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  • There was a problem on the server that was making the MySQL database go crazy. Investigation showed that it was related to the Vanilla extension which allows the blocking of users and comments. Most people complain that this extension doesn't do what you think it does. It doesn't actually block users, it just blocks HTML and images and such in the appropriate comments so that they don't spam up your screen. As it appears this extension isn't what people want it to be, and also it was screwing up the server, I turned it off.
  • Most people jokingly complain that this extension doesn't do what you think it does.
    it just blocks HTML and images and suchredundant bollocks in the appropriate comments as long as you remain on the page in question
    Sherlock, it's not like the title of the buttons were ever clear, and even its supposed function was broken. Also, thanks, now I'll have to reload the page after watching 3 youtube videos since I can no longer block the watched posts and put up with previously-filtered morons again.
    Have patience.
    Oh god. Either their list is humongous, or updates are performed once in an aeon. How does this bug even exist? It already condenses multiple spaces to one before submitting to the database, no need to fuck with spaces after that.

    Thank god this isn't some invision board. Gone to put block buttons back.
  • If you want to block flash I highly recommend the flashblock extension for Firefox. It disables all flash on a page until you click on it. This prevents crashing and improves load times when one page has a whole bunch of youtube embeds on it.
  • If you want to block flash I highly recommend the flashblock extension for Firefox.
    You're missing the point. What I want is to RE-block it AFTER watching. I already employ FlashBlock, I thought such was obvious from what I said in my post. Note the reloading part to, with minimal thinking, have Flashblock block the videos again.

    Good jobbu.
  • You're missing the point. What I want is to RE-block it AFTER watching. I already employ FlashBlock, I thought such was obvious from what I said in my post. Note the reloading part to, with minimal thinking, have Flashblock block the videos again.

    Good jobbu.
    Flashblock is a Firefox extension, and is thus editable. If you want to add a feature, get to it.
  • I believe you can re-block videos with a right-click with the NoScript add-on, but it disables all Javascript and Java as well as flash.
  • I believe you can re-block videos with a right-click with the NoScript add-on, but it disables all Javascript and Java as well as flash.
    Indeed. NoScript ftw.
  • Forum will go down this weekend at some point. I'm moving everything to a different server because this one has a problem I can't figure out.
  • Forum will go down this weekend at some point. I'm moving everything to a different server because this one has a problem I can't figure out.
    Does this have to do with Cherokee not working out?
  • Can you re-order the formatting icons above the text field please? The image icon needs to be next to be where the linkify icon is, and the linkify needs to be moved to the far right, next to the mail icon.
  • Can you re-order the formatting icons above the text field please? The image icon needs to be next to be where the linkify icon is, and the linkify needs to be moved to the far right, next to the mail icon.
    What does the order of the buttons matter? If I do anything to the buttons, I'm going to remove them entirely. The only reason they exist is to help new users realize that the forum uses HTML, and also for people who already know HTML to learn some non-standard things like the special video tag. I didn't even bother to make a button for the new latex tag.

    In other words, if you are using the buttons, you're doing it wrong.
  • You're being a dickhead if you remove the buttons. I've been making websites out of html since 1996, and even I appreciate not having to type out all the formatting. Making something easy to use is not a bad thing, Scott.
  • edited March 2010
    You're being a dickhead if you remove the buttons. I've been making websites out of html since 1996, and even I appreciate not having to type out all the formatting. Making something easy to use is not a bad thing, Scott.
    You know HTML, and I assume that you can type very well. There is no way in hell that someone who can touch-type and also knows HTML will be faster with the mouse and buttons than with the keyboard. Why do you like the buttons? Switching back and forth to the mouse is slow, painful, and unnecessary.
    Post edited by Apreche on
  • In other words, if you are using the buttons, you're doing it wrong.
    Just because I'm a lazy ass, doesn't make me wrong. Outside of work I really don't care to think about code all that much. ~_^
  • The buttons are nice for the video embeds. They're useless for anything else.
  • Just because I'm a lazy ass, doesn't make me wrong. Outside of work I really don't care to think about code all that much. ~_^
    I don't understand this. It's significantly more work to move your arm over to the mouse, then back again than it is to just keep hands on the keyboard. If you have to think hard about this simple HTML code, then you don't know it enough. Knowing it is what I am trying to encourage. A person who doesn't know HTML on the web is like an illiterate in a book store.

    Even for video embedding, the button is useless. I copy the video ID from the other site first, which is necessary whether you type or use the button. Then I just insert it with ctrl+v while I'm typing. <video type="youtube|vimeo|etc.">ctrl+v</video> Who needs a button for that?

    The thing is, when HTML5 is for real, I might have to do something about this fake video tag to make room to allow people to use the HTML5 video tag.
  • The thing is, when HTML5 is for real, I might have to do something about this fake video tag to make room to allow people to use the HTML5 video tag.
    Um, it is for real. I've totally used the <video> tag in Firefox 3.5 and 3.6. Unless you mean standarized codecs and I'm just being an idiot, as usual. :3
  • It's significantly more work to move your arm over to the mouse, then back again than it is to just keep hands on the keyboard.
    Um, no, not really. I keep one hand on the mouse and one hand on the keyboard, a la FPS controls. It takes a fraction of a second to move my hand from mouse to home row and start typing.

    But how about this for an argument: the buttons are an option. If you don't need to use them, don't. If you want to use them, go ahead. It doesn't hurt anything to have them there.
  • Imagine I have a photo or video I want to post. Now imagine I want to do the whole thing without using my keyboard. As a demonstration, from now until the end of this post I won't use my keyboard (except for the enter key, which I hit with my right thumb without taking my hand from the mouse):

    image20100304_IMG_5565
  • My point being that sometimes I don't use my keyboard at all when pottering around on the internet, I just use my mouse or touchpad. It takes me zero time to move my hand to the mouse, because it is there already. It actually takes me time to both my hands to the keyboard (and I might have a drink in my left hand, or it might be holding my laptop while I'm propped up in bed), than it does to use the mouse for posting an image or video or link.

    Also I often read and post to this forum with my iPhone or iPod Touch. Please, please, please don't be a dickhead, and don't force me to do html formatting with a tiny touch screen keyboard.
  • I don't understand this. It's significantly more work to move your arm over to the mouse, then back again than it is to just keep hands on the keyboard. If you have to think hard about this simple HTML code, then you don't know it enough. Knowing it is what I am trying to encourage. A person who doesn't know HTML on the web is like an illiterate in a book store.
    Once again, the world according to Scott. "If you don't do it the way I do then you're wrong and stupid." I'll learn to cope with whatever you decide to do, I really don't give a crap.
  • Um, no, not really. I keep one hand on the mouse and one hand on the keyboard, a la FPS controls. It takes a fraction of a second to move my hand from mouse to home row and start typing.
    Remove hand from keyboard, grab mouse, aim mouse, click mouse, move hand back to keyboard in position.

    If you're using say, the link button, you have to move back and forth from keyboard to mouse multiple times because you have to type information into the dialog boxes.

    How much do you think I can type in that time frame? If it's seriously faster for you to use the mouse for that, then either you don't know the tag, or you suck at typing. End of story.

    Learn keyboard shortcuts. Learn to type. Learn HTML.
    But how about this for an argument: the buttons are an option. If you don't need to use them, don't. If you want to use them, go ahead. It doesn't hurt anything to have them there.
    It doesn't appear to hurt anything to have them there from your perspective. However, there is a behind-the-scenes IT maintenance cost. The buttons are yet another Vanilla extension. They aren't in Vanilla by default. Nobody is maintaining them any longer. If a new version of Vanilla breaks them, I have to fix it. If I want to add more video options, things like the latex tag, etc. then there is the extra step of having to update the button extension.

    The only reason I added the buttons in the first place is so that people would click them, realize "Oh, it's HTML" and then stop using them. If you people are relying heavily on the buttons, then they are not serving the purpose I intended.

    I'm not going to just remove them for no reason, as that is also just more work for me. But I'm almost definitely not going to go through the work of building a new button extension when Vanilla 2.0 is eventually non-beta.
  • Oh Scott, you're so amusing when you get into full on self-righteous-ness.
  • Also I often read and post to this forum with my iPhone or iPod Touch. Please, please, please don't be a dickhead, and don't force me to do html formatting with a tiny touch screen keyboard.
    The buttons work in mobile Safari? You're shitting me? How can you touch them, they are so tiny! When Vanilla 2 comes out, I will be sure to make a much better mobile forum-usage solution if one does not already exist.

    As for creating an entire post with the mouse only, yes thanks to the buttons you can do it if you are only posting images/videos by using right click to copy/paste. On *nix you can do the highlight/middle-click paste. I guess that is good for accessibility.

    Even so, still no sympathy for those of you who use the mouse too much.
  • edited March 2010
    Learn keyboard shortcuts. Learn to type. Learn HTML.
    Done, done, not worth the effort. Why? Because buttons exist. I have other things to do with my time. I do know a good bit of HTML, but you know what? The buttons are handy and they're right there. Yes, it's easier. It may not be easier for you, but that doesn't mean other people don't find them useful.
    Post edited by TheWhaleShark on
  • Even so, still no sympathy for those of you who use the mouse too much.
    I have two modes of computer use, one where I do everything using keyboard commands, and only use the mouse if there's a link I can't tab to easily, and the other where I recline and never touch the keyboard unless I need to type something, sticking to the mouse or touchpad.

    For example, sometimes I use the scroll wheel to scroll, sometimes I hit the space bar, sometimes I use the cursors, sometime I use two fingers on the track pad, sometimes I press the J key (in google reader), sometimes I click the down button at the base of the scroll bar, sometimes I click and drag the scroll bar, sometimes I hit CMD-down to get to the bottom of the page. All are about scrolling, all are valid, none are right or wrong, and I use them all.

    I Removing functionality and forcing me to only use my computer in a single fashion (yours) is nothing less than a dickhead move. If it's work to keep them, fair enough, but don't remove them out of some misjudged sense of "teaching people the right way to use their computers."
  • RymRym
    edited March 2010
    If it's work to keep them, fair enough, but don't remove them out of some misjudged sense of "teaching people the right way to use their computers."
    Notice how he didn't say he was actually going to remove them. However, if they break (which they likely will), he won't fix them. People always forget that often simple GUI widgets require substantial work and support to maintain, far more than the value of said widgets in the first place.

    Personally, I feel that all of the buttons except for the video/pictures link creators are, in fact, stupid. They're all text-stream modifiers, and you would always already be typing as you encountered the need for them. Some, like the lists, are fairly broken anyway, and require you to edit the HTML even if you do use the button. No one uses the alignment ones, and probably shouldn't anyway. Color is fairly handy, and I would keep it, but that's about it. So: color, video, and picture link, plus the quoting. Those are useful. The rest aren't.
    Post edited by Rym on
  • So: color, video, and picture link, plus the quoting. Those are useful. The rest aren't.
    I actually agree with this, plus the text link, which is why I wanted the image icon next to the others, so I could ignore the rest more easily.
  • Notice how he didn't say he was actually going to remove them. However, if they break (which they likely will), he won't fix them. People always forget that often simple GUI widgets require substantial work and support to maintain, far more than the value of said widgets in the first place.
    ^my life

    Hence my, "I don't feel like thinking, I just wanna click things," when I get home.
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