Improved emulator page?

Robocop48k

I've noticed that the emulator page hasn't changed since I first visited a few years ago. Of course, it works fine but I was wondering if there was a better way to display the information.

I've just knocked up a quick screen-shot...

http://img510.imageshack.us/img510/4441/demoqs1.jpg

My idea is putting everything into a grid so the text is easier to read and the page is shorter as a whole. Some entries state "This emulator can support TZX" but now that TZX is well established maybe a message stating non-support would be more appropriate. The list of emulators is also scattered with old, discontinued emulators along with the newer, in-development ones. Perhaps ordering with the newest at the top would help.

It's a simple change that would still retain the look of the site but present the information in a more readable format. I'd be happy to re-design the entire page for the site admin to ponder on if necessary.

Paul van der Laan

I actually doubt your page will be shorter as a whole. Your entry for JPP takes two lines, whereas the original now takes up one line only.

I can imagine that the use of a table might make the page a bit more structured, but then I would like to suggest some improvements for your proposal:
- align all the text to the top of the tablerow
- define table collumns in percentages so that people with larger monitors will benefit
- make use of alternating background colours for the table rows to improve readability
- align the table to the left with the 'Notice that...' text

It might sound a bit picky, but I'm a graphic designer after all... :)

Vertigo

If you're going to do a table why not detail supported formats with extension and tick or cross? Smaller font needed too perhaps. It also depends on your user resolution. I use 1280*1024 which is your standard flat panel res, but lots of people still use 1024*768 and many others use 1600*whatever, so while percentages may work as suggested above, it depends how much information you want to cram onto each line. Also, to demonstrate compatibility, you would probably need to source and test all emulators.

icabod

Vertigo wrote: »

If you're going to do a table why not detail supported formats with extension and tick or cross? ... Also, to demonstrate compatibility, you would probably need to source and test all emulators.

Something like this?
Another project I started that fell by the wayside... partly due to some other major commitments.

Vertigo

icabod wrote: »

Something like this?

Yeh :) And I have to lengthen this reply because it's too short to post ;)

chop983

And surely it's about time PC/Windows came before PC/Dos

mheide

Stuart Brady kindly offered to help reorganise the Emulators page a week and a half ago, for the same reasons.
He is working on something, so let's wait and see what he comes up with.