PC.net 7.1 Published

August 1, 2012 — by Per Christensson

I am happy to announce the release of PC.net 7.1!

I published the sixth version of Sharpened.net (a.k.a. Sharpened.net 6.0) on November 13, 2010. On April 4, 2011, I published a several major revisions, which I collectively labeled Sharpened.net 6.1. Then on May 1, 2012, Sharpened.net became PC.net.

The newly renamed website could be considered version 1.0, but I have decided to continue following standard software version naming conventions, which means the first version of PC.net was actually 7.0. Therefore, this most recent update is PC.net 7.1. The changes in this update are listed below.

1. Improved Database Search

In this update, I completely overhauled the site search feature. After multiple haphazard attempts to integrate a database search feature into the website, I think I may finally have gotten it right. Now, instead of two search boxes on each page, there is a single, simplified search box at the top. I never liked the double search box layout, but it was the only way I could provide the option to use either Google's Site Search or the custom database search engine.

Now, the database search engine is so much improved, I've simply replaced the Google Site Search with it. Why is it so much better? Most notably, the new search box includes an autocomplete feature that provides a list of possible queries as you type. This is something I have wanted to add for years, but simply haven't had the means to do so. Thanks to jQuery and some help from a friend, PC.net finally includes autocomplete!

You can use the new PC.net search box to search for glossary terms, file extensions, chat slang, or emoticons. When searching for emoticons, you can either enter the emoticon meaning or emoticon itself. Try typing a query in the search box above to test it out!

2. Repositioned Social Media Buttons

Removing the second search box from each page allowed me to finally find a consistent spot on each page for the Facebook, Google +1, and Twitter buttons. No more searching for the Like button if you want to like a page! The social media buttons are now all conveniently located in the top-right corner of the main content area, regardless of what page you are viewing.

While not every page has social media buttons, I added them to several new pages that didn't have them before. Thanks to all of you who have liked, tweeted, or plus one'd any pages on PC.net. I lost all my likes when I changed domain names, so it's fun to see the numbers growing again!

3. Chat Acronyms → Chat Slang

Since the early days of Sharpened.net, I've published a "Chat Acronyms" section. Over the years, it grew to become one of the most popular sections on the website. However, as the content grew, I began adding other types of shorthand, such as abbreviations and slang terms. Labeling them all as "acronyms" was not very accurate. Therefore, I finally changed the "Chat Acronyms" section to "Chat Slang," which encompasses all the different abbreviations and slang terms.

Since I renamed the Chat Acronyms section, I also changed the URL from "http://pc.net/acronyms/" to "http://pc.net/slang/." I've redirected the index page and all subpages to the new URL, but you may want to update your bookmarks if you've bookmarked any of the pages in your browser. The URL change reset my Likes and +1's to zero, so I hope you'll like or re-like the new Chat Slang section if you find it useful!

I hope you like the updates and enjoy using the new search feature. If the past is any indication, I most likely didn't get it completely right, but hopefully I got pretty close. =) If you have any feedback regarding the updates, please leave a comment below.