Pirates@Home now has a new section - a Pirates' glossary

This is a wiki, which uses the same software which runs the Wikipedia. I've been working recently to integrate that software with the BOINC forums, so that if you are logged in on Pirates@Home then you are automagically authenticated to the wiki. Then there is no need for "halt, who goes there?" for you to make a contribution.

There are a few things I hope our crew will help me test. First of all, does it work as expected? There are probably many small things that need to be tweaked or altered, but what is really broken?

Next, I'd like to test permissions. I hope to be able to use this on a site where students and teachers work together on investigative projects. Teachers need to be able to performs some administrative tasks, as well as monitor what the students may be posting. We may only allow editing from teachers or students who've been with the program a while. It looks like this kind of separation of permissions is easily implemented, but I'd like to test the mechanism here. The details are posted under [[Configuring user permissions]].

As you can see, there is a quick way to link to the glossary from the forums. If you enclose a word in double square brackets (thus: [ [Grog] ], but without spaces between the brackets) then it is automatically turned into a link to the glossary, thus: [[Grog]]. It's exactly the same as making a (local) link in the wiki.

I've developed this for I2U2, but the 'plugin' which makes it work is more general, and would therefore allow any BOINC project to easily add a wiki, perhaps to provide further documentation or background about the project's research. But it's only useful if it works, and so we need to test it.

Thanks in advance for your help.

____________
-- Eric Myers

"Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire." -- William Butler Yeats

[[bilge rat]]

[[wench]]

[[Configuring interwiki linking]]


edit - well the links work!

[[spec!al Characte$]] seem to not work?
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Join BOINC Synergy Team

I added something on [[Configuring user permissions]] talk page, had to confirm my email first.

I added something on [[Configuring user permissions]] talk page, had to confirm my email first.

[[bilge rat]]

[[wench]]

[[spec!al Characte$]] seem to not work?

How did the e-mail confirmation work? Was it the wiki which set it up and ran the dialogue, or was it through BOINC? I have it configured so that the fact that you have verified your e-mail in BOINC is conveyed over to the wiki, but I've not tried it in that detail.

Everything about the confirmation email was from inside the wiki. I don't remember having confirmed my email via BOINC, maybe I did in the old times of account keys...

And if you have, then the wiki should not ask for it. But I think I did not yet implement that bit.

On the Alphabetical Index, when clicking on any letter of which a word is in the Glossary, all other categories are shown as well (click A, you see C to M). Click on a letter above the last one in the Glossary and it shows nothing.

Shouldn't it also not show anything if I click A? As there is nothing starting with A. When I click C it should only show everything starting with C. etc.
____________
Jord.

The BOINC FAQ Service.

On the Alphabetical Index, when clicking on any letter of which a word is in the Glossary, all other categories are shown as well (click A, you see C to M). Click on a letter above the last one in the Glossary and it shows nothing.

Shouldn't it also not show anything if I click A? As there is nothing starting with A. When I click C it should only show everything starting with C. etc.

Although my Recent average credit is now 0.94 (and thus effectively puts me into the seaman category), I was able to successfully create the [[BBCode Tags]] (BBCode Tags) page.

Is the casting (a.k.a. Pirates@Home permissions or cathegorization) not yet enforced?
____________
Peter .-)

Pirates@Home now has a new section - a Pirates' glossary

This is a wiki, [...] but what is really broken?

Although my Recent average credit is now 0.94 (and thus effectively puts me into the seaman category), I was able to successfully create the [[BBCode Tags]] page.

Although my Recent average credit is now 0.94 (and thus effectively puts me into the seaman category), I was able to successfully create the [[BBCode Tags]] page.

I've made some changes which I hope will separate the seamen from the able_seamen and fix this. Please try it again.

"This page has been locked to prevent editing.
You can view and copy the source of this page:"

[[Blame Misfit]]
____________

I've made some changes which I hope will separate the seamen from the able_seamen and fix this. Please try it again.

After clicking tiny edit link on the right side, I've got:

"This page has been locked to prevent editing.
You can view and copy the source of this page:"

[[Blame Misfit]]

Same here, but with my RAC I should be able to edit.

I can't even see the wiki type pages. I seem to get a properly formed URL, however it is just a blank page. I tried most of the links here as well as the link on the home page. I am using IE7 on windows XP, and firefox on FC6.
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BOINC WIKI

Dirty John Rackham

I see that effect with Mozilla on multiple other pages, John. What if you immediately reload, do the pages load then? I think it's a caching/prefetch problem of the browser.

____________
Jord.

The BOINC FAQ Service.

Rusty on User talk:Rusty wrote:

[size=+1]User talk:Rusty[/size]
Hi there. You can leave messages for me here.

--Rusty 13:59, 17 January 2007 (EST)

I've tried, but while among the unable_seamen...

how is it done, if someone is not (yet) allowed to create / modify documents, is there some way how to put a question or leave a note (maybe to the user talk areas)?

And, from here to Glossary, is translation of user names (something like [[User:Rusty]]) possible?

I can't even see the wiki type pages. I seem to get a properly formed URL, however it is just a blank page. I tried most of the links here as well as the link on the home page. I am using IE7 on windows XP, and firefox on FC6.

Same here, but with my RAC I should be able to edit.

It might be possible to check for changes in RAC at each connection, but this could increase the work load on the server side unless I can find a clever way to detect just recent changes. We might try this in any case.

It's already checking user level on each connection, which I guess it's stored on the DB, so I don't see how it will cause more load.

Because I can read German, it would seem Wikipedia censors its users and material. ;)

link.
____________
Jord.

The BOINC FAQ Service.

We have to see how the various permissions really work. I've modified the 'seaman' class so that they may create a talk page, but not create or edit an article. I now wonder if that also allows you to edit an existing talk page?

Interesting. Logged out I reach the glossary fine. Logged in, instead or reaching a blank page, I now get this:


____________
Team Starfire World BOINC!

Interesting. Logged out I reach the glossary fine. Logged in, instead or reaching a blank page, I now get this:

Interesting. Logged out I reach the glossary fine. Logged in, instead or reaching a blank page, I now get this:

I tweaked how it finds you. Please try it now, when you get a chance. Thanks.

We have to see how the various permissions really work. I've modified the 'seaman' class so that they may create a talk page, but not create or edit an article. I now wonder if that also allows you to edit an existing talk page?

And to test this I've returned the threshold to RAC > 1.0, so Pepo is again demoted to simply a 'seaman'.

(We'll have to think of a reward for him for this in the end...)

Interesting. Logged out I reach the glossary fine. Logged in, instead or reaching a blank page, I now get this:

I tweaked how it finds you. Please try it now, when you get a chance. Thanks.

Same error Cap'n.

Same error Cap'n.

Capt'n, my last eye sees you're mising the preview feature too...
____________
Peter .-)

Kinguni {pirate} wrote:

Same error Cap'n.

I think I've figured it out, thanks to Pepo's link to the list of all users. When I try to pull up your user page I get:

Bad title

The requested page title was invalid, empty, or an incorrectly linked
inter-language or inter-wiki title. It may contain one more characters
which cannot be used in titles.

I suspect that the curly brackets in your name are allowed in a BOINC user name, but not by Mediawiki. And once your account is created on the wiki that name is fixed in stone. Then yer screwed.

This may well be the problem keeping JKeck out as well, and there are others who may have problems due to their name.

Let me see what I can do about this...

OK, now I get the db error again.

edit: But if I'm logged out from here, I can go to the glossary and show logged in as Kinguni.

Further edit: Can't log out from the Glossary. Really fubar here.

Current error when trying to access the glossary while logged in here only:


____________
Team Starfire World BOINC!

24hrs ago I wasn't allowed to edit, but all good now.
And I now see user list page with Pepo as the only seaman. Travesty!
For sure when this is over Pepo must be promoted to Boatswain or maybe even Sailing Master.
____________

Click and enter your name for your BOINC Statistics

I now see user list page with Pepo as the only seaman. Travesty!

Give it another week and we'll all be there, Peter. All this lying in the harbor doesn't give us much to work on. ;)
____________
Jord.

The BOINC FAQ Service.

If we'd sail away, I could possibly fight for and collect some gold and then be promoted to "be able". (dreams)
But lying in harbor makes my wooden leg strike roots into the ground.
____________
Peter .-)

collect some gold

Thinking about that, shouldn't the Credits here be Gold and the RAC be RAG, Captain? (Recent Average Gold)

I have adjusted the permissions again, to what I think matches better how the wiki applies them and how they might best be used here. A seaman can edit any existing page (unless it is protected) but may not create a new one, except if it is a talk page. An able_seaman can create a new page, and can also upload images, which a simple seaman cannot do.

And... working together works. If a seaman needs a new page created he may ask any able_seaman to do it. Once the page has been created the seaman may edit it.

At least this is how it looks like it will work. Does it really work that way?

____________
-- Eric Myers

"Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire." -- William Butler Yeats

collect some gold

Thinking about that, shouldn't the Credits here be Gold and the RAC be RAG, RAB or RAL, Captain? (Recent Average Gold, Bullion or Loot)

Give it another week and we'll all be there, Peter. All this lying in the harbor doesn't give us much to work on. ;)

I've heard somewhere credits from Pirates@Home refered to as [[Gold Dust]]

An able_seaman who stays logged in on his browser even as his RAC drops below 1.0 should remain an able_seaman until at least the end of the browser session.

An able_seaman who stays logged in on his browser even as his RAC drops below 1.0 should remain an able_seaman until at least the end of the browser session.

Everyone immediately sets their Pirates cookies to never expire.... ;)

...and suddenly the Pirates' Glossary Bureaucrats will come with another idea requiring RAG > 1.59 to become (........)

Now you need at least RAC > 0.01 (one "cobblepenny") to even become a seaman.

Right so. It possibly takes some time here, but seems to be necessary. At least at larger tankers, maybe not at tiny galeons.

One more idea - Glossary uses external links for instance to MediaWiki for e.g. Formatting. Could there be a requirement from closed-comunity to have internet-independent wiki? Or is it rather unusual?

Drat it, I hits da glossary, on main page, this un's is what I gets. Did not eyeball any other similar comment in this thread. But I do need new trifocals.

Database error
A database query syntax error has occurred. This may indicate a bug in the software. The last attempted database query was:

(SQL query hidden)

from within function "User::addToDatabase". MySQL returned error "1048: Column 'user_name' cannot be null (localhost)".

roark
____________
May you always have clear skies,
Following seas
And the wind at your back.

Drat it, I hits da glossary, on main page, this un's is what I gets. Did not eyeball any other similar comment in this thread. But I do need new trifocals.

Database error
A database query syntax error has occurred. This may indicate a bug in the software. The last attempted database query was:

(SQL query hidden)

from within function "User::addToDatabase". MySQL returned error "1048: Column 'user_name' cannot be null (localhost)".

roark

from within function "User::addToDatabase". MySQL returned error "1048: Column 'user_name' cannot be null (localhost)".

I still can't get the glossary logged in Cap'n.
____________
Team Starfire World BOINC!

roark wrote:

from within function "User::addToDatabase". MySQL returned error "1048: Column 'user_name' cannot be null (localhost)".

I wonder if this is related to the fact that your username begins with a lower case letter. The wiki wants it upper case. I though that it would convert it, though your "Real Name" on the wiki would still be lower case.

If you are in, what is your username on the wiki, roark or Roark? And if you check your preferences what does it show for your Real Name?

I can see I need to look more carefully at how BOINC and the wiki deal with user names.

Thank for the report(s).

Right now we have a picky wiki which will not let you in if your BOINC user name has curly brackets in it or if your username does not begin with an upper case letter. And once you've tried to connect you are wedged. You can't get around it by changing your name in BOINC.

I will work on the code to find a way around this, but I can't do it right away. The right way to do it is to let the wiki software do the proper conditioning of the name, so that it gets exactly what it wants. I thought I had that set up, but some functions adjust text to match the requirement, while others return NULL if the text does not meet the requirement, and I may have mistaken one of these for the other.

I'll post here when I have something I'd like to test, and I'll then clear you from the wiki databse so you can start over. [[Heave to]] until then (and smoke 'em if you got 'em :-)

____________
-- Eric Myers

"Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire." -- William Butler Yeats

No big one Cap'n. Pleasure to help you work them bugs outta da system.
____________
Team Starfire World BOINC!

Same here, but with my RAC I should be able to edit.

I see you in the wiki user database, but you are not listed as an 'able_seaman', though other users are.

The group assignment is made when you log in, so if you were already logged in to the wiki then the changes I made won't take effect until you log out and log back in.

To test this I've lowered the threshold to 0.90. Pepo, if you logout and then log in again you should be able to edit. Let me know.

If you still cannot edit then try logging out, visit the wiki, then log back in again. I have tried to make the logout clear both BOINC and wiki (by making them share the same PHP session, and then clearing the one session at logout) but this also should be tested.


It might be possible to check for changes in RAC at each connection, but this could increase the work load on the server side unless I can find a clever way to detect just recent changes. We might try this in any case.

I'm still wedged. I did get to read the glossary by logging out. However even after changing my name I get an error when trying to access it logged in. I do get error 500 messages now instead of just a blank screen, so at least some progress has been made.
____________
BOINC WIKI

Dirty John Rackham

Right now we have a picky wiki which will not let you in if your BOINC user name has curly brackets in it or if your username does not begin with an upper case letter. And once you've tried to connect you are wedged. You can't get around it by changing your name in BOINC.

MJ and DJ (seem like a pair. ;)), which browser(s) are you using? Did you try to delete your browser cache? Did you restart the browser after purging the cache?

John, your name John Keck {pirate} is still in the list on the Glossary. I think I read in this thread that Eric said changing your name won't matter, you're now coded into the Wiki using that name. Unless you try to detach and re-attach. The scheduler is up&running, so that should be a possibility.
____________
Jord.

The BOINC FAQ Service.

Unless you try to detach and re-attach. The scheduler is up&running, so that should be a possibility.

I've tried a few times to check out the glossary and all I ever get is a "HTTP 500" error.

It makes one feel like Charlie Brown... "All I got was a rock" :P
____________

MJ and DJ (seem like a pair. ;)), which browser(s) are you using? Did you try to delete your browser cache? Did you restart the browser after purging the cache?

I was able to get in while logged in today. Did you change something Eric? or did the username change finally propagate.

I did not turn up as seaman, able or otherwise, though.

edit: logging out and back in gave me that able-bodied tag.
____________
BOINC WIKI

Dirty John Rackham

I was able to get in while logged in today. Did you change something Eric? or did the username change finally propagate.

I did not turn up as seaman, able or otherwise, though.

edit: logging out and back in gave me that able-bodied tag.

Something changed, somewhere along the way... I can get in now, go figure!

MJ
____________
Hail, Poetry, thou heav'n-born maid!
Thou gildest e'en the pirate's trade.
Hail, flowing fount of sentiment!
Hail, all hail, divine emollient!

It should work for everybody now.

Aye, Cap'n! I got in and made a small addition to the section on gold dust. It worked fine and was very easy to use. That is all... SIR!
____________

Wow. Code dwarves really do exist.
____________

With my account everything worked well from the beginning on. I could read, write and load up pictures.
The only thing I do not understand is that everybody with editing rights may edit everyones userpage. i think this does not make sense.
____________
Dragons can fly because they don't fit into pirate ships

Wow. Code dwarves really do exist.

I was able to get in while logged in today. Did you change something Eric? or did the username change finally propagate.

I did not turn up as seaman, able or otherwise, though.

edit: logging out and back in gave me that able-bodied tag.

What's interesting: I looked at the stuff page 2 hours ago and again now, but there is still neither JKeck nor Dirty John username. Where did you see your able-bodied tag? (Some other page I missed?)

It was on that page. Dirty John is still there, the seaman tag is missing now though.

The only thing I do not understand is that everybody with editing rights may edit everyones userpage. i think this does not make sense.

An extension I found interesting is [[m:Talkright]], which allows...

An extension I found interesting is [[m:Talkright]], which allows...

Inter-wiki links don't work inside BOINC forums, it seems...

Was able to get into the glossary today, but could neither create a new article nor edit existing articles (thought that 'Captain Blood' was a must add to the nautical movies list) even though my RAC was 1.50. The list of users also gave no parenthetical title beside my entry and many others. Is there some time delay before that is added?

(thought that 'Captain Blood' was a must add to the nautical movies list)

Was able to get into the glossary today, but could neither create a new article nor edit existing articles (thought that 'Captain Blood' was a must add to the nautical movies list) even though my RAC was 1.50. The list of users also gave no parenthetical title beside my entry and many others. Is there some time delay before that is added?

There is no time delay, but the assignment as seaman or able_seaman is made only when you log in. So perhaps you had visited the glossary earlier, just for a look, before I had altered the code, so you already had a session running. Try logging out and logging in again to see if it gets it right.

Capt'n, rocks on the left side!!

I've noticed another issue. I tried to log out, then (for the first time as a visitor) to take a look at our forum, then the Glossary. I've tried to edit the Gold Dust page and was asked to log in first:

You have to log in to edit pages.
Return to Gold Dust.
Retrieved from "http://pirates.spy-hill.net/glossary/index.php/Gold_Dust"

[size=+2]Log in[/size]

You must have cookies enabled to log in to Pirates@Home.
Username: __________
Password: __________

[x] Remember my login on this computer

[ Log in ] [ E-mail password ]

[size=+1]Log in / create account[/size]
From Pirates@Home
Jump to: navigation, search
[size=+1]Login error:[/size]
Incorrect password entered. Please try again.

Capt'n, rocks on the left side!!...

I suspect there are some internal hooks in the software which will let me redirect these links, but I've not yet tracked them down.

I have now figured out how to do this. One needs to add one hook to the function which checks that a user is logged in to the wiki....

So now when the wiki wants you to log in it will direct you to the BOINC login page, not the (non-functional) wiki login page.

[[Blame Misfit]]

From Pirates@Home (<--- where did this)
Jump to: navigation, search (<--- come from?)

[[Blame Misfit]]

This is what I see

...
Thanks for probing the limits (as usual).

I put a hook in the wiki code which was supposed to redirect you to the right place if authentication is required, but it seems it does not work in all cases.

[[Blame Misfit]]

This is what I see

And unfortunately if you get this page you are already screwed. No matter what password you enter it won't work, because the password in the database has been altered to facilitate authentication via BOINC. You have to login to the BOINC part of the site first, then go to the wiki.

I put a hook in the wiki code which was supposed to redirect you to the right place if authentication is required, but it seems it does not work in all cases. Thanks for probing the limits (as usual).

I'm automatically logged in when I come here via permanent cookie.

I'm automatically logged in when I come here via permanent cookie.

And that cookie will authenticate you to the wiki as well.

But with RAC < 1.0 you can only edit existing pages, not create new ones.

There is now a page called [[Wench]]. You can go edit it.
____________
Jord.

The BOINC FAQ Service.

I am not able to edit the "Wench" page. I think I have the qualifications and abilities to elaborate on that subject!

Every page on the wiki has an accompanying "talk" page (reached by the "annotations" tab at the top of the page), the purpose of which is to discuss what should or should not be put in the article itself, or how best to phrase things, or which things to emphasize, etc.

I belive I have the wiki configured so that any member of the crew can create a "talk" page, even with RAC < 1.0 or even 0.01. And a quick check shows that right now even anonymous visitors can contribute to existing talk pages (but not create new ones). I'll change that if there is a problem with abuse (we can blame Misfit), but my interest is more to see how I can control access, rather than specific issues of content.

Please feel free to try out the talk pages, and use them as might be appropriate to disucuss what should go in a particular article.

____________
-- Eric Myers

"Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire." -- William Butler Yeats

I'm not exactly sure why you refer to yourself as a "wench". It's an extremely demeaning way to refer to a woman.

But hey. If that's how you see yourself, then so be it. It's not a term I like so you're welcome to edit the page.

I am not able to edit the "Wench" page. I think I have the qualifications and abilities to elaborate on that subject!

Fuzzy.

I'm not exactly sure why you refer to yourself as a "wench". It's an extremely demeaning way to refer to a woman.

But hey. If that's how you see yourself, then so be it. It's not a term I like so you're welcome to edit the page.

is a post like the one I'm replying to within these rules?

Fuzzy wrote:

is a post like the one I'm replying to within these rules?

There are a number of issues here. There was no way for me to know you found the posting offensive until you said you did, and I still don't know if that was the intention of the poster. It's quite possible she was just pointing out that there is another meaning to the word in question. Only she can speak to her true intentions.

In part, I think this disagreement stems from the fact that there are several meanings of the 'W-word'. Amongst pirates (or people playing at pirates) it can just be used in place of "woman" (though generally not for a female pirate). But as has been pointed out, the more general sense is in fact derogatory (as is being called a pirate, by the way). I believe you were using the word in the first sense while she was pointing out that it has the other meaning as well.

Explaining all meanings and contexts is exactly the purpose of a glossary, and since nobody else has taken on the task I have filled in that entry: [[Wench]] The crew can, of course, edit it to improve upon my start.

In general, my policy is that unless abuse is clear and intended, or unless something is quite clearly offensive, then there is no need to remove a post. When there is some doubt, I'll leave it there, as will the moderators, at least until that doubt is removed. Other members of the crew can then judge a person by what they write -- all of it, both good and bad -- and we can have a mature discussion between all pirates and wenches.

But if things get out of hand I'm happy to try out the brig again...

...

In part, I think this disagreement stems from the fact that there are several meanings of the 'W-word'.

...

Explaining all meanings and contexts is exactly the purpose of a glossary, and since nobody else has taken on the task I have filled in that entry: [[Wench]] The crew can, of course, edit it to improve upon my start.

...

And I am definitely a wench. And a very able pirate also, I plunder as good as any of the guys here, I'm not a landlubber, I stay on the ship also when it's in port. And I take all the gold I'm offered as well.

And I am definitely a wench. And a very able pirate also, I plunder as good as any of the guys here, I'm not a landlubber, I stay on the ship also when it's in port. And I take all the gold I'm offered as well.

And what a lovely profile pic you have too!

In part, I think this disagreement stems from the fact that there are several meanings of the 'W-word'.

Are you now so political correct that you can't even say wench?

In part, I think this disagreement stems from the fact that there are several meanings of the 'W-word'.

Are you now so political correct that you can't even say wench?

Actually, no, I used the word elsewhere. My point in refering to it as the "W-word" was to imply that it's a word which has a wide range of meanings and emotional attachments for a variety of different people. Much like the "N-word". I think the strong feelings shown here demonstrate that.

If you with your expression "N-word" mean what I think you mean and compare that to the word "Wench" you are too far out, in my opinion.

If you with your expression "N-word" mean what I think you mean and compare that to the word "Wench" you are too far out, in my opinion.

I agree that the N-word is much more controversial, but my point is that both carry multiple meanings which can trigger a wide variety of emotional responses. I didn't know what you meant in using the word until you explained it. (Thanks for the glossary contribution.) Now we have three meanings of the word.

And I agree that folks on this site should not be offended by the word, given the context. But can you acknowledge that some people may see the word as offensive? Maybe you don't think they should, but that's separate issue which one can debate.

This morning I noticed on CNN that there is a conference on the N-word at Stillman college in Alabama. It mentions a Tupac Shakur song which he said stood for "Never Ignorant Getting Goals Accomplished." It looks like both Tupac and your Wench movement were/are aimed at turning a pejorative word into a positive ideal.

(Perhaps we should hold a conference on the many meanings of the W-word? We could have Misfit as the after dinner speaker.)

So let's see how the rating system on your board will behave now!