Difference between revisions of "User talk:Nicjansma"

(Responded)
(33 intermediate revisions by 10 users not shown)
Line 8: Line 8:
 
* '''[[/Archive2016 | 2016]]'''
 
* '''[[/Archive2016 | 2016]]'''
 
* '''[[/Archive2017 | 2017]]'''
 
* '''[[/Archive2017 | 2017]]'''
 +
* '''[[/Archive2018 | 2018]]'''
 +
* '''[[/Archive2019 | 2019]]'''
  
 
= Current =
 
= Current =
  
== Image summary template ==
 
Hi Nic, why is the image summary template gone when i uploade new images? In the past the template was automatical shown on the uploade page!--[[User:Doneve|Doneve]] ([[User talk:Doneve|talk]]) 04:29, 17 June 2016 (PDT)
 
:I've noticed this as well; I originally thought it was only removed from the "upload new version" option but it seems that all forms of file uploading do that now. -[[User:BobTheZombie|BobTheZombie]] ([[User talk:BobTheZombie|talk]]) 13:00, 17 June 2016 (PDT)
 
::I'm sorry, I'm confused on what you're talking about.  Are you talking about the text box called Summary when you've selected your file?  Or was there another form that was shown after uploading your image that is now gone?  [[User:Nicjansma|Nicjansma]] ([[User talk:Nicjansma|talk]]) 21:00, 29 January 2017 (EST)
 
  
== Edit Counter ==
+
==Extra blocking checkbox for merging & deleting?==
 +
In the everlasting battle against spambots, I have merged literally thousands of spambot accounts into Anonymous. [[Merge and delete users]] is really a fantastic tool.
  
Nic - Do you know when the Edit Counter list updates? This one? [[Special:UserScore|Edit Counter]] Thanks. [[User:ClanWolverine101|ClanWolverine101]] ([[User talk:ClanWolverine101|talk]]) 16:56, 6 March 2017 (EST)
+
A suggestion though: In almost all cases, I manually block the user (spambot) in question first before merging & deleting, in order to blacklist the IP adress. The blocking function offers several helpful checkboxes, and I usually check them all except for the last one.
  
: Good catch, fixed!  Should be updated daily. [[User:Nicjansma|Nicjansma]] ([[User talk:Nicjansma|talk]]) 19:46, 30 March 2017 (EDT)
+
It would cut the time lost on spammers in half if the Merge & Delete function had a similar checkbox option to automatically block the IP the spambot account was created from. It should still be a checkbox because there are cases thinkable where I wouldn't want to block the IP (e.g. we've had a legit user who requested his account be deleted for good, but who wasn't a spammer and would still use the wiki). [[User:Frabby|Frabby]] ([[User talk:Frabby|talk]]) 02:16, 11 January 2018 (EST)
 
+
: That is a really good idea. I checked on the [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:UserMerge UserMerge extension's Page] but no one has asked for that feature yet. I'd suggest proposing it there to see if anyone picks it up -- if not, I can see about adding a checkbox some rainy day :) [[User:Nicjansma|Nicjansma]] ([[User talk:Nicjansma|talk]]) 21:50, 6 February 2018 (EST)
== Planet Maps ==
 
Hi Nic,<br>
 
It's only taken me about four or five years to think of asking this question, but... rather than us creating new maps for all of the planet articles from the published maps, if I gave you the updated list of correct coordinates, could you respawn new map images the way you did when first creating the planet articles? [[User:BrokenMnemonic|BrokenMnemonic]] ([[User talk:BrokenMnemonic|talk]]) 18:46, 18 March 2017 (EDT)
 
: Absolutely!  With the X/Y fixed this time :)  Do you currently have a better list of images and X/Ys?  In addition, I could create "expanded" images, so when you click on a 2-jump image, it could grow out to 5 jumps, or more. [[User:Nicjansma|Nicjansma]] ([[User talk:Nicjansma|talk]]) 20:53, 30 March 2017 (EDT)
 
:: Cool! But if this is going to happen, we need a solid database to work from. Not only X/Y coordinates (which in and of itself could be problematic enough!), but we need to decide on which system name we want to display on the maps (e.g. Hesperus II or Hesperus? Klathandu or Klathan? Norn or Verthandi? Carver, Carver V or Liberty?) and we'd also need to adress the question how to deal with the individual Mica Majority planets, nebulae, or special cases like Flannagan's Nebula.
 
::I guess we're all aware of user gruese's [http://community.battletechgame.com/forums/threads/3607?page=1 map project thread] over at the HBS forum? There's some notes and corrections concerning the Sarna data in there that I've not yet come round to checking and working into Sarna.
 
::And while it's a long shot, we might just try and ask [[Øystein Tvedten]] if he would kindly offer his "official" system position database for our project. I'm not sure if he and CGL would be cool with that, but it's certainly worth a try to see if a miracle happens. [[User:Frabby|Frabby]] ([[User talk:Frabby|talk]]) 05:30, 31 March 2017 (EDT)
 
:::There are a lot of points here, so I'm going to try and tackle them in order - let me know if I miss something...
 
:::1. Thanks to Volt and Bad_Syntax, there is a spreadsheet that contains accurate X/Y coordinates for every system that's been shown on a map, and which was calculated using some kind of ArcGIS software that Bad_Syntax's conversations with Øystein indicated were generating X/Y coordinates that were within decimal point value accurate to those used by Øystein. Whilst it's still a case of working backwards from the maps rather than forwards from the source data, if something's accurate to within 0.15 LY (which I think is the value Bad Sytanx quoted) then I think it's good enough for our work. Unfortunately, while I have a copy of the last version of the spreadsheet Volt generated, neither person is currently working on any BT stuff, so I don't think it's likely to get updated. That does mean that new planets are starting to appear that we won't have coordinates for - Jasmine in ''First Succession War'' is the example that springs to mind.
 
:::2. I really like the idea of the maps as described - two jump radius in the small maps, jumping to five jump radius in the larger maps. I think that'll be useful to a lot of people looking to use the maps casually.
 
:::3. I think that where names are concerned, given that this is maps, rather than articles, we should use the names that are going to be most recognisable to a majority of users. If we don't auto-generate maps, then the alternative is to use cut-up sections of published maps, and those don't use system names. Players generally know the notable planet names, not the system names, where there's a difference. A player looking for Alula Australis is going to look for Alula Australis because that's how it's referred to almost everywhere - they aren't going to look for (or consciously recognise) Xi Ursae Majoris 99.5% of the time. Where we can't autogenerate maps, we're going to have to use published maps, which also won't be using the system names but rather the well-known world name format currently in use, which means we'll end up with dissonance between visual sources, which is a bad thing. I'm all for using system names in the articles, and I'm the one updating all of the articles and creating redirects to make sure all of the articles work, so I'm committed to it, but switching our maps over to use the system names as well feels like a step that will only make life more confusing for the vast majority of users.
 
:::4. For multi-world systems (Niops, etc) I think we should do what the system articles do - pick the coordinates of the most notable and use that for the map, and only include the one entry. There aren't that many, so I can go through a list manually and create the single entries. I remember seeing the conversations about how the Niopian planets technically being 1.4 LY away from each other was an artifact of how the maps had been done historically, not a reflection of reality, so I think that's a case of tidying up more than anything else. I don't think that a region like Flannagan's Nebulae should be on the map, because it's not a defined astrogeographical point - it's a nebula. We don't have a centrally-defined point around which to base it, unlike something like the Chaine Cluster. Where there's a crossover - and the Pleiades and Pirate's Haven clusters are the two I can think of - the map/article should simply use the coordinates of the most well-known point, be that Badlands or whichever one of the three names Pleiades worlds are in the middle. There are other stellar features that have articles but no coordinates, either already in place or due to be worked up - things like the Orion Nebula - and in general, I think those are better served through using extracts from existing published maps to highlight their location, rather than trying to shoehorn something into a mathematical/coding construct intended to work around defined points.
 
:::5. I'm not aware of greuse's work - I haven't any particular interest in the HBS game, and there's a limit to the number of internet forums I have the headspace to engage with, I'm afraid. I've started reading through the thread, and from what I can see of the errors picked up, the coordinates ones are typoes from when Doneve and I were updating the articles the first time around. Those coordinates are being updated, but it takes a while - either Doneve is catching them when he generates the new system neighbours tables, or I'm catching them when I update the article format, but I'm 2-3 years into that and only 40% of the way through, so there's a ways to go yet. Greuse indicated that he'd fixed the ones he'd found though, so I'm not sure that's still much of an issue?
 
:::6. I'm all for using the source data that Øystein used to generate the maps - first generation data is much better as a source - but I'm leery of contacting CGL because of the whole potential can of worms over Sarna's status as an unofficial fan wiki. I suspect that any data Øystein has is covered by NDAs or the equivalent privilege relating to his time as a CGL employee, so he may not be allowed to provide us with a copy. I don't want to be the one asking, though, for various reasons.
 
:::I think I've weighed in on everything? I'm in a bit of a rush today... [[User:BrokenMnemonic|BrokenMnemonic]] ([[User talk:BrokenMnemonic|talk]]) 04:30, 3 April 2017 (EDT)
 
::::I'll provide as much support here as I can for you guys.  Everything you've said sounds reasonable.  I think the best way I can help is to take the output of a curated list someone creates, and generate some beautiful jump-maps from them.  If there's something else before we get to that point that I can help with, let me know.  Otherwise I'll just plan on being the "jump image generator" :) [[User:Nicjansma|Nicjansma]] ([[User talk:Nicjansma|talk]]) 22:00, 22 May 2017 (EDT)
 
 
 
== Awards ==
 
 
 
Nic - No rush, but should the awards for 2016 be processed? Thanks. [[User:ClanWolverine101|ClanWolverine101]] ([[User talk:ClanWolverine101|talk]]) 18:58, 30 April 2017 (EDT)
 
: My bad it took so long!  (Newborn at home!)  Was happy to give out the awards today. [[User:Nicjansma|Nicjansma]] ([[User talk:Nicjansma|talk]]) 21:55, 22 May 2017 (EDT)
 
:: No problem and belated congratulations! [[User:ClanWolverine101|ClanWolverine101]] ([[User talk:ClanWolverine101|talk]]) 07:17, 24 May 2017 (EDT)
 
Yeah - congrats for the newborn! :) [[User:Frabby|Frabby]] ([[User talk:Frabby|talk]]) 07:33, 24 May 2017 (EDT)
 
:::Congratulations on the newborn! I'm now an uncle four times over, and all my nieces are below 19 months in age - and it's great getting to spend time with tiny humans. [[User:BrokenMnemonic|BrokenMnemonic]] ([[User talk:BrokenMnemonic|talk]]) 02:59, 25 May 2017 (EDT)
 
::::Congratulations on the new baby [[User:Dark Jaguar|Dark Jaguar]] ([[User talk:Dark Jaguar|talk]]) 21:28, 27 May 2017 (EDT)
 
 
 
== Version 1.28.2 ==
 
 
 
Morning, Nic. Thought I'd share this tidbit with you: MW 1.28.2 automatically lists cited references under a section called "references", without any need for the ref code (''i.e.'', '''<nowiki><references/></nowiki>'''). Not a reason to update alone, but I discovered it by accident on one of my wikis. Cheers. --[[User:Revanche|Revanche]] <sup>([[User_talk:Revanche|talk]]|[[Special:Contributions/Revanche|contribs]])</sup> 11:38, 25 June 2017 (EDT)
 
:Thanks Revanche!  I plan on doing a full update to MW 1.30.0 soon. [[User:Nicjansma|Nicjansma]] ([[User talk:Nicjansma|talk]]) 21:41, 6 February 2018 (EST)
 
 
 
== [[Template:InfoBoxBattleMech]] ==
 
  
Hello there. I've [[BattleTechWiki talk:Project BattleMechs#New infobox|been told]] that you are the one to speak to about scripted/bot tasks.
+
== Max article size? ==
 +
Hi Nic, is there a limit on the size of articles? Some, like the product list, are very long already. And if we should try to implement nice sortable tables then the article size may double... [[User:Frabby|Frabby]] ([[User talk:Frabby|talk]]) 15:34, 20 May 2019 (EDT)
 +
: The default max article size is 2 MB [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Manual:$wgMaxArticleSize $wgMaxArticleSize], aka 2,196,608 bytes.  We could increase it if needed.  The [[List_of_BattleTech_products]] is only 87,000 bytes right now.
 +
:Why would enabling sortable tables double the size though? That should all be done via JavaScript, with the <code>sortable</code> class added to the table. [[User:Nicjansma|Nicjansma]] ([[User talk:Nicjansma|talk]]) 09:23, 28 August 2019 (EDT)
  
I made some changes to [[Template:InfoBoxBattleMech]] to improve its functionality, but they do mean that [[:Category:Empty or nonstandard InfoBoxBattleMech tech base parameter|hundreds of mech articles]] need updating to use [http://www.sarna.net/wiki/index.php?title=Template%3AInfoBoxBattleMech%2Fdoc&type=revision&diff=447100&oldid=349082 the new parameters]. I don't know the first thing about bots or scripting to avoid having to do that by hand. Do you? [[User:Cease to Hope|Cease to Hope]] ([[User talk:Cease to Hope|talk]]) 19:50, 9 September 2017 (EDT)
+
== Star League commands order ==
:Hi [[User:Cease to Hope|Cease to Hope]]!  If you have a database (CSV, spreadsheet, etc) of the 'Mechs and their corresponding Tech Base values, I can make a bot to update all of them.  [[User:Nicjansma|Nicjansma]] ([[User talk:Nicjansma|talk]]) 21:44, 6 February 2018 (EST)
 
  
== Admin promotion ==
+
Hi Nicjansma,
Long-time user [[User:DragonoftheRust]] has inquired about how to become an admin. For what it's worth I support him in this, as he's demonstrably a diligent worker and contributor here. [[User:Frabby|Frabby]] ([[User talk:Frabby|talk]]) 04:36, 20 November 2017 (EST)
 
: I totally agree.  Welcomed DragonoftheRust to the Admins! - [[User:Nicjansma|Nicjansma]] ([[User talk:Nicjansma|talk]]) 22:51, 19 January 2018 (EST)
 
  
==Extra blocking checkbox for merging & deleting?==
+
I've seen that the Star League commands order is different from the rest. Units assigned in sub-level commands do appear also in the root (something that does not happen in other Military Commands Categories. Am I right if I consider this Category incorrectly done?
In the everlasting battle against spambots, I have merged literally thousands of spambot accounts into Anonymous. [[Merge and delete users]] is really a fantastic tool.
 
  
A suggestion though: In almost all cases, I manually block the user (spambot) in question first before merging & deleting, in order to blacklist the IP adress. The blocking function offers several helpful checkboxes, and I usually check them all except for the last one.
+
I also think there are categories missing that should help reorganize this a bit better? The level of sub commands can be huge, and I do not even know which is the best way to order them.
  
It would cut the time lost on spammers in half if the Merge & Delete function had a similar checkbox option to automatically block the IP the spambot account was created from. It should still be a checkbox because there are cases thinkable where I wouldn't want to block the IP (e.g. we've had a legit user who requested his account be deleted for good, but who wasn't a spammer and would still use the wiki). [[User:Frabby|Frabby]] ([[User talk:Frabby|talk]]) 02:16, 11 January 2018 (EST)
+
I tried to make this a general query, but have no idea on how to do it.--[[User:Pserratv|Pserratv]] ([[User talk:Pserratv|talk]]) 10:31, 18 July 2019 (EDT)
: That is a really good idea.  I checked on the [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:UserMerge UserMerge extension's Page] but no one has asked for that feature yet.  I'd suggest proposing it there to see if anyone picks it up -- if not, I can see about adding a checkbox some rainy day :) [[User:Nicjansma|Nicjansma]] ([[User talk:Nicjansma|talk]]) 21:50, 6 February 2018 (EST)
 
  
==MechWarrior 1 download suggestion==
+
I've created and explained a proposal here: [[:Category talk:Star League Defense Force Commands]], could you review and share your insights?--[[User:Pserratv|Pserratv]] ([[User talk:Pserratv|talk]]) 08:56, 7 August 2019 (EDT)
Hi Nic,
 
  
wanted to bring your attention to [[User_talk:Mbear#Mechwarrior_1|this]] user request for adding stuff to the download section. [[User:Frabby|Frabby]] ([[User talk:Frabby|talk]]) 05:40, 15 February 2018 (EST)
+
: Thanks for leading the charge on this! [[User:Nicjansma|Nicjansma]] ([[User talk:Nicjansma|talk]]) 09:23, 28 August 2019 (EDT)

Revision as of 09:23, 28 August 2019

Archive

Talk Archives:

Current

Extra blocking checkbox for merging & deleting?

In the everlasting battle against spambots, I have merged literally thousands of spambot accounts into Anonymous. Merge and delete users is really a fantastic tool.

A suggestion though: In almost all cases, I manually block the user (spambot) in question first before merging & deleting, in order to blacklist the IP adress. The blocking function offers several helpful checkboxes, and I usually check them all except for the last one.

It would cut the time lost on spammers in half if the Merge & Delete function had a similar checkbox option to automatically block the IP the spambot account was created from. It should still be a checkbox because there are cases thinkable where I wouldn't want to block the IP (e.g. we've had a legit user who requested his account be deleted for good, but who wasn't a spammer and would still use the wiki). Frabby (talk) 02:16, 11 January 2018 (EST)

That is a really good idea. I checked on the UserMerge extension's Page but no one has asked for that feature yet. I'd suggest proposing it there to see if anyone picks it up -- if not, I can see about adding a checkbox some rainy day :) Nicjansma (talk) 21:50, 6 February 2018 (EST)

Max article size?

Hi Nic, is there a limit on the size of articles? Some, like the product list, are very long already. And if we should try to implement nice sortable tables then the article size may double... Frabby (talk) 15:34, 20 May 2019 (EDT)

The default max article size is 2 MB $wgMaxArticleSize, aka 2,196,608 bytes. We could increase it if needed. The List_of_BattleTech_products is only 87,000 bytes right now.
Why would enabling sortable tables double the size though? That should all be done via JavaScript, with the sortable class added to the table. Nicjansma (talk) 09:23, 28 August 2019 (EDT)

Star League commands order

Hi Nicjansma,

I've seen that the Star League commands order is different from the rest. Units assigned in sub-level commands do appear also in the root (something that does not happen in other Military Commands Categories. Am I right if I consider this Category incorrectly done?

I also think there are categories missing that should help reorganize this a bit better? The level of sub commands can be huge, and I do not even know which is the best way to order them.

I tried to make this a general query, but have no idea on how to do it.--Pserratv (talk) 10:31, 18 July 2019 (EDT)

I've created and explained a proposal here: Category talk:Star League Defense Force Commands, could you review and share your insights?--Pserratv (talk) 08:56, 7 August 2019 (EDT)

Thanks for leading the charge on this! Nicjansma (talk) 09:23, 28 August 2019 (EDT)