The Dark Voice

Clean Interface: An Assertion of The Seneschal

Dark Voice Correspondant Odin Vaaj Bruth'Kothae
As the backbone of the mundane data processing and presentation in the Dark Jedi Brotherhood, The Seneschal Office has the big role in keeping the integrity of system, especially in the purpose of preparing the upcoming biggest event of the society, the upcoming vendetta. Here is the interview coverage that was performed in the Seneschal's office, directly with the Seneschal, Krath Epis Xia Long.

Greetings, Seneschal. Thank you for the chance of this interview. As you've been mentioned in the latest Seneschal report, there are several things which still in on going projects, as the main goal is to make the website, database and interfaces better. Regarding the upcoming schedule of the next vendetta, what kind of immense things to do to prepare that great event?

(Leaning back to her chair, The Epis briefly brushed through her hair)

Ahh yes. The Next Utmost Vendetta. Currently we are working on cleaning up the webpage. Removing any possibility to hack into the page. This is an important step to prepare the webpage for the event. Implementing new features in a system that is not cleaned up usually causes a lot of problems. Unfortunately cleaning up the Dark Jedi brotherhood webpage is not an easy task. We do plan to implement some rather more personalized features. They are similar to the more or less custom robes and sabers, though I am very careful with giving away too much or to rise to high hopes. We have a lot of great ideas; one of them is a project that definitely is also tied to the Herald's office. It requires a good working team up of those both offices.

It means some new options on the personal administration?

Yes. Though we still have to see how deep such things can be personalized. It will probably be related - like the robes and sabers - to the rank each member has. Although I am very aware that many of the lower ranked people will now look a bit disappointed as their options aren't those of an Elder.... but that is the point here: To make people strife to gain higher ranks. Such ideas are haunting in our heads. Though I am a very conservative programmer, I don't want to promise a whole kingdom and to disappoint people if it doesn't work out. But we hope to implement such personalization step by step and I am pretty sure that many people in the Dark Jedi Brotherhood would love to have such a feature, to develop their characters and "show off" what they have, what they are. Something that freshens out the character they represent here in the DJB. Currently this is not the only project.

I see, well every project has its own time schedules and we recognize the hard time in coding maintenance and creating the new ones. About the next vendetta itself, the coding preparation, is there any new interface about the system on how to report and see the current events, any particular or special remarks?

Particularly, it has something different, chances are the format that will not be close to the old ones (As Praetor Jac informed me). We're just going to use a basic match reporting (probably the tournament scoring) and then a basic event submission upload.

Well, next thing that we would like to know, what kind of changes, the changes in the DB website/database that might be performed in the future, you would like to make?

I am looking for a more modular web page. That can be easily modified on the surface without having to dig too deeply into the code itself. Additionally the web page has to be brought to the standards of this new era. Not of the 90s / 80s. It's like separating the design from the programming more clearly so you simply exchange one or two files and suddenly have a completely different design. Additional several functions should be more multi functional and not for only 1 or 2 situations. It prevents to have a mass of functions where new programmers only get confused and buried under a pile of functions. This is also the point where we have to make a new Coder Guide It is not easy for someone new to the DJB web page to jump into action. I also struggle with a lot of things. And I am very thankful to have Jac. I guess not everyone can say that he / she has a former Grandmaster and now a champion as their Praetor. Sometimes .. scary.

Are there only three of you to run the abundant sophisticated coding project in the DB so far?

We are still looking for more new coders. We currently have one or two who wish to step into action. We have some offers from people, but some don't do more than to code a few web pages without real programming experiences, which are necessary. Praetor Jac is someone very specialized in coding and databases. He knows everything inside and around the webpage. Magistrate Orv is a super expert in dynamic content on the surface of the web page. He is also an expert in things as JQuery. I don't really want to go too deep into this technique. But it is the future and present of standards in web programming. I am rather an all-rounder with a lot of knowledge about the surface of web pages and especially programming CSS and barrier free programming.

Is there any expectation to the overall members from the Seneschal office?

Back to the priorities. We have the highest priority in a few renovations - special parts of the DJB web page. From dossiers to MAA and ACC and to the competitions. As soon as the planning of the the vendetta projects is freshened out they will be pushed up. All the time the cleanup of the code is also important. I am pretty sure the KCB also has several ideas how to improve his work and to raise more statistics that will help him how to improve things around the Envoy system. He already raised a few ideas and asked for some implementations.

Maybe one small expectation. That people realize that we are only humans. And we have our lives and jobs. So this webpage is not a cute little web page that can easily re hauled, it is a huge baby we have to take care of.

It is a wonderful work, Seneschal. It would be much appreciated by all members. Maybe it would be like a call to the hidden coders if they can give their hands as well. Thank you very much for your time and courtesy.