It's been like this since the failed attempt to upgrade the forum software.
If you click the blue "BB code" link at the bottom right, you can see the various tags one can use to add links and photos.
If you ever wonder how a post was formatted, you can click "Reply With Quote" and the various tags used will be visible. You can then click "Cancel" to keep from posting the quoted post.
You can also use control characters to insert some BB codes automatically. For example, ctrl-b, inserts [noparse] and for bolface, and ctrl-i inserts and for italics.[/noparse]. Ctrl-u does the same for underlines.
Comments
Use BB code instead; there is a link at the bottom of every page (under "Posting Permissions") to a list of useable BB codes.
If you click the blue "BB code" link at the bottom right, you can see the various tags one can use to add links and photos.
If you ever wonder how a post was formatted, you can click "Reply With Quote" and the various tags used will be visible. You can then click "Cancel" to keep from posting the quoted post.
-Phil