Both wikitext conversations and LiquidThreads render the users' signatures at the bottom of their posts, at normal font weight.
Flow's userpage links instead draw too much attention because of their placing at the top of posts and their unnecessary thickness.
This makes easier to follow who's engaging in discussion, but much harder to grasp the actual content.
Description
Description
Event Timeline
Comment Actions
Most of this can be fixed just by removing font-weight: bold, from
https://git.wikimedia.org/blob/mediawiki%2Fextensions%2FFlow/HEAD/modules%2Fstyles%2Fboard%2Ftopic%2Fpost.less#L114
I'd do it myself, if I had time to re-learn git-fu! (maybe soon...)
I've done it in my user.css, and really appreciate the difference. (just .flow-post .flow-author .mw-userlink {font-weight: normal;})
The separate idea, of changing the position of the .flow-author block, would need a separate task and discussion, as it is a lot more subjective. I've been experimenting with variations in Gimp (e.g.), but there are pros and cons to every option (e.g. I do like the idea of having the author-name and timestamp at the right-edge, because that will mean actual links within discussions would be easier to see). I'll try to finish mocking-up all the variations, and an initial list of pros/cons for each, so that we have a complete set, before starting a discussion onwiki (hopefully next week).
Comment Actions
I do want to look at the overall design and make sure that Flow is readable. I'm not sure that I agree that the signature gives too much attention to the person who's posting -- it's pretty important that you know who's talking.
I know that culturally that's been de-emphasized on wikitext talk pages, but I don't actually think that practice is successful in downplaying the importance of who's speaking. I think it just makes wikitext talk pages less efficient for reading and processing, because your eyes have to zip to the end for the signature and then back up to the top.
Most conversation systems put the attribution at the top/front, including email, IRC, Phabricator, pretty much any forum or social network, as well as actually speaking to somebody in real life.
It's definitely worth talking about this and exploring these ideas, but we're not planning on changing this in the near future.
Comment Actions
This gives the impression that Flow will favor people's names over their sayings and deeds. An antithesis to wiki.
Most conversation systems put the attribution at the top/front, including email, IRC, Phabricator, pretty much any forum or social network, as well as actually speaking to somebody in real life.