Version 1 (2001-07-25 19:20)
The first site version was done in Flash, non-dynamic and really ugly :). You can notice the "very old" logo.
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Version 2 (2002-07-27 15:50)
The ROBO Design v2 web site was released in 2002, 27 July at 15:50. Quoting our news back then: "This is a database-driven web site using mySQL and PHP. Images, PHPs and more will be added as we finish creating them.". It didn't had an administration module or anything. Features: comments, image rating and collapsable panels - this one alone is cool for me :). This was the first PHP+mySQL web site made by my brother.
At the release date, the site had a slightly different interface. It was created on 2002-06-12 at 13:44. Being a beta site, we improved it more.
So, after improvements, a really acceptable interface and menu structure was created which we liked at that time - 2002-10-19 at 11:56, after several months :).
As you noticed, for this version, I also created the new ROBO Design logo. As unbelievable as it sounds, this logo was painted in details using MS Paint. After several weeks, it was repainted in Photoshop and made to look shiny :). By 2002-05-14 at 13:17 this logo was completed. For those using instant messaging services. or forums, I made a simple avatar too.
Version 3 (2003-07-14 22:00)
Regarding graphics, design and usability, this brand new site was pretty nice when we released it. It was more advanced than version two, but still no Content Management System, thus being a hurdle to update it. Features wise, it had two interface templates: v2 and v3. The backend was completely rewritten, adding support for multiple languages, and interface templates.
Version 4 (2004-12-17 13:20:57)
Again, the history repeated: we were too busy to update version 3... So, suddenly we released the over-worked new web site. The whole interface still looks good (IMHO). It was built like some kind of a magazine, entirely graphical. The whole site had a fairy-tale theme, a summer night. Thus, I've designed an image to emphasize the site theme: Fairy-tale - still available on the site. Dial-up users were ignored with this intensive site. Features wise, it wasn't neglected either. Many new things: RSS 2 feeds, Flash interface (optional), 35 emoticons for comments, a new voting poll system, the site was conforming to many web site standards and guidelines, a new rating system and even... keyboard shortcuts for accessibility. The site used the same backend as version 3.
With this release, we also added loads of new content.
If you are curious of the emoticons, I post them here. All the emoticons were painted in Photoshop, mostly pixel by pixel. I've been inspired by the ones found in MSN, hence the color scheme, and the ones found in Yahoo IM. They were all finished by 2004-08-07 at 21:29:42.
Here's a possible interface I designed, but never finished it. The menus were supposed to have a mini-Flash game :).
The ROBO Design v4 logo avatars:
Version 4.5 (never published)
We worked on further improvements to the ROBO Design version 4 interface. Initially, the interface did not fit on the 800x600 resolution. The new version 4.5 had a completely reworked CSS layout. Even if the page looked the same, the interface was capable of dynamically rescaling to lower resolutions.
Also, version 4.5 served as a very good testbed for the new Opera Voice feature added in Opera 8. The site had a complete Voice navigation system which worked quite nice.
Last, but not least, Mihai patched permanent links into the site engine. They even worked ... :)
The site was not released due to lack of time. When we had time, we no longer liked the site - it was way too bulky.
Version 5 (2007-02-13 12:42)
An entirely reworked site backend. The new web site no longer allows rating images, posting public comments and has no emoticons. This was all on purpose - the choice is not related to the new backend. We didn't like spammers, and we decided the new site must focus on the content - not the features. Added features: our own site search, a Google site map, permanent links which are very easy to remember, blog with Atom feeds, and a nifty CMS for me :). I can update my site in such an easy way, phew. Due to lack of time, we didn't add all the features again. Maybe in the future. This site doesn't try to be the ultra-professional style, it is more personal, more open.
Regarding comments we were disappointed by version 4: tons of spam. Bots abused the site. What we did now is only a simple form which allows the visitor to quickly send us an email regarding the page he/she is viewing.
We initially thought we should split the site into different "sides". I designed the interfaces and ... while I designed the front page, a shiny idea came. We dropped both interfaces. Here they are.
By how they are looking, you can definitely tell which one was mine.
Here's the interface of the web site, when released:
The reasoning behind this interface was to make a simple, clean one. Nothing too fancy. The color theme is inspired by the Ubuntu Linux distribution. Besides, we didn't want to stick to the blue color, nor switch to a dark gray color. These color themes are abused too much. As for the navigation system, it's clear that by having so many menus, we would have cluttered the whole site. We wanted both to have our own pages, our own sort of site. Thus, the decision was to hide the menus under these two named parts/sides. We are aware that this choice makes it harder for some people to browse the site. However, one should not neglected that the site has keyboard shortcuts. Last, but not least, the web site can be viewed in full glory with text-only browsers. This way, we made sure everyone can access all the content available on the site - irrespective of the browser choice.
To some extent, the interface is within the same "fairy tale" vision as ROBO Design v4 was. This is not very obvious for everyone. The new interface of ROBO Design v5.5 emphasizes this aspect.
Version 5.5 (2007-07-23)
This update adds several new features in the Content Management System. Most notably, the ReTidy script is now included all over the place. Also Awebitor got a good set of improvements, related to the layout.
The entire graphical user interface has been reworked, adding the "eye candy" factor - as any "good" site has. This was done due to public demand. The interface is a lot more glowish, and technically very advanced. Mihai made sure the site doesn't render perfectly on any web browser available today. He used some CSS 3 selectors and properties, which are not implemented in all web browsers. :)
We came up with an idea to humanize the entire web site navigation
system. We created the "universal search" for this purpose.
Universal search is available in any search field (anywhere on the
site), and by clicking the title bar (under the logo). You can type
any permanent link starting with a slash / to quickly jump to any
web page you want. Mihai has implemented <datalist> support
from Web Forms 2 with JavaScript. This enables the user to quickly
pick the page he/she wants from the provided list of suggestions.
The entire site map is available within the universal search, as
you type. You can also write page titles to find the page address.
If you do not want to jump to a specific page, you can just write
the keywords and click the Search icon - this will use our search
engine to find the pages containing the keywords. Additionally, to
further support human behavior we allow typing external web site
address - the user will be automatically redirected to the page
he/she wants (try typing www.ubuntu.com). Last, but not least,
you can use our Google Custom Search Engine to search our web site,
you only have to type "g any keywords".
When you move the mouse over the title bar (below the logo) you will see the current page address. The address is split by slashes, such that you can click each "folder" to quickly jump to any of the parent pages. If you click the search icon, you get to the universal search.
Regarding web site compatibility, the new version greatly improves compatibility with Internet Explorer 6 and 7 (again, due to public demand). The entire site works properly in Internet Explorer.
We have designed an interface specific for handheld devices. We did our best to ensure users of portable devices will enjoy browsing this site (try Opera Mini or Opera Mobile).
Furthermore, we are now providing a print stylesheet. The entire site does not provide the option to "print this page", however by providing a print stylesheet the entire user experience is greatly improved. The user does not have to view any special page - the entire site is always ready to be printed. When you print a web page, you only get the content - no navigation, no fancy graphics.
Additional screenshots (the handheld and print styles):
Below we have some wallpapers and an avatar (published on 2007-07-30):
