Would Fluther work just as well without the live preview when you answer?

I like the preview. If you don’t feel that you need it you can cover it up with the bottom of the screen.

That or a normal preview before submission, I have nothing to really say about it…what annoys me is seeing people crafting responses which always moves my text box up and down when I’m trying to type, and it’s annoying.

It helps more than you think. Not only does it show what the formatting of your answer will be, it helps to make sure you take a second look at what you are writing in case you decide to make a few changes.

I’ve made 3 in this post so far based on what the preview looks like.

Not for me. I correct tons of typos and formatting errors that way. (I just wish the preview were 100% accurate with respect to formatting, but it isn’t.) Plenty of mistakes still get by me, but there’d be a lot more if I couldn’t see what I’ve done before I click Answer.

I’d like to have a preview box in the PM section as well, and for the same reason. I’ve made some awful gaffes there, and sending a follow-up correction isn’t always sufficient.

I think its fun watching the computer type out exactly the same thing I punch in.

Look at us. How sad. It’s like we’re panting for a legitimate question that doesn’t smack of teen age “wookin’ pa nub”.

I am glad to have it because it helps me format my question properly.

It really helps you get links right and other text effects.

I don’t really see how it could be a problem…

I love it. Wish it was on PM messages as well but I am content with it on questions.

You could always scroll down your window so it is not visible if it bothers you.

I seriously dig the live preview. It’s totally groovy in a happening kind of way.

I agree with @Jeruba about spelling mistakes and formatting – I rely on the live preview to weed out errors as best I can. I also hate that there is no preview on PMs – feel like I’m writing blind and frequently make more mistakes there with formatting, spelling and typos.

@Symbeline :: I wrote a Greasemonkey script that makes it so the green boxes don’t get shown when someone is composing a quip. It really is much better then having the text box move around. The script is here.

I like the Live Preview. It’s very helpful because it shows me exactly what I want to see: how it’s gonna look.

Yes, I like it a lot. It’s helpful to check I got all the style coding right, and it makes it easier to proofread because it sort of gives your eyes something fresh to look at, and in the case of long answers you don’t have to scroll anything.

I love it, and find it extremely useful. When you are posting a link, you can get a long URL that disrupts your thought processes when you are reading, so it is useful to show the preview where that is not displayed.

@johnpowell Wow hey this is gonna be useful, just the thing I needed. Thanks. :)

I wish it were available when using iPhone, but no such luck.

I found it ironic that people wish for the same thing when writing PMs.

Welcome to the limited world of using the site with iPhone. I just cracked up laughing.

What you experience writing PMs is what every iPhone user experiences for BOTH regular posts as well as PMs. We can only see five lines of text at a time without scrolling.

It’s a wonder we can make ourselves understood at all. It ain’t easy.

:D

So NO, Fluther would definitely not work as well without the live preview section. It would be as limiting as trying to write from an iPhone. Not fun.

I like it. It’s unique to Fluther, AFAIK. Other Q&A sites and forums let you preview your work before posting it, but this is the only site I know of that lets you do it in real time. Now, if they would just give us more formatting options and a way to embed graphics, it would be the slickest interface on the Web.

The iPhone is a challenge. I use it frequently too.

@Buttonstc I too use the iPhone heavily and know exactly what you are writing about. I do a lot of moderation work using the iPhone too. I was very lucky that I happened to tell @johnpowell about my woes and he created a totally cool page that I put on my iphone and I use it to scan new questions.

It is extremely handy because the links do not convert to the mobile site version but to a scaled down version of the regular page. This is easier to compose on in my opinion and it shows the preview below as you compose!

Tip: Do not click on the Jellyfish at the top of the screen- it redirects to the mobile site.

:)