Little things that bug you/me about the forum

[LoyceBot]

The current posting delay is almost as old as Bitcoin itself:

waittime = 360;
if(activity >= 15)
        waittime = (int)(90 - activity);
if(activity >= 60)
        waittime=(int)(34.7586 - (0.0793103 * activity));
if(activity >= 100)
        waittime = max((int)(14-(activity/50)), 4);

Reporting counts as posting. I think deleting the red parts would solve it (I had to replace code tags by quote tags to make it visible).

Hmm... I wonder if that pseudocode is still correct?

I'll test-click this in 2 windows as quickly as I can.

[LoyceBot]

When I posted within a second, it tells me "less than 10 seconds ago". When I waited a few seconds, it still says "less than 10 seconds". A few seconds later, I could post this.
(14-(191/50))=10.18. That seems about right. I could probably have posted a second earlier.

[LoyceV]

To add to our earlier discussion on custom Trust lists: it would be good to have a "add/remove to Trust list"-link in each user's profile. Although that may mean people are even more likely to add people for the wrong reasons.

[AVE5]

So, if you can think of something fairly specific that you'd like to see fixed/improved and you estimate it to be a small(ish) task (so, not something vague and big like: "Can you fix the forum's search?", or "Can you improve the forum's mobile-friendliness?", etc.), then please post it in this thread.

You did well coming up with this thread. I'm just thinking if this thread can be pinned because the it holds a potential that would optimize continues reviews and adjust of the forum interfaces.
If pinned, everyone in the Meta section would obviously see it through and contributes if need be.
As for me, I think the "Search Functionality" isn't interference enough for quick or easier locations of search results.
So I'm on the opinion if this domain can be enhanced with keywords especially for convenient and friendly notation of existed threads in the forum when using the search function.

[JiiBs]

I don’t know if someone has suggested it before and yeah, I’m not having to read all the responses to have been made this far, neither do I know if what I’m about suggesting does exists as it’s a tool I would need and think would be helpful.

Do we have a highlighter tool, more like a bookmark for comments, responses or posts in general that you hope to come back to someday or perhaps might prove useful for reference?

Given that, we make a lot of posts on the forum and one might like to reference a particular post or comment from a time, is there a tool that could be used as a bookmark for a post of interest for futuristic purpose.

[FatFork]

Do we have a highlighter tool, more like a bookmark for comments, responses or posts in general that you hope to come back to someday or perhaps might prove useful for reference?

There's no plugin or tool I know of specific to Bitcointalk, but you've got some options from a browser-based bookmarking tools and extensions. I'd use something like Evernote or Notion to bookmark links to posts and comments I want to reference later and  tag those bookmarks so you can search for what you need.  Browser extensions that let you highlight text on a page and save it could also work. I think some work across different browsers, so you build up your library of highlights in one spot.  Handy for research and reference.   

[LoyceV]

you've got some options from a browser-based bookmarking tools and extensions. I'd use something like Evernote or Notion to bookmark links to posts and comments I want to reference later

I don't know Evernote or Notion, but why not just use good old browser bookmarks? Every browser has that feature, which is much better than keeping different bookmarks inside different websites. I have a "Bitcointalk folder" inside my bookmarks, and (when needed) give bookmarks a custom "Name" so I can find them back later.

[Wonder Work]

you've got some options from a browser-based bookmarking tools and extensions. I'd use something like Evernote or Notion to bookmark links to posts and comments I want to reference later

Browser-based bookmarking tools and extensions can be easily set up in a browser and easily accessed from there as needed. As an alternative, of course there are other notes like Evernote like Google keep, One Note that can be used but I don't support them as an alternative because you need to save them separately or take time to find them. You have to go there separately to check out, but bookmarking or extensions don't have to go anywhere separate from the browser, it's not a waste of time, it seems much easier and time saving.

[PowerGlove]

Something related to persistence: the Post a redirection topic checkbox from the Move Topic page should be disabled by default. Redirection topics left by members are seldom useful and mods leave them sporadically. Having the choice saved would be a small benefit.
Albeit it's more useful for mods when moving lots of threads (had a userscript long time ago disabling the checkbox to save some mouse travel and clicks  ).

I've been leaving this one until after theymos merges the header-persistence patch I did for dkbit98 (because I'd like to persist the checkbox using the same endpoint that that patch might restore).

But, I've got no idea when theymos will merge that patch, or even if he plans to do it at all. So, in the interest of keeping things moving along, here's a patch for your request (minus persistence):

Code:

--- baseline/Themes/default/MoveTopic.template.php	2006-09-02 14:24:47.000000000 +0000
+++ modified/Themes/default/MoveTopic.template.php	2024-12-25 08:27:26.000000000 +0000
@@ -26,18 +26,18 @@
 					<label for="reset_subject"><input type="checkbox" name="reset_subject" id="reset_subject" onclick="document.getElementById(\'subjectArea\').style.display = this.checked ? \'block\' : \'none\';" class="check" /> ', $txt['moveTopic2'], '.</label><br />
 					<div id="subjectArea" style="display: none; margin-top: 1ex; margin-bottom: 2ex;">
 						', $txt['moveTopic3'], ': <input type="text" name="custom_subject" size="30" value="', $context['subject'], '" /><br />
 						<label for="enforce_subject"><input type="checkbox" name="enforce_subject" id="enforce_subject" class="check" /> ', $txt['moveTopic4'], '.</label>
 					</div>';
 
 	// Disable the reason textarea when the postRedirect checkbox is unchecked...
 	echo '
-					<label for="postRedirect"><input type="checkbox" name="postRedirect" id="postRedirect" checked="checked" onclick="document.getElementById(\'reasonArea\').style.display = this.checked ? \'block\' : \'none\';" class="check" /> ', $txt['moveTopic1'], '.</label><br />
-					<div id="reasonArea" style="margin-top: 1ex;">
+					<label for="postRedirect"><input type="checkbox" name="postRedirect" id="postRedirect" onclick="document.getElementById(\'reasonArea\').style.display = this.checked ? \'block\' : \'none\';" class="check" /> ', $txt['moveTopic1'], '.</label><br />
+					<div id="reasonArea" style="display: none; margin-top: 1ex;">
 						', $txt['smf57'], '<br />
 						<textarea name="reason" rows="3" cols="40">', $txt['movetopic_default'], '</textarea><br />
 					</div>
 					<br />
 					<input type="submit" value="', $txt[132], '" onclick="return submitThisOnce(this);" accesskey="s" />
 				</td>
 			</tr>
 		</table>';

I had a little thought just now (after reading this post) that I'd appreciate some community feedback on...

When I did the 2FA patch, I came up with a really neat from-scratch PHP implementation of QR codes. Considering that that code is already written, tested, and present on the server, it would be really easy for me to wire it up to a new BBCode tag.

Something like:

Code:

[qrcode]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvvjiE4AdUI[/qrcode]

Which would turn into:

Code:

<img src="data:image/bmp;base64,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" width="147" height="147" style="image-rendering: pixelated;" title="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvvjiE4AdUI" />

And display like:



(As with the example above, I think I'd make it so that the payload would be duplicated in a tooltip. That way, you could hover over the QR code to see what's in there, before scanning it. Probably the wordfilter, which I hate and would remove if it were up to me, will prevent QR codes from linking to banned sites and whatnot.)

Do you guys think a [qrcode] tag (with a 134-byte payload limit) would be useful? I can't myself decide between "Yeah, that's useful!" and "Nah, it'll cause more problems than it'll solve."


There are requests for a "spoiler" tag going all the way back to 2011. I started work on this a few months ago, and am now finished with it.

I experimented with a lot of different approaches, but the one I eventually settled on is just a simple button that replaces itself (once you click/tap on it) with whatever content you'd like.

I've named the tag [hide] rather than [spoiler]. Basically, you can wrap anything you'd like in [hide]...[/hide] tags, and then rather than the content itself appearing, instead you just get this neat little "Show" button:



(That's obviously just an example image, so clicking on it won't do anything.)

Something that works particularly well with this approach is making quotes more compact:

(Seriously, stop clicking things.)

I can see this being a nice way (for the people who choose to start using it) to post more courteously, and to save others from having to scroll through huge images and big tables and whatnot. I think I've squared away every concern I've run into. For example, I worried about how this tag might negatively affect SEO, but worked around that by making the content rather than the button appear for guests (on the basis that that's the most reliable way I can think of to make sure that hidden content won't confuse web crawlers). I've also made it so that you can tack a ;unhide on the end of URLs, so that there's some way for people who are both logged-in and refuse to enable JavaScript to still be able to view everything (long term, I really can't see always trying to accommodate the no-JS crowd, but if it turns out to be a genuine sticking point, then I'll add a profile-setting that does the same thing as ;unhide, though I'd really prefer not to, because there are various things that I'd like to add to Bitcointalk that just have no way of working well without client-side scripting, so one or two final concessions to the no-JS peeps would be pretty pointless, all things considered).

And though I expect very few people use them, I've also made sure that the tag recursively auto-expands for the wap/wap2/imode and action=printpage features.

I'll post the patch sometime in January, but, in the meantime, if anyone has any concerns they'd like to raise, or believes that I haven't considered something deeply enough, then I'd be grateful for your thoughts.


I know I said here that I was hoping to finish the ICQ/AIM/MSN/YIM thing before 2024 was over. Not much chance of that happening now, I'm afraid. I'll try to finish this one soon (though, realistically, there are a bunch of things on my plate that I really should clear first, so June/July seems more likely to me than early 2025).

BTW, Merry Christmas! I wish everyone on this forum nothing but good fortune. See you in 2025!

[LoyceV]

Do you guys think a [qrcode] tag (with a 134-byte payload limit) would be useful? I can't myself decide between "Yeah, that's useful!" and "Nah, it'll cause more problems than it'll solve."

I think scammers are going to love it. Some will be legit, but QR-codes are very easy to abuse. I've even seen reports of parking meters with fake QR-codes now.

(That's obviously just an example image, so clicking on it won't do anything.)

Well, it works, I clicked it.

Crazy idea for the spoiler tag: I can think of a use for large data: would it be possible to exclude anything within spoiler tags from the 64 Kb limit on posts (up to, say, 1 Mb)?

[B-BossMan]

I really love the courage and your proactive.
If may contribute suggestions or opinions of the superiors here as a newbie
I would love if the OP or any other expertist here in Forum create a featured discussion of weekly or monthly highlights of informative threads on the Forum's dedicated sections this would encourage more users to participate in discussion that's meaningful and helpful, and also increases more engagement to the Forum's values.
Secondly, users threads summaries: its going to be more easier for others to join relevant conversations and grasp the key points, if users are allowed.

[Alone055]

I really love the courage and your proactive.
If may contribute suggestions or opinions of the superiors here as a newbie
I would love if the OP or any other expertist here in Forum create a featured discussion of weekly or monthly highlights of informative threads on the Forum's dedicated sections this would encourage more users to participate in discussion that's meaningful and helpful, and also increases more engagement to the Forum's values.
Secondly, users threads summaries: its going to be more easier for others to join relevant conversations and grasp the key points, if users are allowed.

This thread is for updates/improvements about the forum. What you are referring to can be a general thread created by any member; even you can do it if you dedicate some time to it and do some research in the forum. You don't need to make a thread in every section about informative and helpful threads but you can create a combined thread that should cover all informative topics/threads from all sections that you think can be helpful for everyone, especially newbies, and you can post in in the Beginners & Help section.

There might even be a thread like that already, but it might not be active anymore. So a new one can be created.

Edit: I found something that might not be exactly what you are asking for but can go near: [Mega resources for newbies] Check here, find most of your need, before asking.

[joker_josue]

Do you guys think a [qrcode] tag (with a 134-byte payload limit) would be useful? I can't myself decide between "Yeah, that's useful!" and "Nah, it'll cause more problems than it'll solve."

I think it could be dangerous to have the system generate QR code. It could be easily used for hacking purposes.

On the other hand, I also don't see it as being very practical.
Anyone viewing the forum on a PC will almost certainly not use the QR code. And anyone viewing the forum on a smartphone will not be able to use it.
So, in practice, I don't see much use for it.

I've named the tag [hide] rather than [spoiler]. Basically, you can wrap anything you'd like in [hide]...[/hide] tags, and then rather than the content itself appearing, instead you just get this neat little "Show" button:



(That's obviously just an example image, so clicking on it won't do anything.)

Wasn't it supposed to click!? 

I think this would be a really good feature. It allows you to hide some additional and extensive information, and you can create topics that are a little shorter and easier to read.
Also when you make a "quote". It is true that we can simply highlight the point we want to comment on, but sometimes there are images, and in this case it can be useful, to not make the post so long and repetitive, maintaining the information.



Keep up the good work in 2025. 

[dkbit98]

PowerGlove I really hope your little fix gets approved by theymos.
Thanks for working on it

When I did the 2FA patch, I came up with a really neat from-scratch PHP implementation of QR codes.

This is not bad, but there some issues with support of QR codes and scanning, and I faced this problems several times.
There are so many QR code implementations and they are not always compatible with all devices and cameras.

I think it could be dangerous to have the system generate QR code. It could be easily used for hacking purposes.

I never heard anyone getting hacked with QR codes.
Sure they can be used for hiding any links, but this could easily be solved by showing full link when hovering over QR image.

On the other hand, I also don't see it as being very practical.
Anyone viewing the forum on a PC will almost certainly not use the QR code. And anyone viewing the forum on a smartphone will not be able to use it.
So, in practice, I don't see much use for it.

Many people have both computers and smartphones, and there is no difference with other website... how do you think they are using QR codes on all other websites?
And it's not that hard to scan QR codes with computers, or save image and export links.

[joker_josue]

I think it could be dangerous to have the system generate QR code. It could be easily used for hacking purposes.

I never heard anyone getting hacked with QR codes.
Sure they can be used for hiding any links, but this could easily be solved by showing full link when hovering over QR image.

The purpose of using your QR code is the simplicity of scanning it with a smartphone camera, which will take the user to a website, app or something similar. Using the QR code in any other way is no longer practical. If there is a link, you click on a link.

Sometimes the QR code can be used by hackers to take the victim to a phishing site. @LoyceV gave an example (which seems to be quite global) which is on calipers, where criminals place the QR code giving the impression that it is an app to pay for parking, but in reality it is fake and intended to rob the user.

As is logical, the user must always check whether the website or app they visit is genuine, this requires attention from everyone.

[LoyceV]

And it's not that hard to scan QR codes with computers, or save image and export links.

Of course it's possible, but it's a lot more work than just clicking a link. That's why hyperlinks were invented like 60 years ago. The only real use I see is creating a payment on a PC and paying from a mobile wallet. But who does that on Bitcointalk?

[RickDeckard]

And it's not that hard to scan QR codes with computers, or save image and export links.

Of course it's possible, but it's a lot more work than just clicking a link. That's why hyperlinks were invented like 60 years ago. The only real use I see is creating a payment on a PC and paying from a mobile wallet. But who does that on Bitcointalk?

The way I like to think about PowerGlove improvements on the forum (thank you again for those) is comparing the time that he invests on developing them vs. the overall adoption/impact that they will have. In this particular case, I think that the time that PowerGlove will dedicate himself to develop (or perfecting) the implementation of QR codes will result in a feature that won't be much used, unlike 2FA for example. Not because it's bitcointalk, but because it's a forum. The only time that I feel the need to use QR codes in a website is when I am setting up 2FA for example. Perhaps it's just me, but if I were to see a QR code being used to lead to a certain website, I would probably be too lazy to grab my phone and scan it (or use any other tool in my desktop to read it directly on my PC). Like LoyceV said, hyperlinks work just fine for their goal.

I do believe, however, that QR codes are very useful if you have services that deal directly with the consumer - like restaurants (to scan the menu link), parking machines (to grab the parking ID), devices (to easily scan their SN number), gather feedback from events more easily, etc... Personally, besides 2FA, the feature that I also tend to be using the most lately is sharing the Wi-Fi password by QR code.

Of course that as mentioned by joker_josue, these codes have been used to trick the users[1][2][3][4] but I guess that this will eventually happen with any product because .... well we're Humans right? We'll always find a way to take good things and put them in a bad use.
[1]https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2023/12/scammers-hide-harmful-links-qr-codes-steal-your-information
[2]https://www.bbb.org/article/scams/28996-bbb-scam-alert-double-check-that-qr-code-before-you-pay-for-parking
[3]https://eu.usatoday.com/story/money/2024/12/21/what-is-a-brushing-scam-qr-code/76919089007/

[arhipova]

When we search some keyword using search feature  (https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?action=search) and select by username , it displays post in descending order of relevance. There should be option to sort the results based on date also with single click. Would it be complex for you to setup ?

[DYING_S0UL]

PowerGlove, I got this weird database error today, while meriting a post (only once though). It's probably nothing. Since it's my first time seeing this, I thought of reporting this to you. Because, afaik, you are the fixer guy here! 

[LoyceV]

I got this weird database error today, while meriting a post (only once though). It's probably nothing. Since it's my first time seeing this

I've seen it many times, and usually it's gone when you try again.