[Suggestion] - Editor -Result More Users, Less Support etc

[cokecan]

a simple suggestion that I do feel would add a lot to the current forum software


add to the lo-fi feature a simple no frills text editor, so members can post or reply to the forum via the lo-fi feature

main thrust of suggestion , is based on the idea of instead of saying to people who have problems due to old browsers etc "sorry you can no longer use this forum" with a basic editor added could now offer an viable alternative

adding a basic text editor could mean that no longer have to turn users away if can't upgrade and has some worthwhile benefits.....


low effort to add feature and maintain in future releases

At a guess would say wont take much effort in adding and maybe more importantly maintaining during future versions
as its basic , once its in that should be it perhaps.

decrease support requirements for invision

no more old "browser" support type questions. fixes , requests etc- if a browser is past its sell by date, as it can still use the lo-fi version, and in theory is still supported ( ie can still use forum) supporting it is no longer the crucial matter some may consider it

improve dev of products

as supporting old browsers is less crucial, then less effort in backward compatibility is required
maybe even mean can raise the cut of times for old browsers

decrease admin for forum

Users using old browsers having problems, can now be simply told their browser is out of date and if possible they need to update, if can't update they can however can still use the forum
A better solution than turning users away or trying to find work arounds, diy hacks etc
Also the onus is moved from the board to the user , if cant use the board its the boards fault, if can use the board but not all features its user who needs to rectify


increase users

Recent problems with users using a earlier version of ie 6 do demo that there are people who for what ever reason are a few years behind with versions of browsers etc
Adding a simple editor to lo-fi will open up the forums to users of old technology , be it old os's, browsers, laptops, pdas, mobile phones and so on


offering another feature

some users may actuall prefer the no frills of the lo-fi version, as may not take much effort to add, could have a improved feature set and one that may increase users, posts and so on

increase user friendlyness of products

maybe one for the future if did adopt a text editor, then could by using browser conditional statements steer all users of old tech to the sections
eg old browsers when attemp to posting could be steered automatically when id'd by a conditional statement to the lo-fi posting version when posting, along with a message saying why, eg browser is out of date, link to upgrade ad so on. Has to be much better than a blank screen



Just thoughts to go with suggestion, do feel it would be a worthwhile feature addition, maybe one that many may not use or feel needed, but as perhaps it won't take much effort to add or maintain, the benefits of having it imo make it a worthwhile suggestion