In case you haven't heard, a new version of deviantART is in the works. They've got some relatively interesting concepts. Apparently, large areas of the site are going to be completely revamped. There are things that make me wish I could try it out right now, and things that kinda bug me about it.

I am a userscript programmer. I'm currently using Greasemonkey and have a userscript that is basically numerous scripts in one (I can't release this "package", however, as it contains scripts that only function when the ads are gone, and as I don't particularly like the ads, I haven't gotten around to fixing that limitation). So dAv6 is pretty interesting because, well... For those who view my gallery and are more technologically acquainted, deviantART uses a system called DiFi to allow scripts on the page (ranging from the Add to Favorites button to danged near everything in the new Gallery interface) to communicate with the server using classes and methods*. For example, when you +fav a lot of a user's deviations, that box that appears asking if you want to +devWATCH them... If you use that box to watch them, you are sending a call to the addFriend method of the Friends class.

How does this tie into my excitement for dAv6? Well, dA staff is probably going to release heaps more DiFi methods, methods that I can leech off of in my userscripts to enhance and customize site functionality. My IE7Pro Watchlist Link script (FFGM equivalent to be released whenever I stop being a lazy b-st-rd), for example, leeches off of the aforementioned Friends::addFriend method to allow those who use it to add someone to the watchlist without heading to the slow-loading Deviants page or even leaving the page at all!

So, the new DiFi methods that are bound to be released, combined with the old (current) DiFi methods (which will hopefully be kept), will provide a huge number of possibilities for helpful userscripts.


Then, there's just the new interface. From what I've seen (which, admittedly, isn't very much), the new interface seems pretty cool. It's got a ton of new features on every page, with extensions to nearly every page imaginable. (Or so I assume -- all that's been officially released is the Browse and Search pages, but they look pretty cool).


But there are some things that worry me. They probably won't worry anyone else reading this, or anyone else not reading this, though, so don't worry.

There's the fact that there's a lot of blank space in some parts. I personally prefer a horizontally-narrow interface -- I really don't like large widths. I have no idea why, I just don't. But what the heck, I'll probably userscript the interface to get it the way I like it.

Then, there's the user bar being moved above most of the page, but I'll probably just userscript it too -- moving it back below the Browse-Shop-Collections-Etc. links.


So, in summation...

• New interface = win
• I can just userscript the h-ll out of whatever's NOT win in order to maximize pwnsomeness.

* If anyone wants to read up on some DiFi classes and methods, I know a wiki that was left alone since January until I found it and started to further document the classes and methods. I'll happily send the URL via Notes if anyone wants it.**

** Unless there is a dA staff member who would prefer that such information be kept secret, in which case I'll happily NOT send the URL via Notes if anyone wants it.