New Mudcat Feature req'd?

Subject: New Mudcat Feature req'd?
From: Gray D
Date: 11 May 02 - 08:19 PM

The BBC message sites have a facility for "posters" to preview their contributions before actually posting.

Anybody viewing erstwhile contributions of mine would be able to see why this could be "a good thing" (cf. "1066 and all that").

Anybode else agree?

---

Hi, Gray - message preview is one of the features of the beta (test) version of Mudcat that I'm using right now. I don't know when it will be implemented.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: New Mudcat Feature req'd?
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 11 May 02 - 08:32 PM

It would be handy. The number of times that I've spotted mistakes after I've pushed the submit button...And it'd cut down the number of double posts to be cleared up too.

But, more important, I strongly suspect that the chance to read what we've written in a preview screen might cut down on the aggro. Sometimes it might make us think twice, when we have posted in anger, or written something that, on reading it through, suddenly reveals itself as asking for trouble we don't actually want.

Subject: RE: New Mudcat Feature req'd?
From: Clinton Hammond
Date: 11 May 02 - 08:34 PM

There are a LOT of standard Message Board features that Mudcat would benefit by making use of...

Subject: RE: New Mudcat Feature req'd?
From: katlaughing
Date: 11 May 02 - 08:36 PM

Patience...we've talked about this when Max asked us what we wanted in the new version...from what I understand it is coming as it was one feature virtually everyone wanted...

Subject: RE: New Mudcat Feature req'd?
From: Gray D
Date: 12 May 02 - 11:20 AM

Excellent.

Regard my breath as bated.

Now if, as one extra improvement, we could just get everyone to stop feeding the troll on the "Mudcat Finance" threads . . .

Subject: RE: New Mudcat Feature req'd?
From: DMcG
Date: 12 May 02 - 11:23 AM

Too Right, Gray D. It looks like the Guest is even posting the same thing to both threads and getting different people worked up.

Thats a new Mudcat Feature we need: A do-not-feed-the-troll icon that can be set against any thread by a JoeClone! Advisory only, of course, we can't have censorship here :-) .......

Subject: RE: New Mudcat Feature req'd?
From: Mr Red
Date: 12 May 02 - 11:31 AM

Yea Pinnacle and Digital Video sites allow editing and report that they have been edited by the postee. If Max has spare time I would like this feature but maybe he is busy earning money for all sorts of essentials including his hobby - Mudcat.

Subject: RE: New Mudcat Feature req'd?
From: RichM
Date: 12 May 02 - 11:36 AM

mandolincafe has a nice review feature, before you actually send the message to the board.

Subject: RE: New Mudcat Feature req'd?
From: catspaw49
Date: 12 May 02 - 12:30 PM

Well, I went back and looked and these things are the ones that people wanted most. Not all of them will happen I don't guess, and not all of them were totally supported by everyone, but here's what most were asking for:

1---A BS filter built in so that you had the option of eliminating any thread labeled BS.
2---A means to preview and edit messages before we post.
3---Automatic line breaks for posting lyrics more easily.
4---The option to continue to use our own html stuff if we want
5---An automatic thing to do the blue clickies for those who haven't learned the html.
6---Move the "Delete" button so some of us don't hit the sucker accidenally after typing in a long post! (me & Bill D)
7---A better means of dealing with the PM's. Easier ways of deleting or searching our archives and an easier way to quickly send a PM instead of having to go through all the rigamarole of typing in names and missing a space or a period or whatever.
8---A better layout in the Quick Links and the pull-down menu, easier and faster to use.
9---Some easier way of printing message posts or entire threads that isn't so "printer intensive."
10--Put the DT and Forum Search on every thread page so you don't have to go back to the main thread page all the time.
11--A means of keeping threads to a loadable number so that we either have a new thread started or something to split the posts so they only load 50 or so at a time if you choose.
12--Enhance the forum search page, again so that we can load messages in groups instead of all of them (I've got 16,000 posts and if I didn't have a decent puter and a cable modem, I'd be screwed on my own!


There are a number of others which got some discussion but I'd say that these were tops. I'd settle for a third of them, but then again, I like the 'Cat the way it is. We'll just have to wait and see what happens!!!

Spaw

Subject: RE: New Mudcat Feature req'd?
From: Amos
Date: 12 May 02 - 12:37 PM

It's one thing to come up with fine requirements. It is totally another to want them enough to pay for them. We run into this in software engineering all the time.

In fact we have a saying" you can have it fast, cheap or good -- pick any two." It's not unusual for a project engineer to go back to the customer with the simple news that the scope of a project has to be cut OR the funds made available have to be increased; this is just rational estimating at work. Don't forget that the development work onthis site takes many hours; and for people whose primary commodity is brains, like Max, those hours are his livelihood.

A

Subject: RE: New Mudcat Feature req'd?
From: GUEST,Jan
Date: 12 May 02 - 01:26 PM

And here was me thinking Max's primary commodity was his good looks...

Jim

Subject: RE: New Mudcat Feature req'd?
From: GUEST,Jan
Date: 12 May 02 - 01:26 PM

And here was me thinking Max's primary commodity was his good looks...

Jan

Subject: RE: New Mudcat Feature req'd?
From: Gray D
Date: 13 May 02 - 05:14 PM

Spaw,

You omitted free beer from your "wanna" list. Surely somebody must have asked for it? If not, can I be the fir . . . never mind.

Amos,

As a fellow worker in the business I was intrigued to read that you approach your customers with "rational estimating". I've tried that with mine . . . I'm still waiting for a rational response.