BetaArchive Database Suggestions & Bug Reports

[Andy]

I think this is an IE and Edge bug in the rendering. There isn't much I can do about this due to the graph framework being out of my control but I'll see if I can make it drop a line or something instead.

[ATeamInc]

What is the point of the "Source Media" in the release? For anything I select (either original or not), it just says unknown. Shouldn't it say the type of the release (e.g: Floppy)?

[mrpijey]

it's exactly what it say, "Unknown". I.e we don't know from what kind of media the dump comes from.

When it's an original dump it will say Floppy, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, a web address, Tape etc indicating the media it was copied from.

[ATeamInc]

it's exactly what it say, "Unknown". I.e we don't know from what kind of media the dump comes from.

When it's an original dump it will say Floppy, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, a web address, Tape etc indicating the media it was copied from.

That is what I mean. It simply says unknown for everything, even stuff that have a source.
For example, I have uploaded Ulead Video Studio 5.0 from CD-ROM (which is why it has artwork then) and it clearly says Unknown.

I have never seen a release on the database that says the media dump properly yet. Maybe these aren't updated properly from the release_info text files?

Offtopic Comment

You can thank android's blue light filter for messing with the image, and even though it was off (Hence the yellow tint)

[mrpijey]

Ah, that could be a bug. I will look into it. The release info itself says CD-ROM so maybe it doesn't read it out properly.

Edit: Database table says CD-ROM. Andy?

[TheDosProgrammer]

I'd be very happy if there would be a way to search only BETAs, Updates or finished releases. Try searching for "Mac OS X" and you'll get more than 180 results, almost a third of them are labeled as BETAs and lots of them are just updates. I'm also aware that this would probably require a lot of work so this is just a suggestion.

[mrpijey]

We will implement search parameters later where you can pick specific columns or categories to search in.

[Andy]

Edit: Database table says CD-ROM. Andy?

This one is fixed now.

[Andy]

URL: https://www.betaarchive.com/ba_db/statistics.php
Description: When viewing the statistics page in MS Edge, the labels for the number of releases and their percentages on the pie charts are overlapping. Doesn't happen in Chrome.
How to replicate: open the statistics page in Edge.
Screenshot:

Looking into this, it's an IE/Edge render bug. They're supposed to be on separate lines but it decides to overlap them instead. As a temporary fix I've made the values appear on the same line so you can read them.

[SistemaRayoXP]

Suggestion: In the Offers/Request forum there are rules where one of those say that you should check if the release isn't already in the FTP, if you have no FTP Access, ask a moderator

What if instead, that rule links to the database, so now no FTP access or listing is required

[Edness]

Suggestion: Having individual sizes of archives listed as well. Currently the DB only displays the size of artwork and disc image together. That can stay for the total archive size, sure, but when I look at some of them, it looks almost unreal. Like 152MB for WinZip? I actually had to go check how they managed to take up so much space on a single WinZip installer, turns out 135MB of it was artwork.


So yeah, that threw me off-guard. Wouldn't mind having individual artwork, documentation (if any) and media sizes listed alongside total size due to this.

[Andy]

We'll look to split this out in a later release of the database.

[mrpijey]

Yes, that size is the full release size including all additional content. We will add individual media, artwork, documentation and extras sizes at a later date.

[ReflectiaX]

Bug: Searches contain irrelevant results based on data found in the URL.

Sample search: Click here

Hover over a link and note that the result is likely based on the UUID.

[Andy]

I wouldn't call it irrelevant since it found what it was asked to find, but you raise a good point in not searching the uuid field. We'll alter that in the future.

[ReflectiaX]

I wouldn't call it irrelevant since it found what it was asked to find, but you raise a good point in not searching the uuid field. We'll alter that in the future.

I certainly wasn't contesting the efficacy of the search functionality when I said "irrelevant." I just meant that it's just doing its job a little too well for what it seems its intended scope should be.

[Edness]

So, I copied the current DB page source and tried messing a little bit to see what I can do to get it working on mobile properly. Seems like I've gotten it functioning, of course with missing assets, but that's not important. I've deleted it off the hosting site I'm using as well, it was just a quick temporary upload to test with my phone. Here's the before and after


Anyways, it was actually pretty easy, what I did firstly was at the very top by changing

Code: Select all

<meta name="viewport" content="width=640, initial-scale=1">

to

Code: Select all

<meta name="viewport" content="width=976, initial-scale=1">

You won't really need a 640 minimum, no one really uses a 640x480 or even an 800x600 screen. Smallest I usually see nowadays is 1024x768 which is just barely more than enough. And why 976? Well, that seems to be the smallest I can get in a browser before it just stops scaling and adds a horizontal scroll bar on a regular non-DB page, thanks to the BA logo and navbar preventing it from scaling down further.

I had some initial luck with some smaller numbers like 936 when I was just messing about, but I think it should stay at 976 just to be safe.

But that wasn't it, it still seemed somewhat broken on my phone at least (I don't know if this phone's 1440p display is partially to blame as well, probably not though... Maybe it's the missing assets). But this was quite simple to figure out as well.
It was first by removing the current existing top from the DB going from line 195 to line 220

Code: Select all

<div class="row">
	<div class="col-md-12">
		<div class="" style="float: left; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 27px 0px 0px 20px;">				
			.  .  .
		</div>
	</div>
</div>

And in that spot I replaced it with what's on a regular properly scaling page, taking the main page, from line 46 to line 125.

Code: Select all

<td style='background: #576972;'>
	<div id="wrapheader">
		<table width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">
			.  .  .
		</table>
	</div>
</td>

(Altered spacing just in here to save space)
Some of it probably won't be needed anymore in the DB of course, it's up to you to decide what to take out, but hey, here's something. Hopefully it'll make viewing the page on mobile much more easier for me and others as well

[3155ffGd]

Suggestion: The Archive Stats at the top left below the banner has a tooltip that converts TB to TiB (which is what Windows uses). The front page of the BetaArchive database does not have this tooltip. It would be great if that could be added to the database also.

[AlphaBeta]

I wouldn't call it irrelevant since it found what it was asked to find, but you raise a good point in not searching the uuid field. We'll alter that in the future.

IMHO the uuid field should be considered if the search query 100% matches some release's UUID i.e. a search for "543f3b5d-e267-4731-8934-b6d3ff890068" should return Windows 1.0 DR5, but not "543f3b5d".

[BF10]

A new bug for search results with more than 100 results.

URL: https://www.betaarchive.com/database/se ... q=mac+os+x and https://www.betaarchive.com/database/se ... windows+xp
Description of issue: There is less than 1000 results, but the "over 1000 results returned" warning appears, with or without filters.
Replication: Simply search anything that has more than 100 results, not just 1000 results (like "Windows XP" or "Mac OS X") and this error will appear.
Screenshot:

[Andy]

That's intended. Your search showed over 100 results, but we would restrict the total shown to 1000. It's just to let you know we would never show more than 1000 and that you should consider refining your search to show less results.

But it's a little confusing I agree.

[LangsamSpieler]

Is Microsoft Chicago 99 not already uploaded? Because when is it there 2 times it sounds very odd.

[mrpijey]

It has been replaced with a newer copy.

[_Ken_]

I've just come to realize that the last upload I made was already listed in the database, unfortunately I have sigs blocked when I sign in so I didn't see the link to this till I checked "Active Topics" when not logged in, noticing the link in mrpijeys sig.
However, there is a chance that my upload may differ from the one already uploaded, I have no way of knowing without some form of reference in the page to check against the CD I have, there's a size listed in the database, though it greatly differs from mine, suggesting it's different, 610.98 MB vs: 553mb , though my alcohol ripped version ended up 660 odd mb, though I'm guessing the 610mb is with artwork..
Knowing if mine is different would save the uploader & the ftp administrator time if either one was given a way to check before wasting time finding out it's the same.

Maybe have a small gif preview of the original CD to compare against mine, CD part number or something to go by.

[mrpijey]

I will check and compare as soon as I get the time this weekend and let you know. I am working on artwork support in the DB, but as with all development it takes time off other important stuff and there are only so many free hours in a day to do these things .