ZA Furries

Since this seems to be the only way to get anything done nowadays (or ever in the history of this forum), let me leap onto the bandwagon of posting suggestions one by one. Only once the current one is either implemented or declined will I move onto the next, so that I don't overwhelm anyone, because the last time that happened they all got streamed into /dev/null somehow...

1. Embedded videos. I find loads of funny shit on Facebook and other sites, and sometimes it isn't a repost from YouTube, and it would be super to be able to post those in the lol video thread too. Here is a handy universal video phpBB plugin that would accomplish this.

Thanks for the suggestion, it is appreciated.

I don't like the idea of embedding 21kB of minified JavaScript from a host in Belarus, with name servers and email servers in Russia, directly in the forum, and serving that out to all the users verbatim. That JS can be edited at any time to do anything the remote site wants. In particular it loads

<DO NOT CLICK>phpbbex.com/api/bbmedia.js

Call me paranoid if you want to, it won't be the first time I've been called that.

Perhaps if I download all that JS, go through it to ensure it does ONLY what I expect it to do, and then host it on a trusted site we can do this. However, that will take some time to set up and audit it.

Also, for reference, right now I am in the process of buying a new house, which is eating up a lot of my free time.

Doesn't sound paranoid to me. It sounds like a good decision.

I have no words. You can't even update phpBB without crashing the site, and you're worried about hackers giving enough of a shit to mess with a JS library for embedding videos? That's not paranoid, that's retarded.

Leeward wrote:I have no words. You can't even update phpBB without crashing the site, and you're worried about hackers giving enough of a shit to mess with a JS library for embedding videos? That's not paranoid, that's retarded.

Fine, thank you. I am incompetent at everything I do. I apologise for subjecting you to this.

I wouldn't know or care how competent you are at anything else, but managing a forum clearly is not one of your strong points, I'll agree on that.

Anyway, moving on, since that sounds like a resounding "no".

2. An IRC page. I've suggested this one before and supplied the code for the embedded client to connect to the channel automatically, but it didn't go further than being posted on a thread somewhere nobody would ever think to look for it: viewtopic.php?f=53&t=3768

To this day, I find the thought of an IRC client integrated into a thread hilarious.

Leeward wrote:2. An IRC page. I've suggested this one before and supplied the code for the embedded client to connect to the channel automatically, but it didn't go further than being posted on a thread somewhere nobody would ever think to look for it: viewtopic.php?f=53&t=3768

An update in respect to integration into the site and working on some of the ideas that you and the other furs have brought to our attention, we do have someone who is doing a bit of web-development for us and we're working on the idea of a front-page as well.

As to Leeward's suggestion wrt the IRC page being a little more visible, we do have that on our to do list and hopefully our changes will be satisfactory to the needs of the forum as a whole. I understand that you have been frustrated by our current processes and it hasn't necessarily been an easy trip for either group. However I give you assurance that we are beginning to move forward on a few plans.

In respect to the front page we're opening a separate thread for suggestions as to what you'd like to see there.

Ivic_Wulfe wrote:we do have that on our to do list and hopefully our changes will be satisfactory to the needs of the forum as a whole. I understand that you have been frustrated by our current processes and it hasn't necessarily been an easy trip for either group. However I give you assurance that we are beginning to move forward on a few plans.

No offence Ivic but I've yet to see any evidence of that, so allow me to be a little cynical on the matter.

Okay, so that's a "we're already on it" apparently, so I'll move on.

3. Relabel the "Sexual pre-fur-ence" field to the correct spelling. That pun is so eye roll-worthy it's not even worth keeping it as a joke. Either that or consider removing it; by your own admission this isn't a dating site, despite several couples having met here.

Leeward wrote:No offence Ivic but I've yet to see any evidence of that, so allow me to be a little cynical on the matter.

Perfectly understandable.

Leeward wrote:3. Relabel the "Sexual pre-fur-ence" field to the correct spelling. That pun is so eye roll-worthy it's not even worth keeping it as a joke. Either that or consider removing it; by your own admission this isn't a dating site, despite several couples having met here.

On a personal note, I wonder if that'd be better suited to a forum vote than anything else. It may irk you, but it isn't to say that it irks everyone to the point of wanting it completely removed. It's an option at best and, yes, maybe it's a terrible pun but...but...



this...has just entered the furry meta! These puns are, like, the in thing.

On a serious note, I do think this may be something that we can leave up to a vote. It is something that can be looked at but this is one of your more, extremely specific but doesn't really change anything, requests. Is there any other reason beyond, the pun being cheesy that you'd want a change like this?

Ivic_Wulfe wrote:On a personal note, I wonder if that'd be better suited to a forum vote than anything else. It may irk you, but it isn't to say that it irks everyone to the point of wanting it completely removed.

Making an intention public, and if nobody complains after a set amount of time implementing it, is just as democratic as putting something to a vote.
Also, forcing people to say yes or no tends to get mostly negative response when what they really want to say is that they simply don't care.
Furthermore, democracy isn't always the best option.

It is something that can be looked at but this is one of your more, extremely specific but doesn't really change anything, requests. Is there any other reason beyond, the pun being cheesy that you'd want a change like this?

All of my suggestions so far could be described as "specific but doesn't really change anything". What's the reason for doing anything then? If you really want a reason though, let's say it's because I'm a fanatical Grammar Nazi.

Leeward wrote:Making an intention public, and if nobody complains after a set amount of time implementing it, is just as democratic as putting something to a vote.

How might that be quantified? Let us assume two people complain; out of what sample size? Is two a significant number?
Voting quantifies the process and gives anonymity or privacy in doing so, which allows the quieter but no less valid to have a say, as well.

Leeward wrote:Furthermore, democracy isn't always the best option.

When it involves something as subjective as feelings towards a label, democracy is usually a good idea. When it concerns something objective, such as whether some established fact should be endorsed or discarded, it is usually not a good idea.

To be straightforward, I don't like a subtly autocratic tone when it involves something that is a personal preference or taste, Lee.

Frankly, I would vote to change the label to "preference" rather than "pre-fur-ence" as well, but I would not enforce it if my taste were in the minority. I'd simply tolerate it.

Oh no please don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to force anything on anyone, nor do I believe it right to do so unless absolutely necessary. Regardless, this has nothing to do with my political opinions.

I just find it rather random that out of the entire forum's configuration there is not a single joke or furry pun, except for that one, which really irks me in its lameness.

What I mean is, is it really worthwhile putting something so trivial to a vote? That seems like far more trouble than it's worth.

It was alright at first, but now feels kinda forced.

Judging by how the other thread is going, I'm obviously wasting my time.

Forget it.

Leeward wrote:Judging by how the other thread is going, I'm obviously wasting my time.

Forget it.

Well at best they want to change the tag from Pre-fur-ence to preference? I assume that's a good thing?