I just wanted to kick off a thread specifically for discussing what we like or dislike about the new BBS.

So far, I'm really enjoying it. It seems to be faster (Paul, did you upgrade the server as well?), and some of the new bells and whistles are cute ("Who's Online", the new smileys, the ability to tag messages with icons, etc.).

I was hoping for a spell checker that would offer selectable suggestions, though. When I use the spell checker, it just flags me with what words aren't in the dictionary, but doesn't let me perform edits to those words on that screen. I have to hit the "back" button and edit the original message. Does anyone else get that, or is it just my browser's fault?

One thing I have noticed is the bug has been fixed which sometimes tagged your own postings as "new". I no longer have to do careful navigation stunts to avoid being faked out by my own messages. This is very welcome, and a big relief.

Those of us that used HTML tags in our signatures will have to do some editing to our profiles (unless Paul can find a fix for that, but I think that's probably a security measure which can't be reversed- if so, I understand).

I also really appreciate the fact that I can still log in with the same hand-tweaked URL that I'd been using for the old BBS (a URL which entered my password for me as part of the link). All in all, it's just the same BBS we've grown to love, but with more features. Great stuff.

Now, according to a message at paypal.com, they'll have their system up again by 2:15pm Pacific time and I can contribute my pledge to this new software...

Tony Fabris (http://www.jps.net/tfabris)
Empeg #144

Those of us that used HTML tags in our signatures will have to do some editing to our profiles

Tony, what tweaking did you do? Or did Paul manage to change the BBS settings?
Your web page is appearing in your signature again

Henno
ex 00120

Tony, what tweaking did you do? Or did Paul manage to change the BBS settings? Your web page is appearing in your signature again.

The new BBS appears to be preventing raw HTML tags in the signatures. I edited my signature to use the square-bracket-markup language's "url" tag instead. This is less elegant than raw HTML because I can't just turn my name into a link, I have to spell out the link next to my name.

Like I said, I think it's a security feature, since some intrepid hackers can do a lot of evil with the proper HTML tags. It's possible there is a BBS setting to allow it, but I don't know. Perhaps I'll post over at the wwwthreads forums and see if I get a reply.

Tony Fabris (http://www.jps.net/tfabris)
Empeg #144

I hate the icons. I liked the simple folder icons.. It's a longer load time too for all the different little icon graphics. I can no longer tell at a glance whats new and what's not at the moment.

The root message has a tendency to stay orange (like it's new) in the tree view of replies.

I like the new options for a message , i dont know if the buttoms are in the optimum place (longer time for me to click CONTINUE now that it is below the fold on my monitor.

other than that , the small and large changes are nice.

Empeg Kicks Ass
S/N 00203
<A HREF="http://www.iretro.com">http://www.iretro.com</A>

Date format...

Can we have the DD/MM/YYYY format back please =)

Jazz
(List 112, S/N 00030, 4 gig blue)

Not too sure about this "addict" tag - I mean how does Tony get away with "old hand"?? *g*

Rob

Not too sure about this "addict" tag - I mean how does Tony get away with "old hand"?

"When I Was a Boy"
By Frank Hayes
Copyright © 1997 by Frank Hayes, Firebird Arts & Music (BMI)

When I was a boy, our Nintendo
Was carved from an old Apple tree
And we used garden hose to connect it
To our steam-powered color tv.

But it still beat that ancient Atari
'Cuz I almost went blind, don'tcha know,
Playing Breakout and Pong on a video game
Hooked up to the radio.

And we walked twenty miles to the schoolhouse
Barefoot, uphill both ways,
Through blizzards in summer and winter
Back in the good old days.
Back when Fortran was not even Three-tran
And the PC was only a toy
And we did our computing by gaslight
When I was a boy.

When I was a boy all our networks
Were for hauling in fish from the sea--
Our baud rate was eight bits an hour,
And our IP address was just 3.

And you kids who complain that the World Wide Web
is too slow, oughtta cut out your bitchin',
'Cuz when I was a boy every packet
Was delivered by carrier pigeon

And we walked twenty miles to the schoolhouse
Barefoot, uphill both ways,
Through blizzards in summer and winter
Back in the good old days.
Back when Fortran was not even Two-tran
And the mainframe was only a toy
And we did our computing by torchlight
When I was a boy.

When I was a boy our IS shop
Built relational tables from wood,
And we wrappered our data in oilcloth
To preserve it the best that we could.

And we carried our bits in a bucket,
And our mainframe weighed 900 tons,
And we programmed in ones and in zeros
And sometimes we ran out of ones.

And we walked twenty miles to the schoolhouse
Barefoot, uphill both ways,
Through blizzards in summer and winter
Back in the good old days.
Back when Fortran was not even One-tran
And the abacus? Only a toy!
And we did our computing in primordial darkness
When I was a boy.

Tony Fabris (http://www.jps.net/tfabris)
Empeg #144

I agree. The folders were much better. But all-in-all, I do like the upgrade.

I hate the icons. I liked the simple folder icons

...where are these tags coming from anyways, are they something Paul's chosen for us, or does the BBS automatically choose something depending on the number of posts?
-mark

...proud to have one of the first Mark I units

The BBS gives you a ranking based on the number of posts.

What I want to know is: What all the rankings are, and what the numbers are for each level. I figured something like that would be in the FAQ, but it's not. I'll bet it's documented at the wwwthreads site.

In other news... PayPal is still screwing the pooch. I've got an account but I'm having trouble entering a credit card and validating my address. I'll get you your cash as soon as they install their upgraded system (a 486 on an ISDN line, apparently).

Tony Fabris (http://www.jps.net/tfabris)
Empeg #144

I notice that PaulH's name appears in red on the new BBS. It would be nice if we could get Rob, Hugo, and the other Empeg employees to have their names appear in a special color, too. It would probably make thing a little easier for new visitors.

Corby
SN#320, 6-Gig Blue

I liked the simple folder icons. . .
. . .other than that , the small and large changes are nice.

Yep

Henno
ex 00120

According to WWWThread's www page, this is configurable at installation, although I'm sure that there is a default setting ... PaulH?

I know that altman has (addict) and has 700+ postings
tfabris (old hand) - 797
enthusiast - 201 ish
journeyman 60ish

Cheers,

Paul

Paul Haigh, 6GB, Blue
Reg: 4120 - Serial 00254

What I want to know is: What all the rankings are, and what the numbers are for each level.

With 199 messages, I was a mere member . When I asked you last night, how you managed to get your URL in the signature, status(?) was raised(?) to enthusiast .

So there's either a break at 200, or someone intelligent is snooping all messages . . .

Henno
ex 00120

>I also really appreciate the fact that I can still log in with the same >hand-tweaked URL that I'd been using for the old BBS (a URL which entered >my password for me as part of the link)

May I ask what URL you are using for the auto login? As you may recall we had a conversation about this a while back and I never got around to figuring it out entirely.

Thanks,
Mike

May I ask what URL you are using for the auto login?

It's just a way to enter my username and password without having to depend on the BBS cookie (since I wipe my cookies regularly).

It goes like this:

http://empeg.comms.net/cgi-bin/start_page.pl?Username=YourName&Password=YourPassword&option=Login

Now that there's new software, I'm going to see if there's a way I can format that command so it takes me straight to the main index.

Tony Fabris (http://www.jps.net/tfabris)
Empeg #144

I think red indicates the thread moderator. Since Rob, Hugo, etc. aren't moderators, they wouldn't show up in red.

Tony Fabris (http://www.jps.net/tfabris)
Empeg #144

Don't you dare - we're just normal users on here :-)

Rob

Anyone tried attachments yet? It'd be nice if those were working.

Tony Fabris (http://www.jps.net/tfabris)
Empeg #144

..then how do you explain rob's "addict" tag with only 499 posts?:)
-mark


...proud to have one of the first Mark I units

I don't explain anything .

Anyway, anyone who works for empeg must be an addict.

Paul.

Paul Haigh, 6GB, Blue
Reg: 4120 - Serial 00254

Perhaps addict is actually lower than 'Old Hand'?

PaulH???? (this spooks me, since I'm paulh too - woooo!).

Paul (h).

Paul Haigh, 6GB, Blue
Reg: 4120 - Serial 00254

since some intrepid hackers can do a lot of evil with the proper HTML tags

..especially with a forum software that lets you send raw SQL calls through a HTML tag. I read a nice security paper written specifically about how to exploit a server running wwwthreads, since it requires a mySQL (or equivelant) server running to store the forum data on.

Was pretty interesting, had information on how to hack your own admin account, get a password list of everyone else on the site, and even, I believe, root the system the mySQL daemon is runnong on if the sysadmin has said daemon running suid root.

(O|||||O)

Scary stuff!

Usually, these kinds of BBS systems have internal protection against those sorts of hacks. PaulH, is any information on this offered with the software documentation?

Tony Fabris (http://www.jps.net/tfabris)
Empeg #144

well i just made a fourm on Delphi that works very good.

www.delphi.com/empeg3

it's quick you can do lots of stuff on there etc. ohh ya it's free also.

..especially with a forum software that lets you send raw SQL calls through a HTML tag. I read a nice security paper written specifically about how to exploit a server running wwwthreads, since it requires a mySQL (or equivelant) server running to store the forum data on.

---

I was just over at the wwwthreads web page, looking at the changelog.. noticed one of the upgrades was specifically a security upgrade, and it was fairly recent.. So they might have patched THOSE perticular problems up..
-mark


...proud to have one of the first Mark I units

no it don't

first you have to bee a member, and when you become a member the spamming will begin

and what's wrong with this BBS

Mark
wait for mk III with a USB Host/slave
(USB->Ethernet)(USB->COM 1-8)(USB->You name it)

i have never got any spam from delphi, or had them give out my e-mail address, you can view messages as a quest all day long, you can only post when you become a member, you don't even have to give them your correct e-mail address, you can also change what ever you want etc. some other things that it can do are "Polls" "Chat rooms" profiles if you want etc.

Empeg3

I have to say that I once tried the Delphi forums, and I got spammed about once a week at first. However, their system for removing oneself from their spam list was easy and it worked. The spam stopped.

Still, I prefer this BBS's functionality to the Delphi forums.

Tony Fabris (http://www.jps.net/tfabris)
Empeg #144

Since there currently isn't much left to talk about the Mark 2 until it comes out, I think it's kinda cute that so much conversation has arisen from the BBS and its upgrade .

I'm scraping the board for some real empeg material to read (since, after all that is what this BBS is supposed to be for right? )

I jest. I mean no harm by all of this. It's nice that the community is trying to keep active in anticipation for such a great thing. I just wish that the empeg guys would feed us something else to talk about .

Kureg (hungry for empeg information hehe)