I think that the archivers should get together and decide which game of its type is the best (e.g. only having one minesweeper and getting rid of the rest) and maybe a rating system too. There is just no point in having 20 minesweeper games or 30 formula programs when they are all the same.
P.S. this only applies for BASIC games. I thik all ASM games should be kept (until it becomes a problem)

I like the idea of having a "best of the best", but not the idea of deleting everything else. Perhaps ticalc could simply put up a list of the best files. You know, the best minesweeper game, the best racing game, the best quad-solver program (well, maybe not that one...) You get the point.

MWM

I'll agree to almost anything but deleting or rejecting files.

NO FILES DELETED OR REJECTED!
NO FILES DELETED OR REJECTED!
NO FILES DELETED OR REJECTED!

I agree to you not posting stupid rants like that...

NO FILES DELETED OR REJECTED!
NO FILES DELETED OR REJECTED!
NO FILES DELETED OR REJECTED!
NO FILES DELETED OR REJECTED!
NO FILES DELETED OR REJECTED!
NO FILES DELETED OR REJECTED!
NO FILES DELETED OR REJECTED!
NO FILES DELETED OR REJECTED!
NO FILES DELETED OR REJECTED!
NO FILES DELETED OR REJECTED!
NO FILES DELETED OR REJECTED!
NO FILES DELETED OR REJECTED!

I totally agree. Creating catagories is the only way.

I wouldn't mind user ratings if it's just to indicate how well it is liked and folders would help too. My big thing is not deleting stuff.

Example:
File Date Size Rating Description
prog1.zip 02/03/2003 5K ***-- I made...
prog2.zip 03/01/2004 2K *---- Why did I make...
prog3.zip 01/26/2002 2789K ****- My program...
prog4.zip 02/28/2004 1947K ***** Well this is...

As I indicated - rate 1-5 stars
*----
**---
***--
****-
*****

I picked the rating system, but I would like to see it and the smaller subcategories options implemented (they're not mutually exclusive).

That's correct... we could implement all three if we wanted to.

That would of course mean that you would have to do some work around here.

Hmm, wouldn't that be a nice change... (j/k)

Well, most people that have visited this site have all agreed upon one thing: that change must be in order, I've searched through the enormous archives and like many have noted, there is a lot of files and other programs that just aren't used and aren't needed, but that is a problem that can be fixed later, our first dilemma is the current programs that will join the masive archives soon. I believe, and as this pole shows, that we should get a type of rating system. Maybe getting rid of the files is much; the rating system would solve most of this by having the programs that no one uses either way at the bottom of some list, or maybe even in a different folder. Personally I think that someone going through all the programs would be nice, except that it might be a little much considering that someone might not know how much time someone spent on something. Take the one program that I have on this site so far, I worked on it in various classes in school for a good half-month, and it's not even that great. So I want to wrap things up by saying that a rating system would solve future problems, but there is still the problem with the current. Well later ya guys!

-N.P.Miller

Hmmm, i hope this doesnt get as long as my posts in the news article. Anyways, i voted ratings. I think thats the best option. More categories would be nice, but might end up being a hassle, especially in the games directory. If someone went looking for a new game, they wouldnt neccesarily know what game they want, they would browse everything looking for something fun. With categories that would be more of a hassle. Categories should be made an option, and you should be able to see multiple categories on the same page if you wish.

Until the server fills up and ticalc runs out of space, we shouldnt delete or reject stuff based on program quality. If some program describes itself as "a fast paced shooter," and then you download and run it and its like, "Hi, you fell for it and downloaded this, have fun!" then that should be rejected. And if something is uploaded without screenshot or documentation, an automatic response should be sent asking them to provide such material before the program is uploaded. If we were to delete stuff eventually, there are some files that are a new version of an old file but have a different name so they are both still around and the old one should be deleted.

Thats all that i have to say for now...

why not just have an "upload ceiling" so that the community can upload only a certain quota a week. In the meantime, the staff can set about spring cleaning.

that wouldnt do much good. It would be better for the archivers to set a quota for themselves, and only process that number per week to give time for spring cleaning, whatever that means.

Why don't they allow authors themselves to delete their programs? There should be a removal page besides the upload page. As far as I know , the only possible way to delete your program now is bothering an archiver.
I think most programmers realise they've send crap once they're over their learning stage or once they find a better equivalent of their program in the archives.

What's wrong with bothering the archiver??

The problem with allowing you guys to delete your own files, is that another person could potentially get access to your account and delete them for you. Like I have mentioned many other times in these threads this won't be happening. It's just not safe.

Have a reverse upload form - somthing where you can check a box on your file managment page and click "delete" and it will be processed just like adding a file.

Do it like you do E-mail on the internet but so it has a E-mail confirmation or somthing so the person who owns the account must reply or the file will stay. I know I wouldn't mind deleting my own things but I would not like them being deleted or rejected by an archiver.

NO FILES DELETED OR REJECTED!
NO FILES DELETED OR REJECTED!
NO FILES DELETED OR REJECTED!

I like this idea of the button and email confirmation, but in the end youre still just sending an email to the archiver...

Yes but it would be easier to delete your own files. I thought that was the main point.

The only way to not bother an archiver is to give all the users FULL access to all the data on the server (at least as far as the pages) because I have a feeling that the archivers are probably editing the web site when they add a file, not just dropping it into a folder on the server.

They're certainly not editing the website directly. Or drop a file in a directory.

There are special applications used to approve/reject/change/whatever any files in our archives. Under no conditions are the archives modified directly. It's just that some operations have a user-facing interface on the site, and some require you to send off an email to filearchive@ticalc.org. Which is which is purely based on how often they occur and how hard it is to implement.

Still...My point was letting people directly delete the files would give the users too much **DIRECT** control. It would be too easy to erase a file that wasn't yours or accidentally erase somthing.

Wouldn't it be just as easy to upload a blank zip file as an update to a program?

I would think that when the archivers whent to add it to the databas or whatever they would see it was empty and not upload it. I think you would have to be like a note to the archiver or somthing saying "remove this from the archives" or somthing.