Aeva 6.9.99 and earlier (old)

[Relyana]

It doesn't make any difference--for him or for you?

For him ... no one else has the issue he's having with the youtube videos.

You probably reached the maximum number of videos per page. Above that, it might crash your browser.

That's encouraging  Seriously now ... you are right (again). I increased the number of videos per page and they all show up now. It didn't even cross my mind that that could be the problem. So simple !

Well my concept of a tag is to be as silent as possible. ie, you don't even have to know it exists. It is only there for you to fine-tune your videos.

I was kidding. Good luck with whatever you're doing 'cause you're doing it well for sure.

Thank you 

[Nao 尚]

For him ... no one else has the issue he's having with the youtube videos.

Tell him to try with a different browser?
And logging off the board and viewing it as a guest?

Thank you 

You're welcome.

[phpchris]

You're a star thank you!

[Eliana Tamerin]

This is one of my concerns by the way -- should I turn [url=videolink]videolink[/url] into [aeva url=videolink] (self-closing tag), or [aeva (options here)][url=videolink]videolink[/url][/aeva]? Yeah I know, I'm probably the only one wondering about these silly things...

Not at all!

I like the second option myself, which leaves users the ability to go [aeva option=value otherOption=value]http://youtube.com/watch?v=cRzYviD248[/aeva] and make it feel like many other tags. The [hr] and [br] tags feel weird to me, so that's why I like tags that require closing tags, it becomes habit for me.

[Nao 尚]

Actually, the self-closing tag is easier for me to handle... It allows me to have 95% of the tag code in my own files, and it would also be easier (I think) to make the tag name customizable.

Well I'm still not ready to implement the tag stuff anyway... Too much work on too many projects... The tag system would require 100% of my attention and today I'd rather keep reading my book. ("The inverted world" by Christopher Priest. Nice one.)

[Nao 尚]

New version
- Overhauls last.fm support
- Adds custom sites file

The stats have been severely going down since I released this update. I don't think there's any loss of interest in Aeva overnight, but when I released the new version, I also reset the download counters for all files, and as a result the download URL for the Aevac 3 & 4 files changed (they had had the same URL for months).

I'm suspecting that some external website was offering direct links to Aevac 4. Is anyone here aware of such a site? Maybe you discovered Aeva through it or something.
It doesn't cost anything to ask I just want to contact them (if they exist) and ask them to update their URL to redirect to the mod page, instead of the deleted file (which would now return a 404 error).

[Akyhne]

NAO: You should remember that only a few people here are following the developement of AEVA. Maybe 5-20 people whereof only a few people comments on the developement.
When I discovered AEVAC ½ year ago, I did like most people.. just downloaded the mod and installed it. The only reason I returned was because of the issues with local playback in V4.x
So basically when people hear about a new version like v5, they download and install it and think nothing of it besides if it doesn't work for them.

Besides I think a lot of people, including me, doesn't want to be test pilots if their embed links get screwed by an early testversion.

[Nao 尚]

So basically when people hear about a new version like v5, they download and install it and think nothing of it besides if it doesn't work for them.

It's not about that really -- as I mentioned, I was always worried by the fact that Aevac 4 seemed to have twice the amount of daily downloads that Aeva 5 used to have. Which is why I finally decided to reset the download counters, which was bound to mean a change in file ID as well (ie the direct link for v4 is no longer the same as it used to be). As a result, v4 is no longer downloaded, and only v5 is downloaded. Which is what I wanted (because v4 is buggy, and is only there because it's Karl's last). But instead of seeing all downloads converge to v5, all I could notice was that v5 had the same download numbers as before -- none of the average daily downloads of v4 were redirected to v5. As a result, Aeva is currently downloaded 3 times less than a few days ago.
The download rate is usually very steady, stable -- several hundreds a day. It has been since I first came onboard the project. But most of these downloads were for v4. Considering that the download rates have plummeted exactly on the day I changed the direct links (nothing else was changed really), it occurred to me that it was probably a certain website that drove the traffic to the direct link for v4. That direct link was broken so it's a good opportunity to contact the website (or whatever service it is) to make them change their link to point to the mod page, instead of the direct link (which is always a bad idea, since over at the mod sites, everytime a file is updated, the direct link is changed, even if it retains the same filename).

Besides I think a lot of people, including me, doesn't want to be test pilots if their embed links get screwed by an early testversion.

Didn't you notice how careful I am when releasing new versions? I always spend a lot of time testing them.

[Akyhne]

You have to remember that the download servers are updated only after 12-24 hours. When did you reset the download status?
Besides especially IE has the flaw that it most of time does load an old page of a specific page, even if there are small changes. People using IE has to press F5 or the update button to be sure to see the latest page.

[Akyhne]

I also believe that if people have been following your "commands" about downloading the newest version.. once to twice a week for the last month, at some point get tired of downloading and installing new versions if they are happy with the version they have. So maybe people are just happy or waiting to see new functions instead of new sites being added.

[Nao 尚]

You have to remember that the download servers are updated only after 12-24 hours.

If you're talking about the popularity index, nah, it's updated several times a day. Probably every hour or so.

When did you reset the download status?

Two days ago. And yesterday, it was already down to #2, and today it is at #5.
The YouTube BBCode mod sucks -- no offence Karl, but I never understood why you kept it alive. That mod does nothing more than Aeva does, and it adds a useless tag (it doesn't have any features, is what I mean). Still, it is now downloaded *more* than Aeva. I don't see the point in working fulltime on something when people will settle for the inferior solution. This might be one of the reasons why I'm a bit down.

I also believe that if people have been following your "commands" about downloading the newest version..

I never asked anyone to download?
I just released, and released, and released until I was satisfied with a bug-free version... Now it's pretty bug-free and I'm preparing to work on adding new features. And then it occurs to me that maybe no one cares, lol. So why waste my time working on Aeva if everyone's happy with it? I mean, I could simply add support for widescreen YouTube videos and I'd be done with it... Adding a couple of new sites every other month and that's it.

once to twice a week for the last month, at some point get tired of downloading and installing new versions if they are happy with the version they have. So maybe people are just happy or waiting to see new functions instead of new sites being added.

That's not a very nice thing to say.
I've been on the project for two months only, and already I added these:

- fix for the nbsp bug (had been there since Aevac 3)
- fix for the quote embedding crashes (had been there since Aevac 3 as well) -- this one was really hard to fix
- fix for local embedding (had been there since Aevac 4)
- "popular sites" list (makes it faster to select only the sites most likely to be embedded on any forum), "custom sites" list with your very own list that won't get deleted when upgrading, "adult sites" list (hidden and disabled by default), and support for infinite quantities of site lists...
- wider server support for remote lookups
- support for servers with magic quotes enabled
- protection against double installations

When you mention "new features", what more could I do? People just want to publish video URLs and get to see them embedded immediately, don't they? So that's what I'm struggling to do... Make it is transparent as possible to the end-user.

My current to-do-list is there:

- add admin template + separate site list from settings
- add bbc tag (huge amount of work ahead...)
- add automatic support for widescreen in youtube embeds
- add links to switch between normal/hq/hd qualities in youtube embeds
- add pagewide preg_replace to improve embed speeds
- add the ability not to embed a video when it's in a text link (i.e. the hyperlink is a description, not something with http:// in it)
- make a module to download updated site lists without having to update Aeva

Apart from the bbc tag, there's no actual "new notable feature" in that list. Because it should remain hidden from the end-user. That's the point. I'm trying to respect that. What more can I do...?

[Relyana]

And yesterday, it was already down to #2, and today it is at #5.

AEVA and SMG will always be on top of users' preferences for smf mods, simply because they are complex mods that help beautify this virtual world. On the other hand popularity is relative and you shouldn't get too attached to it. 

The YouTube BBCode mod sucks -- no offence Karl, but I never understood why you kept it alive. That mod does nothing more than Aeva does, and it adds a useless tag (it doesn't have any features, is what I mean). Still, it is now downloaded *more* than Aeva. I don't see the point in working fulltime on something when people will settle for the inferior solution. This might be one of the reasons why I'm a bit down.

..maybe because YouTube is THE most popular videosite ? I understand it perfectly. When you have so many things to do in real life and you want to please your forummembers but still you can't or simply don't want to focus on enhacing the forum features only, the YouTube BBCode mod is the compromise that one can live with. Maybe someone should mention on the mod page that it is no longer supported.

I just released, and released, and released until I was satisfied with a bug-free version... Now it's pretty bug-free and I'm preparing to work on adding new features. And then it occurs to me that maybe no one cares, lol. So why waste my time working on Aeva if everyone's happy with it? I mean, I could simply add support for widescreen YouTube videos and I'd be done with it... Adding a couple of new sites every other month and that's it.

"So why waste my time installing the aeva mod when the YouTube BBCode mod works just fine and everyone's happy with it ? " Does it sound familiar ?
...because good people see beyond preconseptions, accept when they're wrong and always try (at least) to do the right thing. And you are doing the right thing simply because you care ... just don't take it so personal.     

once to twice a week for the last month, at some point get tired of downloading and installing new versions if they are happy with the version they have. So maybe people are just happy or waiting to see new functions instead of new sites being added.

People do that and that's not such a bad thing. They don't rush into uninstalling and installing mods because they trust that previous versions aren't bad either and they also know that the aeva mod won't vanish over night. It's all a matter of "do I really have to get into geek thingies again .... can't I just leave it for tomorrow ?"  It's sad if you look into it from the developer point of view but it is also human nature to do only what you feel that should be done at that particular moment.

My current to-do-list is there:
- make a module to download updated site lists without having to update Aeva

This one would please the ones mentioned above. 

Apart from the bbc tag, there's no actual "new notable feature" in that list. Because it should remain hidden from the end-user. That's the point. I'm trying to respect that. What more can I do...?

Just don't take things so personal. Your work should be a win-win situation for both the end-user and the developer. And again ... you are doing the right thing and people do appreciate it even if they're not saying it out loud.

[weightman]

Nao,

I am looking forward to the new version, even though I am not excited about the whole tag thing. Keep your head up. This mod rocks!

[Eliana Tamerin]

Nao, like I've said before, don't take it so personally. Look at the stats, Aeva is among the 5 most popular mods. And while the position of that list fluctuates greatly from week to week, Aeva has stayed there for a while.

To be honest with you, I haven't downloaded any of your releases, I'm still on Karl's legacy v4 release. Why? Because it works for what I need and I haven't experienced any of the annoying bugs. If I were to make a new site right now, I'd add your newest version, but upgrading the current version on my sites isn't a top priority for me. Once better features are released, such as the youtube widescreen and hq/hd features are implemented, I'll probably switch. Youtube is by far the most embedded site on my site, and the mod is rarely used anyway.

But even though I'm not downloading, I'm still here, supporting you. Don't take the numbers too personally, it's not a reflection of your work or any lack of work, it's because the users are lazy asses (like me) who don't bother to upgrade if it's not entirely practical. But then again, I'm not the best example, the mod is rarely used on my site, so don't take my word for the generic sample. Just one person's viewpoint.

[Andre N]

Hi,

How can I embed Slideshow Pro (swf)? Here is an example of it not working:
http://www.xtremelean.us/forum/index.php?topic=21.0
When you follow the link it works fine. It also works fine on the main page (index.php)

Also, how can I embed an .mp4 video?
Here is a link of it not working:
http://www.xtremelean.us/forum/index.php?topic=22.0

Thanks!

[Nao 尚]

Will answer everything tomorrow.

@Eliana> sorry, I've had a bad day pretty much... I got a bit carried away by Aeva because I got carried by other stuff as well. You know, these days when you feel like everything's going against you at the same time? Anyway, about Aeva being in the top 5 -- it's actually #6 now, and is steadily headed to drop from the top 10 in just a few hours. As I said: the download rates were divided by 3 in a single day. Even if they had been reduced by only 50%, it would out of the top 10 very quickly. YouTube BBCode, on the other hand, has now risen to #2 and has about twice more downloads than Aeva currently. Don't ask me why! lol

@Tina's man> slideshows aren't supported. Read the readme file. mp4 vids are supported but some of the codecs aren't. Just make sure you upload a compatible file. I think iPhone mp4's aren't supported or something. Can't remember. It's a problem with all Flash players (they depend upon Flash's internal codecs).

[Akyhne]

The SMF mirror servers are updated every 8th hour. I know from people of SMF. Still eg. IE6 and 7 aren't reliable to show the newest page to the users. If people get a dead link, maybe they tend to think AEVA has gone dead and are now downloading Youtube BBC.

I didn't spend time on downloading and installing all your releases for the past two months, but I guess some did. And I'm pretty sure they eventually get tired of doing it because of bugs and recommendations from you to do so. No offence, but I think you should have kept the beta or RC name until you were closer to a non buggy version. And don't take it personally. The only version I tried was 5.31 (I guess). It seems to work fine but as what I have now with version 3 embedding HQ youtube and some other fixes I did to embed local files, I have no need to upgrade to 5.xx until you get close to a final version 5.xx.

Lighten up man. Don't take things so personal. You are doing a great job. I'm just trying to make a picture for you on how some people may see things. Personally I'm of the carefull type who'd better wait than screw things up with an early version.

[Andre N]

@Tina's man> slideshows aren't supported. Read the readme file. mp4 vids are supported but some of the codecs aren't. Just make sure you upload a compatible file. I think iPhone mp4's aren't supported or something. Can't remember. It's a problem with all Flash players (they depend upon Flash's internal codecs).

Thank you for responding so quickly. When the people downloading the Youtube BBC code mod realize they want more functionality and the ability to embed video from other sites they will find this mod.

[kizer]

As long as when I type in a video URL it automatically embeds I can really careless about the tag names. With the edits as long as when a member edits his/her post and they can add additional options the code works in a way that if they don't edit the video it doesn't break the auto embed code I'ml completely happy. Anything else is gravy.

[QueenTiye]

Nao: I'm new to this so forgive me if this is a dumb question - but do I have to download the update directly?  My package manager mentions that I have 5.1.32, but isn't prompting me for an upgrade.

QT