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Author Topic: Beta Testers needed  (Read 21129 times)

kitz

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Beta Testers needed
« on: August 31, 2007, 08:14:13 PM »

My "project" over the past couple of weeks (when Ive not been tied up with other stuff) has been coding a new adsl checker.
The aim was to do something for my site but also learn a new "language"... ( Ive been saying for years I'm gonna teach myself php).

So..  I'd appreciate if some of you would like to beta test this for me. Any bugs or errors please report back.

http://www.kitz.co.uk/adsl/adslchecker.php

(There is something that does seem to occur on my own line on occasions - I know where the bug occurs but I dont seem to be anything about it cause it goes back to the BT database - so I'll see if anyone else has the same problem - if so I'll have to take something out of the proggie :/

Any comments on the wordings/typos etc also gratefully received.

This is the basic skin and it will be prettified with CSS when I drop it into the main site.

I'll try fix any bugs/errors/implement any suggestions... but bear in mind  the past week has at times been a very steep learning curve. :comp:

[edited to update url]

« Last Edit: September 02, 2007, 02:14:51 PM by kitz »
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Astral

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Re: Beta Testers needed
« Reply #1 on: August 31, 2007, 08:34:52 PM »

I've fallen at the first hurdle. Got an invalid verification code both times I tried.

Should you put a space in the middle of the postcode? I tried both ways to no avail.
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roseway

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Re: Beta Testers needed
« Reply #2 on: August 31, 2007, 08:36:21 PM »

I just tried it, and it worked fine. It delivered wrong information about the distance by road, but that's obviously BT's error, not yours.
Just one small comment: it wasn't clear to me at first that I had to enter the verification code which was shown. That was probably me being dim, but it might be an idea to spell it out - "Enter the code above in the box below" or something like that.

[Edit] And Astral's comment has rather made the point :)
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  Eric

Astral

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Re: Beta Testers needed
« Reply #3 on: August 31, 2007, 08:43:50 PM »

Quote
it wasn't clear to me at first that I had to enter the verification code which was shown. That was probably me being dim

I'm dimmer than you, Eric!

I twigged the code thing as I was writing my last post.

Again the only discrepancy was the direct and road distances, but as they only varied by 2 metres and the postcode probably covers the whole estate it's not a problem.
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Achilles Last Stand

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Re: Beta Testers needed
« Reply #4 on: August 31, 2007, 08:47:39 PM »

Worked first time for me - I put a space in the post code but not between the phone number and area code.  Road distance to exchange is about right (I don't really do KMs lol!).

Result - in two sections:



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Astral

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Re: Beta Testers needed
« Reply #5 on: August 31, 2007, 08:54:35 PM »

It did get the exchange on the correct side of the road, which another checker did not. I'd been looking for an exchange building since I moved here a few weeks ago and concluded that it was hidden behind another building. I was walking back from the shop the other morning and saw an Openreach van on the other side of the railway (the road splits and runs, one-way, each side of the track) and solved the mystery.
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kitz

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Re: Beta Testers needed
« Reply #6 on: August 31, 2007, 09:04:14 PM »

>> Should you put a space in the middle of the postcode? I tried both ways to no avail.

Ive formatted it so that it should strip spaces so it should take either..
and upper/lower case shouldnt matter either since it will convert to upper.


>> It delivered wrong information about the distance by road, but that's obviously BT's error,

It hooks up to a google maps API. 
Is it miles out?  could be a conversion error from postcode to longitude/latitude?

>> That was probably me being dim, but it might be an idea to spell it out -

Thanks :)
Having been so concentrating on the backend stuff that I missed the obvious on how it looks.

Changed it a little - was going to move the submit button into the same box - but it looked awfully lopped sided when I did that :/

Could take the verify box out and see how it goes for a while..  the captcha was kind of a "learning curve" for me :D

Thanks guys keep any comments coming :)
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Astral

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Re: Beta Testers needed
« Reply #7 on: August 31, 2007, 09:08:01 PM »

I can verify that it is now dimwit-proof.
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kitz

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Re: Beta Testers needed
« Reply #8 on: August 31, 2007, 09:28:52 PM »

>>> It did get the exchange on the correct side of the road,

Thats probably more down to luck :D
Problem is a postcode can cover a particular area.. so it plumps for the middle bit.

I have done the calculation bit a bit differently than some other sites and afaik its the only checker that is supposed to give road distance as elsewhere quotes "crow flies".
Ive seen crow flies quoted so many times that I thought it would be a good idea to put road distance which is more likely to be true rather than the other measurement.

I must admit though that I did have help with that and chris did it for me as an include whilst I did the maps and conversions to get from long/lat and pass it through... But chris must get the credit for the actual road calculation bit.

Aside from that then the rest of it blame me if it goes wrong - as chris said nowt like jumping in at the deep end for a first proggie in a new language :/

Big Credit must also go to Sam too where the database files come from and Im using his API which keeps records of which LLU providers are at which exchanges etc.  afaik other checkers use that too - they just dont make it obvious and give him the due credit.

Only thing that does bug me is sometimes acess to the BT d/base is a bit slow and it will sometimes take its time checking a phone no :/
- When it does that it sometimes produces an error code - but will still send the results back.  I think it must depend on how busy it is.
It also takes its time if its a "non BT line".. ;)
« Last Edit: August 31, 2007, 09:33:15 PM by kitz »
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Astral

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Re: Beta Testers needed
« Reply #9 on: August 31, 2007, 09:32:27 PM »

Shall I go and pace out the road distance? ;)
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kitz

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Re: Beta Testers needed
« Reply #10 on: August 31, 2007, 09:33:46 PM »

yeah go on then.

I want it accurate to the nearest foot

:hides:
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Astral

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Re: Beta Testers needed
« Reply #11 on: August 31, 2007, 09:47:45 PM »

Well the 95 metres given brings you to the railway bridge. It's about 400 metres to my place. (to the nearest foot)
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kitz

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Re: Beta Testers needed
« Reply #12 on: August 31, 2007, 10:31:42 PM »

lol can you imagine the attenuation youd' have at 95m? 400 meters is pretty damn close as it is :D
Full steam ahead on adsl2+ eh?
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Astral

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Re: Beta Testers needed
« Reply #13 on: August 31, 2007, 10:37:16 PM »

About a year before we get that.


Correction; 2 years. :(


Switched map over to satellite. My estate is still fields!
« Last Edit: August 31, 2007, 10:52:00 PM by Astral »
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kitz

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Re: Beta Testers needed
« Reply #14 on: August 31, 2007, 11:22:57 PM »

Are you right in the middle of dartmoor or something?
lol youre probably lucky to have an exchange
* kitz runs and hides.  :-X
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