In the next month or so, we're planning on doing a small forum upgrade (the one I talked about a few blogs ago). One of the new toys we're going to install is eAccelerator, which is something that really doesn't affect you other than it makes the server go faster - kind of like how you can boil water faster in the microwave than you can over a low burner on the stovetop.
Or at least, that's how the theory goes!
I really am not sure if this should go in Guidelines or Forum Mods, because it's both.
One of the cool things that IP.Board 2.2 did was create "user notes". Now, these "user notes", as originally implemented, could only be added to the warning log through the Admin Control Panel (or ACP), which is all and good but useless if we want our moderators to use them.
So, I wrote a fairly small modification to the warning system (and language and skin caches) so that our moderators could add them through the warning system without actually changing a user's warning level. (Unrelated, while I was there, I also added something so people will always get a notification when a warning is added or removed or a new reminder is added - we'll always be on the same page).
This will impact how things are done around here in several ways, and we're still working out what exactly will happen.
Right now, it looks like what may happen is this: for most things (duplicate topics, swapping outside the swap area, etc), instead of getting a PM or a warning, the first time will get you a reminder. A second offense will get you a warning. We may or may not take time into consideration (but, of course, will let you know how it ends up), so it could be that if it's been a long time, that second offense will just get a reminder as well. There will still be things that go straight to warning - but these are major offenses like trolling or abusive behavior.
This is a forum mod that's related to a forum update!
When we come back from our software upgrade, around the 26th, there will be a super cool new feature in the Swap forum, in the form of a little button.
This button'll only show up in the Swapping forums, and only in topics that you've started. Clicking it will do three things:
Close the topic, so no more entries can be added to it,
Archive the topic to the Dead Swaps Cemetery, so it'll no longer be in swaps, and
Award you one point for the trouble of closing your swap topic.
Once the forum update occurs, you'll no longer need to click the "Report" button and wait for a moderator to archive your topic - you can do it yourself!
Oh great googley moogley.
It's really good that we hadn't yet announced the feedback, because as it turns out, anyone who has registered (or changed their password) since we upgraded to 2.x wouldn't've been able to log in.
Fixed now, but all y'all totally owe emzebel for finding this bug and working with me til it was quashed!
Entry Title: Pearls Into The Dirt
Integrating third-party software is such a pain in the ass, especially when you want to pimp it out to be all purty and the developers go and encrypt the core code. I think I may talk to them about getting an unencrypted set of code and use the "but I'll give you the integration-with-IBP 2.1-info!!" as a bribe.
Looking at my various schedules, I think I'm going to need to talk with Di to see if we should set the feedback to be manually entered at first and worry about automation later -- we'll be giving someone the task of babysitting the feedback, and they can monitor the new user queue. It looks like I've got about 15 hours/wk of homework/projects/labs coming up next month in addition to prepping for my national exam on the 22nd (15hrs/wk of prep), NOLA on the 14th-16th, tomorrow's exam prep, and finals...
(I don't really plan on sleeping more than 6 hrs/night again until after 5/11.)
My current list of what needs to be done to the swap feedback script to make it what we want:
Set up categories (#, A-Z) & a "user" vendor. ~15 minutes
Integrate admin login w/ IPB. 20 min.
Layout front page ("list of categories"). ~10 minutes
Layout remaining views (27 pages). ~1 hour.
Add a default skin. ~1 hours of my time plus whatever it takes Di to find/create the page wrapper, CSS, and images.
Figure out why test case can't have reviews added. 2-3 hours.
Integrate reviewer login w/ IPB. 1-2 hours.
Integrate "item creation" to sync with new user registration & import current users. 2 hours.
Add profile info where currently just the name is. May just sync up Avatars on a weekly basis. Unknown, minor detail. Can happen after it's up.
What else do I have forum-wise that needs to be done? Just the raffle, I think. Raffle drawing code is done, so I can just export the tickets, assign raffle tickets by order, run the drawing, announce winners, get donors the winner addresses, and start decanting & packaging, and then start compiling the list of people who get PM box upgrades that haven't gotten them already.
Oh, and getting GD set up for the gallery. I think I may just submit a ticket for that as I really need to finish the gallery and do raffle stuff this weekend. And fixing the 'who's chatting' thingie.
Oh yeah, that reminds me, I need to print off the decant set labels and send them on to Di, Donna, and Meg tomorrow. Whoops, I'm late.
Entry Title: The Suffering You Knew
So, we were hacked.
99% annoyance, 1% actual damage done. The hacker yoinked the password hashes from the first 50 users, injected some malware iframes into one of the skins, and attempted to inject code to let him come back and fuck around (foiled!).
We ended up going through and reinstalling the forum from scratch, and fixin' stuff. We're keeping track of who changes their passwords when, but nothing is being done with it yet -- it may turn into a security mod, requesting a change of password on an annual basis.
Entry title: Voodoo Dolls.
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