pics.defcon.org is now live!

[The Dark Tangent]

Check out the new photo software we are running here at DEF CON.

You can create your own albums, upload in batch, comment, etc.

Anyone can view, but to upload log into your account on the forums first, then go to http://pics.defcon.org/ or https://pics.defcon.org/

The idea is to create a permanent repository for DEF CON pictures, something that people can comment on, vote on, and generally organize their shit.

Cot has been critical in making this happen, so make sure to buy him a beer!

[TheCotMan]

Re: pics.defcon.org is now live!

Check out the new photo software we are running here at DEF CON.

You can create your own albums, upload in batch, comment, etc.

Anyone can view, but to upload log into your account on the forums first, then go to http://pics.defcon.org/ or https://pics.defcon.org/

The way it works, is if you login with https on the forums, then you are allready logged in with https on pics, but not http.

If you logged into the forums with http, then you are live with http on pics. If you log into the forums with http and https, then you are live on pics with both. (The wise users will authenticate with https on forums,and use https on pics for uploading and album management.)

The idea is to create a permanent repository for DEF CON pictures, something that people can comment on, vote on, and generally organize their shit.

Cot has been critical in making this happen, so make sure to buy him a beer!

The toughest part was dealing with the vendor's customer support, but thanks! :-)

Feedback welcome.

[shrdlu]

Re: pics.defcon.org is now live!

Feedback welcome.

Oh, and you knew there'd be some. How do I put pictures in the "Gallery" spots reserved for particular defcons? Should I? Can anyone? What goes there, and who do you expect to put pictures there?

If I *can* put pictures in those places set up for the specific years, how can I edit my current pix such that they go there. Does it mean there's a link from one to the other, or will it cause it to simply be moved?

There are more questions, but that's a start.

[TheCotMan]

Re: pics.defcon.org is now live!

Oh, and you knew there'd be some. How do I put pictures in the "Gallery" spots reserved for particular defcons? Should I? Can anyone? What goes there, and who do you expect to put pictures there?

If I *can* put pictures in those places set up for the specific years, how can I edit my current pix such that they go there. Does it mean there's a link from one to the other, or will it cause it to simply be moved?

There are more questions, but that's a start.

As for putting images in the areas for specific Defcon conventions, each user that can publish should be able to select where they want to upload images.

Once image are uploaded, I am not sure how copies work, or if a symlink/shortcut-like system is used internally.

Thanks for the questions, as I should have figured these out before, and verified users have rights to choose to upload images to the specific Defcon events, and other categories.

[shrdlu]

Re: pics.defcon.org is now live!

As for putting images in the areas for specific Defcon conventions, each user that can publish should be able to select where they want to upload images.

Okay, that one worked just fine. Now, I realize that I had an important question that I should have already asked.

How do you *delete* a picture?

As a side note of interest, even though I placed a picture in the DC 14 area, it still also shows in mine (which is nice). I just wish that there was some clear path to a tool that let you remove a picture.

[TheCotMan]

Re: pics.defcon.org is now live!

As for putting images in the areas for specific Defcon conventions, each user that can publish should be able to select where they want to upload images.

Okay, that one worked just fine. Now, I realize that I had an important question that I should have already asked.

How do you *delete* a picture?

As a side note of interest, even though I placed a picture in the DC 14 area, it still also shows in mine (which is nice). I just wish that there was some clear path to a tool that let you remove a picture.

We borrowed the idea from the forums, where users are not allowed to delete their own posts, and made it so users can't delete their own images. This may change, but all we have right now it what works for forums, and are trying to apply that knowledge to pics. This also makes "hacking" into another person's account to be destructive and delete all their images more difficult.

I think I found an ption which will allow people to make albums and then move entire albums into categories. It has been enabled for testing, but I am not sure if it will remain.

[shrdlu]

Re: pics.defcon.org is now live!

We borrowed the idea from the forums,

deleting an image

where users are not allowed to delete their own posts, and made it so users can't delete their own images.

Ah. I see. I note that it would have let me *replace* the image with a new one. In fact, I think I'll go try that now. You might want to note that images can't be deleted, once placed, in the rules, so that users are not surprised by this.

[shrdlu]

Re: pics.defcon.org is now live!

Ah. I see. I note that it would have let me *replace* the image with a new one. In fact, I think I'll go try that now. You might want to note that images can't be deleted, once placed, in the rules, so that users are not surprised by this.

So, that worked, sort of. It seems that some of the areas are slow to update, and don't necessarily reflect the changes that have been made right away. At least I know that if I have an image I'm sorry I put up, that I can replace it, over time, with another.

[TheCotMan]

Re: pics.defcon.org is now live!

You might want to note that images can't be deleted, once placed, in the rules, so that users are not surprised by this.

Good idea. Added to my todo list.

So, that worked, sort of. It seems that some of the areas are slow to update, and don't necessarily reflect the changes that have been made right away. At least I know that if I have an image I'm sorry I put up, that I can replace it, over time, with another.

Did you check to see if it was a local client caching issue? I know. I know. It is like calling tech support and them asking, "is it plugged in?"

We may be able to try another technique, where deletion just turns images invisible, but does not remove them from the historical record.

Also, for any images up there before this was added to the rules (no delete) I can delete your images if you don't really want them there. Any images put up there after this point, however, don't get this advantage.

(Trying to be fair to people that were part of testing and were not informed due to it not being in the rules until now.)

[shrdlu]

Re: pics.defcon.org is now live!

Did you check to see if it was a local client caching issue? I know. I know. It is like calling tech support and them asking, "is it plugged in?"

Oh, I'm pretty crazy about cookies and such. I alwyas log all the way out, and then close the browser. I'm using IE in this case, and it empties the cache each time I close it. It doesn't happen elsewhere, so I'm thinking it's a problem in the application.

Something else funny, though. It changed the thumbnail image, but the underlying image is still the same one (so it *lied* to me about replacing it). I've tried multiple times, and it only replaces the thumbnail.

We may be able to try another technique, where deletion just turns images invisible, but does not remove them from the historical record.

Personally, I don't think of images as I do of threads or posts on this forum. I really think that a user ought to be able to delete an image belonging to them. I can see that you're going to have people putting things in DC 9, and then realizing it belonged in 8, and there won't be any clean way to change it.

Also, for any images up there before this was added to the rules (no delete) I can delete your images if you don't really want them there. Any images put up there after this point, however, don't get this advantage.

No worries on that. You can kill the messed up one if you want to, but I personally think it's a bug that ought to be reported to the vendor, myself. If it says replace, it ought to replace (and it looks like it does, too). I didn't put anything up there that wasn't perfectly okay to stay, but I would have put them in their appropriate years, if I'd known. I wouldn't mind if you deleted all but the image that I put in DC 14, and I'll start over.

I hope to see other people adding things soon.

Say, what year was spam, again?

[TheCotMan]

Re: pics.defcon.org is now live!

Something else funny, though. It changed the thumbnail image, but the underlying image is still the same one (so it *lied* to me about replacing it). I've tried multiple times, and it only replaces the thumbnail.

[chop cut and pasted out of order later]

No worries on that. You can kill the messed up one if you want to, but I personally think it's a bug that ought to be reported to the vendor, myself. If it says replace, it ought to replace (and it looks like it does, too). I didn't put anything up there that wasn't perfectly okay to stay, but I would have put them in their appropriate years, if I'd known. I wouldn't mind if you deleted all but the image that I put in DC 14, and I'll start over.

Bug? Ug. I've dealt with this vendors customer service, and it has left me less than impressed. This has been added to my list of things to examine, and potentially log as a bug to the vendor.

Personally, I don't think of images as I do of threads or posts on this forum. I really think that a user ought to be able to delete an image belonging to them. I can see that you're going to have people putting things in DC 9, and then realizing it belonged in 8, and there won't be any clean way to change it.

Once the system to move images and albums is understood, I am hoping users will be able to move their own albums as needed.Perhaps be able to put images into private albums? I'm not sure, but deletion of images seems to offer the same risk of distributed albums-- risk that people won't want others to know they were ever at Defcon, and then delete all of their content. Decades from now, images of a "Young Miss-Or-Mister-Now-Rich-And/Or-Famous-Hacker" at Defcon may show them as having fun, even though deletion of the image might make the image unavailable to the community when members are feeling nostalgic.

What people say or write is importtant, but what people *do* is more important; actions speak louder than words.

Then, there are people who are spiteful, who would get into some sort of tiff with someone else, and want to "go home and take all their toys," and then go through and mass-delete all of their contributions, if they could.

I hope to see other people adding things soon.

Me too. I've thought about adding images of me firing rounds from various automatic weapons when my friends and I went to The Gun Store during DC12, but I'll see if I can find other pictures instead.

Say, what year was spam, again?

I've used various images for testing things. I had a report about problems, so I am diagnosing it with lame stuff that will obviously be deleted because it has nothing to do with Defcon or the community.

[The Dark Tangent]

Re: pics.defcon.org is now live!

I've got some old DC-1 pictures. Once I get the bulk uploading thing figured out, I'll post them.

A suggestion, though.

We should come up with suggested guidelines for the "keywords" field, that way it will be easier for us to tag with similar keywords.

For example, I include the names of all the people I can recognize in the picture. If someone is missing, another member could comment with the handles of those they recognize.

I try to include def con year, name of people, and any context (dunk tank, etc) or cool items in the picture (lock picks, etc)

Not sure if they need to be comma seperated or not.

[shrdlu]

Re: pics.defcon.org is now live!

We should come up with suggested guidelines for the "keywords" field, that way it will be easier for us to tag with similar keywords.

For example, I include the names of all the people I can recognize in the picture. If someone is missing, another member could comment with the handles of those they recognize.

I try to include def con year, name of people, and any context (dunk tank, etc) or cool items in the picture (lock picks, etc)

I liked this, and redid the pix I was using to test with. In addition to names, I suggest name paired with handle, if both are used. If a person is known mostly by just a handle (such as Priest), then just use that.

Nice idea, by the way. I've seen so many great pictures over the years, and mostly, they just seem to fade away over time. Thanks.

[TheCotMan]

Re: pics.defcon.org is now live!

Pictures now ordered by date in the Convention Forums, and by title in the User Albums. If there is disagreement between members with this, let me know and I'll host a poll to see what is preferred.

It seems that the usergroup membership of goons needs to be examined, and some members were not properly classified as goons on the forums.

The quota system was broken, and has been fixed. The values we are using now are guidelines to see what makes sense. The value may change as we understand how things work.

Because Forum Contest/Event/DCG Leaders/Organizers will have greater need to post high-res images (maps, directions, lists, etc. for their contests and events) they are permitted to have larger images and larger quotas.

[Deviant Ollam]

Re: pics.defcon.org is now live!

Pictures now ordered by date in the Convention Forums

they seem to be in order... but the reverse order. the final one that i uploaded (and the final one in the set) is the first one that appears. the "sort photos" function apperas to be locked into this manner as well.

also... it seems i'm the photos are ordered exclusively around post date and time, regardless of who the poster was. therefore, if two or three (or more) users are uploading groups of images at the same time, the pics site would show them in order... but all mixed together. now, this might be totally avoidable if the "upload via URL" is enabled, but i realize the risks of headache that such a function could bring.