I created an account just so I can respond to this.
One thing I notice about neopets is they use .phtml for all their file extensions which is a common practice for php2 programs. But then php3 came out, php4, etc... and that file extension is way less common to see nowadays. It's not to say you can't use it, but it makes me wonder if they're still running some php2 and if so it will take some time to update because we're now on php7. With new programming language updates, functions get outdated. Functions you may be using...so if you update the version of php on your server, you have to make sure you update your code too because you could be using a function that no longer works so it breaks your program.
I did notice a couple of months back that JS was hiring an HTML5 game developer because flash is dying so they have to go through the process of eventually converting their flash games into HTML5 games. That process alone will take a long time. Although there was nothing in the job description that said it would be specific for neopets, there's a chance it could be?
So from a programmer's perspective, it takes a LOT of effort and time to update sites as large as neopets. Hopefully they're not just doing patch work and crossing their fingers it doesn't break because that will cause even more issues in the long run.
For example, the infirmary doesn't work in firefox. What?!? If they told me the infirmary didn't work in internet explorer 8 I'd be less critical, but firefox? I understand a developers job to get programs working in all browsers can be difficult, but firefox is up to date and is nearly on the same level as chrome whereas internet explorer 8 is unfortunately still used by people but is outdated and cannot handle some of the leading technologies. So are they patching up holes, or actually taking the time to make sure things are right so they work for the long run?
Who knows, really. Only they know. Only they can invest the time to either fix those holes, or decide if they want to do more of a major overhaul, which will probably take years to complete unless they have a killer team of programmers. But, fewer updates could possibly mean they are taking the time to really update things so that stuff does work well and loads quickly!
Random thought...I think if they offered more incentive for premium they'd get more people to sign up for it. It's the same incentive it has been since they made premium an option for anybody a long time ago. I was gone for 3 years and just came back a couple of months ago and it hasn't changed.
The Future of Neopets
in Neopets Debate
Posted
I created an account just so I can respond to this.
One thing I notice about neopets is they use .phtml for all their file extensions which is a common practice for php2 programs. But then php3 came out, php4, etc... and that file extension is way less common to see nowadays. It's not to say you can't use it, but it makes me wonder if they're still running some php2 and if so it will take some time to update because we're now on php7. With new programming language updates, functions get outdated. Functions you may be using...so if you update the version of php on your server, you have to make sure you update your code too because you could be using a function that no longer works so it breaks your program.
I did notice a couple of months back that JS was hiring an HTML5 game developer because flash is dying so they have to go through the process of eventually converting their flash games into HTML5 games. That process alone will take a long time. Although there was nothing in the job description that said it would be specific for neopets, there's a chance it could be?
So from a programmer's perspective, it takes a LOT of effort and time to update sites as large as neopets. Hopefully they're not just doing patch work and crossing their fingers it doesn't break because that will cause even more issues in the long run.
For example, the infirmary doesn't work in firefox. What?!? If they told me the infirmary didn't work in internet explorer 8 I'd be less critical, but firefox? I understand a developers job to get programs working in all browsers can be difficult, but firefox is up to date and is nearly on the same level as chrome whereas internet explorer 8 is unfortunately still used by people but is outdated and cannot handle some of the leading technologies. So are they patching up holes, or actually taking the time to make sure things are right so they work for the long run?
Who knows, really. Only they know. Only they can invest the time to either fix those holes, or decide if they want to do more of a major overhaul, which will probably take years to complete unless they have a killer team of programmers. But, fewer updates could possibly mean they are taking the time to really update things so that stuff does work well and loads quickly!
Random thought...I think if they offered more incentive for premium they'd get more people to sign up for it. It's the same incentive it has been since they made premium an option for anybody a long time ago. I was gone for 3 years and just came back a couple of months ago and it hasn't changed.