NationStates++ | Browser Extension for NationStates

[Maryginia]

I have a little, ANd by little I mean huge issue with firefox, So I go and try to deletr some history because I feel like it, Fine soke history gets deleted, and I change some stuff that makes me need to restart firefox, with my history stuff, or something related to it, Fine, No big deal, I log back in, ANd NS++ is de facto diabled, so i disabled the add-on and re-enabled it as that works usually, It didn't this time and goog;e's giving me a search bar when I open a new tab,.

[Shadow Afforess]

I have a little, ANd by little I mean huge issue with firefox, So I go and try to deletr some history because I feel like it, Fine soke history gets deleted, and I change some stuff that makes me need to restart firefox, with my history stuff, or something related to it, Fine, No big deal, I log back in, ANd NS++ is de facto diabled, so i disabled the add-on and re-enabled it as that works usually, It didn't this time and goog;e's giving me a search bar when I open a new tab,.

I don't see how that is a problem with NationStates++. I recommend resetting firefox and re-installing.

How to reset Firefox: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/re ... t-problems

[Aden Protectorate]

How is the update going?

[Shadow Afforess]

How is the update going?

Very good. It's going to be a big one. Maybe it won't appear huge to users, but changes in the backend systems have made everything more responsive, use less resources, and be more real time. Here's a brief rundown of changes so far...

Completed:
Real time RMB message updates use much less bandwidth (for users & NS site)
Real time happening updates use much less bandwidth (for users & NS site)
Regional Update Times are shown for all regions, even regions without data, new formula to interpolate data to fill in missing gaps
Newspaper updates alerts are much more efficient
NationStates++ Recruitment shows how effective your region is at recruiting, and who is contributing
Fixed bugs where newspapers / RMB post ratings would show stale/old content
RMB post ratings update without refreshing when other users rate posts
Regional population record is displayed on region pages

Todo:
Add customizable nation pages (you can rename, add, remove links that appear under your nation spotlight, hide trophies, etc)
Add system for editing volunteer newspaper articles, and to view comments/feedback from editors if they reject/accept it

Future Update After This:
Regional Forums & Regional Assembly

After regional forums & assembly, I will begin work in earnest on the mobile apps!

The reason this update has been so long as that about 30% of the code has been updated/rewritten. NationStates++ can now "scale" horizontally. In plain english, when more users are online, new servers are created to handle them, when fewer users are online, servers are shut down. Contrast this with NationStates, which has just 1 server for the game and if it has problems, everything crashes and burns. If 1 NS++ server crashes, users don't even notice, they are seamlessly rerouted to working ones. In addition, websockets are the primary means of giving users more real time data, rather than ajax requests.

[Ever-Wandering Souls]

Sounds very nice, Good Sir. I especially look forward to seeing how decent the upgraded Update Clocks will be. If they are truly accurate, they could open the door for many Gameplay startups, who do not have the knowledge to calculate times in any kind of effective manner. The technical stuff is always nice - efficiency is very good - and I'm also excited for several of the other features.

I've got just one real question on it, and that's in reference to this -

"Future Update After This:
Regional Forums & Regional Assembly

After regional forums & assembly, I will begin work in earnest on the mobile apps!"

While both of those are things I look forward to, I was disappointed to see no mention of the reorganization of the puppet list. While I'm not well informed at all in this area, it seems to me from previous dialogue here and comments I've heard that some of the mentioned changes to the puppet list would not take very long (comparably), while both of those are fairly major projects. Is there any chance of the ability to better organize the puppet list for those of us whom it goes offscreen in the foreseeable future?

Thank you for all you do, Afforess!

-Souls

[Shadow Afforess]

Dang. I've started work on puppet management and simply forgot to list it! It is coming!

[Aden Protectorate]

How is the update going?

Very good. It's going to be a big one. Maybe it won't appear huge to users, but changes in the backend systems have made everything more responsive, use less resources, and be more real time. Here's a brief rundown of changes so far...

Completed:
Real time RMB message updates use much less bandwidth (for users & NS site)
Real time happening updates use much less bandwidth (for users & NS site)
Regional Update Times are shown for all regions, even regions without data, new formula to interpolate data to fill in missing gaps
Newspaper updates alerts are much more efficient
NationStates++ Recruitment shows how effective your region is at recruiting, and who is contributing
Fixed bugs where newspapers / RMB post ratings would show stale/old content
RMB post ratings update without refreshing when other users rate posts
Regional population record is displayed on region pages

Todo:
Add customizable nation pages (you can rename, add, remove links that appear under your nation spotlight, hide trophies, etc)
Add system for editing volunteer newspaper articles, and to view comments/feedback from editors if they reject/accept it

Future Update After This:
Regional Forums & Regional Assembly

After regional forums & assembly, I will begin work in earnest on the mobile apps!

The reason this update has been so long as that about 30% of the code has been updated/rewritten. NationStates++ can now "scale" horizontally. In plain english, when more users are online, new servers are created to handle them, when fewer users are online, servers are shut down. Contrast this with NationStates, which has just 1 server for the game and if it has problems, everything crashes and burns. If 1 NS++ server crashes, users don't even notice, they are seamlessly rerouted to working ones. In addition, websockets are the primary means of giving users more real time data, rather than ajax requests.

Excellent! Keep up the good work!

[Ever-Wandering Souls]

Dang. I've started work on puppet management and simply forgot to list it! It is coming!

Awesome! Thanks!

[Somstratzka]

Hello

[Shadow Afforess]

Hello

Greetings! Salutations! Aloha! What can I do ya for?

[Shadow Afforess]

Dang. I've started work on puppet management and simply forgot to list it! It is coming!

Awesome! Thanks!

Right now I am looking at these sorts of features for puppet management:

• Multiple lists of puppets you can switch between (only the "active"/default list is shown in the puppet switcher, but you can switch the active list, and view all lists in the management page)
• Exporting/Importing lists of puppets
• View last login/region/wa on all puppets in table form
• View new telegrams in any puppet inbox
• And then, "Batch" actions (aka, an action that is applied for every puppet in the list):
  
  • Login
  • Dismiss issues
  • Move regions
  • Change password
  • Suicide (change pass to random pass, delete email from settings, and remove from puppet list, making it unrecoverable)

All of this will be available w/o requiring you to switch out of your main nation.

Anything I am missing? Suggestions?

[Wordy]

Just a quick question about the Batch action of Moving Regions.

Did script rules change? I can only find this post in regard to those and it is listed as illegal http://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?p=16394966#p16394966

[Tlik]

Yes, unless you're going to pop up a button that a user can spam to account for the one-click-per-action rule, moving needs to be done manually.

Also, can you make sure the suicide button has lots of alerts warning you that you're about to do something stupid? I just know that's the sort of button I'll click accidentally...

[Shadow Afforess]

Just a quick question about the Batch action of Moving Regions.

Did script rules change? I can only find this post in regard to those and it is listed as illegal http://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?p=16394966#p16394966

Nope. But I've helped automate switched regions before, with the puppet creator. You just need to set a button and let the user click it for each move. It's still much faster than before as the user stays on the same page and the tedious parts are cut out.

Yes, unless you're going to pop up a button that a user can spam to account for the one-click-per-action rule, moving needs to be done manually.

Also, can you make sure the suicide button has lots of alerts warning you that you're about to do something stupid? I just know that's the sort of button I'll click accidentally...

And here I was planning in making it so clicking on any white space on the page would trigger it...

Yes of course I will.

[Tlik]

Just a quick question about the Batch action of Moving Regions.

Did script rules change? I can only find this post in regard to those and it is listed as illegal http://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?p=16394966#p16394966

Nope. But I've helped automate switched regions before, with the puppet creator. You just need to set a button and let the user click it for each move. It's still much faster than before as the user stays on the same page and the tedious parts are cut out.

Yes, unless you're going to pop up a button that a user can spam to account for the one-click-per-action rule, moving needs to be done manually.

Also, can you make sure the suicide button has lots of alerts warning you that you're about to do something stupid? I just know that's the sort of button I'll click accidentally...

And here I was planning in making it so clicking on any white space on the page would trigger it...

Yes of course I will.

Turn NationStates into a cookie-cutter clone...

[Ballotonia]

• Suicide (change pass to random pass, delete email from settings, and remove from puppet list, making it unrecoverable)

All of this will be available w/o requiring you to switch out of your main nation.

Anything I am missing? Suggestions?

This sounds like a very dangerous feature. NS++ could only undo that if it stored the random password.

Note that if this code gets triggered accidentally, like widespread for lots of NS++ users who never even got close to the suicide button, there's little we can do to fix this. Most often nothing at all, and lots of NS++ users would lose ALL their nations.

IMHO, some code is better left not written...

Ballotonia

[Natanian DRNR]

• Suicide (change pass to random pass, delete email from settings, and remove from puppet list, making it unrecoverable)

All of this will be available w/o requiring you to switch out of your main nation.

Anything I am missing? Suggestions?

This sounds like a very dangerous feature. NS++ could only undo that if it stored the random password.

Note that if this code gets triggered accidentally, like widespread for lots of NS++ users who never even got close to the suicide button, there's little we can do to fix this. Most often nothing at all, and lots of NS++ users would lose ALL their nations.

IMHO, some code is better left not written...

Ballotonia

I agree with Ballotonia, this feature sounds too dangerous to be coded in. with great power, comes great responsibility.

[Natanian DRNR]

How is the update going?

Very good. It's going to be a big one. Maybe it won't appear huge to users, but changes in the backend systems have made everything more responsive, use less resources, and be more real time. Here's a brief rundown of changes so far...

Completed:
Real time RMB message updates use much less bandwidth (for users & NS site)
Real time happening updates use much less bandwidth (for users & NS site)
Regional Update Times are shown for all regions, even regions without data, new formula to interpolate data to fill in missing gaps
Newspaper updates alerts are much more efficient
NationStates++ Recruitment shows how effective your region is at recruiting, and who is contributing
Fixed bugs where newspapers / RMB post ratings would show stale/old content
RMB post ratings update without refreshing when other users rate posts
Regional population record is displayed on region pages

Todo:
Add customizable nation pages (you can rename, add, remove links that appear under your nation spotlight, hide trophies, etc)
Add system for editing volunteer newspaper articles, and to view comments/feedback from editors if they reject/accept it

Future Update After This:
Regional Forums & Regional Assembly

After regional forums & assembly, I will begin work in earnest on the mobile apps!

The reason this update has been so long as that about 30% of the code has been updated/rewritten. NationStates++ can now "scale" horizontally. In plain english, when more users are online, new servers are created to handle them, when fewer users are online, servers are shut down. Contrast this with NationStates, which has just 1 server for the game and if it has problems, everything crashes and burns. If 1 NS++ server crashes, users don't even notice, they are seamlessly rerouted to working ones. In addition, websockets are the primary means of giving users more real time data, rather than ajax requests.

what do you plan to do in regards to regional forums and regional assemblies?

[Shadow Afforess]

what do you plan to do in regards to regional forums and regional assemblies?

Offer ad-free, no-strings-attached forum hosting for regional forums, with NS++ integration (no signup, you are automatically logged in as your nation). I'm sick of the Zetaboards/IPB crap so many regions use. I don't want to have 1000 NS forum accounts, with horrible layouts and tons of ads.

IMHO, some code is better left not written...

Ballotonia

Fair enough.

[Holy Trek]

I realize not everyone has the time or resources to go learn every topic they are unfamiliar with, and if you don't trust this extension, not using it is definitely the safer route. However, I would prefer you stop spreading FUD (fear, uncertainty, and doubt) about my work, since you are unqualified to judge it.

Then who is?

Rather than just using the "FUD" argument to stave off attacks just because you don't want to answer it, instead it'll help a long way to assuage any form of niggling fears people to have.

Rebutting with stuff with lacks substance only leads to people believing that you are only avoiding any criticism and suggests that NS++ isn't as open as it seems.

Exactly

[United States of Natan]

what do you plan to do in regards to regional forums and regional assemblies?

Offer ad-free, no-strings-attached forum hosting for regional forums, with NS++ integration (no signup, you are automatically logged in as your nation). I'm sick of the Zetaboards/IPB crap so many regions use. I don't want to have 1000 NS forum accounts, with horrible layouts and tons of ads.

well, that sounds great. wait, we will be able to use the forums for free, right?

[Shadow Afforess]

Offer ad-free, no-strings-attached forum hosting for regional forums, with NS++ integration (no signup, you are automatically logged in as your nation). I'm sick of the Zetaboards/IPB crap so many regions use. I don't want to have 1000 NS forum accounts, with horrible layouts and tons of ads.

well, that sounds great. wait, we will be able to use the forums for free, right?

Absolutely. I will not charge for NS++ features.

[Holy Trek]

No matter how many times its explained to me.....all I can see is flim-flammery. I'm not comfortable using something that someone can use to piggyback their way to hacking my information (in-game and real-life), so sorry...but no.

Security is 90% the user's fault, the other 10% is a program with a backdoor.

Think about that for a second before throwing sling at an open-source project.

I'm not "throwing sling", I'm addressing a key matter which, as I read the whole boondoggle, was not-in my opinion-fully addressed.
Now if he or you see it as an 'ultimatum', then its your poor judgement at fault. I simply seek clarification which so far has not been satisfactorily or properly been given because the OP feels inappropriate to the task.

Unless he's willing to take the time out of his day to present a more comprehensive, complete, and satisfactory explanation behind this concept, my opinion will remain unchanged and I won't hesitate to offer the so-called FUD counter because I will rightly see them as genuine and not an attempt to generate fear.

[Shadow Afforess]

Security is 90% the user's fault, the other 10% is a program with a backdoor.

Think about that for a second before throwing sling at an open-source project.

I'm not "throwing sling", I'm addressing a key matter which, as I read the whole boondoggle, was not-in my opinion-fully addressed.
Now if he or you see it as an 'ultimatum', then its your poor judgement at fault. I simply seek clarification which so far has not been satisfactorily or properly been given because the OP feels inappropriate to the task.

Unless he's willing to take the time out of his day to present a more comprehensive, complete, and satisfactory explanation behind this concept, my opinion will remain unchanged and I won't hesitate to offer the so-called FUD counter because I will rightly see them as genuine and not an attempt to generate fear.

Your lack of technical understanding of how the internet, web browsers, websites, and browser extensions work is not a failure on my part. You have repeatedly shown a gross misunderstanding in how the technology works. Short of an attack by a global adversary, NS++ can not be used to run arbitrary code from someone not me on your machine. While it is your right to remain ignorant of the facts, it is similarly my right to claim you are spreading FUD.

Edit: for those just joining the discussion, here is Holy Trek's original concern:

How Do I Know This Is Safe?
You don't. While NationStates++ is an open-source browser extension, and so any developer with Javascript experience can inspect the code, that is not a guarantee of safety. Browser extensions do have an additional layer of safety, as the browser prevents addons or extensions from installing malware or harmful viruses. This layer security does not protect you from extensions that steal personal information or login information. Every program you install carries risk and relies on a certain level of trust. If you have specific concerns about safety or user security, you can telegram me or email me at Afforess [at] gmail.com for additional information.

So any Tom, Dick, or Larry with Javascript experience can inspect the code, what's to stop them from changing it just enough to allow malware to slip in? I don't know that I would use this until the problem I just addressed were taken into consideration and some sort of randomizer (?) added that would change the code at random and hence prevent extensions that can steal personal or login information

His concern is completely unfounded. Github is not where NS++ code comes from when it runs on your machine. Github is a development tool, where I have an account. Your machine downloads from either Google or NationStatesPlusPlus.net (depending on your browser) with a secure connection. Changing the code on Github does not affect what code runs on a user machine. It's a mirror of the codebase. Like in real life, drawing on a mirror does not make the object reflected in reality change.

[United States of Natan]

well, that sounds great. wait, we will be able to use the forums for free, right?

Absolutely. I will not charge for NS++ features.

cool! can't wait to use something besides my region's stupid zetaboards.
So what of the "regional Assembly" feature?