plesk 10 skins and interface management

[cpes]

hello,

two questions

1) does plesk 10 comes only with default skin? is it possible to get winxp reloaded skin for customers like it was for plesk 8?

2) in interface management (plesk 8) was possible to hide some icons/buttons for clients. i don't see that option in plesk 10. e.g. we don't use java applications, ssl certificates, etc. is it possible to remove/hide unwanted icons in customers area in plesk 10?

thanks!

 

[IgorG]

http://forum.parallels.com/showthread.php?p=432041

 

[danivers]

But what about the skins?

Seems like you missed the first question:

1) does plesk 10 comes only with default skin?

Where are the skins? How do we get more?

 

[lhwparis]

use search and read the thread posted by IgorG. Only default skin in Plesk 10.0 Skins will be available in plesk 10.1

 

[danivers]

Search? Gee, never thought of that one.

Nice try. How do you suppose I found this topic? Blind luck?

Just to make you happy, I did ANOTHER search for "plesk 10 skins", and, what do you know, I ended up right back here.

Where is this phantom topic that your site-search cannot seem to find?

What more appropriate keywords should I be using to search for Plesk 10 skins than "plesk 10 skins"?

 

[lhwparis]

whats your problem? just read a little bit in the thread IgorG posted and you ll see a statement from a parallels developer: http://forum.parallels.com/showthread.php?t=106628&highlight=skins#8
by the way: search only "skins" in all plesk10 forums. and you ll get the answer...

 

[danivers]

Oh, you must mean the part about "And skins are coming too."

That's not vague at all. Very reassuring to know that they're "coming" at some point in the non-specified future.

Where did you find out about their inclusion in 10.1? I didn't find any reference to that in the link you posted, so where would I have been able to get that info if not directly from you?

Don't just assume we're all lazy newbies that don't know how to do a site search. I find it hard to believe that I'm only the second person to ask this question.

Plesk 10 is a completely different interface, and not at all intuitive, so why aren't topics like this given the "sticky" treatment and posted where nobody can miss them.

I have to post another question in a new topic regarding the fact that PHP has been downgraded in 10.0. I just did a search for "php 5.1.6", "php 5.2" and "php update". The first two turned up no results, the second turned up no useful results.

Any suggestions as to how to phrase my question so someone else doesn't simply tell me to "do a search"?

And now you know "what my problem is". My problem is Plesk 10.0 not being ready for release.

 

[SeboN]

Sometimes Comanies are just stupid

Well, i upgraded ples to version 10. terrible. i why should ask anything at all?! this version is just a NULL.
I'll downgrade to version 9.5.x and hope parallels will think once more what he done with this software.
I hope with the version 11 comes the better navigation again.

see ya

 

[lhwparis]

dont think this version is "a null". ok there are some bugs, some missing things and in my oppinion parallels should concentrate more to the main control panel instead of other software around it (sitebuilder and so on) but plesk10 is a step in the right direction!

if you miss anything in user interface post it there: http://forum.parallels.com/showthread.php?t=106628 then parallels can read it. just say "i hate it" doesnt help anybody.

 

[DCR]

The very first skin needed is a full-width skin for the control panel.
Moving from Plesk 9 to Plesk 10, where the control panel is apparently locked at a puny 860 pixels in width is driving me crazy. At only 860 pixels, the control panel is leaving more than half of my screen useless blank space. Instead I constantly have to scroll down to find what I need "below the fold". Less user friendly than the Plesk 9 interface.

A fixed width template is obviously more friendly to the developer creating Plesk, since you know exactly where things will render, but it would seem that being useful to the users would be more important?

 

[DCR]

lhwparis,

Actually "I hate it" is quite a statement. It provides a global feeling and perception about the user friendliness of the new interface.. I agree that to fix things, details are needed, but when customers start ditching the product because they "hate it", that is something that should be taken serious.

I must admit that I agree with SeboN.. The changes and decreases in user friendliness are so legion in Plesk 10, that listing what I dislike is simply too much work. I have my own development projects to work on.

Refer to my earlier comment on this thread about the control panel. Forcing me into a puny control panel where things I need have to be "found" by clicking into hidden panels for "advanced features" and a whole stack of "More >>" links or worse, plus suddenly deciding that modern high-resolution, wide-screen monitors are the enemy by making the default (and only) skin a width of only 860 pixels can only solicit pretty much that exact response from me.. I "hate it".

Even for a fixed-width template/skin, 860 pixels is a weird choice this day and age. 960 (or better a flexible width) would support small screen resolutions of 1024 pixels wide just fine. The only normal resolution smaller is 800x600, which I cannot imagine many people using anymore unless they want to control things from a smartphone or tablet. But this skin does NOT support such resolutions (without using horizontal scrolling).

It is illogical to "upgrade" from an interface that was working and using maximum available screen space to one that is decidedly unfriendly and forces people into tons of clicking and scrolling in hunt-and-peck sessions just to get work done.

UPDATE:
I just had to make the same change on all domains. Almost gave me a heart attack. Since my domains had been migrated their hosting were sitting in "Legacy" mode, and to turn that off you have to go into every domain control panel individually and change the hosting settings. No, not the link in the control panel that actually says "Web Hosting Settings". The separate hosting settings that pops out by clicking on each domain name in the domain list at the bottom of the screen. A list that because of the 860px wide skin and with the advanced settings panel unhidden is BELOW the fold and you must scroll to get down there.

In this domains hosting settings screen I turn off legacy mode, and then you must scroll down again, because the "Update" button to save the change is BELOW the fold again. Clickety-Clickety-Click

Mean while, I am watching all the blank unused space that exists on my monitor, surrounding the little 860px wide stripe of actual information. If the blank space had been used it would have made things much easier. On all screens.

 

[gtsupport]

@DCR: I can only agree with you - the current default skin is A BIG FAIL !


Until Parallels will not offer more than this ugly default skin, we will not upgrade our servers to PSA10.x - the current UIdesigner should get fired !

 

[lhwparis]

first of all i agree with you. i dont like the default skin and i dont like newest "developements" in plesk10 User Interface.
i discussed it a little with Sergey from parallels in this post.
I am a Webdeveloper and much things in this templates are not solved the best way. i know they have to support older browsers but a horizontal line with only 1 color is done with an background-image instead of a css border in many cases. thats just 1 example...

but the good thing is we have now skin support in Plesk 10.1 so we can do it our own
@gtsupport why you dont skin it yourself?

i will create my own skin within the next days. will be a very clean skin but only supporting all modern browsers no IE6.
i ll post my skin in this forum.

 

[gtsupport]

@gtsupport why you dont skin it yourself?

i will create my own skin within the next days. will be a very clean skin but only supporting all modern browsers no IE6.
i ll post my skin in this forum.

- when I pay for a software, shouldn't I also expect a modern and user friendly skin within?
it's a face-saver for parallels to argument with any "IE6-support" !
we live in 2011 and this browser is definelty a stillbirth now.

http://gs.statcounter.com/#browser_version-ww-monthly-200912-201012



- thats great news! i'm awaiting your skin

 

[DCR]

lhwparis,

I agree with you that skinnng is nice, but it is worth realizing that I would rather work on "skinning" my own stuff than spending my time improving on Parallel's. Being able to skin is cool for people doing hosting and wanting to present a different look-and-feel, maybe in sync with other services of theirs.
If you post a skin I surely try it out, and be grateful to boot.

BUT. For people that pay for Plesk to use its basic functionality, expecting us to spend time inventing our own user-interface because the one supplied with the product is miserable is crazy at best. When people choose to create their own skins, it should be because they either need a different look-and-feel to merge with something else they have, or because they simply like doing it. Not because what is provided with the product is unworkable. As long as this is the case, the ability to skin can be a great bonus-point for the product. But HAVING to skin to make the product bearable is very bad product strategy indeed.

It belongs to the story that I have been using Plesk for years, and have never even felt the need to register in this forum. Except for a few cases where I found "how-to" info here, I never even needed to come to the forum. Old Plesk just did it job. Maybe not perfect, but not bad either. I had no strong complaints. But Plesk 10 made my heart beat so fast in irritation that I spend time here trying to get it fixed, rather than working on my own stuff.

And apparently I am not alone in that. I notice how many posters in the different topics are all listed as "Junior Members", just like myself because they just now felt they had to join. Maybe people like myself that suddenly felt an urge to influence Plesk 10 or vent frustration, who knows.

 

[gtsupport]

lhwparis,

It belongs to the story that I have been using Plesk for years, and have never even felt the need to register in this forum. Except for a few cases where I found "how-to" info here, I never even needed to come to the forum. Old Plesk just did it job. Maybe not perfect, but not bad either. I had no strong complaints. But Plesk 10 made my heart beat so fast in irritation that I spend time here trying to get it fixed, rather than working on my own stuff.

same here!

 

[lhwparis]

i agree with both of you default skin is not realy nice and not all people want to do the hard work and skin it their own.
we hope parallels will release some additional skins and some other people in this forum post their skins too.

 

[IgorG]

It is strange to say that default skin isn't pleasant to ALL. It is impossible to please all. I'm sure and I know that many people love Plesk default skin.

 

[DCR]

It looks pretty, I'll give you that...
But in daily life I will take practical (such as utilizing available screen space, showing maximum information, and saving on clicks) over pretty any day..

 

[IgorG]

Now you have possibility to create and use own "practical" skin if default irritates you...