site code improvements?

[mass1ve]

hi,

is it possible at all to refactor or update the defang/disarm code that wraps around links? it makes browsing things like the bareback porn discussion forum a real chore.  things like "Think before following links" feels outdated?  most browsers support Google Shavar/safe browsing,  if we're doing this to reduce spam the links could be scraped from backend and referenced against hectorms hblock (a SRVFAIL could trigger a callback to drop the post for example)

also is it possible to update the failed login banner to suggest allowing cookies? currently failed logins with blocked cookies dont report anything meaningful.

 

ty 🙂

 

[BootmanLA]

On 6/2/2023 at 9:17 PM, mass1ve said:

hi,

is it possible at all to refactor or update the defang/disarm code that wraps around links? it makes browsing things like the bareback porn discussion forum a real chore.  things like "Think before following links" feels outdated?  most browsers support Google Shavar/safe browsing,  if we're doing this to reduce spam the links could be scraped from backend and referenced against hectorms hblock (a SRVFAIL could trigger a callback to drop the post for example)

also is it possible to update the failed login banner to suggest allowing cookies? currently failed logins with blocked cookies dont report anything meaningful.

 

ty 🙂

The short answer is "probably not". The code for this forum is supplied by a third-party vendor, and is increasingly creaky. When & if the long-awaited custom-coded version of the site becomes available, it may be possible to make changes suggested by the members.

That said, the point of the "think before following links" bit is because of past problems with people posting links to prohibited material. 

[mass1ve]

dang.   im not exactly excited about 'increasingly creaky.'  there are loads of bz fans, and surely more to come.

naive question but if its just a forum, why not pick up some open source like wordpress? passwords are hashed so migration might not be tough.  content import could be tricky. i guess its a risk assessment for leadership to determine.  worst case a lift-and-shift and evacuate the board with users rejoining a new one.

the links bit still seems encumbered, but thank you for elaborating.  i still think a quick pass to a whitelist method/callback might be a better idea?

all in all thanks again for the BZ!! I think the sites great and i dont plan to go anywhere 🙂

[viking8x6]

A little elaboration: BZ is already built on top of an open source platform (like wordpress, but something else). However, the amount of additional structure on top of the forum framework is substantial (as you might imagine).  @rawTOP (the site owner and admin) has for quite some time now been working on a new site that is rebuilt from scratch. That site is already in beta testing. Therefore, modifications to the old site that involve much new engineering are probably not going to happen, but the suggestions are certainly welcome!

[Hotrawbutt4u]

4 minutes ago, viking8x6 said:

A little elaboration: BZ is already built on top of an open source platform (like wordpress, but something else). However, the amount of additional structure on top of the forum framework is substantial (as you might imagine).  @rawTOP (the site owner and admin) has for quite some time now been working on a new site that is rebuilt from scratch. That site is already in beta testing. Therefore, modifications to the old site that involve much new engineering are probably not going to happen, but the suggestions are certainly welcome!

When he gets back, and hoping he is doing ok, things that come to mind is 

On the profile

Require age, location ( possibly a map similar to Sniffies  or a Zip code )

Create dB for searching users close to us. 

If possible require more info in the profile, position, status, ....

Again. I hope he recovers shortly and gets back to more enjoyable things

[Phallarchist]

14 hours ago, viking8x6 said:

BZ is already built on top of an open source platform (like wordpress, but something else). However, the amount of additional structure on top of the forum framework is substantial (as you might imagine)

And it's well done.

[ellentonboy]

I don't know if "requiring" more information in the profile is the way to go.  After all, this is a Forum, some people wish to share less than others.  They may not want to be tracked, or give other members an idea as to who or where they are.

I think the profile section is fine.  You put  in your contact information, or you decide not to.  However, REQURING members to give out that kind of information may make some people think twice before joining.  That would be a negative since there are many BZ members who share information, either medical,  political or sexual that we don't know much about personally.  To me their contributions outweigh knowing if they are close enough to hook up with, or if they are a top or a bottom.

[BergenGuy]

13 hours ago, ellentonboy said:

I don't know if "requiring" more information in the profile is the way to go.  After all, this is a Forum, some people wish to share less than others.  They may not want to be tracked, or give other members an idea as to who or where they are.

Maybe a compromise would be somewhat of an (easy) opt-out approach.  When someone joins, they could be presented with the profile questions.  They wouldn't have to answer any of them, but it might encourage more guys to respond if they're presented with their profile upfront rather than having to seek it out to update.