Free Republic Update: My Comments (Pings), System Upgrade and Spelling and Time Zone Breakage

[John Robinson]

First up, made a change to the My Comments (aka Pings aka "New Comments to You") page. You can now clear your comments page by using the new "Clear Pings" link. This is the only way to remove the "New Comments to You" indicator. (You can still view all past comments to you via "View All")

Next up on the menu: I've been upgrading the system software on all our servers. Unfortunately, somewhere along the way the spell checker broke and the new version of that software depends on software that I haven't yet been able to upgrade (because that software depends on a kernel feature that isn't available using the ancient kernel I have installed.) What this all means is that I will be taking a drive up to San Jose in the very near future (Monday night) to perform delicate surgery with a very large hammer. Once that is done, the spell checker will work.

I'm also aware that the time zone preference is not working, and I believe that problem may also be fixed by the same large hammer that will fix the spell checker (it's a very big hammer.)

So in summary, clear your pings, don't make any spelling mistakes until Tuesday and kick back and enjoy the California sun.

Update

Added "Pings Indicator" option to your preferences in case you'd prefer the old automatic clearing of the ping light.

Update #2

Was able to work around the spell checker dependency issue, you can now misspell words to your heart's content.

[Skooz]

Wow. It just vanished.

Any way to get it back?

Pretty please?

[John Robinson]

Have something like that, I’m just not using it for some silly reason.

[Allegra]

What this all means is that I will be taking a drive up to San Jose in the very near future (Monday night) to perform delicate surgery with a very large hammer. Once that is done, the spell checker will work.

No hurry.

It provides a handy excuse for my typos. ;-)

[Skooz]

Never mind.

Incredibly, I found a backup.

I actually backed up my profile page. I must have been really bored. :)

Thanks!

[John Robinson]

Afraid I can’t, we don’t have a version of it stored anywhere. :-(

[John Robinson]

Glad to hear it.

[snarks_when_bored]

So have we lost this sort of line, John?

On News/Activism ^ 01/20/2007 12:25:07 PM CST · 89 of 347 ^

If so, I'm sorry about that. It feels somehow useful to know the numerical position of one's comment with respect to an entire thread.

[John Robinson]

Heh, we don’t use kernel modules.

[don-o]

“Private reply” is not populating with the person being replied to,

[FreedomPoster]

That’s actually a pretty good idea. I think I’ll do mine now.

[FreedomPoster]

>>“Private reply” is not populating with the person being replied to,

“you can edit this page” on your profile page isn’t populating with the current version, either. Likely a related artifact.

[Petronski]

You can now clear your comments page by using the new "Clear Pings" link. This is the only way to remove the "New Comments to You" indicator.

Forgive me, but from a usability standpoint, that strikes me as a mistake. Previously this "clear pings" function would happen just by clicking "new comments to you," correct?

Making manual what was automatic seems to me to be a step backwards.

[DieHard the Hunter]

Great new functionality, John. I wondered what had happened and thought maybe I broke it somehow when it looked different to what I was used to.

Now that I’ve used the “Clear Pings” feature I think it’s the Cat’s a$$.

Cheers for that!
*DieHard*

[JDoutrider]

"posted on 04/07/2008 3:46:26 AM PDT by John Robinson"

Don't you ever sleep?

[spotbust1]

thank you. Sorry about that. Still not fully awake yet. Thanks again for helping.

[tomkat]

John,

Great job re 'clear all' pings function !

May I suggest/request one more minor tweak to same ?

Imho, it'd be much easier to follow if the para break was between the poster's comment and the next ping topic:

ie, this:

WALTER REED ARMY MEDICAL CENTER FREEP # 153 AAR
#30 posted 03/30/2008 3:14:27 AM PDT by trooprally

Gathering of Eagles: Oil City, PA (03/28/08)
#6 posted 03/29/2008 5:29:48 AM PDT by tgslTakoma

instead of this:

WALTER REED ARMY MEDICAL CENTER FREEP # 153 AAR

#24 posted 03/29/2008 3:38:48 PM PDT by trooprally
Gathering of Eagles: Oil City, PA (03/28/08)

#6 posted 03/29/2008 5:29:48 AM PDT by tgslTakoma

[Uncle Ike]

By the bye —

As more of an esthetic issue than an actual functionality issue, could you lose the large font??

Less entries per visible page makes for more scrolling, and the possibility of missing pings.....

Thx

Ike

[Skooz]

Yours is well worth backing up.

Good job.

I copied/pasted the “The True History of the Southwest, 101” into a Word file and saved it.

[decimon]

Can you reprogram the FReepers to refer to you John and not Jim?

[Petronski]

Using Firefox, I choose not only the font size, but also the typeface, of Free Republic pages.