immediatly puts a negative thought into the readers mind. Nice site. Money well spent and great on mobile.

[mayalld]

I was sent from Victoria Beckett the chance to view the "new" Beta version of the CRT website today.

What another load of regurgitated crap, how much is this costing?

I cannot see any advantages in it over the old one?

 

Judge for yourselves:

 

You can find it here:

https://beta.canalrivertrust.org.uk/

Youll need the following details:

Username: beta

 

[password removed]

 

Please send any feedback directly to feedback@canalrivertrust.org.uk

So, you have been sent a link to a beta test site, and a password to access that site.

 

Did they give you permission to share that password?

Edited August 15, 2015 by FadeToScarlet

[David Mack]

I'm slightly surprised that CRT are developing a new website, rather than just updating the existing, which is only about 3 years old, CRT having completely abandoned the old BW Waterscape site.

 

Or is that just indicative of the pace of change in social media these days?

[twbm]

Dave's point is a very valid one. If explicit permission to share was not given it might be viewed as an offence under the Computer Misuse Act, albeit that's probably a bit sledgehammer/nut for this. Perhaps Laurence's haste to seize what he sees as another opportunity to knock C&RT got the better of him.

 

If they get too many hits I guess they can always change the password.

[Hawkmoth]

I don't think the password was meant to be a state secret!

Bob

[twbm]

I don't think the password was meant to be a state secret!

Bob

 

Me neither but there's a principle... and if you're Beta testing a site on a small server you don't want excessive numbers of hits crashing it or getting it an undeserved bad reputation.

[TheBiscuits]

 

So, you have been sent a link to a beta test site, and a password to access that site.

 

Did they give you permission to share that password?

 

Nah, he just volunteered.

[john6767]

I'm slightly surprised that CRT are developing a new website, rather than just updating the existing, which is only about 3 years old, CRT having completely abandoned the old BW Waterscape site.

 

Or is that just indicative of the pace of change in social media these days?

It does not look like a totally new site to me, the content and structure looks the same. To me this is more of a face lift, and it looks very good.

[OldGoat]

It does not look like a totally new site to me, the content and structure looks the same. To me this is more of a face lift, and it looks very good.

 

I think that's what they're saying - tidy up the navigation (sic!) and make it more acceptable to the iPod generation.

[BargeeSpud]

Personally, I see little difference between the old & new.

 

One thing I'd like C&RT to do is provide a facility to renew your MOORING PERMIT online, as you can with a cruising licence. No reason why it can't be done & no discernable reason why it is still not being done, the new web site will be an opportunity missed if they fail to incorporate that. In fact there is no reason why any C&RT saleable service should not be purchased online, its not as if they have thousands of combinations of fees to handle.

[Allan(nb Albert)]

It crashes the edge browser in Windows 10 on a large screen PC and does not display properly with latest chrome and Andriod 5.0.2 on my phone. Works ok on my Hudl with chrome and an older version of Android.

I don't see any advantages over the old website for boaters but they are not the target audience. I suspect many will find it difficult to navigate on small screens due to large page content.

There has been a document search facility added but this does not work very well at the moment.

[Guest]

It crashes the edge browser in Windows 10 on a large screen PC

To be fair the fault for that may not lie at the door of CRT's web site developer.....

[Machpoint005]

I like it. Web sites are not static, and need refreshing and updating periodically. I was able to find the boaty stuff I tried to very quickly, on a 15-inch widescreen format laptop. Not tried the mobile yet.

 

Web site development doesn't have to be an expensive undertaking if you have the staff or a properly set-up contract.

As for Windows 10 problems, what a surprise!

[cotswoldsman]

Dave's point is a very valid one. If explicit permission to share was not given it might be viewed as an offence under the Computer Misuse Act, albeit that's probably a bit sledgehammer/nut for this. Perhaps Laurence's haste to seize what he sees as another opportunity to knock C&RT got the better of him.

 

If they get too many hits I guess they can always change the password.

I can see the headline now

 

ELDERLY BOATER SENTENCED TO LIFE

 

Mr Hogg an elderly boater who has volunteered for CaRT and BW for over 30 years was yesterday given a life sentence to be served in The Tower of London for making public the access code to the top secret website being developed by CART.

Mr Hogg was sentenced in his absence as he has taken asylum in Russia and is currently boating on the canals in St Petersburg

[Allan(nb Albert)]

To be fair the fault for that may not lie at the door of CRT's web site developer.....

To be fair, I never suggested it was the fault of CaRT's web developer.

 

It has been reported to Microsoft as a problem with Edge.

 

I like it. Web sites are not static, and need refreshing and updating periodically. I was able to find the boaty stuff I tried to very quickly, on a 15-inch widescreen format laptop. Not tried the mobile yet.

 

Web site development doesn't have to be an expensive undertaking if you have the staff or a properly set-up contract.

As for Windows 10 problems, what a surprise!

Much more of a surprise that the new website did not display properly on my phone which runs up-to-date chrome and Android.