This is awful!

No, this is awful!
I don't know where anything is anymore!
Where are the sidebars?
I used to go straight to them
to find out
what was going on.

There you go! Paul, you nailed it. I used to come to FR to read A SINGLE NEWSPAPER that provided me with the news from all over the world. I found it cumbersome when we were split into separate forums: News, General, etc. Whereas, prior to THAT change, I could use MY TIME wisely and read what I wanted, I found myself having to spend additional time to access different forums.

But today, I find myself facing an entire stack of magazines. I will not spend my time loading each and every magazine in order to read the news.

I am not quitting FR, but I AM actively looking for a site that will meet my needs. Seems there are a number who have the same needs, based on this thread.

I disagree strongly with the view of some that to post a negative or disapproving comment re: this new format makes you a whiner. I totally appreciate the hard work of the Robinsons. I also recognize that those who LIKE the new format will NOT understand that those who disagree have valid complaints/comments that transcend the accusation that they resist change.

I want the old format to be an option...and I also recognize that what I want means squat. Because, as many have intimated here, my thoughts, concerns, suggestions are irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. So be it.

I don't have time to engage in the game playing and the feuds and the 'who's on top' mentality that I have seen espoused on many threads recently. I just want my news...in a timely, relevant, and easily accessed format. FR, has, until recently, met my needs. It doesn't now.

When the new and UNIMPROVED is incompatable with one's system, be it WebTV or a slower loading computer, " getting used to a new system " is an impossibility. When it takes almost 10 full minutes, to load a thread, get back to a thread after posting, and to open one's FREEPmail, it's going to be far easier and much more rewarding, to just read Drudge, any newspaper on line, and give up the debating / talking / exchanging opinons / or even posting news to an already existing thread here. That makes the change a disaster , to those of us so effected.

This is not a whine, for whinging sake. There are many valid complaints about the inability to actually USE FR, as it is now configured. If it is difficult / uncomfortable to use, there is little point in coming here. If FR now ONLY attracts the computer " elite " , kids who love all the bells and whistles stuff, and newbies, then it has utterly failed in its stated goals !

The Baltimore Orioles ... what a frustrating thing that must have been in the early 70s ... nobody won more regular season games than your club ... "mark 'em down for 100 wins" How disappointing was the World Series performance ... man I remember.

Yeah. Crushing pennant wins, one out of three in the Series. Stunning upsets by the Mets and Pirates, the latter coming back from an 0-2 start. Worse, they did it to us again in the late 70s.

But at least we beat the Big Red (Cincy) Machine in a year they looked like they had it all going.

The old format was a unique and necessary outlet to rally our brother and sisterhood against the dangerous onslaught of liberal Clintonites attempting to take over America through lies and elitism. I joined the Free Republic shortly after Gore's attempted coup because I was attracted to the thought of 80,000 like minded individuals uniting together to literally save our nation. Today, this site has taken on the look of commercialism and separatism. It has lost its mission,comradory, and uniqueness. The liberals have won as we our destroying ourselves. I guess they are celebrating at the DU. Its a damn shame.

The topics / sidebar " subscription " feature does NOT work on WebTV.

I haven't found it yet on Netscape 4.5 either. Must be rough not being able to change background color on WebTV. FR was too difficult to use until I found out about that. I suspect changes are afoot. Pages are loading much faster now than at first and the minor modifications I did can't account for it all. Suspect you will find the going easier shortly.

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