In the last two weeks, WUWT changed the cloud service it was hosted on, and made significant changes to the way comments are handled using the new WpDiscuz commenting system, while allowed editing, comment up/down voting and many other features.
I also made a big change to the Tips and Notes page, so that it doesn’t get bogged down and need to be purged periodically..
The process of change has not been without hiccups. But, I believe they are mostly solved now.
Just a couple of caveats before the discussion.
- I can’t move the posiion of the main comment form, currently at the top of comments. The software was designed that way and people asking on the WpDiscuz support forum have also made the same request.
I can’t current make the text in nested comments the same size as the main comments. Perhaps in the future with some CSS tweaking it can be done. I’m not a CSS expert.See update below.
Comments suggestions, what ifs and polite complaints are welcome.
UPDATE: Based on feedback in this thread, I’ve disabled the “read more” comment button. Comments will load in full now.
UPDATE 2: In case you don’t know, inline image embedding works, but ONLY if you use https, not http in the URL.
UPDATE3: The differing text size between top level and threaded comments has been fixed. My thanks to Eric Worrall
UPDATE4: I added a plugin that provides a comments search next to the very top comment box. Helpful on large threads.
6/11 10AM – I had to remove it, as it was being exploited and slowed the entire system down.
UPDATE5: 04/11/18 I added another plugin, this one designed to handle YouTube and image embedding, as well as allow for direct uploads of images, audio, and video files in comments using the new icons that now appear in the comment box.
UPDATE6 BY WILLIS: I’m overjoyed to announce that Anthony has fixed the problem with the formatting on all of the previous posts. They display correctly now, so I’m able to recommend WUWT once again without reservation. Please ignore my comment below, the issue has totally gone away. My thanks to Anthony for his usual dedication to detail and his unwavering support of the blog. Well done, my friend.
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Looks like a big bunch of thought and effort went into this final product. There’s a lot of information.
Can it be improved? If you install a water cooler and a cup dispenser.
This is a open thread, so let’s try a graphic.
This one is handy, in https protocol.
Boston SLR showing no acceleration, and demonstrating the moon’s nodal precession.
(click to embiggen)
kewl.
OK, I’m gonna use https instead of http to post my image, here goes:
still doesn’t work )-:
There seems to be something seriously wrong with TinyPic.
We have several examples of the form:
htpps://oi67.tinypic.com/XYZZY.jpg
and *none* of them load.
If you grab the url and load it in another browser window, that fails too,
[ edited to htpp: http://oi67.tinypic.com/XYZZY.jpg .mod]
[both wrong. https not htpps – Tinypic doesn’t support https – Anthony]
*groan*
People are taking TinyPic http: urls and editing them to make https: urls?????
No wonder they fail.
They didn’t work as is, so what do you suggest trying? Groan all you want, apparently I’m going to have to find a image hosting site that provides the https format, and I’m not happy about that.
Maybe someone has a list of those sites that will post images here.
Your pictures from Facebook will work. Just put &xxx=foo.jpg at the end, as suggested in tips & notes
Thanks for the improvements, warnings, and adjustments.
To A. W. and all others that helped.
I never expected all issues to be solved in one shot.
Job well done, I think.
I tend to be suspicious of change. but in this case, I have only pros:
1) Editing is so wonderful! When this started, comments went through moderators – and I couldn’t see what I had goofed up. That seems to be fixed.
2) Rating of comments. I love it.
3) Hiding long comments. If I want more, I can open it. Otherwise, I can quickly scan for comments of interest to me.
Good job!
So far, so good.
A YouTube video
This is just the way things seem to go around here sometimes.
The Curly Shuffle.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKAfXdb5LsA
https://youtu.be/FKAfXdb5LsA
It is also an excellent *qualitative* description of my revolutionary climate data handling treatment which I have named Pasteurization.
OK, no joy for me.
Any hints on what the magic incantation is??????
Windoze 10 🙂
That is *not* the incantation to embed a video.
It is a demonic spell to summon the *Devil* himself.
*groan*…… no wonder they fail!
A little humble pie might help… and constructive feedback, perhaps?
u.k.(us) and I have been trading comments on this topic (above). No definitive solution but a couple of things that work, after a fashion.
Weird that italics are in a shrunken font. Seems like a minor bug.
Dave, Anthony got rid of the smaller text, but apparently that didn’t carry over to italics and bold…
You really need Preview, formatting tabs, easy quoting.
This is from JoNova’s website.
Most forums have these basics.
This isn’t a forum, nor does it use forum software. Different animal.
JoNova’s site is just like yours – a blog with comments.
Sorry that link was JoNova’s homepage with a summary of the latest posts.
Just like your homepage.
Here is the latest post with all the forum comments below it.
http://joannenova.com.au/2018/06/energy-crisis-nsw-cant-keep-coal-plants-or-aluminium-smelters-running-prices-hit-14000mwhr/
I like the new style and function. I would like better if:
.
1. Author name font size at least same as comment. No squint.
.
2. Author name not show up in subscription. Should.
.
.
Sandy,
Minister of Future
The changes noted in Updates are very helpful.
Why do I have to re-insert my name and email every time I post a comment? PITA
Hmmn. My name repeats for each comment.
CB,
Try clearing your browser cache (cookies, etc, et.al.), restart, post a new comment with your name/email, wait a bit, and see if it corrects the problem….
Here is another forum with good formatting options.
It also has a “reply with quote” button which is very useful.
A forum I use allows you to highlight some text in a comment you want to reply to,
and it creates a reply with quote button of the selected text.
That is a big time saver.
Again, forum…not what this is here.
JoNova’s site is her blog with comments below, exactly like yours.
http://joannenova.com.au/2018/06/energy-crisis-nsw-cant-keep-coal-plants-or-aluminium-smelters-running-prices-hit-14000mwhr/
It says “Site by Openwire
Powered by WordPress & Atahualpa’
on her blog
Just trying to give constructive criticism.
Jeff, I think you’re trying to help but, as Anthony said, this is a blog and not a forum. Different software. And, I think different companies (such as WordPress) that offer to host Blogs have their own software with differing built in options.
This blog is one best and most read blogs in the world.
But I think the comment system still has room for improvement.
It says “Site by Openwire
Powered by WordPress & Atahualpa”
on her blog
Hmmn. “Join the Discussion” block is now at the top of the page. Could be useful.
A recommendation, please. Add a sequential “comment number” (Reply_ID_nbr) for each reply in each thread. It will make references explicit when a person is commenting about an earlier reply, even if the two/three/four/six/sixteen replies and feedbacks are separated by days, minutes, or hours. Thus, these words are 117. Referenced later as 117.
And this reply is 118.
Reply from other page.
Sorry, the plugin doesn’t support comment numbers.
Bummer.
I purchased and added a plugin that allows users to search comments, see it at the top with the primary post a comment box.
Anthony
Nice job on the font size for threaded comments.
Is italic still in the old font size?
We can check bold.
Stupid computers!
Cool!
A “streamlined” CTRL-F.
Anthony Watts
What was the price of the plug-in? Do you need a donation to cover it?
$25, no need but thanks.
Yes numbering of comments,
icons and profile of commenters (with link to profile page)
is really good.
http://i1309.photobucket.com/albums/s630/GeorgeGibson1813/Capture_3.jpg
Posting this at the top level, too, about the “problem” with image embedding – the reference is to Robert Kernodle’s comment at 5:23 PM on June 9.
Here’s the reason: A lot of these “images” are not actually images – i.e., they are really links to web pages, not a specific file. Try whatever your browser has for “open link in new window/tab” on Robert’s “comment image” above. You end up on a DropBox web page that drags in a whole bunch of other things, not just a JPEG file. Which WordPress (rightly) rejects – that is a very big security hole.
EDIT: Just tried a couple of things that sometimes work around this issue – no joy. Sigh… I really don’t see a solution for this, other than saving the image file yourself, then copying it somewhere that is a secured site AND actually saves it as just a file.
Faster it is loading; like it I do.
I do not post much, so can’t really comment much on this part, aside from dropping that ‘read more’ button, plus 1 on that, I like reading the comments. I think the overall look and feel of the site has improved. I appears there are more articles on the first page, could be me, but I like that.
This is my goto site for all things climate and then some. Clearly the reason your site is number one. Your site earned a spot on my cell phones home screen. I also subscribe to the RSS feed on my cell phone and desktop. I quite often share articles. The best part is a few of my friends have actually started to question the status quo thanks to this site. Keep up the good work, many thanks or as they say here maraming salamat po.
Anthony
Probably not the right time to ask for this, but for a long time I have been missing an app for my iPhone.
But thanks for the option to correct; I always make typhos and omissions, have done since the wonderful experience of writing on an IBM typewriter with correction backspace based on sticky tape.
Any chance?
Just tried to vote down myself, wasn’t allowed, to scared to try it on Nick S below; don’t want to start a major thread. But I tested the editing and it works, thank you!
But will we be allowed to vote down Nick in the future, or does this function not work?
Trying to post an image again:
Hope it doesn’t screw things up, I copied some html from the source page code.
[404 (file missing) displayed on preview. .mod]
I have no idea how to post an image the https instead of http doesn’t seem to do it or I don’t really know what I’m supposed to do. A link to detailed instruction would be great.
TinyPic is still using the http: protocol, as far as I know. That will not work here. Editing the url to https: does not work.
I switched over to PostImage which *does* support the https: protocol.
It seems to work fine, same as always.
No sign-up, no login, no account setup needed
Upload your image, hit the “share” button to get the url. Give it a try.
That Boston SLR graph I put up is hosted on PostImage.
Just use your favorite search engine on “postimage”, it will pop right up.
Photobucket also works for me by editing link to https.
Fiddly though.
OK, let’s see if PostImage works:
Thanks Tony
Site looks great, extra functionality really nice. One gripe: I can’t work out how to post as a logged-in wordpress user now. I was doing that on the old site because some time back some loser posted many hostile, nasty comments with MY signature on the bottom, and got me banned for a while until it got sorted out. I had told the moderators that I would always post as a logged in user so that they could easily tell which comments were from the real me. I think I am vulnerable to the bottom feeders again.
Everything looks great Anthony.
Thanks for keeping this site alive and thriving.
I like the new ‘Bookmarks’ section. Any chance the listed links could be marked with the date they were last updated? This would make easier to find updates, especially for the sites that update infrequently.
“the new ‘Bookmarks’ section”?
———
Please enlighten me.
New in the sense they are listed in alphabetical order now and aren’t broken down into categories like ‘Skeptical Views’ , ‘Lukewarmers’ , etc.
Would someone be kind enough to let us know if AndyG55 is still with us?
Thanks in advance . . .
I’ll answer my own question . . . both AndyG55 and Griff (also missed) are frequenting other blogs. How can we get them back? Perhaps we need to start a petition??
(+1 for andy, -1 for griff; no net change… ☺)
I’m missing the notification line on top of the screen, where I can see notices about replies to my comments, login to WP, and other stuff.
However, I can deal with it if there’s no alternative.
Good work, Anthony! Thumbs up!
Testing, Testing, Edit Testing.