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Developer API
Topic Started: Jan 22 2016, 04:20 AM (3,160 Views)
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Is there any news on the developer API front, or a vague/ rough timeline as to when it will be released or at least new information available?

I've got a lot of work to do with ZetaBoards Dynamo, but work that would most likely have to be repeated once the API is available, and so I'd rather refrain from doing the same thing twice if that's a viable option.

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RedBldSandman
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It's crazy how little information there's been since the announcement about the API at the end of 2009. There were vague references to it being worked on for the few years after but I can't remember the last time anyone confirmed it was even still in the pipeline.

I used to check this forum frequently to see if there were any new updates for ZB such as the API or the Resource Database but I'm pretty sure I'll be giving up hope soon and just forgetting about the platform. There's been nothing new for developers in such a long time even though there was so much promised. It's really disappointing.
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Ferby
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RedBldSandman
Feb 5 2016, 06:04 PM
It's crazy how little information there's been since the announcement about the API at the end of 2009. There were vague references to it being worked on for the few years after but I can't remember the last time anyone confirmed it was even still in the pipeline.

I used to check this forum frequently to see if there were any new updates for ZB such as the API or the Resource Database but I'm pretty sure I'll be giving up hope soon and just forgetting about the platform. There's been nothing new for developers in such a long time even though there was so much promised. It's really disappointing.
It's not just the API. We've been let down on every feature we've been promised. Development is just utter crap. I get it, there's only one developer and most likely he's got a job he needs to focus on, however you cannot promise these things and then just expect us to forget about it all-the-while claim to have competitors. I'm forbidden to mention vBulletin or IPB because they're competitors when - in reality - ZetaBoards is not even in the race. No progress is being made, we see the same code requests time and time again for features supposably in development.

Dynamo is not only the best modification out there for zeta forum owners but the best modification there has ever been available to ZetaBoards. Viral has put a ton of effort into a modification that would improve the user experience of forum users but the majority of it should be features included in zeta itself. I'm the only support staff active on the Dynamo support boards. The last couple of months I've been having to deal with users experiencing the error 11 issue, which is a crippling error that causes Dynamo to lose all function because Brandon changed how user IDs work; they now recycle. Of course because of the lack of communication from Brandon and the lack of development in general, we had no way of knowing this would happen. I'm having to tell users "Sorry you can't use Dynamo. It's not our fault, it's Zeta's".

How do we fix this? Quite simply: give a crap about the user-base you have, get your head into gear and actually do something with the forum software that isn't part of your hobby, Brandon. The staff team (i.e. support & community teams) do their jobs completely for free and I have huge respect for them. Not only that but they've been here for years doing this job with no sign of resigning. Most people would expect to be paid for working as a support member but they're kind enough to do it for free out of pure kindness, and I have huge admiration for that.

That's just my two cents.
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Stephen
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Viral
Jan 22 2016, 04:20 AM
Is there any news on the developer API front, or a vague/ rough timeline as to when it will be released or at least new information available?

I've got a lot of work to do with ZetaBoards Dynamo, but work that would most likely have to be repeated once the API is available, and so I'd rather refrain from doing the same thing twice if that's a viable option.

Viral


At this time, the API's priority level has shifted. The top priorities are the finalizing of Cloudflare- specifically with regards to domains, the finalization of the taptatalk app, and two other projects we are not yet announcing. The completion of these items will greatly free up Developer time and allow for more development on features such as the API. I can tell you that yes, the API is still on the list and towards the top but that it requires a lot of development time. And as time is the most valuable commodity we have, we've opted to spend it on security, infrastructure and mobile applications as those are the immediate concerns for the future. So to answer your question, the API will not be ready any time soon.

RedBldSandman
Feb 5 2016, 06:04 PM
It's crazy how little information there's been since the announcement about the API at the end of 2009. There were vague references to it being worked on for the few years after but I can't remember the last time anyone confirmed it was even still in the pipeline.

I used to check this forum frequently to see if there were any new updates for ZB such as the API or the Resource Database but I'm pretty sure I'll be giving up hope soon and just forgetting about the platform. There's been nothing new for developers in such a long time even though there was so much promised. It's really disappointing.


The API as it was is no longer viable. Some of you may remember the demo site that existed, dealsforme. Essentially the API needs to be done over. That is why work stopped. The RDB is another matter and work on that will hopefully resume after the above mentioned projects are completed.

Ferby
Feb 5 2016, 08:54 PM
It's not just the API. We've been let down on every feature we've been promised. Development is just utter crap. I get it, there's only one developer and most likely he's got a job he needs to focus on, however you cannot promise these things and then just expect us to forget about it all-the-while claim to have competitors. I'm forbidden to mention vBulletin or IPB because they're competitors when - in reality - ZetaBoards is not even in the race. No progress is being made, we see the same code requests time and time again for features supposably in development.

Dynamo is not only the best modification out there for zeta forum owners but the best modification there has ever been available to ZetaBoards. Viral has put a ton of effort into a modification that would improve the user experience of forum users but the majority of it should be features included in zeta itself. I'm the only support staff active on the Dynamo support boards. The last couple of months I've been having to deal with users experiencing the error 11 issue, which is a crippling error that causes Dynamo to lose all function because Brandon changed how user IDs work; they now recycle. Of course because of the lack of communication from Brandon and the lack of development in general, we had no way of knowing this would happen. I'm having to tell users "Sorry you can't use Dynamo. It's not our fault, it's Zeta's".

How do we fix this? Quite simply: give a crap about the user-base you have, get your head into gear and actually do something with the forum software that isn't part of your hobby, Brandon. The staff team (i.e. support & community teams) do their jobs completely for free and I have huge respect for them. Not only that but they've been here for years doing this job with no sign of resigning. Most people would expect to be paid for working as a support member but they're kind enough to do it for free out of pure kindness, and I have huge admiration for that.

That's just my two cents.


We appreciate the honest feedback. There is only one thing I would take issue with from your comments however: I wasn't aware we were competing with paid hosts. We remain a FREE host. Zetaboards Premium and Ad Removal simply offset costs, they don't suddenly bring in enough to hire a team of developers. We have one full time: Brandon and one part time: Reid. The rest of us remain volunteers. That said, I fully understand your frustration. If you think it's not shared among the staff and management- it is.

In the past two years we have been hit by a series of setbacks both personal and business related that have prevented several projects from reaching completion as well as releases occurring on a timely basis. For instance, security became a major issue that took precedence over a bunch of requested features when the Denial of Service attacks nearly crippled several servers. The decision very quickly became that it was more important to have the service up and running than it was to have a bunch of nice features that no one could even access because their board was down all the time.

There are many personal sacrifices that have been made for this service and it is not a hobby. But being the sole developer and server administrator and more does require a lot of work and again, that is why Brandon's time and Reid's have been prioritized. As you say, the team here are volunteers. And if you wonder why I have stayed for over 12 years now, Brandon and Brian are a large part of that. While it is not always apparent, Brandon does care deeply about this service and its customers. We all care about this service and do strive to make it the best it can be in our own ways. For the support team, that means providing the best support they can as quickly as possible. For the community, it means engaging with members here through events like December's Star Wars month. And for Brandon it means constantly striving to do what is best for the network as a whole. The API, while important for what it could do in the future, simply isn't as vital as the security of the network or the performance of the servers. When that is settled, it is our hope that focus can resume on projects like the API and that with Reid's assistance, we can complete the project faster.
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Ryan
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Stephen
 
And if you wonder why I have stayed for over 12 years now...
Heck, it's quite a surprise to me that any staff member has stayed longer than they have. A lack of development doesn't just frustrate users of the service, but it's frustrating for me personally. Unless I'm at work, I don't sit down and use a computer to browse the web anymore. I know that I can use ZetaBoards from my phone, but unlike a lot of services it doesn't feel efficient (or even enjoyable) to use on a mobile device. I need a solution to that. I'm glad that one is almost here, but the journey has been painstaking, especially for staff members who have very little control over ZetaBoards and have put the most amount of effort into making this feature a reality. (Not me for the record! :P)

I believe this service can be better than any other. The right steps are being taken to make this happen now, but it shouldn't have ever taken this long in the first place. My fear is that we've lost a lot of interest from members who have the skills to transform what we think the service should be, and that makes features like the API and the Resource Database a top priority to me... maybe even more so than mobile.
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Epsilekt
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I think I get the idea but what is API?
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Arrogant
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Stephen
Feb 6 2016, 12:15 AM
We appreciate the honest feedback. There is only one thing I would take issue with from your comments however: I wasn't aware we were competing with paid hosts. We remain a FREE host.
So does ProBoards, which offers all the features ZetaBoards does, and then some. It already has a mobile app for both Android & iOS and there's very little need for an API since they give you almost full template access to nearly every page of the forum. That's in addition to a resource database that's been around for quite a while and an active coding community that the developers actually communicate with.

Oh, and they have a development blog that was last updated 2/5/2016. That's yesterday.
Edited by Arrogant, Feb 7 2016, 01:01 AM.
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Stephen
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Arrogant
Feb 7 2016, 12:58 AM
So does ProBoards, which offers all the features ZetaBoards does, and then some. It already has a mobile app for both Android & iOS and there's very little need for an API since they give you almost full template access to nearly every page of the forum. That's in addition to a resource database that's been around for quite a while and an active coding community that the developers actually communicate with.

Oh, and they have a development blog that was last updated 2/5/2016. That's yesterday.


We're not trying to compete with other software despite the many years users have tried for us to do that. We're simply here to offer a free service to users who choose to use it. If they choose other software, that's their preference. If they choose to use zIFBoards over Zetaboards, again it is their preference.

Ultimately, we chose to put security first. In so doing, this closed the door on the ease of which modifications can be made. That is why the API remains a priority- We cannot give full template access as that would compromise security. The amount of support tickets we receive from users with problems stemming from bad code has shown us that this could be a major issue. If for example, we allowed almost full access, then if the user makes a big enough mistake, the only one who can fix it is Brandon- and we've effectively wasted our developer time on that. The server improvements we've made were substantial and they cost a substantial amount of money to make and maintain. That was and remains a worthwhile investment and one that will benefit us for the future. Make no mistake however- it was costly.

Taptatalk was chosen as the mobile app because they came to management about making our software compatible. We are close to completion but the last part requires assistance from Taptatalk. That does not mean mobile work has stopped however. Helena and others have been hard at work to try and provide as much mobile compatibility as possible within the limits we have.

As to the development blog: If we had more than one full time developer, that would make sense for us. It does not at the present time. As we have news to share, we release it. We stopped giving timetables out long ago because we've learned how quickly things can impact deadlines. Instead, we wait until we are sure of release and then make announcements. It does no good to tease features that are in development as it only serves to increase demand and leads to disappointment if we are unable to deliver on time. As mentioned in my previous post, our goal right now is the security and infrastructure of the software. When that is solid, we can resume focus on feature requests. And ideally, get these requests out much faster.
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Epsilekt
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For the longest time I wanted to write a code that would actually scan code on an in depth level and disallow or allow it to be submitted according to restrictions. It's hard though when you can't just sit down on your own laptop anytime you want.

As a short term effect you could do things like making sure that certain elements of the board are always visible before submitting... :ermm:

Who knows how many problems Stephen is talking about though.
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Arrogant
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Stephen
Feb 7 2016, 07:14 PM
We're not trying to compete with other software despite the many years users have tried for us to do that. We're simply here to offer a free service to users who choose to use it. If they choose other software, that's their preference. If they choose to use zIFBoards over Zetaboards, again it is their preference.
I know you guys work hard to keep this service going, but it seems more like Brandon's side project than a legitimate service. I've never really understood why Brandon insists on being the sole developer since I came to this community, but it's ultimately his service to provide the way he sees fit (and he did pick up Reid, so eh).

It's a shame, really. The general inactivity and slow development cycle really makes it seem like ZetaBoards is dead. It's a reliable service with a dedicated staff team behind it and I have no doubt that there are thousands of people who both love and use it still, but it's depressing nonetheless to see how much things have changed over the past decade.
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Ferby
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Arrogant
Feb 7 2016, 11:49 PM
Stephen
Feb 7 2016, 07:14 PM
We're not trying to compete with other software despite the many years users have tried for us to do that. We're simply here to offer a free service to users who choose to use it. If they choose other software, that's their preference. If they choose to use zIFBoards over Zetaboards, again it is their preference.
I know you guys work hard to keep this service going, but it seems more like Brandon's side project than a legitimate service. I've never really understood why Brandon insists on being the sole developer since I came to this community, but it's ultimately his service to provide the way he sees fit (and he did pick up Reid, so eh).

It's a shame, really. The general inactivity and slow development cycle really makes it seem like ZetaBoards is dead. It's a reliable service with a dedicated staff team behind it and I have no doubt that there are thousands of people who both love and use it still, but it's depressing nonetheless to see how much things have changed over the past decade.
Unfortunately I have to agree. I see Brandon with over 20,000 post and yet in my experience I could probably count on one hand how many posts I've ever seen from him in my four years here. Also in that time little development has been done. Sure, these features may close/near completion but I think what we're mainly upset with is the lack of communication, which I've been moaning about for years (wow I'm beginning to feel old at 18). It seems this is a side project and it upsets me that a forum software with so much potential doesn't get the attention it needs. I don't believe ZetaBoards is dead. Dead implies it can't be picked back up again, however I believe ZetaBoards is at an all-time low when it comes to those contributing to it (I'm referring to new themes and modifications).

On the other hand of this, I am happy we're able to actually talk about this and be assured by staff that not only is development a priority but so is security. I know ZetaBoards has had server issues for a very long time so it's comforting knowing that it's being resolved.
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Viral
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I have more that I want to say in response to everything above, but limited for time right now so will leave it for a little later.

But I have a slightly separate question now. Is there any chance that we can be told what features are 'loosely' planned to be offered by the API. I don't expect definite answers, I know plans change etc. But so far the only information I have about it is that it is an API - if I have a small idea about what it may offer I can take these into account in my future modifications. Maybe even a rough list of methods that will be provided (even if these may change, but just to give an idea) would be unbelievable help. Or at the least, a list of methods which had been provided by the time dealsfor.me was made?

Thanks.
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Quozzo
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Stephen
Feb 7 2016, 07:14 PM
We're not trying to compete with other software despite the many years users have tried for us to do that. We're simply here to offer a free service to users who choose to use it. If they choose other software, that's their preference. If they choose to use zIFBoards over Zetaboards, again it is their preference.
If you're not even trying then there really is no competition. You may not be competing with other similar services but they sure are competing with you. If you don't stay ahead they will win and it seems they already have.

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Skyon Archer
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My advice, Viral, is to continue coding and deal with the changes when they happen . . . five or ten years from now ;)

:D
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Quozzo
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Skyon Archer
Feb 8 2016, 05:46 AM
My advice, Viral, is to continue coding and deal with the changes when they happen . . . five or ten years from now ;)

:D
OMG you nearly owed me a new keyboard. My tea almost came my nose.
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