Wish List summary

[trux]

Now when Papa Smurf successfully moved the website to a new server, he may find time for implementing some of our past suggestions. However, with the time passed, some may have been buried under irrelevant messages, or under wishes already fulfilled, or were posted in other sections of the forum.

I am trying to put those I remember here at the top of this thread. If you have or remember other wishes, do not hesitate to post here - I'll edit this first post and add them into the list, so that it is easier for Stephan to see them without browsing through the posts.

1. Image Resizing - vBulletin allows uploading even of huge images that it then resizes automatically. Currently DB is not configured to use this built-in function.
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2. Science Categories - new section for sciences (physiology, physics, hydrodynamics, archeology, anthropology, astronomy,...) would be nice
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3. Better RSS - with configurable subscriptions (by category and by keyword)
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4. Hiding Categories - it would be nice if we could hide entire categories (that we are not interested in) from the "New Posts" page (and other parts of the forum)
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5. Reputation Comments - we would like to have the possibility to browse through old reputation comments in our User CP. Ideally through all of them, or at least through say the last 20 instead of just 5
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6. Spam Filter - the spam occuring daily on DB is annoying. There are several patches and configuration measures available for vBulletin eliminating at least some of the spam
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7. More smiley varieties
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8. Higher tolerance for correctures of recently posted messages (see below, post #13 for details)

For now it is all I remembered, so if you know about other important issues, please post here

[Marwan]

7. I think somebody mentioned more smiley varieties

[octopus]

8. I know this is not straightforward and my hopes are not high...but just for the record. Perhaps one day someone will pick up on the idea. Anyway, I guess we are all allowed some stupid suggestions and I'll just try to fill my quota.

I guess it would be great to have one of those virtual try-it-out for foot pockets.
They have hair style try-outs for example:
Virtual Hairstyle Gallery, provided by UKHairdressers.com

This would work in the similar way. You would step on sheet of paper, go with a pen around you foot, scan it and perhaps supply length of your foot for scaling purposes. Then your foot outline would be shown against standard outline of your choice (say Cressi 42-43 top view outline, Omer 42-44 outline, etc.) Of course, database with standards would need to be gathered either from pocket suppliers or from our members.
If one of the foot pocket manufacturers had this facility, they could collect reasonable database of foot shapes and design some proper molds.

[trux]

Well, I am afraid you won't see it any soon, so I am not going to add it to the list. The original idea of this thread was listing of features/modifications that Papa Smurf should add in previsible future, and which were already confirmed as acceptable and/or doable.

Well, if you have some spare 500k€, send it my way and I develop the software and the necessary hardware for capturing the dimension of your feet, and for measuring the dimensions of all freediving fins on the market. Then add a yearly budget of some 20k€ for purchasing and measuring all sizes and brands of new fins and we can go ahead

[octopus]

If you need half a million to overlay two images...then perhaps it is out of your league.

[trux]

You'll need a 3D models of the feet and of the footpockets to find the ideal match. You will need to develop hardware for capturing the 3D images. You will need time and money to buy and scan all those footpockets available (in all possible sizes).

But most importantly you will need a huge capital for paying lawyers who will need to defend you against all those who will sue you because the fins they bought after using your system did not fit well enough.

[Marwan]

or alternatively do like everybody else, buy 20 pairs until you find "THE ONE"

[apneaboy]

8. A filter to stop you reading threads you thought were going to be interesting then realising they are not.

[trux]

Originally Posted by apneaboy

8. A filter to stop you reading threads you thought were going to be interesting then realising they are not.

If I understand well, then it is identical to #4
Or, if you rather mean unsubscribing from threads you are subscribed to (and receive notifications for), then you can do it easily already in the current state - just check the subscriptions section in your User CP and remove threads you are no more interested in.

[octopus]

...or alternatively do like everybody else, buy 20 pairs until you find "THE ONE"

That is how diving shops are started you know.

[Stephan Whelan]

Originally Posted by trux

1. Image Resizing - vBulletin allows uploading even of huge images that it then resizes automatically. Currently DB is not configured to use this built-in function.

Will be implementing this soon

Originally Posted by trux

1. Science Categories - new section for sciences (physiology, physics, hydrodynamics, archeology, anthropology, astronomy,...) would be nice.

Will be implementing this soon - but only one new section to cover freediving science - if it proves popular we will add more.

Originally Posted by trux

1. Better RSS - with configurable subscriptions (by category and by keyword)

Maybe

Originally Posted by trux

1. Hiding Categories - it would be nice if we could hide entire categories (that we are not interested in) from the "New Posts" page (and other parts of the forum).

Maybe - do you know of any easy ways of doing this? Unfortunately if there isn't already a plugin to allow this it isn't going to be implemented as I just don't have time to code away.

Originally Posted by trux

1. Reputation Comments - we would like to have the possibility to browse through old reputation comments in our User CP. Ideally through all of them, or at least through say the last 20 instead of just 5

Unlikely unless there is a plugin already developed.

Originally Posted by trux

1. Spam Filter - the spam occuring daily on DB is annoying. There are several patches and configuration measures available for vBulletin eliminating at least some of the spam

We already have multiple plugins deployed to stop spam. If you think it's bad now - let me turn off the filters and let all the spam we catch get through!!!

vBulletin 3.7.0 has an askimet option which we will be enabling that will use algorithms to determine spam.

Originally Posted by trux

1. More smiley varieties

Sure - someone point me at a good collection of smilies and i'll get them implemented.

Remember that I have very limited time to add new features. In addition to my normal day job I also have to co-ordinate the editorial staff, news and the freediving courses side of the business (we run over 90 courses a year now) so plenty to keep me busy.

If anyone wants to donate time helping develop and improve the forums and the rest of the site please do let me know!!!

[trux]

Thanks, Stephan. Yes, I very well understand you do not have enough time for all. That's exactly why I created this list trying to facilitate the task to you. I am trying to include only features I know are realistically doable and also trying to find solutions for them if they are not already known.

As for the Reputation History - there are several plugins available for vBulletin:
Reputation Extras - Rep Archives, Rep Given, Edit Rep - vBulletin.org Forum
Display Reputation Comments Given - vBulletin.org Forum
Display Unread Posts and New Reputation Comments - vBulletin.org Forum

(more of them are listed just below the module description, in the section "Similar Mod")

Concerning the Category Hiding - this module will do the trick:
Selective Forum Filter - vBulletin.org Forum
(again, some more links in the Similar Mods section)

Re Spam Filter - OK, I'll wait for v3.7 and hope it will improve. Please do not disable the current spam filters

As for Smilies - I am not a smilie addict, and the present ones are more than sufficient for me, so will let others the opportunity to give you some suggestions

[trux]

I have another small and not too important request, but if it is easy to make with just a simple configuration change, it would be welcome:

I type miserably, and do plenty of typos. It is probably a combination of dyslexia, tons of crumbs in the keyboard, and lapse of education. Although I try reading posts before submitting, I think it never happened to me yet that I did not see a bunch of mistakes in the message once I do post it (even if the message was just a few words long). I then fix them, but usually need several attempts to correct at least those errors that I see myself (and there are certainly still plenty of those that I do not even see). Currently the forum lets you do about 2 or 3 corrections within the first minute (or so). After that it appends the shameful note about the fix at the bottom (I have them at about 90% of my posts). I'd be thankful if the tolerance for corrections (without the footer note) was slightly higher - for example 5 or 10 fixes within 10 - 20 minutes after posting.

[okamotoa]

hey papa smurf have you tried takeing any off msn messenger or likewise its where i take most of mine and many are free to download