Archive for: July, 2010

OpenID now works here

Jul 29 2010 Published by under software

I mentioned a while ago that I had problems getting OpenID support on this blog.
I've now resolved them (as you can probably tell from the title) and heres a quick howto.

0: Remove the nifty way to do OpenID
You need to remove it, else Bad Things® will happen.

1: Install OpenID, XRDS-Simple and Comments with OpenID
This is the easy bit. Admin > Plugins > Add New and search for "openid" and "xrds". Select, install, activate.

2: Set the Blog Owner
Set which user is the blog owner. Admin > Settings > OpenID. If you have 2 separate accounts, one admin and one editor (and if not, why not?) you will have to enable "Editor" in "Enable OpenID", save the changes, then set the blog owner. Now you can use a simplified URL (eg http://samwwwblack.lapwing.org rather than http://samwwwblack.lapwing.org/author/samwwwblack)

3: Turn off OpenID for comments
I know this seems counter intuitive, but the OpenID plugin includes a technically cool but UIally (cough) crap way to do OpenID comments. The OpenID for Comments plugin (keep up) will handle this a lot better.
Goto Admin > Settings > Discussion and uncheck "Enable OpenID for comments"

4: Add OpenID to your template
Goto Admin > Appearance > Editor, then select "comments.php" (the default theme should already be selected; if not, select it from "Select theme to edit:" in the top right corner).
About 3/4s the way down, add the code in red between the URL block and the endif statement, as suggested below;

<label for="url"><?php _e('URL','precious'); ?> <small>(<?php _e('optional','precious');?>)</small></label>
<input type="text" name="url" id="url" value="<?php echo $comment_author_url; ?>" size="30" tabindex="3" />

<label>Or enter your OpenId URL:</label>
<?php comments_with_openid(); ?>
<input type='text' name='openid_identifier' id='openid_identifier' class=textfield' tabindex='4' style='width:300px' />

<?php endif; ?>

<label for="comment"><?php _e('Your comment','precious'); ?></label>
<textarea name="comment" id="comment" cols="40" rows="10" tabindex="4"></textarea>
<!--<small><strong>XHTML:</strong>  <?php echo allowed_tags(); ?></small>-->

This will add a selector for the OpenID provider which will populate the OpenID URL with the correct URI, and the appropriate text highlighted if you need to input a username (eg for LiveJournal the URL is http://USERNAME.livejournal.com; USERNAME will be highlighted for you to edit)

5: Add OpenID to the badbehaviour whitelist
This is one major thing that stopped me from using OpenID in the first place.
Goto Admin > Plugins > Editor and select the badbehaviour plugin. Select "bad-behavior/bad-behavior/whitelist.inc.php", scroll down to "$bb2_whitelist_urls" and add the following in red;

// Includes two examples of whitelisting by URL.
$bb2_whitelist_urls = array(
//    "/example.php",
"/openid/server",
"/index.php/openid/server",
"/openid/consumer",
"/index.php/openid/consumer",
);

This will allow OpenID to work correctly.

6: Test your new OpenID system
What it says in the title.
When you use http://your.blog.com as the OpenID URL, it should direct you to your WordPress login, and/or to allow the site access to your OpenID.
You can check the trusted sites, and add other OpenIDs on your profile page under Profile > Your OpenIDs or Profile > Your Trusted Sites.
Nb; I've only briefly tried setting OpenID Delegation (in Profile > Your Profile) and it didn't work properly. May have just been the URL I used. YMMV.

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Why we still have the point and click GUI

Jul 11 2010 Published by under FOSS, software

TechRadar have an article about "Point and click GUIs: why are we still stuck with them?", bemoaning the lack of innovation in the software interfaces we all use daily. Since the 80's computer GUIs have been based on files, taskbars, menus and windows, manipulated by a mouse and keyboard.
My defence of point and click GUIs? They are an adequate fit for the majority of computer based tasks.
You'll note the caveats adequate fit and majority in that sentence. It isn't best fit to train surgeons in keyhole surgery, or for running automated tasks or better immersion in driving or flying simulation games. It also wouldn't be practical for use with a mobile devices or single purpose machines (ATMs, information points, ticket machines etc.).

The point and click GUI with a mouse and keyboard is the best fit for what most people use their computers for; manipulating files whilst sat at a desk.

For example, imagine organising your physical photo collection. You'd collect the photos together based on a criteria like location, time, people in the photo etc. You'd then place this collection in a pile or folder, suitably labelled, adding or removing from piles as you went along, until you were happy about the collections.
This is the same as you'd do on your computer with a digital collection; select the photos you want, make a folder or open a new window, move/copy them across, label the folder and repeat until finished. Instead of physical piles of photos, you have windows with them in; instead of physically picking up the photos and moving them, you click and select with the mouse.
It's the same thought process in both instances, just executed differently.

The article mentions touch screens and the iPad specifically as better for read only use of files, and in these circumstances, I agree. However, as also mentioned in the article, touchscreens aren't good for "data input or content creation ... [or] heavy-duty desktop computing". They aren't an adequate fit for the majority of tasks. They are a specialised interface for a limited set of (mostly) well defined tasks. The point and click GUI is at least adequate for browsing the web; typing on an iPad is so bad you can get a keyboard for it.

Just as a humorous illustration, suppose the author had been talking about doors. We haven't changed the basic premise of the door in hundreds of years; they mostly require us to exert a force on one edge either via a handle or push plate, to rotate along the opposite edge on a set of pin hinges in order to move a lump of material from a hole in a wall. I mean, sure we've got alternate door types for specialised situations (sliding doors, airlocks, revolving doors) but I'm bored of pushing material out of the way.

The reason we aren't clamouring for a revolution in door design? The current design works fine, thanks.
The reason there hasn't been a revolution in UI design away from point and click GUIs? The current design works fine, thanks.

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