DAv3 Status Update; Bug Fixes and More

Since we launched DAv3 a few short weeks ago it is quite obvious that there were some bugs accompanied with the extreme speed and reliability increase. Not everyone has been following the deviantART Status Forum posts in order to stay on top of things therefore the following is an update regarding the current state of affairs with DAv3.

The first and most important place that you can go to find information in the Yellow Alien DAv3 Bug List page. This depicts the outstanding major and minor bugs with the most recent version of deviantART. Our slave-driven code monkey $chris and never-anything-but-intoxicated CSS freak +pachunka are actively working to resolve those outstanding issues as well as add in more of the functionality that did not make it in to the initial DAv3 release.

Here is a list of where we are at with various aspects of deviantART:

1. Signatures. For some reason everyone seems to have been anal about not having the ability to create a signature so that has been fixed. Along with the ability to edit your signature once again we have added a limit of zero deviant icons in one's signature. This was talked about prior to the DAv3 launch therefore it should come as no surprise. Deviant icons that are currently depicted in a signature will be removed at some point later today. If you have some undying desire to advertise what [anime|furry] groups you belong to then simply use colon devUSERNAME colon, such as $spyed, to do so. Do not be surprised when we limit the number of lines a signature may use. Be an ass and abuse this feature and it will be placed in effect sooner than later.

2. Poetry/Prose. It is now possible to edit poetry and prose deviations yet again. On top of that we added back in the ability to use spacing and certain HTML just as in DAv2. If you have submitted poetry or prose already and it does not depict the spacing or formatting properly then please edit your deviation as necessary.

3. Messages. We are already aware that there are no deviation thumbnails along with the notifications in one's message center. Have patience as we are still working out the layout issues with this. Furthermore, we are working out the Notification Center that many subscribers saw prior to the DAv3 launch. These will be reactivated shortly.

4. Skins. The DAv3 and Xenka skins are currently offline due to the added stress they place on the thumbnail server. We are actively pursuing the purchase of new servers to handle the extra load placed on the creation of thumbnails. The DAv2 skin is currently the default skin however we are looking in to making `starvingartist’s Minimal skin the default.

5. HelpDesk. The DAv3 HelpDesk is expected to launch today. Until then please hold off on sending any help requests directly to the staff. Chances are that they will be read, and possibly fixed, however there is an even greater chance that you will not receive any reply. This is due to the sheer number of reports received daily.

6. Subscriber Content. We are actively working on a way to get subscriber content submitted and viewable for subscribers. This will be completed shortly.

7. Gallery Pages. We have added forums to the Gallery pages. If you want to discuss gallery specific ideas, such as Photography, then please do so using the forum in the gallery that you are interested in. Gallery Daily Top Favorites are not currently functioning so do not be surprised when you see weeks old deviations listed as being the DTF for the day.

8. Deviator. The application formerly known as Deviator as well as the application currently known as Deviator are both non-functional at the moment.

9. Administration Tools. Certain administrative tools have not yet made their way back in to DAv3 and that would explain why there is no Daily Deviation, Gallery Features and why Deviousness has yet to be updated.

10. Deviations. When submitting deviations that are animated .gif's, otherwise known as GIF89a, you must submit an accompanying non-animated preview file. This is because the thumbnail server can not thumbnail animated gif's. When viewing the deviation you must click download to view the animated. Now, that is not too hard is it? We are also actively working on many tweaks for the deviation views, such as the ability to easy view Flash, Tutorials and more.

Before you report any further bugs ensure you check the DAv3 bug list page. It is imperative that you not waste our time by reporting known bugs. We are busy enough already!

Anyhow, hang in there. We are continually working on things in the background! Remember: deviantART loves you.