Changes to Bored Registration

[tubadave]

Hello everyone, long time no see. I've been tinkering with the Bored this evening, and made a change that I hope will make things a little easier for a lot of people.

Over the years, the admins (mainly lb13) have spent a lot of time dealing with manually activating accounts for new registrations on the Bored, and this has lead to a lot of confusion, legit new people being lost in the shuffle, and a massive backlog of undeleted (but never activated) spam accounts. I did a massive purge of those spam accounts in February, and knocked out some more tonight......almost 95,000 in all.

But now, I've updated the registration system so that the constant attention should not be necessary anymore. New user registration now presents a topic or question, and getting past it requires you to sort answers into two columns. As an example, it could say "U.S. Presidents" and then have seven names in one column. Some would be Presidents and some not. In order to move past it, you have to drag the right names into the right columns.

I've only put a couple of questions in the list so far, and they are, I think, topical for a message board with roots in Who Wants To Be A Millionaire.

Questions? Concerns? Hit me up here, on Facebook (if you have me added) or have lb13 track me down.


Extra tidbit: I edited the Reference Thread a bit, and wanted to strike through some previous text.....only to realize that I'd never included a code that would allow that. So, there is now a "strike" button when you post that allows you to strike out some text. Enjoy.

If anyone has suggestions for other features like that, just let me know. The Bored is in dire need of some updates soon, so I'll already be in there tinkering from time to time.



tubadave

[silvercamaro]

Thanks, Dave.

May I add a plea for the next time you have time to mess with the Bored functions? Please get chat back for us. Perhaps it's been gone long enough that the frequent users have broken the habit of going there, but I hope it might come back. I still miss the people I saw most often in the chat room, and I don't want to lose contact with any of them.

[littlebeast13]

Thanks, Dave.

May I add a plea for the next time you have time to mess with the Bored functions? Please get chat back for us. Perhaps it's been gone long enough that the frequent users have broken the habit of going there, but I hope it might come back. I still miss the people I saw most often in the chat room, and I don't want to lose contact with any of them.

I haven't heard from that Russian stripper in a while...

lb13

[tubadave]

Thanks, Dave.

May I add a plea for the next time you have time to mess with the Bored functions? Please get chat back for us. Perhaps it's been gone long enough that the frequent users have broken the habit of going there, but I hope it might come back. I still miss the people I saw most often in the chat room, and I don't want to lose contact with any of them.

Rest assured that I have (recently) noticed that Chat was completely borked, and I'm trying to figure out why. I have no idea what could have broken it, since it's largely separate from the rest of the Bored, but I'll figure it out. Or else, I replace it entirely with a different (newer) chat program.



tubadave

[silvercamaro]

I haven't heard from that Russian stripper in a while...

She was a furniture refinisher.

[SportsFan68]

Thanks, Dave.

May I add a plea for the next time you have time to mess with the Bored functions? Please get chat back for us. Perhaps it's been gone long enough that the frequent users have broken the habit of going there, but I hope it might come back. I still miss the people I saw most often in the chat room, and I don't want to lose contact with any of them.

Rest assured that I have (recently) noticed that Chat was completely borked, and I'm trying to figure out why. I have no idea what could have broken it, since it's largely separate from the rest of the Bored, but I'll figure it out. Or else, I replace it entirely with a different (newer) chat program.



tubadave

Best news I've heard all week.

[MarleysGh0st]

I've only put a couple of questions in the list so far, and they are, I think, topical for a message board with roots in Who Wants To Be A Millionaire.

Nice! Now the spammers can become llamas!

[Estonut]

Thanks, Dave.

May I add a plea for the next time you have time to mess with the Bored functions? Please get chat back for us. Perhaps it's been gone long enough that the frequent users have broken the habit of going there, but I hope it might come back. I still miss the people I saw most often in the chat room, and I don't want to lose contact with any of them.

I haven't heard from that Russian stripper in a while...

I thought he asked you to delete his profile...

[TheConfessor]

But now, I've updated the registration system so that the constant attention should not be necessary anymore. New user registration now presents a topic or question, and getting past it requires you to sort answers into two columns. As an example, it could say "U.S. Presidents" and then have seven names in one column. Some would be Presidents and some not. In order to move past it, you have to drag the right names into the right columns.

I've only put a couple of questions in the list so far, and they are, I think, topical for a message board with roots in Who Wants To Be A Millionaire.

Wait, so from now on, we're only going to let smart people in? But all of us who got in earlier are allowed to stay? I think prospective members should be screened with a phone game!

Thanks for your work. I don't know if it's because of something you did, but the board seems much faster now.

[jaybee]

Can you integrate the voice of Fred??

"Place these U.S. Presidents in order of their elections starting with the oldest"

[triviawayne]

I'd like the feature that lets me use mobile...

OK, I'm sure it is working fine for others, but I haven't been able to see the site on Safari in ios for about two months now.

[tubadave]

Can you integrate the voice of Fred??

"Place these U.S. Presidents in order of their elections starting with the oldest"

Oh, if only......I would do that in a heartbeat, lol.

I'd like the feature that lets me use mobile...

OK, I'm sure it is working fine for others, but I haven't been able to see the site on Safari in ios for about two months now.

I have no iFruit devices for testing, so I can't be sure, though I've heard of issues between phpbb3 and Safari before. Firefox on ios might work better....maybe....and it could be (especially for mobile) related to the theme you're using, as all of these themes (save for prosilver and subsilver2, which get updated with the software) are ancient. If needed, I could probably track down a more mobile/safari/apple-friendly theme. Let me know.

[jarnon]

I'd like the feature that lets me use mobile...

OK, I'm sure it is working fine for others, but I haven't been able to see the site on Safari in ios for about two months now.

I have no iFruit devices for testing, so I can't be sure, though I've heard of issues between phpbb3 and Safari before. Firefox on ios might work better....maybe....and it could be (especially for mobile) related to the theme you're using, as all of these themes (save for prosilver and subsilver2, which get updated with the software) are ancient. If needed, I could probably track down a more mobile/safari/apple-friendly theme. Let me know.

Thanks for taking such good care of our Bored, Dave!

I switched to AeroBlue when spoiler= stopped working on subsilver2. So please make sure that theme is up-to-date.

[tubadave]

I'd like the feature that lets me use mobile...

OK, I'm sure it is working fine for others, but I haven't been able to see the site on Safari in ios for about two months now.

I have no iFruit devices for testing, so I can't be sure, though I've heard of issues between phpbb3 and Safari before. Firefox on ios might work better....maybe....and it could be (especially for mobile) related to the theme you're using, as all of these themes (save for prosilver and subsilver2, which get updated with the software) are ancient. If needed, I could probably track down a more mobile/safari/apple-friendly theme. Let me know.

Thanks for taking such good care of our Bored, Dave!

I switched to AeroBlue when spoiler= stopped working on subsilver2. So please make sure that theme is up-to-date.

After not looking at anything along those lines for years, I've recently started to hunt down more up-to-date versions of the installed themes. Updates will be happening gradually over the next several days.

There's a possibility that I may eventually opt to remove some themes, especially if they're no longer being updated. I can tell you already that Aero is safe.....it's being constantly maintained, and I've already located updates for it.

I'll have to look into the spoiler= button on the subsilver2 theme. I switched to the "fisubsilver2" theme ages ago, so I wouldn't have seen it.

I've recently purged old files from the subilver2 theme and updated them, so it may be fixed already. If not, I'll figure it out.

[ghostjmf]

I can tell you the bored comes in on android mobile's "picture of globe" browser (dunno its name; they don't label it, but do label chrome) because I've got that browser dedicated to bored on my tablet.

Unfortunately, its also the browser android sends wifi sign-in sheets to, but you can backtrack to bored after you' ve signed in. After paging through 10 screens about what the wifi provider is selling.

[tubadave]

[quote="tubadave"]I'll have to look into the spoiler= button on the subsilver2 theme. I switched to the "fisubsilver2" theme ages ago, so I wouldn't have seen it.

I think I fixed it.

Yay, it's fixed!

Seems like it's working now, in both prosilver and subsilver2 (the software's two default themes) along with every other theme I've tried.

A couple of minor changes that I had to make to the code years ago had been corrupted and/or overwritten. Should be good now.

[Ritterskoop]

I can tell you the bored comes in on android mobile's "picture of globe" browser (dunno its name; they don't label it, but do label chrome) because I've got that browser dedicated to bored on my tablet.

Unfortunately, its also the browser android sends wifi sign-in sheets to, but you can backtrack to bored after you' ve signed in. After paging through 10 screens about what the wifi provider is selling.

If it has a red animal wrapped around the glove, that's Firefox.

[ghostjmf]

Ritterskoop:

Nope, its not Firefox. I know Firefox & Safari, but they don't come with this Android Alcatel tablet. The built-in browsers are Chrome & Nameless Blue Globe. Globe as in "with continents on it". It comes on the same level (bottom of screen, below the ".......") as the camera, slide viewer & "all apps" circle, which are also not labelled (though camera is an icon of, well, a camera).

[tubadave]

Ritterskoop:

Nope, its not Firefox. I know Firefox & Safari, but they don't come with this Android Alcatel tablet. The built-in browsers are Chrome & Nameless Blue Globe. Globe as in "with continents on it". It comes on the same level (bottom of screen, below the ".......") as the camera, slide viewer & "all apps" circle, which are also not labelled (though camera is an icon of, well, a camera).

That's Android's default browser that has no name. It's usually just labeled "Internet".

That browser is probably a closer cousin to Chrome than anything else, but it's extremely stripped down, and I'm surprised that anything ever runs in it.

Good to know that the Bored works on there though. I never would have thought about testing it.

[jarnon]

I'll have to look into the spoiler= button on the subsilver2 theme. I switched to the "fisubsilver2" theme ages ago, so I wouldn't have seen it.

I think I fixed it.

Yay, it's fixed!

Seems like it's working now, in both prosilver and subsilver2 (the software's two default themes) along with every other theme I've tried.

A couple of minor changes that I had to make to the code years ago had been corrupted and/or overwritten. Should be good now.

[Bob78164]

After not looking at anything along those lines for years, I've recently started to hunt down more up-to-date versions of the installed themes. Updates will be happening gradually over the next several days.

There's a possibility that I may eventually opt to remove some themes, especially if they're no longer being updated. I can tell you already that Aero is safe.....it's being constantly maintained, and I've already located updates for it.

I'll have to look into the spoiler= button on the subsilver2 theme. I switched to the "fisubsilver2" theme ages ago, so I wouldn't have seen it.

I've recently purged old files from the subilver2 theme and updated them, so it may be fixed already. If not, I'll figure it out.

Have you restored AeroRed? I switched from AeroRed to AeroBlue a few years ago, when AeroRed broke in such a way as to prevent people using it from logging in. (LB got me back in by switching my skin using his Administrator powers.) But I prefer the appearance of red. (And I'll bet BiT and flock do as well, though for different reasons. ) --Bob

[tubadave]

After not looking at anything along those lines for years, I've recently started to hunt down more up-to-date versions of the installed themes. Updates will be happening gradually over the next several days.

There's a possibility that I may eventually opt to remove some themes, especially if they're no longer being updated. I can tell you already that Aero is safe.....it's being constantly maintained, and I've already located updates for it.

I'll have to look into the spoiler= button on the subsilver2 theme. I switched to the "fisubsilver2" theme ages ago, so I wouldn't have seen it.

I've recently purged old files from the subilver2 theme and updated them, so it may be fixed already. If not, I'll figure it out.

Have you restored AeroRed? I switched from AeroRed to AeroBlue a few years ago, when AeroRed broke in such a way as to prevent people using it from logging in. (LB got me back in by switching my skin using his Administrator powers.) But I prefer the appearance of red. (And I'll bet BiT and flock do as well, though for different reasons. ) --Bob

The red version of Aero will indeed be returning.

As I prepare to update the phpbb3 software to the latest version...we're currently using something that's about two years old, after running on a 2008 vintage for far too long...I've been searching for updated versions of all of the themes I installed back in the day. Prosilver and subsilver2 come with the software by default, and therefore will never be out of date. Unfortunately, a lot of the other themes haven't been maintained by their original authors, so if they break when I update us again, they'll have to be removed. But I'll try to find some new options to include.

Aero, however, has been kept up-to-date. If you like the Aero theme, you will soon have not only red, green and blue variants to choose from, but black, pink and purple as well.

[Bob78164]

After not looking at anything along those lines for years, I've recently started to hunt down more up-to-date versions of the installed themes. Updates will be happening gradually over the next several days.

There's a possibility that I may eventually opt to remove some themes, especially if they're no longer being updated. I can tell you already that Aero is safe.....it's being constantly maintained, and I've already located updates for it.

I'll have to look into the spoiler= button on the subsilver2 theme. I switched to the "fisubsilver2" theme ages ago, so I wouldn't have seen it.

I've recently purged old files from the subilver2 theme and updated them, so it may be fixed already. If not, I'll figure it out.

Have you restored AeroRed? I switched from AeroRed to AeroBlue a few years ago, when AeroRed broke in such a way as to prevent people using it from logging in. (LB got me back in by switching my skin using his Administrator powers.) But I prefer the appearance of red. (And I'll bet BiT and flock do as well, though for different reasons. ) --Bob

The red version of Aero will indeed be returning.

As I prepare to update the phpbb3 software to the latest version...we're currently using something that's about two years old, after running on a 2008 vintage for far too long...I've been searching for updated versions of all of the themes I installed back in the day. Prosilver and subsilver2 come with the software by default, and therefore will never be out of date. Unfortunately, a lot of the other themes haven't been maintained by their original authors, so if they break when I update us again, they'll have to be removed. But I'll try to find some new options to include.

Aero, however, has been kept up-to-date. If you like the Aero theme, you will soon have not only red, green and blue variants to choose from, but black, pink and purple as well.

Woo hoo! Thanks, Dave! --Bob

[Bob Juch]

Has anyone come up with a theme that works well for phones?

[ghostjmf]

I can report that the Changes have in some ineluctable way made it harder for Nameless Blue Globe Android tablet browser to get to bored menus, where formerly it used to just live wherever I'd left it. But by whomping (a highly techie term) on it so far I've always gotten to things.