Tech: What is TRACER?

Subject: Tech: What is TRACER?
From: Mick Woods
Date: 29 Apr 08 - 04:55 AM

This may sound silly but I notice a feature called TRACER in mudcat - I can't find anything about it in the FAQ section - what does it do ? and how do I use it?

Subject: RE: Tech: What is TRACER?
From: Bonnie Shaljean
Date: 29 Apr 08 - 05:08 AM

If there's a thread you want to keep up with, click the "Add To Tracer" link written in white on the blue bar at the bottom of the thread. Then, when you click on your "Personal Page" link (written above left, just under the "Café") you'll see all the threads you want to follow listed in a neat column, and you can access them by clicking on their titles. Also, in the main forum, where you see "Trace" written in a column along the right hand side, the ones you have flagged will then be marked "DeTrace", which makes them stick out from the rest, so they are easy to spot. You can also click on those "Trace" links, which will do the same thing as "Add To Tracer".

If you want to cancel it, from inside the thread you'll see that in the blue bar at the bottom it now says "Delete from tracer" so you can click on that; alternatively you can just click on "DeTrace" in the main forum which will do the same thing.

Your personal page also allows you to send and receive Personal Messages (PM's).

I hope this makes some sort of sense! Welcome to Mudcat -

Subject: RE: Tech: What is TRACER?
From: Mick Woods
Date: 29 Apr 08 - 05:53 AM

It should have been obvious really!

Thanks Bonnie!

Subject: RE: Tech: What is TRACER?
From: catspaw49
Date: 29 Apr 08 - 06:00 AM

Actually Tracer is one of Santa'a reindeer. Although not one of the best known because he is an alternate, Tracer and his stablemates provide backup when any of the "First Team" are injured or ill. Its a little known fact but Claus has an entire backup team trained and ready to go at a moments notice so his deliveries are always on time. Just last year for instance I knew Santa had an alternate on the team when I heard his call, "On Fucker!"


Spaw

Subject: RE: Tech: What is TRACER?
From: Bonnie Shaljean
Date: 29 Apr 08 - 06:32 AM

Oh yeah, that's right, the B Team:

Now Crasher now Trasher
Now Flasher and Boozer
On Fucker, on Sucker
On Tracer and Loser

Subject: RE: Tech: What is TRACER?
From: catspaw49
Date: 29 Apr 08 - 06:59 AM

Thanks Bonnie.....I can never remember all their names and they never got a poem like the others.

Spaw

Subject: RE: Tech: What is TRACER?
From: Bill D
Date: 29 Apr 08 - 11:52 AM

Besides, Santa almost didn't make it out of South Los Angeles when he took the backup team for a trial run 2 Summers ago.

Subject: RE: Tech: What is TRACER?
From: Bonnie Shaljean
Date: 29 Apr 08 - 11:55 AM

No chimneys?

Subject: RE: Tech: What is TRACER?
From: Bonnie Shaljean
Date: 29 Apr 08 - 11:57 AM

Mick, ya still with us? . . . Mick?? . . . Miiiiiiiick????

Subject: RE: Tech: What is TRACER?
From: gnu
Date: 29 Apr 08 - 12:09 PM

Bonnie... smog. Woulda been okay if Rudy's alternate, Olive, had a bright red nose too, but, anyway, they were lucky to prang in salt water and be rescued by the Coast Guard. Close call.

Subject: RE: Tech: What is TRACER?
From: gnu
Date: 29 Apr 08 - 12:10 PM

Oh, gosh... I forgot. Welcome to The Café MICK!

Don't feed the reindeer.

Subject: RE: Tech: What is TRACER?
From: Bill D
Date: 29 Apr 08 - 12:21 PM

Bonnie...read your verse. *grin* ....think about Santa yelling that in L.A.

Subject: RE: Tech: What is TRACER?
From: Bonnie Shaljean
Date: 29 Apr 08 - 12:35 PM

Would anybody have heard him over the traffic?

Methinks we will get kicked downstairs to the nether regions of Mudcat soon. Seatbelts fastened?

Subject: RE: Tech: What is TRACER?
From: PoppaGator
Date: 29 Apr 08 - 01:17 PM

This has been so much fun, I hate to get back to the original topic, but here goes:

I have way too many threads listed as "traced" on my personal page.

Maybe one out of four or five concerns topics that I'll always be interested in; when they reappear near the top of my personal-page list, I'm glad to see 'em and quickly check in to see what new input someone has added to the conversation.

On the other hand, most of the threads that I have marked to be traced concern topics in which I've lost interest, and/or in which everyone else has lost interest, so that they remain far down the list, never to reappear as current discussions.

For example, if a thread includes links to videos I can't watch at the moment (i.e., at work), I'll "trace" 'em so that I can find them when I have time to watch at home, which might be several days later when the thread has dropped off the bottom of the page. But after a few weeks, I'll have lost interest in most of those links, but they remain in my tracer list, cluttering it up forevermore.

The process required to delete multiple traced threads is pretty slow and tedious; they have to be addressed one at a time, and take a few too many seconds apiece to disappear. Whenever I've set out to "clean house," I've quit or been called away before making sufficient progress.

Now, I appreciate the hard work it must take to maintain Mudcat as a labor of love, and hesitate to ask anyone to do any more work than they're already putting in. But I would sure like it if there were a checkbox next to each listing in the tracer, so one could tick off a dozen or two items for deletion, and then wipe 'em all out with one click of the mouse.

...I wish I could contribute something to the Santa's-reindeer conversattion, but I can't think of anything funny enough to stand up to what's already been said...

Subject: RE: Tech: What is TRACER?
From: Bonnie Shaljean
Date: 29 Apr 08 - 01:22 PM

Wearing my serious hat for a mo (if I can find it) - I strongly second Poppa G's plea. A multiple-DeTrace function, guys, pleeeease. It takes such ages that I never quite manage to do it either, even on broadband. Think of the bandwidth you'll save on all our personal pages...

Subject: RE: Tech: What is TRACER?
From: gnu
Date: 29 Apr 08 - 02:02 PM

Well, if you just click as fast as they come up, without reading the thread titles, at a DL speed of 7 Mbps and an UL speed of 512 kbps, it takes an average of 4.5 seconds to delete a thread from your personal page. So, it takes 7:30 minutes to delete a hundred tracers.

Surely we can all spare a few minutes to save Max and/or Jeff their valuable time. Here's what I intend to do in the future. When I trace a thread, I will delete one. If I wanna remember to check the deleted one in the future, I'll make a note of it in my file of "memorable threads".

Now, I must go delete some more tracers from my personal page.

Thanks for bringing this up guys. I am guilty of clogging up the bandwith too.

Subject: RE: Tech: What is TRACER?
From: Bill D
Date: 29 Apr 08 - 04:43 PM

IF you need a quick reference, you can simply make a text file with the thread numbers of ones you 'may' need again..(looking above, this is thread 110807)...then type a few words;or even C&P the title for a reminder. This on YOUR computer...not dependent on Max's. Then you can easily edit or delete as you wish....and you can still use the Mudcat one for a shorter, more important list.
In fact, you can just C&P your current list! Like the following partial list--and edit and keep that, and delete what you wish.

Many ways to skin the 'Cat


Help: Did Jimmie Davis really write SUNSHINE?        39        29 Apr 08 - 03:48 PM         DeTrace
Tech: MP3 conversion programme, anyone?        32        16 Apr 08 - 03:34 PM         DeTrace
Craigielee/Waltzing Matilda        104*        10 Apr 08 - 05:23 AM         DeTrace
BS: flickr photos--do you have a page?        283*        02 Apr 08 - 03:00 AM         DeTrace
BS: Skillet good and greasy: cast iron        46        17 Mar 08 - 02:27 PM         DeTrace
BS: Mudcat Crafters        235*        14 Mar 08 - 11:54 AM         DeTrace
Tech: Free Software Selections        49        10 Mar 08 - 05:40 PM         DeTrace
BS: Starbucks closing: did you care?        112*        03 Mar 08 - 12:24 AM         DeTrace
Lyr Add: Casabianca: boy stood on the burning deck        85*        28 Feb 08 - 07:35 AM         DeTrace
Child Ballad site        109*        11 Feb 08 - 07:19 PM         DeTrace
BS: There aren't any Gods (not even Jesus)        828*        08 Jan 08 - 01:27 PM         DeTrace
Tech: Autoharp Bar Felt - Quality        28        22 Dec 07 - 03:43 PM         DeTrace
BS: Useful New Words        76*        21 Dec 07 - 02:42 PM         DeTrace
BS: My computer needs good thoughts too!        26        21 Dec 07 - 12:58 PM         DeTrace
BS: What scientists think about        151*        12 Dec 07 - 07:23 PM         DeTrace
Chico's Songbook of Lyrics & Chords LINK        37

Subject: RE: Tech: What is TRACER?
From: Joe Offer
Date: 29 Apr 08 - 05:04 PM

Dear Abby,
I filled my tracer with about a hundred threads a bunch of years ago, and now my tracer is too big to bother looking at.
Same thing happened with my personal messages - Mudcat keeps telling me I have 1693 messages. How can I ever clean them out and get to some semblance of normalcy?
-Joe-

Subject: RE: Tech: What is TRACER?
From: Bill D
Date: 29 Apr 08 - 05:23 PM

Dear Joe

I'm sorry, but all you can do now is change your name and start over, with more foresight and restraint.

May I suggest "Joe Honor"?

yours always, Abby

Subject: RE: Tech: What is TRACER?
From: gnu
Date: 30 Apr 08 - 05:36 AM

Joe Honour-Offer?

Subject: RE: Tech: What is TRACER?
From: Snuffy
Date: 30 Apr 08 - 09:24 AM

She offered her honour
He honoured her offer
And all night long
It was honour and offer.

Subject: RE: Tech: What is TRACER?
From: Bill D
Date: 30 Apr 08 - 09:24 AM

no...Joe lives in the USA. We don't require all those extra "U's". (saves, oh...gallons of ink every year.)

Subject: RE: Tech: What is TRACER?
From: Bonnie Shaljean
Date: 30 Apr 08 - 09:59 AM

You don't require extra ewes? Oh, just the normal amount then...

Subject: RE: Tech: What is TRACER?
From: Bill D
Date: 30 Apr 08 - 10:04 AM

Yep...normal! We honor and favor short forms....with
color
.

Subject: RE: Tech: What is TRACER?
From: PoppaGator
Date: 30 Apr 08 - 12:31 PM

It hadn't occurred to me to clean up old PM archives as well as old tracer references.

I'll try to be a good Muscat citizen and do some "spring cleaning." But not right now, not at work ;^)

Subject: RE: Tech: What is TRACER?
From: Joe Offer
Date: 30 Apr 08 - 01:18 PM

Harumpf!! I'm sorry I asked...

Subject: RE: Tech: What is TRACER?
From: MMario
Date: 30 Apr 08 - 01:27 PM

your mistake joe, was adding on the bit about get to some semblance of normalcy?

This *is* the mudcat.

Subject: RE: Tech: What is TRACER?
From: gnu
Date: 30 Apr 08 - 02:48 PM

I resemble that remark!