New Forum Locations by ITRC Tree

[Brandon Long]

Sorry to be negative in advance (looks like you are getting a lot of that). I can't find the forums (much less the content) that I want. Having to search for content to get to the forum is a bad design.

My suggestions:

1) Modify the TAGs widget to reflect a browsable tree of the forums.

2) Change your internal Search engine from whatever it is to a google appliance..  that would probably solve all the outside search issues as well, if properly configured.

3) Run a simple query to delete anything over 5 years old from the forums.  Regardless of links / kb cross references etc.. anything that old is MORE than likely to be useless to most folks out there anyway.

4) Has anyone actually asked Google to delete any result containing the old ITRC systems.. that also could help for those external searches (and they do have the ability to do it).

5) Give me more options to refine my searches.  A bunch of checkboxes on the side with categories that are not context sensitive to my search doesn't help me with anything other than making my quantity of results smaller.. (not better).

Hope to see some improvements in the near future.

B

[Dennis Handly]

>1) Modify the TAGs widget to reflect a browsable tree of the forums.

Michael Leu's original tree isn't good enough?  There's another PDF with the current layout.

>3) Run a simple query to delete anything over 5 years old from the forums.

How does this help you?  Vs hurt other users that want them?  I.e. you can use a date limited search.

>4) Has anyone actually asked Google to delete any result containing the old ITRC systems.

(I had suggested asking them.  :-)

I think they were working with Google since you can now find with the new site.

[Stephan.]

>3)

Deleting the old content would be more then worse - in the unix area are enough system which are up and running 10 years and beyond. Deleting all content older then 5 years would kill all the solutions for this systems.

I agree that the consolidation and "clean up" of the forums should be done now and not in some time.

>1)

 The map Dennis mentioned is here: Click me

[ShabinMS]

New member to the community

[Mary Marks]

My only comment since this is the past 2-3 days is my first run-in with the new format is that I cannot seem to search by software name.  I'm looking for stuff related to QTP (Quick Test Pro) - specifically the online manual references.  NOWHERE

On the downloads page QTP was buried under "unified functional test" but that term is not here in the forums.

I tried to click "Manuals" - but for some reason I get a page to drill down into categories that don't make sense.  It's just like when HP took over Mercury a couple of years back -- you force me to think in categories you like, not what's intitutive to me or the tool I use. 

Can't you just group testing software (QTP, LoadRunner, ServiceTest, etc) as "Test" or "Functional Test" under a software heading?

If I do manage to get a search entered, I either get all kinds of stuff related to data center junk that's not relevant or no results at all.  It's beyond frustrating.

[Stephan.]

Perhaps these links help:

http://h30499.www3.hp.com/t5/Functional-Testing-QTP/ct-p/sws-Fun_Test

http://h30499.www3.hp.com/t5/LoadRunner/ct-p/sws-LoadRunner

http://h30499.www3.hp.com/t5/Service-Test/ct-p/sws-Serv_Test

I have created a map of all forums in case you search more: http://h30499.www3.hp.com/t5/Community-Feedback-Suggestions/New-Forums-Site-Map/m-p/4811659#M811

hth,

Stephan

[BGroot]

Hi Mary,

Thanks for your feedback. We are working on a new layout and will take your feedback into consideration in making the products more obvious to members instead of grouping them in categories. HP Software has many products and we need to find a simple way of making this available to our members in the community. We have used the product family approach and some members like it and others don't but I agree that we need to understand what our members want to see.

I saw that Stephan has already given you the links to LoadRunner, QTP and Service Test support forums. In you type in this in the search area * upper right hand side) you will be able to see posts related to what you are searching for. It might not be what you are looking for but by clicking on a post it will bring you to that specific board and then you can search further. Within search you can search from a community or within a category.

All related HP Software can be found in the HP Software Solutions Community. You will find this on the home page in the Browse area.

The online manuals are not in the community, but for software you can find that manuals on the Support Software online website. http://www.hpe.com/go/softwaresupport . You will find this link on the right hand on all the software product forum pages.

I hope this helps you out. If you are still experiencing issues or can't find something please let me know. If you have additional feedback on the layout of the forums then also please let me know.

Greetings,

Bill

[Mary Marks]

Hi, Bill.

Thanks for the response and many, many thanks to Stephan for that list -- it helps quite a bit to see the organization in that format.  

Thanks also for the hints to search.  What made me so frustrated yesterday is that with each link I clicked or search I tried I seemed to be bouncing back and forth between several sites. The hp.com/go-- site you mention was where I started trying to find the manual, but at one point I found myself on an HP site related to home PCs and was getting messsages that I needed to enter the product name (i.e. 'Pavilion').  Don't ask me how I ended up there! 

BTW, I don't mind the product family approach, as long as the "families" are intituitive.  In the previous forum the Mercury software was grouped under "OpenView" which made no sense to me. 

I will keep trying and let you know if I have any additional suggestions.

[Mike_C]

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@Larry Day wrote:

I am completely frustrated and upset at the inability to FIND ANYTHING on the new format for the forums.  Your new website is basically USELESS.  By not providing direct links between the previous ITRC Forums and all its contents, you have basically locked us out of finding anything.  Links from the web should go directly to the already-existing content.  What was once a very useful tool for getting help on HP products and services... is now useless.  BTW, using the "New Forums Location by ITRC Tree" does nothing for helping you link to useful finds on Google.  Can't find a thing.

Bad, bad, bad transition, guys.  HP SIM is now even MORE DIFFICULT to troubleshoot and find out anything about.

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After several futile attempts to locate any information of use in assist using HP products; many other users have voices my exact sentiments regarding this change/update.

Thank you HP for wasting my time & that of others. 

I will have to rely on Google's ability to cache information that was previously easy to access. My disappointment will be provided as word of mouth endorsement of your products and the many alternate products available on the market. 

[BGroot]

Hi Mike,

Sorry you feel that way. There has been many posts regarding waiting for Google to cache out the old information. One tip might be to try adding "site:http://h30499.www3.hp.com" until the old links vanished from Google cache and you have the same results as before.

Have you tried the search capability in the community?

What are you searching for? Perhaps I can assist.

Greetings,

Bill