'Play' problem

[ian84]

I managed to enter spots each weekday when I intend to be at an IAC table. Usually they start on the hour, directly after the completion of an evening IAC teaching session - typically UTC 20.00 9pm my time 4pm New York time. If the session finishes earlier than the 2-hour timeslot, I will normally start my table earlier. Tonight, I logged on late, approx 9.30pm my time. There were no IAC Admins logged on, so no-one could announce me. I sent out messages to Club and to the Lobby, but got no joy.

I then realised that I was competing with Euvid in the BIL, so gave up and joined his session.  After Euvid's session completed, I messaged several IAC friends and finally got a game together with 2 IAC friends and the non-IAC regular partner of one of my friends, so we played in the Main room.

I will amend my Tuesday night entry to start on the hour after Euvid's session finishes. It would be good if an IAC Admin is on-hand around that time. I have suggested to my IAC friend oktay to talk to Sanya to recommend his regular partner be fast-tracked to join the IAC.

Cheers, Ian

[Curls77]

I am sorry I wasnt around to call players for your table Ian. Sometimes real life happens, and gotta attend it  Often Grant, Babs, OliverC or Pam will be around and any is able to make such announcment, pls whisper them and ask. In any case, the idea behind play calendar is that all members are aware of such sessions and plan to join them, without help of bbo-iac. But we all know, that most are not doing so, unfortunately.
BTW, what did u do to overpass problem you had with Play Calendar?
Oktay's pard will have quick in when/if they register in iac, which they never did. But none's entry to the club is forum's business and should be private information.

[ian84]

Hi,
  I believe my problems with the 'Play' code are associated with my Java environments on each machine.

Desktop PC - I de-installed Java, intending to upgrade the Java release as AABridge didnt like the release level I had. When I attempt to re-instal the new Java release, the Instal package refuses to run. I am mystified by this and still trying to figure what to try next

Laptop - Iwas intending to upgrade Java on the laptop, however, it has since pretty much died on me. The battery is constantly flat, and my power line also needs to be replaced. ie I need to buy a new laptop.

Notebook: I have a notebook-PC which I occasionally use when the the other 2 are unavailable. This runs a cut-down old version of Windows Vista, and I havent upgraded Java on it. I tried going into 'Play' on it - and it works fine!!!

I fully understand that an Admin may not always be available, and as I confirmed, I logged on about half hour later than anticipated. I do have all the IAC Admins marked as friends and in a special group so that I will always spot someone if they are online. Please let me know when the new TD gets Admin priviledges so that I can move him over to my IAC Admins group.

thanks, Ian

[OliverC]

Ian, I think I can 100% absolutely guarantee you that the presence or absence of Java on your PC will have absolutely nothing to do with whether you can load a page on the IAC website. The IAC Website code doesn't use Java in any way shape or form. There are small amounts of Javascript code, but that is a whole different kettle of fish to Java and only needs that you allow scripting in your browser (ie: Internet Options). All of the PHP executes before the resulting HTML and Javascript page is sent to your browser.


What browser (and version) are you using on each machine? That is much more likely to have an effect on things, but more  to do with appearance rather than function.

[ian84]

Hi Oliver,
    I have the latest releases of Firefox and Opera on all 3 machines. The Notebook is probably not up-to-date, but will be shortly. I tend to use Firefox most of the time. I also have Chrome available, but I prefer not to use Google products unless I have to.

[ian84]

Problem report:
Attempted to use the 'Play' facility. When I do so so the current 'Play' items are displayed but there is no update facility available - the entire screen is displayed read only.

Environment: IBM Thinkpad Desktop PC, Intel Pentium 4
                      ms-windoze XP Pro V2002 SP3
                     
This occurs for Firefox, Chrome and Opera on the Thinkpad. Chrome issues a warning message saying that the Windows level is not supported by Chrome.

All 3 browsers are up-to-date. As Oliver suggests, the problem is likely to be the Windows version here. It is my intention to buy a copy of Windows-10 and install it  on the Thinkpad, I will also be repartitioning the disc and taking the opportunity to run the PC with Windows and Linux.

I had similar problems with my laptop, but thats very close to deaths door and can be discounted.

I currently have the correct functionality on my Notebook PC which is running a cut down version of Windows-Vista.

I'm therefore closing this Problem Report

[OliverC]

All of my websites are visually optimised for Chrome, but that's more a matter of the choices in the CSS. Functionally it shouldn't make a difference if you're using Firefox or Opera.


XP on the Thinkpad might be a problem, especially if the Browser is out-of-date as a result

[Curls77]

After many days, and couple of unuseful mails, I finally caught up with camilleln online at bbo at same time. Her problem got resolved in 2 mins, by very same old trick.
She of course had no "amend site profile" under "welcome camilleln" drop box. signed in again, amended profile and finaly she could see the "ADD A SPOT" button.

EDIT: Actually, there is a problem still going:
camilleln (Private): bummer, I clicked on the check after finishing the request and it just disappeard.   

She amended profile many times, took off auto log in, saved, closed browser and logged in again; but the slot just wont be accepted. Tried Chrome, FF all up to date.
Next test: I created slot with her and me. SHe could see it, edit it. Just for test sake, she changed day and nothing else. When hit OK, all dessapeared, play slot was gone.

[kenberg]

Earlier I had experimented and posted some observations but then I noticed that he had now posted times and that he had started this discussion so I figured problem solved and I erased.
But if others are having problems here is the experiment I did.

I opened chrome, everything works in Chrome for me.
I went via tabs to the url:
http://iac.pigpen.org.uk/WeeklyPlay.php
I copied that url
O closed Chrome.
I opened Firefox
I pasted in http://iac.pigpen.org.uk/WeeklyPlay.php and went there.
I logged in as kenberg
I clicked on the "Add a play slot" tab
The list of times opened, I could read them, but, in Firefox, I could not add or edit.


So for me, no problem. I just use Chrome.
My guess is that others, not just me, do have problems.

As I recall, Sanya or Oliver or someone helped me set it up Chrome. But I did need help. I could not figure it on my own, and I cannot now recall or figure out how to do this in Firefox.

So for me, problem solved. I guess for Ian and camilleln problem solved. And I think Dick had initial problems but they are solved.  But others might still be wondering what to do.

Technology is always easy if you know what to do, and just about impossible if you do not. It's the nature of the beast.
 

[OliverC]

LOL. IMHO Firefox is a piece of junk

[kenberg]

In this case it is not the browser I think. I tried it in Microsoft Edge as well.
I open either Firefox or Edge, I go to http://iac.pigpen.org.uk/WeeklyPlay.php, I log in, I click on "Add a play slot". the play slots come up so I can read them but I can not add one.
I am pretty sure I was having the same problem with Chrome until you or Sanya helped me through it. I was then simply following instructions and when I do that the details of just what I did have about a ten minute life span, but as I recall it had to do with the fact that I had separate logins for the forum and for the general site. I could, I think, successfully login to either but maybe it was only on the forum that I could write something in. I don't think that was exactly it, but at any rate it just didn't work.

So for me, now, it's that I can do it in Chrome but not in the others. But not, I think, because of any inherent better features of Chrome, but simply because I was using Chrome when you or Sanya helped me to get it working.

I see this as just part of modern life. As I said, I have helped others with their computer problems so there are people out there who know even less than i do, but some things just stump me. When I bought my last computer I signed up for an extra cost assistance thing and it has definitely been a good choice. I call, they say first do this, then do that, then do this other thing, and I don't understand but it works. One time I thought I understood something. what things to do in what order, so at first I did not call. But no go, so I called. One button that I thought should be pushed indeed needed to be pushed but in fact it needed to be pushed and held for five seconds. No doubt I should have known that (insert laugh here) but I didn't.

[OliverC]

Don't forget that Cookies for Chrome and Cookies for Firefox (or any other browser) are totally independent of each other, AFAIK. ie: you have to do the business of saving your site profile with each browser (and not have your browsers set to delete browsing data when you close it, and not delete cookies as a matter of course) before any of my sites that have functionality dependent on you being logged in will work "normally" for you.

As I've said before, your choice of Browser will potentially make a difference to the appearance of the site (because not all browsers follows CSS standards as closely as Chrome), but they shouldn't make much difference to the functionality of the site.

[Curls77]

I never had problems, until one day I used CCleaner, which obv deleted cookies, and only with Oliver's tip of amend profile I fixed the problem. Since then ALL works on 4 computers I use (all different windows, from XP to 10), on diff browsers -- from FF thru Opera to Monkey, some updated, some left idle on purpose.

They say is no good discussing tastes, but geee--- dont i HATE Chrome! Typical product made to prevent masses of presumably stupid users change options and eventually make mistakes they normally do when they poke around things they r clueless about. I SO do not belong to that big group   

PS: I see camilleln finaly got around her problem, and not only that, she is bringing Mark Smith into IAC! Was it with your help Oliver?

[kenberg]

Notes form an old guy:

I only have the vaguest notions about cookies. I had not heard of CCleaner. Etc. And Etc.

Mostly I get along fine with technology.

There are many things that can be done with technology, that doesn't mean we have to do all of them.

In theory, functionality will not vary with the browser. In practice it sometimes does. I assume we all know the old Yogi Berra quote "In theory, practice and theory should be the same. In practice, they aren't."

I am cautious. One example is that I pretty much stay off of Facebook.  With recent developments I am seeing this as a wise choice. But there are close choices. I am slowly expanding my use of technology. I just learned about Quora today. I am thinking about it. Sounds good, but you have to join, get a user name, create a password, and agree to their privacy policy. I am thinking about it. The concept seems good. I am thinking about it.

Probably my biggest technology concern is a common one:  When you are doing A, you are not doing B. When I was 13 a friend and I (I am soon flying out to celebrate his 80th birthday) went, just the two of us, on a multi-day bicycle trip, camping along the St. Croix River (it's the boundary between Minnesota, where we lived, and Wisconsin). My 13 year old grandsons, they are twins, play computer games.  I prefer the St. Croix.

Anyway. BBO is a great contribution to bridge and IAC is a well developed part of it. I have no real complaints.