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This is a noticeboard for site announcements, such as pending upgrades and tests.
The hub now introduces the ability to set the size of the type in the main body. To do this click the "+" at the top right of the page, to go back click the "-"
The typeface used has also changed to "Segoe UI" (on Windows) and Helvetica Neue on Macintoshes. §
The hub will now introduce mandatory captchas for all edits. This step is being taken because spam from unfriendly bots is getting out of control. "Captchas" are a challenge/response authentication mechanism which attempt to prove that the user is a real person and not a computer. In our implementation, you will be shown a numeric code and asked to enter it.
Currently, the code is actual text on the page, we are reluctant to deploy "distorted image of text" captchas for several reasons, however this will be explored if necessary.
Example:
The hub's CSS will not validate until further notice. It now includes several experimental directives including @font-face. Pleae do not file a PR.
A beta of the new About section main-page has been formally launched and all visitors to that section are being reorganized there. That section has also been reorganized and enhanced. Please let us know what you think about this beta. For comparison Old Main Page
It has been decided that Vistua Planet will be decommissioned due to low use and a refocus of vistua.com site services. The switchoff will happen Tuesday, March 2. Until that time the Planet will continue to aggregate its subscriptions.
We have rolled out a minor change to the hub template. Users may have noticed a small but annoying cosmetic bug in the navigation capsule. Sometimes, when you pointed the mouse cursor at an item, its background disappeared briefly before lightening like it's supposed to.
This is because the background-image that contains the highlight did not load until it actually displayed, the delay is caused by the time it takes to download the image-file to your browser.
This only happens some of the times because if the image is in your browser's cache (I.E. the browser has opened that file recently) it will load instantaneously. This problem is now fixed, the site will force your browser to download the image if it is not already in the cache.
This has caused the Hub version to advance to 3.3, as you will note in the footer below.
We are now testing an electronic PR filing mechanism, to test it please go to Reporting A Problem and click "electronically" in the "file a pr" box.
We encourage you to actively use this mechanism as we develop it. For test filings though, please put the word DUMMY in the "application name" field so that we know it is not a real PR.
As usual, comments to admin@vistua.net or dm @vistua on Twitter.
Administration is seeking feedback and comment for the Online Helpdesk, in particular for the following high-volume pages.
Are these pages complete? accurate? understandable? are there any sections you would like added (particularly to Common Problems)?
We would also like to know if you have suggestions for new pages to be added. To assist with this activity, either make your own edits to the pages, or email admin@vistua.com
This activity is being conducted to ensure that the Online Helpdesk is as useful as possible to you, during jzw's vacation in August.
Consultation is now under-way over potential plans to cease offering the Groupware Portal. The Groupware Portal is a "start page" which allows customization of various modules.
Originally it included modules for Email and Calendar, neither of which are now working. Because of this, and the cessation of the product by its vendor, as well as other reasons, it is proposed that the Portal be decommissioned. An e-mail survey is being conducted.
Email, Calendar and "Google Docs" apps are not being discontinued.
The cessation of this product by the vendor is part of the evolution of the underlying platform "Google Apps" out of Beta, which was only just completed today.
The page Wiki.HomePage has been locked from editing due to repeat automated vandalism. It is thought that this page is suffering from vandalism because its URL is http://www.vistua.com/Wiki/HomePage.
On many Wikis installations the Wiki itself is installed in a directory called Wiki, and accessed there, Wikipedia's homepage is /wiki/Main_Page. Because of this, paths like /Wiki/Main_Page and /Wiki/HomePage are probably coded into the bots that are performing the vandalism.
For those interested: the vandalism does not appear to be spam, and consists of links to a page (hosted on the disreputable free host Tripod) with pictures of men using urinals, the Google homepage rendered in very old browsers and a cash-advance store. The text accompanying the pictures consists of mis-spelled references to telecoms company websites and miscellaneous pronouncements including this gem:
A quick Google search shows that "Fendahl" is a Doctor-Who monster. We couldn't possibly comment on the significance of this.
Version 3.2 of the Vistua Hub, using the new Vox III template framework and look-feel has been officially launched. Please refer to the News & Notes article for more information.
The Vox III template is to be launched on The Vistua Hub shortly. Internal testing is still under way. Vox III is an evolution of the existing Vox II design with some improvements, modernizations and removal of markup structures left over from the old back-end.
Upgrades to the VNS "Advanced Search" results page have been comitted and are now live The decision was made to separate its layout from the VOX2 templating system because of maintenance difficulties.
Organizational changes are coming shortly to the Main.HomePage and Support.HomePage.
The changes to Support.HomePage will entail the creation of a "capsulette" or "subtab" 'jump to' bar which will allow intuitive switching between views such as default, index, knowledge base, FAQs and problem reporting. The changes will also see a reorganization of the current HomePage into the "default" view.
A similar "tab-bar" will be deployed for the Main.HomePage to rapidly direct visitors to common areas.
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