==========================
=     CHANGELOG.TXT      =
==========================

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28 January 2004
------------------------------

  Change:
    The ability to view compilations from the gallery summary has been
    implemented.   This feature has also been coupled with the ability to
    remove published works from their gallery.

    Effectively, this allows for the option to remain as such, even after
    someone has chosen to no longer display the option.   This option alone
    should alow for it's acceptance.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./gallery.pl                               Tag
      ./config/gallery.pl

    Affected:
      This affects no other scripts.


23 January 2004
------------------------------

  Change:
    The PDF printable option has been enhanced as to allow for printable
    compilations of all text works in galleries.  For now this feature simply
    generates them and leaves them in a central area for retreival.

    Currently, plans are in the works to change this behaviour as to adapt
    to the general wants and years of those who will make use of the system.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./config/gallery.pl                        Tag
      ./eRealms/Database.pm

    Affected:
      No other scripts would be affected.
  

22 January 2004
------------------------------

  Change:
    Text galleries were missing a critical feature as compared to other text
    gallery sites in existence.   The capability to create printable versions
    of a text was non-existent in Ethereal Realms and probably led to some
    degree of frustration.

    However, I am not an advocate of simply stripping down HTML.  Instead the
    choice was made to convert the files over to PDF in which permissions
    could be thrown in without any real trouble.   This oddly enough makes the
    exported texts harder to copy then the existing versions displayed.

    In order to accomplish this, a new package was required.   Since there are
    no direct PDF libraries that could be used in Perl, an external program
    named HTMLDOC was installed and used to handle the conversion from HTML to
    the expected PDF format.

      http://www.easysw.com/htmldoc/
    
    The link above will allow one to download, install and even get support
    if need be.

    A new script was also added in order to mass publish text galleries when
    the need arises.   This is mostly useful when formats are changes and need
    to be synched across the board.
    
    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./gallery.pl                               Tag
      ./commandline/publish.pl
      ./config/gallery.pl
      ./eRealms/Database.pm

    Affected:
      This affects no other scripts directly.


17 January 2004
------------------------------

  Change:
    Seems that GalleryGenre and GalleryNotify were not configured to have
    primary keys.    This in itself seemed to have not been a problem due to
    the script side code that handled how things were being done.

    However, this has been rectified as to allow for more database level
    control and remove warnings from certain maintenance scripts.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
                                                 GalleryGenre
                                                 GalleryNotify

    Affected:
      This affects no scripts.

  Change:
    To give more control over headers for specific area.   New headers have
    been thrown in as to allow for this control to take place.   After
    several two line code changes multiple scripts can now look a bit
    different from the rest.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./admin/system.pl                          Tag
      ./admin/swho.pl
      ./config/home.pl
      ./config/gallery.pl
      ./config/realm.pl
      ./eRealms/Database.pm
    
    Affected:
      This affects all of the scripts listed above.

  Change:
    to give more body to a gallery summary page an addition of a Quick Links
    section has been made to the configuration panel.   This allows users
    to add in links they feel are relevant to their gallery, webcomic, journal
    et cetera.

    The new links will appear under the quick news section of the realm.  When
    throwing in a new WorkHeader overide, this gives a lot more control over
    the look and feel of the site.

    The new table called Link allows for quick links to be created for
    specific galleries.   Additional functionality will allow it to have a
    general quick link field for use with the biographical script, which
    is not an implemented feature as of yet.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./gallery.pl                               Link
      ./config/gallery.pl                        Gallery
                                                 Tag

    Affected:
      Only the scripts above are affected directly.

15-16 January 2004
------------------------------

  Change:
    The ability to override CSS and Intro headers for galleries that feature
    comics or journals has been put into place.    This change makes use of
    the upload feature, meaning a more simple interface for users even if
    perhaps a bit slower to edit when the need exists.

    Changes have also been made as to create a link in which the script will
    always return the newest work.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./gallery.pl                               Gallery
      ./eRealms/gallery.pl                       Tag

12-14 January 2004
------------------------------

  Change:
    Journal and Comic based galleries have been completed and thrown into the
    live system.   The new interface utilizing a calendar like archive feature
    that allows to rapidly see all the entries made to comics and journals
    over a given year.

    The addition of a privacy feature has also been thrown into the galleries
    as to allow for people to hide their galleries from public scruitny.
    Useful overall as a prototyping and preperation stage.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./gallery.pl                               Gallery
      ./config/gallery.pl                        Tag
      ./eRealms/Option.pm
      ./ssi/gallery.pl

    Affected:
      This affects all of the gallery systems.

11 January 2004
------------------------------

  Change:
    Changes have been made to the database and scripts as to allow for new
    types of galleries.   The new Journal and Comic galleries will allow the
    site to extend the use of the galleries themselves with minimal code
    changes.

    The configuration panel has already been adapted as to get things working
    properly.  Which was to create a new type of gallery that behave like
    existing works with a few variants.   Variations include the copying of a
    comic work to a central location so the newest work can always be linked
    off site.

    Another variation/restriction is to block off multiple works for any given
    day.   Meaning that only one work for type comic and journal can be made
    in a calendar day.   This is due to the front-ends that will be created
    for use of those systems.

    This also marks the addition of a new script that is meant to deal with
    migrations from one version to the other.   Which is basically a step by
    step copy and paste document that will allow for this to take place.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./admin/system.pl                          Genre
      ./config/gallery.pl

    Affected:
      This affects no other scripts.

09 January 2004
------------------------------

  Change:
    Changed the gallery scripts to insert and replace all instances of \n with a 
    break tag inside the news entries.   This simplifies the submitting
    process by not requiring people to actually use HTML when there is no need
    for it.

    Another change has been to address the lack of customized gallery names
    when going through a gallery.   Now the script will rewrite the existing
    header, throwing in the authors name and gallery title where the generic
    title would normally be found.

    This is exceedingly useful when one wants to bookmark galleries and be
    able to identify the work specifically.

    Modified:
      ./gallery.pl
      ./config/gallery.pl

    Affected:
      This affects no other portion of the site.

07 January 2004
------------------------------

  Change:
    Made a quick modification to increase gallery descriptions to 450
    characters instead of 250.   This just allows authors to be more verbose
    when describing their galleries.

    Modified:
      ./config/gallery.pl

    Affected:
      This affects no other scripts.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-- Ethereal Realms 3.4.0                                                      --
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

03 January 2004
------------------------------

  Change:
    A quick change that adds in the getNew function for the weblog entries
    counter listed in the Portal.   When there exists entries newer then a
    week the tags will list as such.

    Added 'TagNewness' to the portal as to make this portion easier to update.

    Modified:
      ./portal.pl
      ./eRealms/Database.pm

    Affected:
      This affects no other scripts.

02 January 2004
------------------------------

  Change:
    The first change of the year is due to a slight bug in the gallery config
    portion of the site.  This bug caused manual sorting to fail after a while
    because one of the reserved works were being manually sorted along with
    the rest of them.

    This has been corrected as to allow for proper operation.

    Modified:
      ./eRealms/Database.pm

    Affected:
      This affects the gallery configuration panel.

31 December 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    A series of bugfixes have been added to the galleries client in order to
    prevent it from going into infinit loops.   This was related to recent code
    changes and will not affect any previous released of the software.

    Modified:
      ./gallery.pl

    Affected:
      This affects no other scripts.


  Change:
    Changes have been implemeted to finalize the addition of news entries to
    the galleries initial page load.   With this modification in hand, people
    can now post news items from the Gallery Configuration Panel and view the
    additions in public along with the rest.

    Due to the fact that news items are really comments, the removal ability
    has been maintained on the client side as to simplify overall handling of
    the items themselves.

    Also all news items are expanded.  A limit of five has been added as to
    reduce overall clutter.   A user can opt to list all of the news items if
    they so wish.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./gallery.pl                               Tag
      ./config/gallery.pl

    Affected:
      Only the gallery subsystem is affected.

30 December 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    Previous changes to the gallery system have allowed for comments to be made
    on the gallery instead of simply specific works.   These changes were
    exnteded as to allow for the viewing, posting and removal of comments from
    the gallery front-end.

    This new feature will only appear when one is viewing the first page.  Which
    allows for a dramatic cutdown on bandwidth when it's need is not always
    present.

    Modified:
      ./gallery.pl

    Affected:
      This affects no other script.

29 December 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    A new library that deals with rotations has been added into place.  With
    its addition into other scripts the rotation of works, galleries, banners
    and static HTML is now possible.

    In certain cases, templates that were used to generate the HTML have been
    removed due to the existence of this new variant.   This has only happened
    for the banners and portas additional HTML.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./portal.pl                                Tag
      ./commandline/erealms.pl
      ./eRealms/Database.pm
      ./eRealms/Rotate.pm
      ./ssi/rotate.pl

   Affected:
     The portal and the banner display used in realm have been directly
     affected.

  Change:
    Tables, tags and a new administrative panel section have been added as to
    allow for a system that will rotate between inserted items without any real
    human interaction.   This new system will allow random works in galleries
    to be shown and vary the content seen in the portals and other places
    which use SSI.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./admin/system.pl                          Rotate*
      ./eRealms/Audit.pm                         Tag
      ./eRealms/Database.pm

    Affected:
      For now this affectsd no other system.  However the banner display
      system and the portal will be adapted to specifically make use of this.

27 December 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    The galleries have been prepared for the ability to post comments for the
    gallery itself instead of a specific work.   This change will also allow
    the authors to post news items in a similiar fashion to an integrated
    weblog.

    This is done by adding in two works that exist for every gallery created
    on the system.  Where 0 will be the global comments and 1 will be for the
    authors news entries.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./config/gallery.pl                        Exhibition
                                                 getSort()

    Affected:
      The changes affect no other script as the database level modifications
      corrected any possible issues.


  Change:
    The galleries using manual sorting now have the ability to advance a
    work by a few more entries then before.   This speeds up the movement and
    sorting of works and may increase the adoption of this sorting style.

    Modified:
      ./config/gallery.pl

    Affected:
      This change is local to the script.    

22 December 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    Added the ability to synch a distribution list for verified users.  Allowing
    administrators to send messages to them on features that affect them
    exclusively.

    Modified:
      ./commandline/erealms.pl

    Affected:
      This affects no other script.

18 December 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    A quick change that ended up requiring changing more then was expected in
    order to get proper operation.   Essentially, it was requested that the
    handles used last be used for the gummy private messaging functionality
    offered on the site.   This correction to the code allows for this.

    Modified:
      ./bio.pl
      ./realm.pl
      ./eRealms/Database.pm
      ./eRealms/Login.pm

    Affected:
      This will affect how defaults take place for the bio script and others
      that will rely exclusively on the results of the CheckLegality handling
      of ensuring that the user is legally allowed in.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-- Ethereal Realms 3.3.0                                                      --
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

29 November 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    A few more bugs appeared in terms to the initial searching functions as well
    as the advanced searching feature.   The new corrections allow for proper
    operation of the site.

    Modified:
      ./gallery.pl

    Affected:
      This affects no other scripts.

28 November 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    Corrected and updated changes to the last update.   This essentially allows
    for the full functionality for manual sorting as was implemented in the
    last release.

    Modified:
      ./gallery.pl
      ./config/gallery.pl
      ./eRealms/Option.pm

    Affected:
      This affects no other scripts.

23 November 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    Added in the necessary changes into the client side in order to display
    manually sorted works properly.   Also added a change that will always
    show new works on display first by looking at the newness factor before
    sorting accordingly.

    Also changed the way that sorting is done for galleries.   Essentially
    moved the logic into the Option module instead of having straight IF
    statements.   This creates a central position to make changes and allows
    the admin side to use sorting easily as well, which is needed for handling
    of manual ordering.
    
    Modified:
      ./gallery.pl
      ./config/gallery.pl
      ./eRealms/Option.pm

    Affected:
      This affects no other scripts.

16 November 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    Put in the groundwork needed to have manual sorts in galleries.  This
    feature once implemented will allow authors to place stories or works of
    graphical art in the order they wish.   For the former it may have more
    importance as it allows to show things in the proper sequence order.

    Additional changes will be added to make the feature accessible from the
    gallery management page itself.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./config/gallery.pl                        getSort()
      ./eRealms/Database.pm

    Affected:
      This affects only the galleries themselves.

15 November 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    A quick change to the gallery code as to allow non-authenthicated users
    the ability to be notified of changes.    With this change, you users will
    be presented with an authentication prompt after the fact.

    Modified:
      ./gallery.pl

    Affected:
      This affects no other scripts.


30 October 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    Additional changes to the UI of the galleires has been done.   The first of
    which, was the addition of a link back to the main galleries and a change
    in the default sorting order of galleries, so that by default newly updated
    galleries will be shown first.

    Modified:
      ./gallery.pl

    Affected:
      This affects only the gallery sub-system.


25-27 October 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    Changes have been done to Ethereal Realsm galleries in order to give them a
    bit more functionality.   This includes the ability for someone to select
    up to three separate genres for association with their galleries.   Which
    allows a gallery to be found when searching for any of the chosen genres.

    Another change has been done as to allow for people to be notified by Email
    when a gallery is updated.   This option, triggered by the author when he
    wishes to notify people will generate the Emails and send them down the
    line giving people notice of new works.

    Works and galleries now have a newness tag that is attached to them for
    display.   Essentially it displays the tag whenever a work or gallery
    has been updated within the last week.   Giving more attention to them when
    casually viewing galleries.

    Lastly, full body searching is now allowed for works of texts.   This gives
    a leg up when looking for specific stories without relying on possibly
    empty descriptors.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./gallery.pl                               getNew()
      ./config/gallery.pl                        Exhibition
      ./eRealms/Database.pm                      Gallery
      ./eRealms/Options.pm                       GalleryGenre
                                                 GalleryNotify
                                                 Tag

    Affected:
      This affects all gallery scripts.    


24 October 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
     A bug existed in the release script that would invalidate the entries
     provided for the Tags.   This correction allows the scripts to function
     as we would expect.

     Modified:
       ./commandline/release.pl

     Affected:
       Only this script is affected.


23 October 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    Did a few additional corrections to the galleries as to allow the bio script
    to work properly in all sections of the galleries client side.   While not
    critical, proper operation is always appreciated.

    Modified:
      ./gallery.pl

    Affected:
      This affects no outside scripts.


21 October 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    Corrected a formatting bug that would occasionally leak through the SYSTIME
    macro in realm.   This was due to an improperly updated line of code that
    applied only when images were too large in file size to be allowed in.

    Modified:
      ./eRealms/Comm.pm

    Affected:
      This affects how posts are generated.


  Change:
    Corrected a critical error for the comment posting section of the gallery.
    Seems that posting without specifying a rating would result in a failed 
    insert and a cancellation of the transaction.

    This has been corrected and allows for proper operation.

    Modified:
      ./gallery.pl

    Affected:
      This affects no other scripts.


16 October 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    Very quick change that provides more information in the subject line of the
    welcome message.    Can be used when screening messages in order to see the
    differences.

    Modified:
      ./registration.pl

    Affected:
      This affects no other scripts


28 September 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    Adding a quick line of code as to display the amount of unique handles and
    users when sending out realm level statistics.   This was added as to meet
    the needs of one of the hosts.

    Modified:
      ./commandline/erealms.pl

    Affected:
      This has no effect on other scripts.


  Change:
    Corrected the issues reguarding the bio links in galleries, weblogs and the
    message boards.    The old system was no longer operational and needed to be
    update to match the way that realms handle it.

    Modified:
      ./board.pl
      ./gallery.pl
      ./weblog.pl

    Affected:
      Affects these scripts interaction with the ./bio.pl script.


  Change:
    A quick fix to the BIO links in which the homepage link was made to open
    in a new window as well as corrections to the TAB-ENTER process in the
    quick private message window.

    There was also the addition of a check to prevent the use of someones bio
    link for sending private message if and when that user was banned.   This
    brings up the quicky screen in line with the rest of the realm based chats.

    Modified:
      ./bio.pl

    Affected:
      No other scripts are affected.


27 September 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    The primary background script has changed it's process to complete tasks
    in a singular transation to a more truncated method.    This allows for
    smaller chunks to be removed and thus more easily kept track by the DBSM
    that seems to have an issue with larger doses.

    These operations are also accompanied with more distinct VACUUM calls which
    will hopefully cut down on resources needed to run a full tablespace
    maintenance.

    Modified:
      ./commandline/erealms.pl

    Affected:
      This only affects how maintenance scripts run.


19 September 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    The changes from yesterday, have been used to add functionality to the bio
    pages as to add in more functionlity and adapt how the existing information
    was displayed.

    New functionality allows users to send private messages and ignore someone
    without calling the consolidated panels used regularily.   The panel also
    changes behaviour when used without authenthication information.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./bio.pl                                   Tag
      ./eRealms/Database.pm
      ./eRealms/Post.pm 

    Affected:
      The affects are continued from those of yesterday in addition to the
      bio page.
 

18 September 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    The biographical script has always been somewhat given a low priority and
    due to the design of pre-generated posts, the site has not been able to add
    in custom information based on a logged on user.

    The changes brought about allow the login information to be carried out
    for users who are currently in realm.   Post extracts and guest level access
    if such still existed are not affected.

    This will allow for a more powerful bio script, with more possibilities down
    the road.

    Modified:
      ./eRealms/Comm.pm
      ./eRealms/Posts.pm

    Affected:
      This affects all in realm posting and post retrievals.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-- Ethereal Realms 3.2.0                                                      --
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

12 September 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    The addition of a new script that will make life easier for those installing
    the scripts on systems they do not own.   Essentially once the script is 
    changed to reflect the reality of the host system, this script will execute
    and adapt the files to match that reality.

    This will add in the proper perl executable location for the header as well
    as allow the appropriate libraries to be found.   This makes it far easier
    to install and saves the time required for normal additions.

    Modified:
      ./commandline/rewrite.pl

    Affected:
      No scripts are directly affected by this change, unless called.


  Change:
    Changed the homepage module to more effectively clear all files within
    a provided directory when other directories existed.  This change was
    prompted when a similiar function used withing ./commandline/rewrite.pl
    was called.

    Modified:
      ./eRealms/Home.pl

    Affected:
      This affects directory cleaning.


09 September 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    A change was made to the system as to allow for hosts to have people on 
    their ignore lists while not ignoring anyone at that level within their own
    domains.   This also applies to the moderators of the realms and can only be
    controlled by people with those priviliges.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./config/puppeteer.pl                      Puppeteer
      ./eRealms/Database.pm                      Tag
      ./eRealms/Options.pm
      ./erealms/Post.pm

    Affected:
      Affects post retrieval.


07 September 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    There was an issue with the banned user report in which information was not
    being processed correctly or not running at all.    With changes previous
    to the migration putting a wrench into the machinery.

    This has been corrected as to be able to use the report properly and cut down
    on generated errors when the report is built up and mailed out.   This also
    seems to show a fair speed increase overall.

    Modified:
      ./commandline/erealms.pl

    Affected:
      Only this script is affected.


  Change:
    Global Private messages will now show a location of origin in the post made
    to the target.  This allows them to see where the post originated and where
    to move off to if need be.

    Modified:
      ./eRealms/Stamp.pm

    Affected:
      The entire posting mechanism is indirectly affected.


24 August 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    Fixed an annoying little bug when banning people at system level.   Changed
    the code to confirm the login and return a null if nothing was specified or
    if the handle is invalid making the ban a parent instead of slaved to an
    existing handle.

    Modified:
      ./admin/system.pl

    Affected:
      Only this script is affected.


21 August 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    The ability for a private message to reach outside of the immediate the 
    person is in has been added.    This is basically just the addition of a 
    toggle link that will show who is in globally and allow you to message all
    system level handles.

    This new macro LWPESKY can be used like any other macro of that style in
    any private message panel and will work with no other changes.   The system
    simply does as it normally does, just the retrieval changes appropriatly.

    Changes have also been made in order to speed up scrollback a bit and
    reduce client side load.  This is done by making use of OFFSET, which is
    far more efficient then pulling everything first.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./config/puppeteer.pl                      Puppeteer
      ./eRealms/Option.pm
      ./eRealms/Post.pm
      ./eRealms/Who.pm
      ./post/private.pl

    Affected:
      This affects general communication on the system.


17 August 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    Corrections were made to the Internal Mail script in order to allow the
    scrip to operate as designed.   Certain components of it, had been missed
    when the conversion over to 3.1 had been made.

    Since this had not been reported, the errors went unknown.    However, the
    scripts use more PostgreSQL specific methods of working which cut down
    overall on the amount of queries made.

    Modified:
      ./mail.pl
      ./eRealms/Database.pm

    Affected:
      This only affects Internal Mail.

16 August 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    A few changes to the way polls are created and displayed in order to correct
    some missed bugs.   This should help the overall reliability of the polls
    themselves.

    Modified:
      ./poll.pl
      ./config/system.pl

    Affected:
     Only the polls are affected.


15 August 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    The ignore scripts have been adapted slightly as to allow for mass removals
    in cases where such funtionality would apply.   If antyhing, this just makes
    things faster.

    Modified:
      ./config/ignore.pl

    Affected:
      This affects the ignore script only.


  Change:
    The system has been extended to allow hosts to add in their own gummies in
    the realms they control for canon, moderative and supervisory gummies.  As
    per the norm, the gummies will not be shown if they enter a realm that
    they do not have have priviliges over.

    The use of these gummies can also only be shown when you are in the realm
    that offers them.  Meaning, that if you plan on making use of a realm
    specific gummies be sure your in the realm when you click on config.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./config/puppet.pl                         Tag
      ./config/realm.pl
      ./eRealms/Audit.pm

    Affected:
      This affects very few scripts.


10 August 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    The gallery contained a bug that only appeared if you tried to call a type
    and genre directly using the virtual directory structure.   This caused
    issues with the SSI implementation planned and has been corrected by adding
    an additional check.

    A new script was also created expressly to generate SSI for the galleries
    allowing the virtual directory structure of the gallery scripts to remain
    intact while allowing for the functionality.  Currently this script allows
    one to show all of the genres for a type along with desctriptions and
    amount of galleries in that genre.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./gallery.pl                               Tag
      ./ssi/gallery.pl

    Affected:
      No other scripts would be affected by this change.


04 August 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    Due to popular demand, the ability to filter out handles and taglines at an
    individual level has been acoomplished.   This makes the posts appear very
    much like a spartan post, but also have the option of seeing a handle in
    all it's glory once the ignore rule is removed.

    This option, configured through the ignore panel will also hide the image
    preventing people from complaining that there is not an option that removed
    taglines, titles and images.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./config/ignore.pl                         PuppetIgnore
      ./eRealms/Comm.pm
      ./eRealms/Posts.pm

    Affected:
      This affects operations through most of the realms.


27 July 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    Corrected an issue with a NOT NULL value for the filter replacement.   This
    caused update issues if someone just wanted to remove the filtered word with
    nothing.    While you can't replace with the word with absolutely nothing, it
    will not undo all the changes and instead just re-add the **** value as 
    default.

    Modified:
      ./config/realm.pl

    Affected:
      Only the configuration script is affected.


26 July 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    A bugs were fixed in the command line utilities as to correct the reporting
    of statistics and generate proper Email address lists.   This meerly a way 
    to clear out annoyances that cropped up after the code migration.

    Another change was to allow the command line utilities to make use of input
    from STDIN for banners.   Meaning that banners can be easily changed outside
    of the system, and or allows to rotate different banner types.

    Modified:
      ./commandline/erealms.pl

    Affected:
      No outside scripts are affected.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-- Ethereal Realms 3.1.0                                                      --
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

13 July 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    The view Who proved to be horribly inneficient as was thus discontinued from
    regular use.   Meaning that the Who module now does things in a more
    specialized matter then it did previously.    

    This makes individual functions much faster to respond, even if the code
    is now somewhat harder to maintain as a result.  Speed versus clean code
    the former will win.

    The portal still required a view, just more efficient.   A new one named
    Portal has been created.   Who is still around, as a general purpose too
    when restricted to the command line.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./commandline/erealms.pl                   Portal
      ./config/realm.pl
      ./eRealms/Database.pm
      ./eRealms/Post.pm
      ./eRealms/Who.pm

    Affected:
      This will affect overall system performance.

12 July 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    A new feature was added which allows users to split up their puppets into
    multiple groups.   This new feature is found under the Puppet Configuration
    panel along with clone and the newly moved activity control.

    Other changes were done as to allow for greater performance.  Mainly new
    functions where put into place as to allow for Postgres to treat the query
    differently and actually estimate better then it has been before.

    A final change was done to the Comm module.  Seems that the system posts
    query was completely off.   The new one allows for system level posts to
    be made in minimal time.

    Modified:
      ./board.pl
      ./commandline/erealms.pl
      ./config/puppet.pl
      ./config/puppeteer.pl
      ./eRealms/Comm.pm
      ./eRealms/Database.pm
      ./eRealms/Pull.pl
      ./post/private.pl

    Affected:
      This will affect most of the operations on the site.

11 July 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    A correction was made to the login process as to prevent MORI from being
    expired sooner then it should.  This should correct issues that have been
    brought forth on the matter.

    A quick change was done to the way the PostIDNumber is pulled.   It does
    not make use of a MIN fucntion, but instead fetches the first row.  This
    in itself should make things work more efficiently.

    Modified:
      ./eRealms/Login.pm
      ./eRealms/Post.pm

    Affected:
      All scripts are affected, which require authenthication.

08 July 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    A difficiency was discovered, causing posts to not actually be purged from
    the system at all.   Transactions were being rolled back entirely, and
    thus while trying up an exteme amount of resources, nothing was actually
    taking place

    This prompted me to correct this issue and rework the -vacuum complete
    option for the command line utility.    Now the script on a single web
    server configuration, will automatically start and stop Apache for you
    as to speed up the process itself and reducing the chances of locked
    processes.

    For multi-server settings, the use of /bin/true, a time syncronizing 
    daemon and crond will be of most use.    While not as clean, it can be
    correctly co-ordinate to work roughly the same way.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./commandline/erealms.pl                   Tag

    Affected:
      This will affect peoples moods when they hit the warning.
    

08 July 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    Did a few changes to the code as to streamline time based post fetches and
    delete only unused private realms.    The later was simply a requirement of
    checking which realms had post and to remove those that did not, while the
    former was just making sure that NUM was always properly defined.

    Modified:
      ./commandline/erealms.pl
      ./eRealms/Post.pm

    Affected:
      No functionality is directly affected.   People may only notice not 
      getting the boot any longer.


07 July 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    Added Postgre specific typcasting in order to improve performance.   In some
    cases the performance has improved by nearly five times.   There were also
    additional changes done to make sure that queries would use EXISTS instead of
    IN which seems to be horribly inneficient compared.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./board.pl                                 Who
      ./commandline/erealms.pl
      ./config/gallery.pl
      ./config/puppet.pl
      ./config/puppeteer.pl
      ./config/realm.pl
      ./eRealms/Database.pm
      ./eRealms/Post.pm
      ./eRealms/Pull.pm

    Affected:
      Scripts are affected, but not in a way that changes behaviour other then
      perhaps speed.
      

05-07 July 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    A few bug fixes were applied to the Who's On module and the weblog submital
    script located in the Administrative Control Panel and the portal.   This
    is will simply reduce the amount of problems perceived.

    A referential key was also dropped on the Audit table.   This cut down on
    errors generated and matches more closely what an Audit table should do
    which is keep information even after affected parties have dissapeared.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./weblog.pl                                Audit
      ./admin/system.pl
      ./commandline/erealms.pl
      ./erealms/Post.pm
      ./eRealms/Who.pm

    Affected:
      Reduced errors.

04 July 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    Modifications were added to the -vacuum option in order to conduct more
    in depth cleanup.   While apparently not recommended by some documentation
    it is in other sections to occasionally re-index and do a full vacuum on
    all tables.

    With the -vaccum complete option, the system will warn all users of the
    maintenance and start the process of vacuuming first then doing a reindex.

    Modified:
      ./commandline/erealms.pl

    Affected:
      This will not affect other scripts.   But may affect behaviour.


01 July 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    Incompatibilites with a newer version of the Image::Magic libaries forced me
    to adapt the eRealms::Image module to work.   The new changes also includes
    an eval statement as to prevent unintended crashes.

    Modified:
      ./eRealms/Image.pm

    Affected:
      All image manipulation scripts are affected.


21 June 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    Brought in the spel checker into line as to make sure that all components
    would be ready when the migration is completed.   This was trivial due to
    the fact that only about two lines of code needed to be changed.

    Other changes were done to the portal and the weblog scripts.   Seems that
    certain versions of Apache will give the name of the embeded page instead
    of the script called.    I have corrected this by having it look for a few
    tell tale signs that this is not an actual perl script and use $0 instead.

    This workaround seems to be working very well.

    Modified:
      ./portal.pl
      ./weblog.pl
      ./commandline/spel.pl

    Affected:
      All SSI documents will be affected if they passed on the wrong name.


18 June 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    Two new features where put into place.   The first being post highliting
    which allows a patron to keep track of specific people by selecting them as
    highlights in the ignore menu.   The effect is that the border will change
    according to the CSS rules making it easier to spot a puppet.

    The second feature is more moderative/supervisory.   This allows them to
    send a warning in realm using the Hosts Control Panel and at the same time
    have it tracked on the Who's On.  Meaning that the more warnings the higher
    the number besides the names for those who can see logins in the realm
    itself.

    This allows even the most basic moderator of warning and making sure that
    hosts or moderators can be aware of this and use it to see if this problem
    is not just something that occured minutes ago.   Warnings last for three
    days loosing weight each day, meaning the warning will generally lesten
    unless there is a contiunued abuse.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./eRealms/Audit.pm                         Tag
      ./eRealms/Database.pm                      Who
      ./eRealms/Option.pm
      ./eRealms/Pull.pm
      ./eRealms/Post.pm
      ./eRealms/Who.pm
      ./config/realm.pl

   Affected:
     Indirectly users will be affected.


07 June 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    Changes were made to the command line utility as to allow for more detailed
    statistics sent to the hosts.  The first modification was related to showing
    a number on how many people were actually in the realm, and the second will
    allow hosts to see a breakdown of all post types to see what is actually
    happening.

    There was also a minor bug fix in which only users who where there that day
    will be shown in the username/puppet handle list.

    Modified:
      ./commandline/erealms.pl

    Affected:
      Only this scripts output is affected.


05 June 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    Changed the gummie display to use CSS instead of hard coded bold hypertext
    allowing a graphics designer to go wild.

    Modified:
      ./config/gummies.pl

    Affected:
      Only the gummie viewer is affected.


04 June 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    A very quick change to the homepage administration page.  Essentially, this
    makes the script have the same colours as the galleries, which is desired to
    show what is contributor and what is normal.

    Modified:
      ./config/home.pl

    Affected:
      Only the homepage component is affected.

03 June 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    A few bugfixes and changes were made to the site.   The first of which was
    a correction to the portal removing the doubling of populated realms.  This
    in itself is rather critical, as it would only add to overall confusion.

    The second fix was made to the private message window in order to correct
    a flaw with the header being displayed twice.  Nothing that effects overall
    operation, but a nice to have.

    The last is an addition to the code itself.   The puppet listing section
    is now templated to give the graphics designer more work.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./portal.pl                                Tag
      ./post/private.pl

    Affected:
      All those making use of puppet details would be confronted with the
      change.



02 June 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    The portal has been changed as to be more designer friendly.   Giving them
    a bit more creative control over the entire ordeal then they would normally
    get as meer mortals to the site.

    This resulted in the removal of certain tags, and the addition of a new
    template to handle the display of the portal exclusively.  Another plus is
    the fact that sites can more heavily change how the portal looks, which
    is the most important part of the site in terms of user interaction.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./portal.pl                                Tag

    Affected:
      This will affect everyone who frequents the portal.


01 June 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    The background scripts have been changed over to the new database backend
    allowing it to be used to maintain the health of the system itself.   Part
    of the new features are the use of more accurate internal date handling at
    the database level, autonomy of verified users prevneting them from being
    removed when idle for too long and a built in VACUUM function that will
    only clean those used by Ethereal Realms itself.

    Modified:
      ./commandline/erealms.pl

    Affected:
      This affects no other scripts.


31 May 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    Spartan mode is not literally the case.  It will no longer show taglines
    and titles as specified by the user, but will instead just display the login
    name and a timestamp.

    For those who want bare bones, this is certainly the way to get it done.

    Modified:
      ./eRealms/Comm.pm

    Affected:
      All posts are affected when generated.


27 May 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    Two new scripts were added to the system.   The first of which should cut
    down on traffic to support lines reguarding lost passwords.    This new
    script will allow someone to get a password reset without loosing the
    encrypted security used on the site.

    Essentially, they provide the login name and the site will generate a new
    password and send it off to the registered Email address.  This prevents
    tampering and reduces the chance someone will break into the account unless
    they compromised another account to get to it.

    It is important to note that administrators and supervisors cannot use this
    new script.  It was deemed a weak point reguarding disgruntled useres, and
    as a result only regular users can make use of it.  A small price to pay
    for not having your account reset continually by someone who thinks it's
    funny.

    The second script, is not meant for general use or even administrative use
    as it is a script that is only used for Ethereal Realms releases.   What
    this script does, is create a release dump necessary to get certain key
    parts of the site active and does so in a structured and orderly fashion.

    It also scrubs away certain fields that would not be included in a release
    and makes sure to rename things appropriatly doing a better job then a
    manual search and replace.   While not needed for 99% of clone installs,
    it is included because it can be a somewhat useful backup too with
    modification.

    Modified:
      ./reset.pl
      ./commandline/release.pl

    Affected:
      These do not affect any other scripts.


20 May 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    The remainder of the user scripts have been changed over to the new database
    engine.  With this comes the ability to send messages privately to canon
    handles as though they were a normal handle.   Of course, they still cannot
    do anything outside of the chat realm itself.

    It is important to note that such an operation is a fairly major change to
    how the system acts and behaves.    With these changes, while both the canon
    and original handle can be used at the same time, the code required to
    figure this out may not be so elegant.

    It may be worth looking into better solutions later.  But for now, the task
    is served as it is.

    Modified:
      ./poll.pl
      ./portal.pl
      ./webring.pl
      ./eRealms/Comm.pm
      ./eRealms/Database.pl
      ./eRealms/Post.pm
      ./eRealms/Stamp.pm
      ./eRealms/Who.pm
      ./post/colours.pl*
      ./post/dice.pl*
      ./post/private.pl*
      ./post/who.pl*
      ./post/zoom.pl*

    Affected:
      This is the final change needed.
    


19 May 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    Additional scripts have been converted over to the new database engine.  As
    per the norm, transactions have been added into the fray.  A bug in the
    Gallery system has always been corrected as to only show galleries with
    information in it.

    A side effect of the above is the addition of the MCOUNT macro which is used
    on the 'TmplDisGallery' module.  This effectively makes life much better
    for people who actually wants to view the galleries.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./bio.pl                                   Exhibition
      ./board.pl
      ./donation.pl
      ./gallery.pl
      ./gwho.pl
      ./mail.pl
      ./registration.pl
      ./weblog.pl

    Affected:
      This allows for operation under the new regime.


18 May 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    Changes have been done to the Gallery and Home Page administration page in
    order to have them work with PostgreSQL.  Adittingly the home page component
    was rediculously simple to bring over to the new scripts.

    Due to the fact that Unix time is no longer applied to the database itself,
    the system had to be set to check expiry at the database level.   This makes
    the code less prone to failure and allows to maintain the more human readable
    date formats.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./config/gallery.pl                        getExpire()
      ./config/home.pl                           Tag
      ./eRealms/Audit.pm
      ./eRealms/Database.pm

    Affected:
      This affects these new scripts.


17 May 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    A slight change to the login module has been made.  The purose of which is
    to simplify the login process for non-chat specific scripts.   As in any 
    script that would not need to operatre based on settings gathered.

    Modified:
      ./eRealms/Login.pm

    Affected:
      All scripts which require login are affected.


17 May 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    Additional scripts were converted over to the new database backend.   This
    includes puppet, puppeteer, gummy and ignore management.   Together they
    make up the bulk of the user administration pages with the exception of
    the gallery itself.

    One change of note is the capability to quickly add in HTML for the title
    and taglines.   This required additions to the tags and appropriate code
    stores into external files.   This overall, should allow users to more
    quickly and easily create taglines.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./config/gummies.pl                        Tag
      ./config/ignore.pl
      ./config/puppet.pl
      ./config/puppeteer.pl
      ./eRealms/Audit.pm

    Change:
      This will allow operation under Postgre.

17 May 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    The cookie management page has been updated to work with PostgreSQL, which
    was minimal to be sure.    Of course other changes were done to allow the
    site to work better with this rather enigmatic script.

    Essentially, the script will now always make sure that you are using the
    proper domain name to use cookies.   This will help when making use of a
    multi-domained site such as the current version of Ethereal Realms.   The
    site will just redirect you to the proper address if the need arises.

    Another change is due to the removal of all cookie tags and the creation
    of a simple templated document instead.  This allows for more complex
    adjustment of the design and help documentation.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./config/cookie.pl                         Tag
      ./eRealms/Database.pm

    Affected:
      This will affect all users making use of cookies.


16-17 May 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    Additional modifications were added to the previously converted scripts as
    to save time and prevent backtracks later on.  The changes while not being
    critical to the operation are better done now then later when all other
    scripts are in operation.

    The first change was done to the Supervisory Control Panel as to allow for
    hosts to specify the format in which the date is shown in their realms. 
    Granting them the opportunity to format according to a specific style or
    preference and getting away from the style that the system itself will use
    as a default.

    The second change was done in order to avoid abuse from supervisors.  As
    some may recall changes were done to filter out words from the titles and
    taglines by using a combined list from all realms.   Due to negligence
    and a complete lack of professionalism, this has been more of a problem
    then it has solved.

    In order to correct this, we moved a similiar interface to the
    administrative scripts in order to create a sane list.   This maintains
    a semblence of control while preventing outright abuse.

    The next change is in reguards to the auditing table.    This table is
    now viewable directly from the Administrative Control Panel with a
    series of selectable controls.    This allows the administrator to
    fine tune as necessary without loosing too much control and makes the
    interface easier to use by all.

    The above, will result in a removal of the functions from the command
    line utilities since that interface is no longer needed.

    Lastly, database modifications were done in order to allow hosts the
    rather annoying extension of the size of the locale field.   It would
    seem that 25 was too short, so I doubled it and hope that this will
    satisfy them. 

    Additional changes were done to the Audit and Database module to
    correct a few issues noticed during this specific bout of coding and
    to allow for new error codes to be displayed properly.


    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./admin/system.pl                          Audit
      ./config/realm.pl                          Puppet
      ./eRealms/Audit.pm                         RealmLocale
      ./eRealms/Database.pm                      Tag

    Affected:
      This affects the administrative and configuration scripts as well
      as all scripts dealing with locale and realm time displays.



13 May 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    More of then same in reguards to the scripts.  This time it has been the
    Supervisory Control Panel which has been changed, this meant the addition
    of transactions, slightly better recording and allowing it to work under
    the new regime.

    This also meant a change to the Database module since named had been changed
    during the redesign.   Essentially WebchatTextName is no longer a name used
    anywhere, and things have been converted fully and finally over to the
    newer Tag column names.

    Modified:
      ./config/realm.pl
      ./eRealms/Audit.pm
      ./eRealms/Database.pm

    Affected:
      This script can now function under the new regime.


12 May 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    A quick change to the Login module has been done to allow for logins to be
    case insensitive.   Without such, the transition from MySQL to PostgreSQL
    would be nothing short of a nightmare.

    The addition of a quick transaction has also been done as to make sure that
    auditing and associated IP address changes have been done.

    Modified:
      ./eRealms/Login.pm

    Affected:
      This will affect all subsequent logins.


07-12 May 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    The administrative control panel has a  new display method which is a lot
    more colourful, getting a more consistent look and feel that would generally
    be associated with user/host level scripts.

    There have also been design changes, because of the capabilities gotten from
    the PostgreSQL database system.   Some changes include a more efficient
    listing when using the Realm Access section.  e.g. Hosts who are in the
    realm will not show in the pool section.

    The weblog entry has been changed to deal with too many entries filling up
    the screen.   Even with this change you will be able to remove more then one
    entry at a time and not miss out on much of the details.

    The user administration page has been changed for the better.   There are
    less buttons, you can mass remove and the interface overall is much cleaner
    then it used to be.   This should make things simpler to handle, specially
    with the changes brought forth in the User details page.

    The realm administration page has one less screen.   Opting for tabs which
    allow you to select between the different realm types without going back to
    the main selection menu.   This in itself should speed up overall
    navigation.

    Another major difference in behaviour is the use of transactions to handle
    administrative actions.   This will essentially make sure that associated
    database activities are all completed before auditing is done and hence we
    will always be assured that changes are done correctly abd recorded.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./admin/system.pl                          Audit
      ./eRealms/Audit.pm                         Tag
      ./eRealms/Database.pm
      ./eRealms/Param.pm

    Affected:
      This script is the first to function under the new database backend.


05 May 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    The remaining modules have been changed to work under the modified Audit
    and Database modules.  This has effectively cut down on code in a few places
    as it allowed for the new modules to hide the complexity.

    The database module has taken over the formatting of dates when required. 
    Which is slightly misleading, as it is really simply querying the database
    itself for the information needed.   This was done as to ensure that the
    correct time is always used, being the time on database itself.

    The above also allows hosts to change the format of the dates through the
    use of formatting options used by PostgreSQL itself.   By doing this a
    host can opt to show timezones, change to 12 hour clock or whatever they
    feel is most appropriate.

    The use of sub-queries has resulted in the entire ignore sub-system being
    removed and done entirely as one query.   While the views allowed the Who
    module to be massivly rewritten into much more readable code.

    A new function was added in PostgreSQL, as to display the date and time
    correctly when creating time senstive filenames.   This was required to
    truly rid ourselves of the Date module.


    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./eRealms/Comm.pm                          Who
      ./eRealms/Crypto.pm			 GetFile()
      ./eRealms/Database.pm
      ./eRealms/Filter.pm
      ./eRealms/Home.pm
      ./eRealms/Image.pm
      ./eRealms/Login.pm
      ./eRealms/Mail.pm
      ./eRealms/Option.pm
      ./eRealms/Param.pm
      ./eRealms/Post.pm
      ./eRealms/Spel.pm
      ./eRealms/Stamp.pm
      ./eRealms/Table.pm
      ./eRealms/Template.pm
      ./eRealms/Weather.pm
      ./eRealms/Who.pm

     Affected:
       All of the scripts will be affected.   


04 May 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    Changes at the code level have begun for the migration away from MySQL.  The
    first major modification was done to the Database.pm to support PostgreSQL
    and hide some of the complexity of the DBI module itself.

    The second change was done to the Audit table to change behaviour completely
    in reguards to storing of information.   While this will make the previous
    audit entries incompatible, it will allow for more advanded searching and
    language independence.

    The third change was the complete removal of the Date module.    Since the
    dates are handled at the database level, the need for a conversion module
    became redundant.

    Another core change are the named associated with the modules.   They have
    been changed as to avoid conflict from old versions and newer versions,
    making migrations easier.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./eRealms/Audit.pm                         Audit
      ./eRealms/Database.pm                      Tag

    Removed:
      ./eRealms/Date.pm

    Affected:
      This will affect all scripts.


01-30 April 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    A complete conversion at the database level has been done.  Changes include
    the use of built in referential integrity, triggers to cleanup the database
    without the need of client site scripting and views to simplify certain
    operations.

    These more advanced features of PostgreSQL will cut down on the code used
    on the client and simplify over all complexity.   Other core changes has
    been the change from Unix time to normal time, allowing the database to
    format dates and do calculations inside of queries.   This should make
    code shorter and simplify date handling.

    Affected:
      The affects all scripts.   


08 April 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    Due to unexpected behaviour in the insertion of rows into the PollVote table
    have caused the results to display oddly.   A correction to the code was
    made in order to remedy this.

    Modified:
      ./poll.pl

    Affected:
      The results display is directly affected.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-- Ethereal Realms 3.0.0                                                      --
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

25 March 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    Made a change to the system in order to allow for the hosts to decide how
    taglines will look.   Instead of using default colours et cetera, the hosts
    can overide two CSS tags being FONT.TITLE and FONT.TAGLINE in order to
    set things as they see fit.

    This cleans up the code in the generation, and makes things more dynamic in
    a way.  Not to mention more in tune with the realms needs.

    Modified:
      ./Ethereal/Comm.pm

    Affected:
      All posts are affected.


24 March 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    Noticed a faily major bug in the Gallery code.  Essentially, no one could
    make a comment unless you had some there already, and that in itself brings
    about a chicken and the egg paradox.

    So with a rooster and a bit of code changing, things work as expected now.

    Modified:
      ./gallery.pl

    Affected:
      Only the gallery client is affected.


22 March 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    A few changes to the comm panel generation, as to allow for a consistent
    order when tabbing.   This will make things easier for those who make
    use of the keyboard, as the order will be the same reguardless how the
    look and feel dictates and affects mouse users.

    Modified:
      ./Ethereal/Comm.pm
      ./post/private.pl

    Affected:
      Private messages and the comm panel are affected.


17 March 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    Again, a new feature was added in due to a request.   Essentially, you can
    dictate where exactly the timestamp will actually appear.   This is useful
    for people who again care more about their taglines then anyone else.

    Modified:
      ./Ethereal/Comm.pm
      ./Ethereal/Stamp.pm

    Affected:
      Posting and it's display are affected.


16 March 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    Some people have mentioned that they would wish to see images being ignored
    instead of handles or going to purely imageless mode.  With that in mind,
    the system has been adapated to actually allow for this type of behaviour
    without a significant change in user interface or design.

    By making use of the 'Ignore User' script, you can add an entry as a 
    visual entry.   Visual entries are ignored for normal ignores and are used
    intractively to modify posts when it applies.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./config/ignore.pl                         PuppetIgnore
      ./Ethereal/Post.pm                         Tag
   
    Affected:
      The post retrieval process is affected.


13 March 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    There was a bug in the display of imageless and spartan modes.   This has
    been remedied to display properly, and work as would normally be expected
    by the user.

    Modified:
      ./Ethereal/Comm.pm

    Affected:
      The posting mechanism is affected.


02 March 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    The attributes pages was getting a bit long.  As a result, the control
    panel has been changed to show one specific sub-type at a time.   This 
    makes it much easier for people who happened to be chained to a modem.

    Modified:
      ./admin/system.pl

    Affected:
      Only the administrative control panel is affected.


01 March 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    A new components was added in order to remove the need for external services
    to handle this task.  Essentially, the system now handles polling directly
    allowing us to collect results without the banners, or other forms of
    advertising associated with it.

    Polls are controlled from the Administrative Control Panel, and can be
    created/managed with a fair amount of ease.   A hack was added into the
    script as to make it easier to fetch results, but will pose a minimal
    annoyance.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./poll.pl                                  Poll
      ./admin/system.pl                          PollOption
      ./Ethereal/Database.pm                     PollVote
                                                 Tag

    Affected:
      Only the administrative control panel is affected.    The rest of the
      polling system is independent.


28 Feburary 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    To work around the fact that some people simply cannot get over the fact
    that locale is so redicuously ugly that it makes them cringe.  I have
    allowed them to satisfy their vanity and allow them to put it wherever they
    want.

    In order to make use of this new feature.  Simply make use of the LOCALE
    macro, which works in tag lines or titles.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./Ethereal/Comm.pm                         Tag

    Affected:
      The posting process is affected.


25 February 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    Quick change to the code to not subscribe any users that have been banned.
    Allowing you to send an Email to all members without informing people you
    may find undesireable.

    Modified:
      ./commandline/etherealcmd.pl

    Affected:
      Only the command line script is affected.


18 February 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    The ignore feature has been enhanced to ignore people at puppet level, and
    puppeteer level.   If one bans globally all puppets will be ignored, even
    if they do not know the associated login name.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./config/ignore.pl			 PuppetIgnore
      ./Ethereal/Post.pm

    Affected:
      Post display is affected.


17 February 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    The ability to find a realms homepage is critical in it's development.   If
    a user cannot make it to a realms page and find information or details,
    chances are most users will simply give up.

    The system has been changed, as to keep track of a homepage for a realm and
    link to it in the SSI include page as well as a webring.  The webring is
    internal to the site itself, meaning that there exists no external
    registration and is optional to hosts.

    However, hosts choosing not to make use of this new feature will not be
    listed in the realm lists, even if publicly hosted.   Hybrid and adult
    realms can also opt to be listed by putting in a link and appropriate
    description.

    This is all done under the regular panel for hosts.  Sample code will be
    generated for them, all they need to do is copy and paste the information
    to a page somewhere.    The template for administrative modification is
    named 'WebRing' and can be changed under the template management page.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./portal.pl                                Realm
      ./webring.pl                               Tag
      ./config/realm.pl
      ./Ethereal/Database.pm

    Affected:
      Control Panel for the hosts and portal are affected.


07 February 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    Additional changes to the authenthication process, as to prevent problems
    with rapidly shifting IP addresses.   These fixes will allow for someone to
    re-aunthenticate with the system and get back on track more easily.

    Also changes in reguards to the use of cookies.  As to simplify overall
    coding applying them whenever the process of authentication fails.

    Modified:
      ./Ethereal/Login.pm
      ./Ethereal/Param.pm

    Affected:
      All scripts dealing with parameters are affected.


05 February 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    The site has been changed as to allow for more ganularity at the moderator
    level.    Moderators being under the superisory level access and controlled
    by the those above can now be given more freedom in their realms.

    These Access Control Lists take the form of roles which a person can take
    charge of.    This will also cut down on the need for a thousand hosts when
    only a few are really needed.

      (A)rchivist   : Allows to access the post extract
      (D)esigner    : Allows to access to the font/design page
      (J)ailer      : Allows to ban people and words
      (S)toryteller : Allows to access the canon/location pages 

    Supervisors will access this through normal means.  The first letter of the
    above is what will show up besides the login to tell people what roles they
    current hold.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./portal.pl                                RealmSupervisor
      ./config/realm.pl                          Tag
      ./Ethereal/Database.pm
      ./Ethereal/Options.pm

    Affected:
      All realms will be affected.


  Change:
    Slight changes were done to the Spel daemon as to prevent runaway children.
    Making this something that can actually be used instead of gawked at from a
    distance.

    Modified:
      ./commandline/spel.pl

    Affected:
      Only the daemon is affected.


02 February 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    Due to the fact that IPC::Open2 does not work at all under mod_perl, a new
    system has been created.   Essentially, the main module itself has been
    moved into a daemon which deals with Ispell exclusively.

    This allows it to use IPC::Open2, avoid the penalty of creating a new perl
    interpreter every time and offload spell checking onto another box if need
    be.   This was made to be a TCP service, which when we hit 4000 unique words
    the additional overhead will be negligeable.

    With Ispell being handled directly from a daemon, the mod_perl script using
    sockets instead has absolutely no trouble getting information back and
    forth.    While not as integrated, it does offer a good alternative.

    NOTE:  The protocol for the new daemon is rediculously simple.   It gets
     any non-zero value and it will run it against Ispell itself.   Instead
     of returning lines of non importance, it will clean that up and simply
     send that we want.

    Modified:
      ./commandline/spel.pl
      ./Ethereal/spel.pl

    Affected:
      The post zoomer is directly affected, as would any future implementation
      of this functionality.


  Change:
    In order to lock down the system a few more notches, the system will now
    check your current IP address against the one you logged onto the system
    with.    If there is no match, then the system will ask you to provide the
    system with the necessary information to confirm who you are.

    It is important to note that IP addresses are matched in the first three
    sets.  For example:

        New           Old           Result
      192.168.1.2 - 192.168.1.2 : Perfect match, allowed
      192.168.1.2 - 192.168.1.3 : Matched within three sets, allowed
      192.168.1.2 - 192.168.2.1 : Matched within two, not allowed

    For those using proxies that vary IP address to a greater extent, cookie
    based logins will kick in.

    Modified:
      ./Ethereal/Crypto.pm
      ./Ethereal/Login.pm
      ./Ethereal/Param.pm

    Affected:
      This affects the entire login portion of the system.  


27 January 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    Message boards have been changed to accept realm names directly in the same
    way that the portal does.  This will allow for easier access to these pages
    from other sites or even a hosts personal space.

    Indentation, seperation and the use of Cascading Style Sheets have all been
    thrown in.   This will make things clearer overall, and hopefully reduce
    confusion amoung those spoon fed Ezboard.

    The topic display page is now much more verbose.  Which saves a lot of
    trouble.    The system will also move all general posts to a new topic when
    one becomes available.

    Users can also now link directly to a thread or post by making use of the
    link provided by the number.   This has obvious merrit for getting their
    point across.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./board.pl                                 Tag
      ./config/realm.pl

    Affected:
      All natively hosted message boards will be affected.


26 January 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    Due to the fact that the Archive::Zip library has grown more mature, the
    code itself has been shifted to produce .zip files instead of the GNU Zip
    version previously done.   This has the primary advantage of helping those
    that cannot grasp the concept of a .gz file and simplify support in general.

    Modified:
      ./Ethereal/Date.pm
      ./Ethereal/Pull.pm

    Affected:
      All of the post extracts are affected directly.   There is also the need
      to download and install Archive::Zip module which will handle all of this
      fun.


21 January 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    In anticipation of an overhaul that will be taking place on the message
    boards.  The system now allows hosts to provide a description for every
    topic they have.

    As one can probably see, this will allow for a more descriptive and flowery
    page, to introduce people to the topics available.   

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./config/realm.pl                          BoardTopic
                                                 Tag

    Change:
      Only the Hosts Control Panel is affected.


  Change:
    Adapted the options module to return default instead of yes for the privacy
    option.   This will keep things in proper order and prevent overall
    confusion.

    Modified:
      ./Ethereal/Option.pm

    Affected:
      Puppeteer configuration is directly affected.


  Change:
    The statistics handling table has been changed to be more in line with
    standard SQL doctrine.   Essentially, it is used as a table to store daily
    totals gathered from the system and individual realms.

    Instant improvements are the proper tally of monthly and yearly statistics
    for individual realms, as well as the ability later on to graph out useage
    using Image::Magick or similiar.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./commandline/etherealcmd.pl               Statistics
                                                 Tag

    Affected:
      Mailed out reports are affected, as is the statistical reset.  Which
      now works on a yearly basis.


20 January 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    Changes were done to the system, in order to allow for the use of Cascading
    Style Sheets (CSS) in the use of Who's On and how posts are displayed within
    the realms itself.

    The CSS tags that can be overriden are as follows:
      TR.WHOPRI    - Primary row definitions
      TR.WHOSEC    - Secondary row definitions
      TR.PSTSYS    - System Posts 
      TR.PSTDIE    - Die Roller 
      TR.PSTPVT    - Private Messages 
      TABLE.PSTNRM - Normal posts 
      TABLE.PSTALT - Alternate posts with System, Die and Private posts 

    In order to set the style, simply override the defaults.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./Ethereal/Comm.pm                         Tag
      ./Ethereal/Who.pm

    Affected:
      All realms are affected.


  Change:
    Changes were done to the filter code, as to use quotemeta instead of 
    the existing regular expression changes.   Makes things a bit cleaner.

    Modified:
      ./Ethereal/Filter.pm

    Affected:
      All functions making use of the filter.


17-18 January 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    The zoomer functionality has been enhanced by a few levels, as to allow for
    a cursory check of the document before the user decides to send it out.  
    This is done by linking directly to International Spell (ISpell) and
    quering every unique word for results.

    This basically creates a summary, which is generated and shown to the user
    in question.    Allowing for the user to see what is wrong, correct as
    needed and get on with his life.  

    Due to the nature of the generation, CSS was employed as to allow for hosts
    to customize the default output.   The tags are called SPELW and SEPLC for
    the word and choices.   These can be changed by overiding the defaults.

    On a side note, the IPC::Open2 module seems to not operate as expected
    under mod_perl.   It had to be moved off to avoid troubles.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./Ethereal/Spel.pm                         Tag
      ./post/colours.pl
      ./post/zoom.pl

    Affected:
      The zoomer is directly affected as it has become it's own file.   The
      colour display is now once again independant.


16 January 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    A front-end was added to the gallery viewer.  This allows users to look at
    galleries that belong to a specific type and genre.   This obviously
    leads them to the galleries themselves, then onto the works and associated
    comments.

    With the addition of the gallery itself to the system, changes were needed
    to be done to the administrative/background scripts in order to remove
    galleries when users go out the door.   This has been put into place.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./gallery.pl                               Tag
      ./admin/system.pl
      ./commandline/etherealcmd.pl

    Affected:
      Puppeteer removal and the gallery itself is affected. 


15 January 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    Changes were done to the login proceedure as to allow for alternate look and
    feel to be applied when authenthicating to the system.  This applies to the
    gallery itself, in which a seperate look and feel is planned to seperate it
    from the rest of the site.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./Ethereal/Login.pm                        Tag

    Affected:
      All authenthication windows will be affected.


13-14 Jaunary 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    The ability to query information from the gallery interface as to search for
    specific works is now in place.   This required the addition of a query
    generator to help things along and of course add several lines of code to
    the system in order to achieve this.

    As a result, the Database.pm module now has the capability to generate
    queries based on standard boolean methods.   This function, while only use
    on the gallery currently has obvious other uses, and may come into use
    later on.

    This addition marks the last addition next to an actual front-end that will
    be needed to release.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./gallery.pl                               Tag
      ./Ethereal/Database.pm
      ./Ethereal/Option.pm

    Affected:
      The gallery viewer is directly affected.


13 January 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    A slight fix to the posts.   When the [Image] link appears the target has
    been changed to _blank instead of it's former setting.  This in fact, should
    help things along.

    Modified:
      ./Ethereal/Comm.pm

    Affected:
      Posts are affected.


12 January 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    The gallery now includes a complete comment based system, which allows for
    the posting, administration and displaying of these posts from one singular
    script.   This basically adds one of the final components into place
    allowing work to progress onto other things such as the basic navigation
    sequence.

    A few other changes were done to the script as to make truncation cleaner,
    warn people when comments are made and navigate seemlessly from one aspect
    to the other.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./gallery.pl                               Tag
      ./config/gallery.pl
      ./Ethereal/Database.pm

    Affected:
      Once again, no operational script is directly affected.


09-10 January 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    A bug fix in the homepage component which allows people to actually upload
    more then one file at once.  Previous versions would literally append the
    files together and just write larger images.

    Modified:
      ./home.pl

    Affected:
      Home page component is affected.


  Change:
     A viewer and general client side access point has been designed for the
     gallery sub-system itself.    There are still a few missing feaures, but
     the primary navigating and viewing of galleries and works has been put 
     into place.

     Due to the nature of this script, authenthication is generally not needed.
     Other then when making posts, or entering galleries of a restricted nature
     which allows for more speed and more eyes on the galleries.

     Components, such as comment and rating viewing are forthcoming.   An
     attempt will also be made to allow for things to be divided into
     subsections as to allow the casual visitor to visit galleries and such.

     Modified:                                  Databases:
       ./gallery.pl                               Comment
       ./Ethereal/Database.pm                     Tag
                                                  Work

     Affected:
       No other script is directly affected.


07-09 January 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
     The ability to add, manage and remove works has been put into place, added
     to the gallery management panel directly.    This will allow for a more
     direct management of both galleries and works and reduce going to multiple
     scripts in order to get the job done.

     Since there are two different types of galleries, the system changes
     behaviour depending on said type.   Text will allow for a large posting
     window, while images will be uploaded at creation time.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./config/gallery.pl                        Tag
      ./Ethereal/Database.pm 

    Affected:
      The gallery management panel is affected.


06 January 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    The ability to add, manage and remove galleries has been put into place.
    This new script called ./gallery/manage.pl provides a one stop place for
    all of the functionality needed to manage galleries themselves.

    Future plans aim at extending this script to also handle works directly.
    This would create a control panel which is a common site on the system
    these days.

    There has also been a change of paradign in the Gallery table.  Basically
    moving the Pen Name and Email to a simple puppet name.   This makes the
    interface more consistent and familiar to others.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./config/gallery.pl                        Gallery
      ./Ethereal/Database.pm                     Tag
      ./Ethereal/Option.pm

    Affected:
      No currently used susbsystem is affected.


05 January 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    Cosmetic change to the global who script, in which the link itself works
    more in accordance to other such functions such as the login and register
    et cetera.    This meant the addition of a tag, which grants much more
    control on the matter.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./gwho.pl                                  Tag

    Affected:
      Global who is affected.


03 January 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    Due to the rather large group amount of gummies available out there, the
    display script has been changed to allow for more fine tuned displays. 
    Meaning that instead of loading all 250 gummies at once, you can view
    the class and groups you wish.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./config/gummies.pl                        Tag

    Affected:
      The gummy viewer is affected.


02 January 2003
------------------------------

  Change:
    Due to the impending implementation of the Gallery component to the system,
    changes were made in order to prepare for this.   Todays changes include
    the addition of three database tables along with a change to the database
    name itself.

    This is due to the fact that a gallery component while linked to the rest
    of the system would not fit in well with the webchat paradigm.   This
    resulted in all of the webchat references being changed appropriatly and
    the database being changed over to ethereal as well.

    This is a similiar change that took place when Ethereal Realms moved over
    to version 2.0.0 of it's software.  In that chase the modules were housed
    in webchat and moved over to Ethereal.   Now all the changes are synched.

    Along with these changes, copyright dates have been changed on all of
    the scripts and modules and certain descriptions have been adapted.  This
    also meant that the webchatcmd.pl command line utility script would be
    renamed to etherealcmd.pl

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./commandline/etherealcmd.pl               Comment
      ./Ethereal/Database.pm                     Gallery
                                                 Tag
                                                 Work

    Affected:
      No visible change will be noticed other then the obvious name changes
      and associated crond scripts needing an update.


  Change:
    The WebchatText table has always contained information in a very similiar
    fashion to the Tag table.    As a result, the two tables have been merged
    simplifying queries an extent and cutting down the table count by one.

    Administration of the templates themselves can still be done from the same
    interface.   Attribute administration normally associated from managing
    the Tag table will not be able to see templates themselves.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./admin/system.pl                          Tag
      ./config/realm.pl
      ./Ethereal/Database.pm 

    Affected:
      No visual changes will be observed, simply an organizational change.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-- Ethereal Realms 2.7.1                                                      --
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

29 December 2002
------------------------------

  Change:
    A few corrections were made to certain scripts which will allow for their
    correct operation throughout their use.   This includeded internal mail
    using Crypt for long term waits, and providing a proper link.

    Board was also affected, as to display the proper link instead of a
    relative link which is not overly useful in this application.   This
    in general should help things along.

    Modified:
      ./board.pl
      ./mail.pl

    Affected:
      Internal mail and board mail are both affected.


28 December 2002
------------------------------

  Change:
    The homepage component has seen a major rewrite as to give it more options
    that users of the component were seeking.    Things that have been changed
    are as follows:

      Editing text files directly
      Multiple file uploads
      Multiple file removals
      Renaming files
      Resizing images
      Tabbed navigation system

    With these changes, the component not only looks different but becomes
    easier for people to navigate through.   This also implements more of the
    changes which the Gallery subsystem will be making use of.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./home.pl                                  Tag
      ./Ethereal/Home.pm 

    Affected:
      Homepage component users will be directly affected.


27 December 2002
------------------------------

  Change:
    A new image manipulation library has been added into the system itself as to
    allow for the eventual integration of a gallery system.  This library also
    simplifies matters as it makes the image library consistent across all
    scripts.

    Due to the preperation, the homepage component has also been expanded
    considerably as to handle file operations which will be needed for the
    gallery and homepage component updates.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./admin/system.pl	                         Tag
      ./commandline/webchatcmd.pl
      ./Ethereal/Home.pm
      ./Ethereal/Image.pm

    Affected:
      The Puppet Configuration panel is directly affected.


26 December 2002
------------------------------

  Change:
    Code has been changed to retreive absolute URL's instead of complete
    addresses as it once did.  This will allow for reduced traffic as it cuts
    down on the size of appropriate URLs.

    Modified:
      ./mail.pl
      ./realm.pl
      ./board.pl
      ./weblog.pl
      ./admin/system.pl
      ./admin/swho.pl
      ./config/puppet.pl
      ./config/puppeteer.pl
      ./config/realm.pl
      ./Ethereal/Comm.pm
      
    Affected:
      All of the above will be affected, though the change will not be that
      drastic to the end users.

 
  Change:
    Links have been changed to the weblog as to remove their time delimited
    use.   This makes the weblog less time critical as it should be.

    Modified:
      ./weblog.pl

    Affected:
      The weblog and it's SSI counterpart are affected.


  Change:
    Streams are rather ill suited to work in conjunction with ZLIB compression
    packages such as mod_gzip and their ilk.   As a result of this issue, a
    seperate symbolic link has been created just for streaming windows.

    This will allow to compress all of the scripts except for the streams
    themselves.   While not being perfect, it will reduce traffic sent down
    stream considerably.

    Users of stream will notice the stream.pl symbolic link being called into
    action.

    Modified:
      ./realm.pl

    Affected:
      Streaming users are affected.


20 December 2002
------------------------------

  Change:
    There exists the ability for one command to actually terminate all the
    streams running on the system.  Very much useful when you need to reload
    a setting in order to get things working throughout the site.

    Modified:
      ./commandline/webchatcmd.pl

    Affected:
      While only the command line utility is affected.  Users will notice
      this when you actually make use of this.


  Change:
    Default behaviour of the die roller has been changed.   Essentially, the
    difficulty roll has been adapted to make it possible to roll 1d10 with 
    difficulty of 10 and still succeede if you roll a 10.

    Modified:
      ./post/dice.pl

    Affected:
      The die roller is affected.


19 December 2002
------------------------------

  Change:
    Changed the Puppet Configuration panel as to display all puppets including
    the suspended ones.   This allows for the suspension/activation to take
    place entirely from this screen if so wished.

    Modified:
      ./config/puppet.pl
      ./Ethereal/Database.pm

    Affected:
      Only the above panel is affected.

  Change:
    A new alias is accepted by the Weblog as to allow for the main body to be
    embedded directly into a page.   Useful, if you want to spider news entries
    or make them accessible through other methods.   This can be accessed
    though the ./extlog.pl alias.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./weblog.pl                                Tag
                                                 WebchatText

    Affected:
      This script will be indirectly affected.


18 December 2002
------------------------------

  Change:
    The die roller has undergone a series of corrections and additions to meet
    the needs of those few who actually make use of it.

    With this in mind patrons will see the following changes:
      Added verbosity when listing:
        Difficulty
        Max scores
        Botches
        Individual damage calculations

      Added functionality:
        Ability to add damage modifier to each die rolled
        Ability to sex a max score
        Ability to switch handles

    Most of the visual changes will not require any changes to existing panels.
    If you are interested in making use of these changes are really don't want
    to simply load up the default and work from there, here are the necessary
    macros.

      WCHARSLCT - Character selection drop down
      WDICEINDV - Damage individual modifier
      WDICEBLOW - Damage below level 

    All of these can be designed into the default panel or at realm level.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./post/Post.pm                             Tag

    Affected:
      Anyone using the die roller will notice at least some of the following
      changes.


16 December 2002
------------------------------

  Change:
    The ignore process has been slightly streamlined to use allow for quicker
    handling and generation.   In return it also allows for banners to show even
    if they have people ignored, which is something that people may lack.

    Modified:
      ./Ethereal/Post.pm

    Affected:
      Everyone reading posts will in fact be affected.


  Change:
    Banners now have the ability of getting information from another site.
    This is very much an advantage if banner providers allow you to display
    HTML and not wait for them to generate it for you.

    Quicker response rates et cetera come into play.  This can be used
    when the TagBanner tag exists in the system hash and is configured with
    a URL;

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./commandline/webchatcmd.pl                Tag

    Affected:
      Banners generation is affected.


11 December 2002
------------------------------

  Change:
    Quick change, in which users can now tell how many handles they have in
    their posession.   Apprently useful for those who have a lot of handles
    in their control.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./config/puppet.pl                         Tag

    Affected:
      The puppet configuration panel is affected. 


10 December 2002
------------------------------

  Change:
    Slight change to the quick weblog, as to not require database dependant
    parameters.  This simply means that the links will work longer then they
    normally would.

    Modified:
      ./weblog.pl

    Affected:
      Only the SHTML implementation is affected.


  Change:
    Due to an unspoken need, the functionality reguarding going back a specific
    amount of posts has been adapted.  Meaning that the first behaviour which
    is the default is to go back a certain amount of time, which is generally
    ten minites.

    The other new optional functionality is based on a specific amount of posts
    as specified by the users themselves.   The added feature is that the system
    will only count back a specific amount of posts that are actually public
    removing everything else in it's calculations.

    This is done by changing WSCRLBACK to WSCRLADV in the host templates named
    RealmPanel and RealmRefresh.   Which has the added bonus of making the 
    refresh section changeable.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./realm.pl                                 WebchatText
      ./Ethereal/Comm.pm
      ./Ethereal/Post.pm

    Affected:
      All realms wishing to make use of this functionality are in fact affected.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-- Ethereal Realms 2.7.0                                                      --
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

07 December 2002
------------------------------

  Change:
    Due to certain patrons incessant needs to have the perfect title and tagline
    all the while forgetting that there are other resolutions on this planet
    other then their own... I have implemented a way to not show a gummy and
    instead display the link using the older WBS style method.

    For now, only verified users can access this functionality.

    Modified:
      ./config/puppet.pl
      ./Ethereal/Comm.pm

    Affected:
      Posts are affected. 


06 December 2002
------------------------------

  Change:
    Added in the ability to clean up the audit table automatically without
    having to resort to complex manual queries.  It is important to note that
    it will not remove banned user entries and instead keep them in record.

    Modified:
      ./webchatcmd.pl

    Affected:
      Only the command line script is affected.


  Change:
    A modification to the PostClass implementation allows people to keep track
    of duplicate private messages.   This can essentially make statistics that
    much more accurate since duplicates have a tendency of increasing overall
    post counts.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./webchatcmd.pl                            Post
      ./Ethereal/Comm.pm
      ./Ethereal/Pull.pm

    Affected:
      Command line reports and post extracts are effected.


  Change:
    A slight fix to the die roller allowing it to once again display die rools
    in the proper font colours.

    Modified:
      ./post/dice.pl

    Affected:
      Only the die roller is affected.


  Change:
     Users can now verify changes without posting publicly or using the private
     message window in addition to the configuration window.   This is done by
     creating a false post which is then sent down the line.

     As a result, users will see a private message sent only to them with
     the full formatting they would otherwise expect.  This is done from one
     interface and for streaming users will allow changes to appear almost
     instantly.

     Modified:                                  Databases:
       ./config/puppet.pl                         Tag
       ./Ethereal/Comm.pm

     Affected:
       This affects private messages only.


02 December 2002
------------------------------

  Change:
    The die roller now has the ability to send privately to the user instead of
    throughout the entire realm.  Useful as a storyteller component and was
    a fairly simple fix.

    Modified:
      ./Ethereal/Comm.pm
      ./post/dice.pm

    Affected:
      The die roller is affected.


29 November 2002
------------------------------

  Change:
    A quick fix to resolve an issue that is rarely seen by the average chatter.
    Essentially, if using a canon handle the system would use another locale
    if a handle already had this in place.

    This change basically means that the locales will be seperate as they should
    and allow for less confusion

    Modified:
      ./Ethereal/Comm.pm
      ./Ethereal/Database.pm

    Affected:
      Only source handle users would be affected.


  Change:
    The ability to clone information such as Titles and Taglines is now possible
    and can be done through the standard Puppet Configuration interface
    available to the general users.   This is done in two ways.

    The first is to select a handle for cloning when you create a new one.  This
    is essentially a quick way of populating it without going out of your way
    to store this information using another means.

    The second is a selective/mass cloning system.   One basically selects a
    source handle, the target or targets and then the information to clone.
    After this is done and the script is called with these details in place
    information is cloned into the appropriate handles making mass changes
    much easier.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./config/puppet.pl                         Tag
      ./Ethereal/Database.pm
      ./Ethereal/Option.pm


28 November 2002
------------------------------

  Change:
    In order to curb paranoia and allow for long term links to work without the
    having to store long term tokens, I have created a variant of embed that
    follows the old style methods.    This subroutine is meant to deal only
    with inline parameters and will not touch on MORI since it it not needed
    for the registration confirmation code or the bio link.

    Modified:
      ./registration.pl
      ./Ethereal/Comm.pm
      ./Ethereal/Param.pm

    Affected:
      Registration and posts are affected.   It is important to note that the
      parameter retreival code already worked with direct implementations of
      the encoded SEC parameter.


25 November 2002
------------------------------

  Change:
    Due to the fact there seems to be abuse in people purposely leaking tags as
    to create certain overrides, a change to Ethereal::Filter was in fact
    necessary.    This resulted in a series of changesm the first of which is
    a change in focus from a DENY list to an ACCEPT list.

    The change to the accept list basically means that we only allow what we
    deem to be safe.   The rest will be automatically filtered out, meaning that
    new HTML tags that have not been sancitifed by the code will not be allowed
    through.   This in the end, will massively simplify matters of security.

    The second change is in reguards to an imbalance check.  This will look at
    every tag, looking for an odd number of quotes.  If this is dicovered the
    system will then append one before the closing bracket. 

    While not perfect, it does lend to reduced bleeding.

    Modified:
      ./Ethereal/Filter.pm

    Affected:
      All scripts that call the SafeHTML subroutine within Ethereal::Filter
      is in fact affected.   


20 November 2002
------------------------------

  Change:
    A simple idea that turned itself into a change in the way that posts are
    handled from transmission to retreival.   Essentially, all posts are not
    sorted using a class, and based on that class things can configured to
    either bypass the post altogether or push through nonetheless.

    As a result of this change a user can now filter out all posts that do not
    have a locale entry if the host adds in that field.   The user can also opt
    to play without fear of getting drowned in private messages except by those
    with administrative, moderative or superivosry access.
    
    Another change was required as to make this happen over active streams.
    This can be seen by the removal of the PostStreamKill field and the
    addition of a general PostCmd field which can be used to send commands to
    streams or frames.

    With this in place streams and frames can get the change and act
    accordingly while not having to make use of cookies at all.  And this is
    good news for all of those who wish to not use client side voodoo.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./config/puppeteer.pl                      Post
      ./Ethereal/Comm.pm                         Puppeteer
      ./Ethereal/Database.pm                     Tag
      ./Ethereal/Option.pm
      ./Ethereal/Post.pm

    Affected:
      Puppeteer Configuration and anything dealing with posts is in fact
      affected.


19 November 2002
------------------------------

  Change:
    Additional corrections were needed in order to make sure that everything
    worked as expected.   Some of which was the addition of a default puppet
    finder for realms that require the knowlege of the puppet to continue
    operation.

    Modified:
      ./Ethereal/Login.pm
      ./Ethereal/Param.pm

    Affected:
      Again same as the last series of changes.


18 November 2002
------------------------------

  Change:
    Some additional changes were needed in order to smooth out the new
    implementation of the parameter code.   As a result changes in the way that
    this system pulls parameters were changed.   There were also changes for
    realms as to allow it to not get lost if the window remained open for too
    long.

    There was also a change to make sure that the sequence number is not
    already assigned and the range is not much much greater in size.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./Ethereal/Database.pm
      ./Ethereal/Param.pm

    Affected:
      All scripts making use of Param.pm will be affected.


17 November 2002
------------------------------

  Change:
    A new parameter subsystem has been put into place.   This has the primary
    advantage of making parameters being sent back and forth much smaller in
    size reducing bandwidth costs considerably.   Also, they tend to be more
    secure as the parameters that make things tick so to speak are on the
    server and cannot be sniffed.

    As to avoid guessing, the parameter sequence is unique to the user and is
    also random.  Meaning that you cannot simply try numbers at random in order
    to access other accounts.   If things require more security you can even
    make use of encryption.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./bio.pl                                   Param
      ./board.pl
      ./guest.pl
      ./gwho.pl
      ./home.pl
      ./mail.pl
      ./realm.pl
      ./registration.pl
      ./weblog.pl
      ./portal.pl
      ./admin/system.pl
      ./admin/who.pl
      ./config/realm.pl
      ./config/cookie.pl
      ./config/ignore.pl
      ./config/puppet.pl
      ./config/puppeteer.pl
      ./Ethereal/Comm.pm
      ./Ethereal/Param.pm
      ./Ethereal/Post.pm
      ./Ethereal/Who.pm
      ./post/dice.pl
      ./post/private.pl
      ./post/who.pl

    Affected:
      Every scripts that needs to make use of parameters are effected.


  Change:
    Quick change as to allow the system to convert DNS encoded hostnames into
    something more useable for storage.  This basically meant that we needed to
    add a 'use Socket' statement as to allow this to take place, which had been
    missing previously.

    Modified:
      ./Ethereal/Audit.pm

    Affected:
      All scripts making use of the auditing entries are affected. 


11 November 2002
------------------------------

  Change:
    There has been a change between versions of Net::STMP which cause it to add
    a < at the beginning of a line that contains an Email address with <>
    already in it.    This causes an imbalance and all Emails being sent are
    then refused due to the imbalance.

    In order to prevent changing core modules, I have changed the code to keep a
    list for the MIME header generation and then one for internal use modified 
    to keep Net::SMTP happy.  This effectively makes life easier for all
    involved.

    Modified:
      ./Ethereal/Mail.pm

    Affected:
      All scripts sending mail are affected.  Though it should only increase the
      cases where the script will work without any modification and not lessen
      it.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-- Ethereal Realms 2.6.0                                                      --
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

05-07 November 2002
------------------------------

  Change:
    Ethereal Realms no longer makes direct use of Sendmail to send out Email as
    needed to users.   Instead it makes use of a unified mail module which will
    send out Emails in a consistent fashion, provide redundancy (more then one
    server can be used in case of a failure) and reduce the need for a local
    Mail Transfer Agent (MTA) on the web servers themselves.

    This new mail module named Ethereal::Mail is used by tying it to a
    filehandle giving it the functionality needed to work under all scenarios
    that apply to the system currently.   In certain cases, it also makes the 
    coding a bit cleaner.


    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./mail.pl                                  Tag
      ./registration.pl
      ./board.pl
      ./donations.pl
      ./admin/system.pl
      ./commandline/webchatcmd.pl
      ./config/realm.pl
      ./Ethereal/Mail.pm
      ./Ethereal/Pull.pm

    Affected:
      All scripts which send out mail have been affected.  While the list is
      extensive the change will not be made known easily.   There are changes
      which show X-Mailer as being the system itself, so it can be used to
      identify the system that generated it et cetera.


04 November 2002
------------------------------

  Change:
    Slight change to the Puppeteer Configuration page as to show the current
    Email address in the field.    This will basically allow them to see what
    is there and determine if there is a need for a change based on that
    information.

    Modified:
      ./config/puppeteer.pl

    Affected:
      Only the Puppeteer Configuration page is affected.


  Change:
    A change was brought about as to inform people that their archive was
    processed and Emailed to them at a specific address.   This will 
    hopefully remind people that they need to change address, and know that
    their request has in fact been processed and not lost in the proverbial
    mail.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./Ethereal/Database.pm                     WebchatText
      ./Ethereal/Pull.pm

    Affected:
      Database and post pull are both affected.


25 October 2002
------------------------------

  Change:
    The system now keeps track of default realms for users.  Default, meaning
    last realm in which they entered, as to simplify their return to it if they
    open the portal another time.

    This is made with the assumption that people generally play in the same
    realms over and over.   This will allow them to scroll a bit less, and 
    creates the illusion that the system a bit smarter.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./portal.pl                                Realm
      ./Ethereal/Database.pm
      ./Ethereal/Who.pm

    Affected:
      The portal is directly affected by this.


  Change:
    A change in the behaviour to the System Posting capabilities.   Now works as
    the banners work, which means messages are only sent to the realms that are
    actually active.

    Modified:
      ./Ethereal/Comm.pm

    Affected:
      The private message script is affected.


24 October 2002
------------------------------

  Change:
    Changes to the static portal in order to display by genre and include a
    global list.  This allows for quick peeks and more detailed searches as
    well.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./portal.pl                                Tag

    Affected:
      Only the static portal is affected.


21-22 October 2002
------------------------------

  Change:
    Addition fields were added to the Realms in order to standardize things such
    as their rating and genre.    This in the future, may allow for a more
    advanced static page with subdivisions based on the name of the realm
    genre et cetera.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./portal.pl                                Realm
      ./config/realm.pl                          Tag

    Affected:
      The portal and it's variants is affected.   Only the Javascript
      description will actually show the rating and genre.

  Change:
    Changed the location of the Who is On link in order to match the location
    that is used by the Guest interface.   It allows us to clear out the Misc 
    section and clean up the design a bit.

    The new location also allows it to have a bit more dominance in the portal
    giving a higher chance for people to find it.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./portal.pl                                Tag

    Affected:
      Only the portal is affected with this change.


  Change:
    Changes in look and feel were made to the Ignore script as well as the Hosts
    Control Panel as to create a more consistent and user friendly interface.
    This also resulted in a change of the locale administrator in order to have
    its interface match other section of the same type.    The control panel
    changes resulted in extensive renaming of tags for the Configuration types.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./config/ignore.pl                         Tag
      ./config/realm.pl

    Affected:
      Ignore Users and the Realm Control Panel are affected.


  Change:
    A change to the code was done as to allow us to display the amount of people
    in a realm without having to use the Global or System who functionality. 
    As a result, this will make it easier for users to see where to go as they
    can tell which realms are active.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./portal.pl                                WebchatText
      ./Ethereal/Who.pm

    Affected:
      Only the portal is affected.


  Change:
    There has been a series of tag changes done to the Portal in order to grant
    more control over the way it looks.   This basically allows us to get rid 
    of the tired design and implement something that is more pleasing to the
    eye and more consistent with the rest of the system.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./portal.pl                                Tag

    Affected:
      Only the portal is affected.


  Change:
    A fairly significant change on the operations of Ethereal Realms, in which
    the tag system has been moved from a one tag one attribute to a multi-layer
    model that makes it easier to maintain complex yet consistent designs 
    throughout the system itself.

    As a result of these changes, a new series of tags have been added which
    can be identified by the apperance of 'Tmpl' as the first four character.
    With this in the name, the attribute administration page will automatically
    create a text area instead of the textfield, allowing for cleaner designs
    and administration of the more complex HTML attributes.

    On the other hand, the old tags have been cut down in scope, making use 
    of mainly just text and additional attributes that are needed to be passed
    to the script.   The way we manage to do this is to pass the simple tags
    through a processor where they are displayed with the more complicated
    template tags.

    All of this is done through the new Ethereal::Template.   And as a result 
    of this shift, the portal itself has been greatly enhanced and consistency
    remains from script to script with a minimal amount of changes... After
    the implementation of this code.

    What does this all mean?   For one it means that changes in design will
    not mean a change of several hundred attributes.  Instead it will bring 
    about perhaps fifteen changes in all, which is a marked advantage over
    the old attribute subsystem.

    This also means that administration in general will improve.  As one will
    be able to see the actual meaningful parts of the tags without having to
    sift through the individual complex HTML that made it difficult in the
    past.

    Memory issues should be lessened as well.   Instead of pulling  hash
    value with thirty values of three-hundred characters, you are pulling
    three instead with the rest dropped off to an average of ten.  This in
    itself will mean more processes can be run with less risk of large
    processes in memory.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./bio.pl                                   Tag
      ./board.pl 
      ./donations.pl
      ./guest.pl
      ./gwho.pl
      ./home.pl
      ./mail.pl
      ./portal.pl
      ./realm.pl
      ./registration.pl
      ./weblog.pl
      ./admin/system.pl
      ./config/cookie.pl
      ./config/gummies.pl
      ./config/ignore.pl
      ./config/puppet.pl
      ./config/puppeteer.pl
      ./config/realm.pl
      ./Ethereal/Database.pm
      ./Ethereal/Table.pm
      ./Ethereal/Template.pm (new)
      ./Ethereal/Who.pm

    Affected:
     All working scripts for the exception of the command line utilities has
     been affected by this shift in focus.


17 October 2002
------------------------------

  Change:
    A request was made to allow hosts to select which colour they would rather
    have as default in case the default colour was not allowed in that realm.
    This is especially apparent in realms that have massively different colour
    schemes then the defaults.

    Now hosts select the default and instead of falling to the first available
    it will opt to show you the realms default.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./config/realm.pl                          Realm
      ./Ethereal/Comm.pm                         Tag
      ./Ethereal/Database.pm

    Affected:
      The Communications Panel and the Realm Control Panel are affected.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-- Ethereal Realms 2.5.0                                                      --
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

15 October 2002
------------------------------

  Change:
    When the portal is called with a name starting with static, it will begin
    to generate a list of all public/verified realms with their descriptions
    and the proper quick link address.    This allows to generate content pages
    that list all realms without needed registration.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./portal.pl                                Tag

    Affected:
      Only the portal would be affected.


14 October 2002
------------------------------

  Change:
    The system now understands what to do with the 'Verified' attribute
    associated with users in terms of realms.   Any realm that is configured
    to be verified, will show up publicly only to those who are in fact
    verified themselves.   If you are not, you will not see the realm nor can
    you actually enter it.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./portal.pl                                Realm
      ./config/realm.pl                          Tag
      ./Ethereal/Database.pm 
      ./Ethereal/Login.pm

    Affected:
      Only the Portal and Host Control Panel are affected.


  Change:
    There new exists the functionality for hosts to link directly to the portal
    of their realms.   And in the end, even allowing for patrons to bookmark
    directly to that point as well.   The link is required to be a symlink
    so that the system understands to undertake the additional processing.

     http://baseaddress/go/realmname

    The above is an example.  Where go is the symlink that will trigger the
    response and realmname is the name of an actual realm.  

    Modified:
      ./portal.pl

    Affected:
      Only the portal is affected.

13 October 2002
------------------------------

  Change:
    Administrators can now post to the weblog without having the post filtered
    and additionally cloned into the Community Board as to allow for 
    announcements to coincide with discussions on the matter.

    Modified:
      ./admin/system.pl

    Affected:
      Only the administrative control panel is affected.


   Change:
     Changes to the contribution system as to account for the new currency
     system that paypal has decided to make use of.  This also allowed me
     to code in a more useful donations message for both the donator and
     the receiving end.

     Modified:
       ./donations.pl

     Affected:
       Only the donations page is affected.


08 October 2002
------------------------------

  Change:
    A new class of gummies has been added into the system.   Called contributor
    class, as they will only be accessible to verified patrons.   This allows 
    an additional layer that can allow people who donate to show them off

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./admin/system.pl                          Gummy
      ./config/puppet.pl 
      ./Ethereal/Database.pm

    Affected:
      Puppet Configuration and the System Control Panel are affected.


  Change:
    Ability for administrators to exempt realms from displaying banners has
    been added.  This modification has been done to the Host Control Panel
    itself as to simplify coding.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./commandline/webchatcmd.pl                Realm
      ./config/realm.pl                          Tag
 
    Affected:
      Banners and administrative access to the Control Panel is affected.


  Change:
    Quick addition of code as to have the default handle automatically selected
    when making a post.  Making it much easier to work with.

    Modified:
      ./board.pl

    Affected:
      Message board is affected.


07 October 2002
------------------------------

  Change:
    The system now allows you to send out a pre-defined message to all of the
    realms.   Since it is not formatted like others, it allows for the
    administrators to insert complex code if so desired.   WebBanner is the
    name and its purpose is implied by the bane.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./commandline/webchatcmd.pl                Realm
      ./Ethereal/Database.pm                     WebchatText
      ./Ethereal/Who.pm

    Affected:
      Only the command line script is affected.


  Change:
    The message boards have been adapted as to allow for a certain amount of
    administration.   Administration, being the ability to see all posts being
    made as to save the administrator from having to scan through the list at
    all times.

    Board notice message has also been changed as to be a bit more useful to
    the users.  Specially when attempting to determine where the post is
    currently hiding.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./board.pl                                 Realm
      ./portal.pl                                Tag
      ./config/realm.pl                          WebchatText

    Affected:
      Realm Configuration and Boards are affected.


03 October 2002
------------------------------

  Change:
    Quick change to the way that the Quick Log showed entries.   Basically, it
    has been condenced as to make things more efficient, take up less space and
    allow for messages to be displayed individually.  

    Modified:
      ./weblog.pl

    Affected:
      Only the weblog is affected.


01 October 2002
------------------------------

  Change:
    Changes in response were made to the weblog.   Now if it is called with the
    quicklog.pl filename, the script will interpret it as a SSI request and 
    display a stripped down version of the weblog itself.   Quick and easy
    and simple.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./weblog.pl                                Tag
    
    Affected:
      The weblog is affected if used with its alternate name.


  Change:
    Message boards have been changed a bit to meet different needs.   The first
    change was done as to allow people to look at posts made on the board
    without being required to log onto the system itself.   As one can tell
    this will make it easier for realms to link it off their homepages and not
    expect people to be members or log onto Ethereal Realms in order to simply
    see posts.

    Another change was brought about by the way that the weblog function.  This
    is basically the addition of a link on the Puppet that links to the Bio
    script which will list contact information if so desired.

    The default behaviour of the boards has been changed to support boards that
    actually have activity.    While this is currently not the case the activty
    based filter will actually make things cleaner and is honestly a better
    default.

    The ability to have a board outside the standard realms is now possible.
    This is done by detecting the name of the script, meaning that sysboard.pl
    instead of the traditional board.pl will bring the person to a board that
    does not exist anywhere else.    Useful if a system wishes to have system
    specific boards used for coding et cetera.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./board.pl                                 Tag

    Affected:
      Message boards is the only affected sub-system.


30 September 2002
------------------------------

  Change:
    A new script as added to the current list as to allow for the display of 
    posts in the Weblog.   This is essentially a read only script with some
    navigational options thrown in to make life more interesting.   Since the
    script itself does not contain any important information the links are not
    as closely guarded as they could be, however the use of encoded links still
    remained a priority.

    A minior correct was also made to the message boards during this
    modification.  This was in reguards to the title display.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./board.pl                                 Tag
      ./weblog.pl
      ./Ethereal/Database.pm


  Change:
    The Admiinistrative Control Panel now has the support added in to manage
    and add entries to the systems weblog.   This required the addition of a new
    table to the database (Weblog) and the addition of a new script which has
    not yet been added.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./admin/system.pl                          Tag
      ./Ethereal/Audit.pm                        Weblog (new)

    Affected:
      For now only the Control Panel is affected.


  Change:
    Puppeteer Configuration and Bio have been adapted to work with the new
    functionality.    The first will allow for management of the information on
    the contact list, while the other will neatly display the information as to
    hopefully cut down on clutter and provide additional information to the 
    user itself.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./bio.pl                                   Tag
      ./config/puppeteer.pl

    Affected:
      Affected scripts are system.pl, puppeteer.pl and bio.pl


29 September 2002
------------------------------

  Change:
    A new field can be controlled from the Puppet Control screen, as to allow
    for contact information to not be displayed.    This is essentially a 
    privacy feature being added into new functionality.

    A change was also done to the Administrative Control Panel, adding a new
    section which allows for the addition and removal of possible contact
    information.   All of which done in a fairly standard interface for new
    administrative scripts.

    Modified:                                  Databases:
      ./admin/system.pl                          Contact (new)
      ./config/puppet.pl                         Puppet
                                                 PuppeteerContact

    Affected:
      The Administrative Control Panel and Puppet Configuration pages for
      now are the only ones affected.


28 September 2002
------------------------------

  Change:
    Consolidation of all the administrative scripts into one massive container.
    Unlike the supervisors Control Panel, this variant makes use of symbolic 
    links in order to know which script that is currently using it and act 
    accordingly.  

    This simplifies coding to a certain extent and in this case allows for the
    bookmarking of the specific sections if so desired.  

    Removed:                                  Databases:
      ./admin/access.pl                         Tag
      ./admin/chat.pl
      ./admin/font.pl
      ./admin/gummy.pl
      ./admin/realm.pl
      ./admin/text.pl

    Created:
      ./admin/system.pl

    Affected:
      All former scripts are affected as they are replaced with the container.


27 September 2002
------------------------------

  Change:
    Canon handle interface no longer makes use of self contained forms, instead
    it uses the cleaner design of using Checkboxes mixed in with one
    encompassing form.   This also has the side effect of allowing for mass
    removals if need be.

    Modified:
      ./config/realm.pl

    Affected:
      Only the Realm Control Panel is affected.


  Change:
    Quick change as to Carbon Copy (CC) Email when donations are made.  As it
    seems that PayPal itself is no longer sending out Email to notify people 
    that donations are made.

    Modified:
      ./donations.pl

    Affected:
      Only the donations script is affected.


25 September 2002
------------------------------

  Change:
    A change was done to the code as to allow Detached Comm Panels from working
    with Internet Explorer only.  This is due to oddities that appear from using
    other browsers such as Netscape Navigator in reguards to how it functions
    in with different frame modes.

    Modified:
      ./realm.pl
      ./Ethereal/Comm.pm

    Affected:
      Netscape browsers will be affected.


24 September 2002
------------------------------

  Change:
    Detachable Comm Panels have been added into the system.  As of yet 
    Internet Explorer is the only browser under which is works without a problem
    with Netscape 6.0 working fairly well under Auto-Scroll mode.   More changes
    will be done to correct this.

    Modified:                                 Databases:
      ./realm.pl                                WebchatText
      ./Ethereal/Comm.pm
      ./Ethereal/Database.pm

    Affected:
      All chat modes excluding basic may be affected.


  Change:
    Making use of normal HTML attributes, hot-keys were added in to the Comm
    Panel as to make navigation much faster in general.   Unfortunately, there
    a difference between Internet Explorer and Netscape which means the
    behaviour changes.   For those making use of Internet Explorer they will 
    need to press enter.

      Alt+P: Sends off a post.
      Alt+T: Selects the text box.
      Alt+R: Refreshes the frame / restarts stream. 
      Alt+Z: Brings up the post zoom window.
      Alt+G: Brings up the colour selection chart.

    All of these keys are generated when the widget is formed or the link is
    created in the case of the Zoom window and Colour selection chart.  There
    is no effort needed by supervisors/hosts.

    Modified:
      ./realm.pl
      ./Ethereal/Comm.pm
      ./Ethereal/Post.pm
     
    Affected:
      Only those making use of the ALT-Key combinations will notice the change
      however the above scripts/modules were modified.


23 September 2002
------------------------------

  Change:
    A new section was added in order to create the ability for users to zoom
    their posts into a new window.  This new window would not be a replacement
    for the Communications Panel, but instead offer the ability to see posts in
    a larger area before sending it back down the line for posting.

    Other advantages include the ability to store longer posts in another window
    while making quicker posts to the realm itself.  This in itself may or may
    not make the use of the LZOOMER macro widespread.

    Modified:                                 Databases:
      ./Ethereal/Comm.pm                        WebchatText
      ./post/colours.pl

    Affected:
      Colours Display will now change behaviour based on the name of the script
      which in this case would be zoom.pl instead of the conventional 
      colours.pl.  Any realm making use of the new macro LZOOMER will be able
      to use the new functionality.


19 September 2002
------------------------------

  Change:
    Code was added into the Private Message and Communications Panel code as to
    allow for a change of focus if the option for Javascript is enabled.  This
    will speed up posting by changing focus to the post textarea once submitted
    all without using a mouse.   The Post-Tab-Enter combination grants the user
    a quick posting method as well.

    Modified:
      ./Ethereal/Comm.pm
      ./post/private.pl

    Affected:
      Posts made publicly and privately will see the difference.


18 September 2002
------------------------------

  Change:
    Modifications where made to the Realm Control Panel in order to automatically
    send Emails to a user informing them of their ban on a realm.  This message
    is also sent to another address as to keep track of mailed bans.

    Modified:                                 Databases:
      ./config/realm.pl                         Tag
      ./Ethereal/Database.pm                    WebchatText

    Affected:
      The Realm Control Panel is affected.


  Change:
    Modification to the regular expressions in the sanity check in order to make
    sure that posts with certain characters that Perl extrapolates are escaped
    properly.   This was especially noticed in posts which had a certain amount
    of question marks.

    Modified:
      ./Ethereal/Filter.pl

    Affected:
      Anyone who loves to use an excessive amount of ? will be happy.


17 September 2002
------------------------------

  Change:
    A sanity check was added to all posts being made within a realm.  This means
    that anyone posting a series of attached characters beyond a certain length
    will find that the string will have spaces embed as to allow the browser to
    do a normal wrap around. 

    While some people may think this Draconian, it does allow for a less
    annoyed chat experience when dealing with people who feel overly creative 
    and give into their yearnings for posting drivel.

    One can also have their Email addresses linked off.  This makes life a bit
    simpler and prevents the truncation/abuse.	

    Modified:                                 Databases:
      ./board.pl                                Tag
      ./Ethereal/Comm.pm 
      ./Ethereal/Filter.pm

    Affected:
      Message Boards and Realms themselves are affected if you post Email
      addresses or hyperlinks.    


16 September 2002
------------------------------

  Change:
    Added functionality to allow for streams to be ended when the user so
    wishes to.  This in return will allow the user to save posts when he or she
    deems it necessary and also allows for a cleaner exit of the realm.

    Modified:                                 Databases:
      ./Ethereal/Comm.pm                        Post
      ./Ethereal/Post.pm                        Tag

    Affected:
      Stream or Auto-Scroll users will see the changes.


12 September 2002
------------------------------

  Change:
    The original concept for the system was to have three methods of access for
    realms.  The first being the one that most people know of based on the 
    behaviour of public realms, which the second has been used in some lesser
    form to restrict access to certain realms.

    A new access control has been added to complete the initial schematic done
    a few years ago.   The following access control modes exist:

      Relaxed    - General login access with possible bans
      Restricted - General login access with restriction to canon handles
      List       - Restricted login access based on reverse bans

    These access methods also required the change to the system as to allow 
    administrative overrides on bans for the Realm Control-Panel.  Without
    which a realm that selected an improper mode would not be able to back out
    from the change done to it.

    As a result, an administrator with administrative access can still enter a
    realm that would normally deny him access.   This access only applies to 
    the control panel and would not allow him/her to post or access the realm
    itself.

    Since list access is a Canon handle only realm, certain logic changes have
    been made.  Essentially, they can send and receive private messages due to
    the fact that no one else in the room has a system level handle.   They
    still have the same limitations when creating them however.

    All patrons entering a realm that restricts to canon handles, will soon
    discover that they will automatically be switched to the first available
    canon handle.  Without this, problems would arise as to illegal characters
    making posts et cetera. 

    Modified:                                 Databases:
      ./portal.pl                               WebchatText
      ./realm.pl
      ./config/realm.pl
      ./Ethereal/Comm.pm
      ./Ethereal/Database.pm
      ./Ethereal/Login.pm
      ./post/private.pl  

    Affected:
      Many scripts were effected directly and are seen above. List level access
      will not be seen by most as a matter of protocol on the current 
      development environment other then in hybrid realms which are not common
      knowledge.


  Change:
    Quick change to the database and scripts to allow the filter phrase to be 
    changed.  A more comedic example of this would be to change the default
    **** with the word smurf.   

    Modified:                                 Databases:
      ./config/realm.pl                         Realm
      ./ethereal/Comm.pm                        Tag

    Affected:
      Direct changes seen at the Hosts Control Panel and any post made in a 
      realm that restricts such material.

  Change:
    Administrative override has been added to the Realm Control-Panel as to
    allow administrators in aiding supervisors when certain settings have gotten
    them banned from their own realms.

    Modified:
      ./config/realm.pl

    Affected:
      Only the realm control panel is affected.


  Change:
    Ability for bans to become mostly permanent has been put into place.   This 
    is also accomplished in order to prepare for proper realm access modes in
    which LIST based access inverses the behaviour of the ban list.

    Modified:
      ./config/realm.pl

    Affected:
      While the change is only found in the Realm Control-Panel, people will
      notice the change for a bit longer when they are banned.


08 September 2002
------------------------------

  Change:
    Major changes in functionality were added to the dice roller in order to
    patrons more control when making the roll of a dice.    Functionality that 
    has been added is as follows:
      Damage modifier
      Variable botches and difficulty levels
      Ability to drop an amount of high and low rolls
      Ability to add a comment or action with roll

    This change comes effectively after input from the hosts and patrons.  With
    this in place, future need for changes should be lessened.

    Modified:                                 Databases:
      ./post/dice.pl                            Tag

    Affected:
      Only the dice roller is affected.   Secondary effects will be seen when 
      posts are made with the additional functionality.


  Change:
    Modification to the nightly automation script that will round down times used
    in statistics sent to the hosts.   Makes the output look a bit cleaner and 
    will also have the effect of making the output more consistent even if the
    system takes a bit longer to complete the task et cetera.

    Modified:
      ./commandline/webchatcmd.pl
      ./Ethereal/Date.pm

    Affected:
      Only the nightly automation script will be affected.


07 September 2002
------------------------------

  Change:
    New script added to display all gummies ranging from the administrative ones
    that we all know and love to the general list which is by far the largest.
    This allows users to become more familiar with the various choices and not
    spend hours on end working on puppets by simply selecting a different gummy
    every post.

    Modified:                                 Databases:
      ./config/gummies.pl                       Tag

    Affected:
      Only the Puppet Configuration page will reflect the change.   And this
      is done with a tag and not a code change.


  Change:
    The ability for hosts to control the dimensions of the Communications Panel
    and the Remote Control have been put into place.   All of this can be 
    controlled from the hosts Control Panel and will result in immediate changes
    so one should be aware of the numbers placed.

    Modified:                                 Databases:
      ./realm.pl                                Realm
      ./config/realm.pl                         Tag
      ./Ethereal/Database.pm

    Affected:
      Realm Control Panel and Realm display are both affected.


06 September 2002
------------------------------

  Change:
    A quick change that will make it harder for people to accidently remove
    puppets and files in their home-pages.   The only change is the addition of
    a checkbox besides the button which is required before the action can take
    place. 

    Modified:
      ./home.pl
      ./config/puppet.pl

    Affected:
      Only Puppet Configuration and the Home page module are affected.


05 September 2002
------------------------------

  Change:
    A change to the control-panel allows for hosts to specify one Email address
    which will be used specifically to get automated archives of the public posts
    made in that realm before they would normally be cleared.

    Modified:                                 Databases:
      ./commandline/webchatcmd.pl               Realm
      ./Ethereal/Database.pm                    Tag
      ./Ethereal/Pull.pm

    Affected:
      Only the background night process script is affected, and more
      specifically only if you are doing realm level statistics.


  Change:
    Added the ability for hosts using the Realm Control Panel to dictate the 
    position of the timestamp.   The default is at the bottom which is the 
    more classical position used by WBS, then of course you can have it at
    the top and non-existent.

    If you select the removed position, the time will not show under any post
    other then posts that are sent privately.  The reason for this being that
    there is information that can be useful, and if anything they should be
    tracked.

    Modified:                                 Databases:
      ./Ethereal/Comm.pm                        Realm
      ./Ethereal/Database.pm                    Tag

    Affected:
      Primary effects are felt when making the posts, and then secondary 
      effects can be observed as the post is pulled from archives, logs
      and guest access.
   

31 August 2002
------------------------------

  Change:
    A change was done in order to allow rooms to be promoted and demoted based
    on their status.   The logic is fairly simplistic, even if it may take a
    bit of thought as to why it works the way it does.   It goes as follows:

     Demotion:
      Only public realms can be demoted.  Hybrids carry information that should
      not exist in private realms, as a result they must be removed.

     Promotions:
      Hybrids and private realms can be moved up.  Public realms remain where 
      they are.

    The script has also been cleaned up a bit to generate less HTML, making it
    faster and allowing at the same time for multiple realms to be affected
    with the click of a button. 

    Modified:
      ./admin/realm.pl
      ./Ethereal/Audit.pm

    Affected:
      Only the Realm Administration page is affected.
       

29 August 2002
------------------------------

  Change:
    Some changes in preparation for the planned changes in the portal itself. 
    This essentially is a change to allow for hosts to specify a description of
    the realm for display in another locale.

    Other changes were subsequently done to the portal in order to allow for
    a javascript description handler.   This means that any patron who has
    javascript enabled will be given a realm description is one is available
    saving them from going deeper into the links.


    Modified:                                 Databases:
     ./portal.pl                                Realm
     ./config/realm.pl                          Tag
     ./Ethereal/Database.pm                     WebchatText
    
    Affected:
      Only realm configuration is affected. 


28 August 2002
------------------------------

  Change:
    The ability for the message boards to support 'topics' or subsections
    related to a different matter.   For legacy reasons, every realm will make
    use of a 'general' topic for which all existing messages will be placed.

    This is also useful for new realms who have not yet setup topics.  This
    also means that 'general' is always there no matter what.  Something that
    supervisors will need to be made aware of.

    Modified:                                 Databases:
      ./board.pl                                Board
      ./config/realm.pl                         BoardTopic (new)
      ./Ethereal/Audit.pm                       Tag
      ./Ethereal/Database.pm

    Affected:
      Board and realm configuration are directly affected.


27 August 2002
------------------------------

  Change:
    Changed the login sequence of the registration and login scripts to accept
    passwords of fifteen characters.   This is only meant to avoid the annoyance
    of selecting a longer password and receiving warning bells because it is
    longer then the stored and used eight character passwords.

    Modified:
      ./registration.pl
      ./config/puppeteer.pl
      ./Ethereal/Login.pm

    Affected:
      All scripts which require authentication, puppeteer conf and reg.
          

  Change:
    Adapted the active/suspend functionality to support more then one entry at
    a time.   This means that you can mass suspend and activate without waiting
    for each individual entry to be processed.

    Modified:
      ./config/puppeteer.pl
 
    Affected:
      The puppeteer configuration script is the only affected component.
     

  Change:
    Users can now see how much Internal Mail they have when entering through the
    portal itself.   This effectively allows them to see if something new 
    arrived or determine the need for a visit.

    Modified:
      ./portal.pl
      ./Ethereal/Database.pm

    Affected:
      Only the portal is affected with this change.
