So the one feature I'd suggest would be having clicking on these images not open the image URL directly, but instead either:
1) pop up a full-screen lightbox to display the image at max resolution on the page (and still styled w/ the `image-rendering: pixelated` CSS)
2) go to a dedicated page for the image, but it's still an HTML page. the HTML can be very simple: render the image at max resolution but w/ the correct image-rendering CSS. This is probably the better solution since it makes linkable the best way to view the image, and it's easier than make a lightbox.
Thanks for the suggestion. I've logged it as an idea for consideration for if I decide to do more development on the webpage generation code.
It was brought up on Discord, but would it be possible if the archives themselves don't display old usernames?
I could see why some people don't want their old names easily seen.
I think either being able to request specific usernames be removed or just not having the older usernames altogether would be appreciated.
Thanks for expressing your concerns about this. The intent behind tracking and displaying name changes to this point has been to satisfy a few objectives:
- Cross-linking older and newer entries such that they are credited to the proper individual and don't show up as two different users. This is the most important functional aspect of tracking name changes and needs to happen in some capacity behind the scenes, whether or not these old names are displayed, as long as members want their entries to be linked and as long as names are used as identifiers and not Member IDs. (Why not use Member IDs? The answer is that all the data entry is performed manually—every result of every entry in every contest is something I've typed in, as well as every username change—and frankly, I'm not willing to search for each user and record their member ID when I manually update the results each week. A system integrated with PureZC's databases could do this, but these archives are separate and I don't expect them to ever be integrated.)
- Communicating past names to visitors so that they can know who's who when viewing old contest threads that feature the retired names (both in the top-level post and in subsequent feedback and discussion).
- Presenting an opportunity for visitors who may not follow forum events closely—or who may be visiting for the first time in a while—to recognize that a member whose old name the visitor is more familiar with has changed their name (and to know what the newer preferred name is). I can't speak for everyone, but as a long-time PureZC member who was way more active in the past than today, I have found this helps me better recognize familiar people with new names when I do browse the forums.
The primary reference I've used for name changes is the "name history" dialog within each user's profile, and I still rely on that when I encounter a name in a contest I don't recognize. Some older info came from a (now ancient) official name-change thread, and some especially old info I had to infer from the names of members that replied to shot feedback in the original contest threads. The reason I went through these efforts was for the objectives above, and I regret that a process I performed with functionality and convenience in mind has caused some members to feel uncomfortable. I want to make these pages better for the affected users so that the archives properly celebrate the awesome creativity everyone has displayed through Screenshot of the Week rather than upsetting people.
Please send me a private message if you would prefer your name history to be hidden.
This functionality isn't in the code now, but based on this feedback, I now feel like it's an important enough change to warrant digging up my old Java IDE and making a code update to enable it. I'll also add language to the first post in this thread and the archives site inviting members with concerns to contact me so that I can make things right.
Please note that I'm not staff and can't modify how your name history appears in your PureZC member profile, which names of yours have appeared on the site in SotW or elsewhere, or the names embedded in the URLs of the shots you've submitted to contests. I also request your patience: this is entirely a volunteer effort, and the aforementioned manual updates, separation from PureZC databases, and crusty code make code updates somewhat more challenging than they might let on.
All said, thank you again for this feedback. I'll get to work on it soon.
