Created attachment 863567 [details]
maximum input size new thread form page in SeaMonkey

Note lack of apparent method to submit.

Created attachment 863568 [details]
forum thread page in SeaMonkey

Created attachment 863570 [details]
Create topic button in seamonkey

I can't really reproduce the issue with submitting new topics or posting on the existing ones, so I'm not sure why it's not working for you

And I guess I can't really help much with space utilization, that is a topic you would have to bring up to the upstream. Looking at the upcoming release, they are introducing a sidebar, so the screen is probably going to be a bit more filled. We don't really have a way to address how screen is utilized from the upstream without resorting to hacks.

Web browsers are user agents designed to produce useful output from competently composed HTML. CSS overrides the user agent's competence to produce output that differs in layout and appearance from web standards. It should do so reasonably, not making output worse by hiding or mangling output.

Website admins are supposed to be in control of the CSS used to produce their site's layout and appearance. The CSS used in the current theme ought to be able to be customized, or the theme replaced. I don't see how it's the place of a mere user to complain or report bugs or ask upstream for changes to the software they use. Mere users have no way to know what capabilities exist in the software used, or whether existing functions or features are simply not being utilized.

(In reply to Sasi Olin from comment #4)
> I can't really reproduce the issue with submitting new topics or posting on
> the existing ones, so I'm not sure why it's not working for you

How about a screenshot showing where I'm supposed to be finding submit and preview buttons during the same composition configuration as attachment 863567 [details]? When I try to use the attachment 863570 [details] composition configuration, the bottom of the textarea extends below the viewport bottom, even though the scrollbar is at the lower limit.

(In reply to Felix Miata from comment #6)
> Website admins are supposed to be in control of the CSS used to produce
> their site's layout and appearance. The CSS used in the current theme ought
> to be able to be customized, or the theme replaced.

And we do indeed customize, however as was the case with vB, we are not willing to customize to the extent where updating discourse will end up being a pain. It would be easier for us to have the functionality done somewhere upstream, so that we have those features tracked in a single tree.

> I don't see how it's the
> place of a mere user to complain or report bugs or ask upstream for changes
> to the software they use. Mere users have no way to know what capabilities
> exist in the software used, or whether existing functions or features are
> simply not being utilized.

And indeed maybe I am missing something, but I'm also not particularly invested in the feature to ask upstream about it.

> How about a screenshot showing where I'm supposed to be finding submit and
> preview buttons during the same composition configuration as attachment
> 863567 [details]? When I try to use the attachment 863570 [details]
> composition configuration, the bottom of the textarea extends below the
> viewport bottom, even though the scrollbar is at the lower limit.

You have to minimize the editor back up in order to submit the post. The extended editor is only really meant for input of the post text, the rest of the controls of the post are in the smaller editor. You should be able to click the button in upper right corner, with two arrows pointing at each other in order to go back there.

(In reply to Sasi Olin from comment #7)
> somewhere upstream

This suggests some questions:
Where is upstream?
Where are current upstream issues listed?
Where are closed upstream issues listed?
Where does discussion of upstream's possible issues or its usage take place (aka, their own forum instance)?
How on earth and why did discourse get selected to replace vB? 

https://github.com/discourse/discourse (from headers on home page source) and https://www.discourse.org/ produced nothing I was able to grok, while Google seemed to couple almost every discourse hit to the nebulous string "meta".

(In reply to Felix Miata from comment #8)
> (In reply to Sasi Olin from comment #7)
> > somewhere upstream
> 
> This suggests some questions:
> Where is upstream?
> Where are current upstream issues listed?
> Where are closed upstream issues listed?
> Where does discussion of upstream's possible issues or its usage take place
> (aka, their own forum instance)?
> How on earth and why did discourse get selected to replace vB? 
> 
> https://github.com/discourse/discourse (from headers on home page source)
> and https://www.discourse.org/ produced nothing I was able to grok, while
> Google seemed to couple almost every discourse hit to the nebulous string
> "meta".

The link you sent does mention requesting features and reporting bugs
https://github.com/discourse/discourse#contributing. The links there do mention existing requests and bugs, their Meta instance, and future plans for the software, so you should be able to find all the things you are asking for.

The decision for using Discourse was made before I was with the project around 2016, so I'm afraid I can't answer that.

I am closing this as WONTFIX, we can continue this discussion over on the forums instead

Exactly where on the forums? Somewhere in feedback? Does it support image uploading, unlike the old forum? I anticipate more images to come. Is there an appropriate already existing "conversation", or do I need to start one? This bug is easy to find, has only one non-changing URI.

For the benefit of other users, these are the site-specific user styles I'm currently using to make it possible to actually use the forums, mostly to get rid of low-contrast text and vast expanses of whitespace:

.wrap {
	max-width: 100vw !important;
	min-width: 92vw !important;
}

.topic-body {
	min-width: 76vw !important;
	float: left;
	position: relative;
	border-top: 1px solid var(--primary-low);
	padding: 12px 0 0 0;
}

#reply-control.hide-preview {
	min-width: 88vw !important;
}

#reply-control.open {
	height: 30rem !important;
}

.topic-list-main-link a.title, .topic-list .main-link a.title, .latest-topic-list-item .main-link a.title {
	padding: .3rem 0 !important;
}

.topic-list-main-link, .topic-list .main-link, .latest-topic-list-item .main-link {
	font-size: 1.1rem !important;
}

.discourse-tag.simple,
table th,
.topic-list .topic-excerpt,
.topic-list td,
.user-stream .time {
	color: #111 !important;
}

.discourse-tag.simple {font-size: .9rem !important}

#reply-control {
	max-width: 100% !important;
}

.nav-pills > li a.active {
	color: inherit !important;
	background-color: #4bb679 !important;
}

At least in theory, these could be adapted by the site admins, since they are derived from or edits to the actual css used here:
https://forums.opensuse.org/stylesheets/desktop_646154d16ae4b9209b1f628d2bb1817fc9c2fb89.css

(In reply to Sasi Olin from comment #9)
> The link you sent does mention requesting features and reporting bugs
> https://github.com/discourse/discourse#contributing. The links there do
> mention existing requests and bugs, their Meta instance, and future plans
> for the software, so you should be able to find all the things you are
> asking for.

Limited luck so far, as always on github, and none trying to find any existing discussion of excessive whitespace. Their extensive use of the string "meta" is unnerving.