Can we move the "Character Count" box?

[Twilight Sparkle ✨ 8,520]

My real name is not hard to find; it's not constructive to threaten me with "exposing" that we don't have resources assigned to MLP Forums - that is a rather plain, non-contentious fact. Starting drama will only waste a lot of time and mental energy.

What would be constructive is volunteering to help out. There's been an ongoing search for a new MLPF lead developer since @Lavo left that post, which has not proven very fruitful so far. Its scope will be expanded soon but we had a few other channels to try first. A project's lead developer is normally supposed to be the person communicating with the general public about technical things and it's hard for that to happen when that person doesn't exist.

Our volunteers are not a mindless "resource" that can be assigned to whatever tickles a manager's fancy, and Poniverse isn't a magical source of them. Volunteer developers typically sign up to contribute to projects that they have a significant personal stake in (ie. they have a dream to realize or are strongly motivated to work with a particular technology). Canterlot Avenue's technical staff volunteered very specifically for that project - it's wishful thinking, and ignorant of social dynamics, to suggest that they'd be working on MLPF if only I tore them out of Canterlot Avenue.

One of the first tasks the new MLPF Lead Dev will get, assuming IP.Board doesn't scare them away, will be to go through the Feedback and Site Questions sections and learn what all the broken things are that need fixing. Their next task will be to get to work fixing them.

[Jeric 46,834]

13 hours ago, Feld0 said:

My real name is not hard to find; it's not constructive to threaten me with "exposing" that we don't have resources assigned to MLP Forums - that is a rather plain, non-contentious fact. Starting drama will only waste a lot of time and mental energy.

That wasn't a threat. Its more appropriate to call it risk analysis and a caution to prevention. If years of knowing me hasn't shown you yet that I legitimately and genuinely care about how action and inaction impact the people on and off staff INCLUDING YOU, then I suppose I can see where you misunderstood my motivations. This isn't limited to how people enjoy or don't enjoy Pony or a Pony community, but also what they can take from this and apply it to their lives and careers. Cultivating a more public and professional online persona pays dividends. 

Part of the issue here is communication. Later in your post you list a reason for that poor communication, yet in your opening paragraph you state that the lack of resources is a plain non-contentious fact. I submit that the fact was not made plain at all. That leads to frustration, and eventually loud noises when it seems it is the only thing that gets noticed. I despise going against my general disposition and inclinations, but if it actually results in a productive conversation, so be it. 

Here is a constructive suggestion of how it could be done better, and how it can be handled better going forward. When there is a dev pipeline or resource issue, someone could pull aside an Admin and ask their thoughts on posting a stickied announcement stating what the exact pain points are and how this may impact the timeliness of responses and action. Until you mentioned it, I had no idea Lavo had stepped down. Not everything in your post is a plain fact. Your awareness and visibility of the problems is completely different than the membership and most staff. 

The effort to alter that visibility, or cascade it down, is not as insurmountable as it seems. That should be one of the many takeaways from this and other topics. 

I can't agree with you more when you mention that the developers are not automatons. The individual, their motivations, their personality, and their story have always been a crucial interest for me. I submit anyone here who has worked or played side by side with me can say that is probably my more consistent, and arguably, virtuous attributes. However ... there is a danger inherent in what you said later. 

Web development is a passion. That passion is a critical driving force for you, me, and many many others. At it's face this is no different than any other passion. Music, illustration, writing, being a soldier, being a parent ... the passion feeds the work and the work feeds the passion. Software development is a little different in one way, it can actually lead to a promising and well paying career. You can't ignore that part of the dynamic. Your development group could be a phenomenal platform to cultivate talent. You the benefit of Poniverse and the volunteer. That would require you and others to reconsider some of the internal values you hold, and recreate the culture a little, but imagine what you could do with a real mentor/mentee system that isn't limited to people who adore the show. 

You want to talk about a portfolio project? Do you know the paths you would open with a project that specifically takes on the mission of creating developers? You can't tell me that wouldn't raise an eyebrow or two during an interview round. 

That also helps to address the other danger. The social dynamic of development here impacts the other social dynamics that may he more nebulous and harder to understand. I guess the theme of this response is that one group is not an island onto itself.

As a parting suggestion, you have the info gathering item in your list, why not ask some other staffers to pitch in and gather that data in advance to save some time for the person you eventually recruit? If they are overwhelmed, ping the Admins and see if they are opposed to asking some if the Feedback and Site Question regulars about helping. Surely there is a spreadsheet format that would help with turning all of the complaints and bugs into value added data. 

Just some thoughts. Remember, you guys shouldn't be strangers .... to the community and to each other. 

[Jeric 46,834]

@Feld0 and anyone else that slings code round here ... Just saw your application banner.  

 

 

Looked for a pony one, but they all came across as sarcastic or ironic.

[Hierok 11,829]

Never had real problems with it before, but it is kind of annoying if you write a larger post. 

[cuteycindyhoney 13,283]

Adding the undo, redo, and preview buttons fixed it! They showed up in a new row, pushing the text field down low enough where the character count box doesn't block anything! A genius fix in it's pure simplicity.

Two birds with one stone

(Stop throwing stones at birds!)

Thank you1  

[Hierok 11,829]

6 hours ago, cuteycindyhoney said:

Adding the undo, redo, and preview buttons fixed it! They showed up in a new row, pushing the text field down low enough where the character count box doesn't block anything! A genius fix in it's pure simplicity.

Two birds with one stone

(Stop throwing stones at birds!)

Thank you1  

It is still on the same place where it was. The undo and redo buttons are great, but it is still there. 

[cuteycindyhoney 13,283]

6 hours ago, Hierok said:

It is still on the same place where it was. The undo and redo buttons are great, but it is still there. 

I have found out since last night that the way I have things zoomed in caused the fix for me. The added buttons dropped to a new line, and that moved the text field down on my screen. It's the first time having poor eyesight has been beneficial!

[Hierok 11,829]

6 minutes ago, cuteycindyhoney said:

I have found out since last night that the way I have things zoomed in caused the fix for me. The added buttons dropped to a new line, and that moved the text field down on my screen. It's the first time having poor eyesight has been beneficial!

I can't even see it the box, but the buttons aren't on the new line.

 

 

Edited July 22, 2017 by Hierok

[cuteycindyhoney 13,283]

6 minutes ago, Hierok said:

I can't even see it the box, but the buttons aren't on the new line.

 

 

Hopefully the three buttons can be moved to a real "next line", so the fix will work for everyone.

[Ken 108]

3 hours ago, cuteycindyhoney said:

Hopefully the three buttons can be moved to a real "next line", so the fix will work for everyone.

That won't be needed!

I have found the cause for the weird positioning and fixed it, but the fix hasn't made it to the forums yet. Please be patient just a tiny bit longer until i update the production code base.

[cuteycindyhoney 13,283]

3 hours ago, Ken said:

That won't be needed!

I have found the cause for the weird positioning and fixed it, but the fix hasn't made it to the forums yet. Please be patient just a tiny bit longer until i update the production code base.

I hope it doesn't mess my own personal settings up! If it does, I'll do what I was doing. I was stating a couple lines down, and then move it back up when I'm sure there's no typos.

[Ken 108]

11 minutes ago, cuteycindyhoney said:

I hope it doesn't mess my own personal settings up! If it does, I'll do what I was doing. I was stating a couple lines down, and then move it back up when I'm sure there's no typos.

The character count element will stay above your text regardless of screen resolution, so you shouldn't have any problems.

[Jeric 46,834]

On 7/22/2017 at 6:30 PM, Ken said:

That won't be needed!

I have found the cause for the weird positioning and fixed it, but the fix hasn't made it to the forums yet. Please be patient just a tiny bit longer until i update the production code base.

You! 

Thanks Ken!