RFC: new forum software specifications

[ShadowOfHarbringer]

Just the other day i received like more than 10 security updates on my WinXP install...

But you forgot that you had to wait few weeks or months for each of them (including 0-days).

[1714955955]

1714955955

[terrytibbs]

Just the other day i received like more than 10 security updates on my WinXP install...

But you forgot that you had to wait few weeks or months for each of them (including 0-days).

Your point being...?

[ShadowOfHarbringer]

Just the other day i received like more than 10 security updates on my WinXP install...

But you forgot that you had to wait few weeks or months for each of them (including 0-days).

Your point being...?

That Microsoft != Security.
Using "Microsoft" or "Windows" with "Security" in one sentence is generally not a good idea, unless it describes a failure.

BTW, you seem to be a scammer.

[terrytibbs]

Just the other day i received like more than 10 security updates on my WinXP install...

But you forgot that you had to wait few weeks or months for each of them (including 0-days).

Your point being...?

That Microsoft != Security.
Using "Microsoft" or "Windows" with "Security" in one sentence is generally not a good idea, unless it describes a failure.

BTW, you seem to be a scammer.

Zero-days get patched on Linux on day -1?

BTW, thank you for your excellent observation. I am very well aware of that.

[ShadowOfHarbringer]

Just the other day i received like more than 10 security updates on my WinXP install...

But you forgot that you had to wait few weeks or months for each of them (including 0-days).

Your point being...?

That Microsoft != Security.
Using "Microsoft" or "Windows" with "Security" in one sentence is generally not a good idea, unless it describes a failure.

BTW, you seem to be a scammer.

Zero-days get patched on Linux on day -1?

Zero-days usually get patched on Linux within 24-48 hours, with unofficial patches avaiable within few hours (if we are talking Linux kernel). On Microsoft Windows, it may take weeks, months, or not get patched at all (i think there maybe currently at least one critical thing that has been unpatched for years, but i'm not 100% on that).

Whether all the sysadmins in the world really follow & install the latest patches is another story.

BTW, you seem to be a scammer.

BTW, thank you for your excellent observation. I am very well aware of that.

And that doesn't seem to stop your posting on the forum ? I am amazed.

[eldentyrell_old]

NNTP Support.

NNTP Support.

NNTP Support.

PLEASE.  I read about five or six sites using forum software like this and it is a huge headache for me to have to keep switching UIs.  PLEASE give your users the option of "bring your own" UI.  This is exactly what the NNTP protocol does.


I hear there is a third-party NNTP plugin for SMF, but I'm not sure how good/maintained/reliable it is.  Hopefully you find some software that has NNTP "out of the box".

RSS/ATOM are nice, but they're only "one-way" (you can use them to read, but not to post) whereas NNTP is two-way.

[theymos]

NNTP support is definitely an idea I like, but I don't think it's important enough of a feature to require in the first version. There are probably only dozens of people who would use it.

[eldentyrell_old]

NNTP support is definitely an idea I like, but I don't think it's important enough of a feature to require in the first version.

Well, keep it in mind.

There are probably only dozens of people who would use it.

I think you might be underestimating the number of people driven away by the web-only UI.  Or the number of users you would gain if following the site were as simple as adding it to the aggregator they already check every day/few hours.

Speaking of aggregators, I would like to say that the SMF support for RSS totally sucks.  Not only do you have to hand-craft URLs (the UI does not mention it ANYWHERE), but it is flaky as heck and seems to merge various sub-boards into a single feed in randomly-chosen ways.  Bleh.

[Gyom]

1) Something similar to Facebook's Like / Google+ +1 / Reddit's Upvote / etc...

2) Comments on comments (basically like Reddit),.

People are doing +1ing stuff all the time anyway, I think it would be great to be able to sort comments on a thread by date or rating...

[theymos]

I updated the OP, incorporating some of the suggestions and adding some more things I thought of.

Probably I'll start accepting bids in about a week.

[ShadowOfHarbringer]

1) Something similar to Facebook's Like / Google+ +1 / Reddit's Upvote / etc...

Not necessary.

Slashdot-like meta-moderation system is waaaaaaay better.
It allows users gaining reputation, stops 99+% of spam, hides 95% of useless posts and can work similarly to FB/Google's +1.

[BadBear]

1) Something similar to Facebook's Like / Google+ +1 / Reddit's Upvote / etc...

Not necessary.

Slashdot-like meta-moderation system is waaaaaaay better.
It allows users gaining reputation, stops 99+% of spam, hides 95% of useless posts and can work similarly to FB/Google's +1.

No.  I've seen how people react around here to anything that could be construed as even slightly negative about bitcoin.  I'd like to see a forum that encourages discussion and alternate ideas, not a circle jerk of nerds all congratulating themselves on being awesome. 

[ShadowOfHarbringer]

1) Something similar to Facebook's Like / Google+ +1 / Reddit's Upvote / etc...

Not necessary.

Slashdot-like meta-moderation system is waaaaaaay better.
It allows users gaining reputation, stops 99+% of spam, hides 95% of useless posts and can work similarly to FB/Google's +1.

No.  I've seen how people react around here to anything that could be construed as even slightly negative about bitcoin.  I'd like to see a forum that encourages discussion and alternate ideas, not a circle jerk of nerds all congratulating themselves on being awesome.  

1. You don't even know how the system works, and yet you speak.
2. Also, moderation depends on what majority thinks, and on this forum majority is noobs. So there won't be any kind of "circle" of self-adoration.
3. Normal mods would still have greater power than rest of the people
4. To some degree, sooner or later every forum becomes a circle of people-with-similiar-mindsets who adore themselves and reject incompatibile mindsets, so your point is invalid.

[BadBear]

1) Something similar to Facebook's Like / Google+ +1 / Reddit's Upvote / etc...

Not necessary.

Slashdot-like meta-moderation system is waaaaaaay better.
It allows users gaining reputation, stops 99+% of spam, hides 95% of useless posts and can work similarly to FB/Google's +1.

No.  I've seen how people react around here to anything that could be construed as even slightly negative about bitcoin.  I'd like to see a forum that encourages discussion and alternate ideas, not a circle jerk of nerds all congratulating themselves on being awesome.  

1. You don't even know how the system works, and yet you speak.
2. Also, moderation depends on what majority thinks, and on this forum majority is noobs. So there won't be any kind of "circle" of self-adoration.
3. Normal mods would still have greater power than rest of the people
4. To some degree, sooner or later every forum becomes a circle of people-with-similiar-mindsets who adore themselves and reject incompatibile mindsets, so your point is invalid.

So you think being able to downvote and hide posts is a good idea?

[ShadowOfHarbringer]

1) Something similar to Facebook's Like / Google+ +1 / Reddit's Upvote / etc...

Not necessary.

Slashdot-like meta-moderation system is waaaaaaay better.
It allows users gaining reputation, stops 99+% of spam, hides 95% of useless posts and can work similarly to FB/Google's +1.

No.  I've seen how people react around here to anything that could be construed as even slightly negative about bitcoin.  I'd like to see a forum that encourages discussion and alternate ideas, not a circle jerk of nerds all congratulating themselves on being awesome.  

1. You don't even know how the system works, and yet you speak.
2. Also, moderation depends on what majority thinks, and on this forum majority is noobs. So there won't be any kind of "circle" of self-adoration.
3. Normal mods would still have greater power than rest of the people
4. To some degree, sooner or later every forum becomes a circle of people-with-similiar-mindsets who adore themselves and reject incompatibile mindsets, so your point is invalid.

So you think being able to downvote and hide posts is a good idea?

I have accounts on multiple forums, and the ones that have reputation system are the least messy & spammed.

This system can be tweaked, so only posts of people with the worst reputation can be hidden, and only if they are seriously downvoted.
System can be tuned so that only obvious trolls are removed from discussion.

[BadBear]

If they are that obvious they get deleted anyway, the moderation team here does a pretty good job.  Also if there is such an obvious troll you can just hit ignore, and you will never see that persons posts again.  Or are you wanting to control what other people see/read as well?  I would rather read all peoples opinions on a topic and consider for myself the worth of the content, not what the majority on a forum deem useful.  

[TiagoTiago]

In sites that hide comments/posts when they've been too downvoted, i tend to always unhide them, and often i disagree with the "decision" to have them hidden after reading the contents myself; i don't trust the masses with censoring stuff for me.

[ShadowOfHarbringer]

In sites that hide comments/posts when they've been too downvoted, i tend to always unhide them, and often i disagree with the "decision" to have them hidden after reading the contents myself; i don't trust the masses with censoring stuff for me.

You certainly have a valid point.

However, it will be impossible to keep any order and forums will be a permanent mess with scammers, spammers and such. People will get scammed every day, and BTC reputation will suffer.

Which is exactly what is happening now BTW.

[theymos]

Last chance to suggest features for the first version. I'll start a bidding thread this weekend.

[phungus]

http://slashcode.git.sourceforge.net/git/gitweb-index.cgi

Slashcode is still available... It definitely doesn't support all the features you're looking for though. It's also written in perl and judging by my near inability to find anyone else who can write perl and who also is familiar with Bitcoin, I would say it's probably not a wise choice. I do dig the perls though. :-)


I am liking some of the new features vBulletin 4 offers over the older versions. It's a few $'s, but you say you have much more than that amount available in BTC at least. Perhaps it would be more wise to develop a priority list of all the features you want, then add a development cost to each line item. Perhaps much more can be done for the funds that you do have available through writing modules. In addition, you may find more willing volunteer help if it's only writing or extending modules and not the whole complicated mess. Not everything has to be bought and paid for.


You only have around $1300 in funds anyway. That is not enough for a ground-up software development project. Focus on your key issues, knock out all you can with pre-built modules, then custom develop anything remaining.


Great ideas, BTW. I'm working on creating a new forum for my local community and your idea list gives me food for thought. :-)