Tuft's Perseus layout - Truly obnoxious

[Virgil61]

As great a resource as the Perseus web site is I hate using it due to it's layout. For example here I'm looking at an Ammianus Marcelinus page LINK. On the left is a Book/Chapter tree that takes up around 10% of the horizontal screen's space. On the far right are several bars with assorted relevant but not necessary material which--even when the info is collapsed--retains around 40% of the horizontal space and leaving nothing but solid 'white space' below it for the length of the page. The actual writing gets about 50% of the space.

 

Just obnoxious, even worse if you zoom to increase text size.

[Melvadius]

As great a resource as the Perseus web site is I hate using it due to it's layout. For example here I'm looking at an Ammianus Marcelinus page LINK. On the left is a Book/Chapter tree that takes up around 10% of the horizontal screen's space. On the far right are several bars with assorted relevant but not necessary material which--even when the info is collapsed--retains around 40% of the horizontal space and leaving nothing but solid 'white space' below it for the length of the page. The actual writing gets about 50% of the space.

 

Just obnoxious, even worse if you zoom to increase text size.

 

I must admit that I haven't used the Perseus Tufts website for a few years but I don't remember it being anywhere near as crowded then as it seems to be now so I can sympathise with your complaint

[Klingan]

I actually find it very well working (except for the times when the site is slow/down), especially the right hand side menu, although it could be made even smaller unless you actually use it (the left side one could possibly be removed).

[k08el01]

I use it as a resource, or way to find them, constantly. In fact, I have a few tabs open now for a paper I'm currently writing. That being said, I've got to agree that the website could use a face lift.

[Virgil61]

I actually find it very well working (except for the times when the site is slow/down), especially the right hand side menu, although it could be made even smaller unless you actually use it (the left side one could possibly be removed).

 

I love the idea of what they are trying to do--footnotes, translation notes, etc., readily accessible--but the execution (configuring for simple readability) leaves much to be desired. Especially nowadays when so many people are using netbooks, iPads, under 14" screens, etc on the go.

Edited November 22, 2010 by Virgil61

[Bryaxis Hecatee]

many projects are currently giving a lot of thought and investement in digitizing and getting the data there, usability and look and feel come a bit second in their projects. Also they don't have that many ressources to go on (they work mainly on projects specifics grants). The fact that Perseus tries to give the user a virtual library experiance (when you have all the books around you and go from book to book in order to understand the few words in front of you) with open access data (either out of copyright or with an open licence) is great and, personnally, I find this interface (which is the 2007 or 2008 version if I remember well) much better than the previous one (not speaking of some other projects, try the EAGLE project once ;( ).

 

But, as shown by the Inscriptions of Aphrodisias project (especially the 2004 sub-project), better is always possible. Possibly they could also learn from the papyrological navigator (www.papyri.info whose evolution in the last few months has been quite interesting (and also the new possibilities to suggest emendations and changes to the data is quite fine, but of course the SoSOLproject will take that to a new level, especially when coptic and arabic papyrii will be included)

[Maty]

While I can appreciate what they are trying to do with the website, I find it clunky and frustrating. And sloooow. My preference is to have my own ap. crit. and the entire work in plain text. Then I can load it into my programs on my own computer and do what I want with it.

 

I don't know of any way to download an entire text from Pursues, and often I know approximately where a section of text is, and have to go laboriously from page to page to find it rather than being able to quickly scan a larger chunk.

 

Also, the best way to read an ancient text is 'Loeb style' so that one can refer to the original when you want to check the translation. This is easy to set up on my word processor, but difficult with the website. Overall, I only use Perseus when I have no other choice.

[Bryaxis Hecatee]

If I remember well all the Perseus texts are availlable for download in XML format, although not in batch.

Edited December 3, 2010 by Bryaxis Hecatee

[Celtictool]

I too find it frustrating. I mean, by now -- with today's technology, couldn't they make the website look like a Loeb Classical Library Book with either hyper-linked definitions or notes...or even 'info bubbles' so that when you scroll over a word you can get the notes? I don't know, it's just an idea. But, what good is it to just say that we do not like the layout if Tufts never does anything? Is there anyway we can suggest, nicely, to them that we wish they would change the format?

Edited December 25, 2010 by Celtictool