Wikivoyage/Lounge/Archive/2014-11

#coordinates:issue

FYI I've opened the bug 72559 for the problem in the subject that affect the listing on each language version that use #coordinates. --Andyrom75 (talk) 15:06, 27 October 2014 (UTC)

Another collateral effect: Nearby function on mobile devices doesn't work.

However the functionality associated to the magic word #coordinates, (luckly) has been restored. The problem on #coordinates has been originated by the bug 33704 that is not yet closed, so also the bug 72559 won't be immediately close to keep on monitoring the situation. --Andyrom75 (talk) 15:54, 27 October 2014 (UTC)

I think this is the same problem which was brough up yesterday in multiple locations in the English Wikipedia.--Ymblanter (talk) 08:39, 28 October 2014 (UTC)

Yes, as per my understanding all the wikis have been affected, but voy makes a deep use of #coordinates so the problem was spread all over the articles. --Andyrom75 (talk) 23:01, 28 October 2014 (UTC)

The bug has been successfully closed. The GeoData extension (responsibile for the correct use of the coordinates) has been completely separated by another component. So now it can be still in execution even if when the other is down (that was the original problem). --Andyrom75 (talk) 18:50, 5 November 2014 (UTC)

Maps loading external resources

FYI, I asked the MappeInterattive gadget be disabled by default on it.voy, after discovering that articles were loading images from mqcdn.com (MapQuest), and perhaps other resources as well (maps.wikivoyage-ev.org/w/poimap2.php and OSM were mentioned). Loading resources from non-WMF servers is forbidden under the privacy policy because it sends those servers private information of our visitors. Such JS/CSS rules are generally removed on sight by stewards etc. when found, but I was asked to summarise this here for Mey2008 and others because apparently other Wiivoyages are doing such a thing as well. --Nemo 18:20, 7 August 2014 (UTC)

If you can get User:Dschwen to help, you may be able to use WikiMiniAtlas.... --Rschen7754 03:51, 8 August 2014 (UTC)

Map templates request images from tools.wmflabs.org that, in turn, gets them from tile servers. I don't think that any confidential information goes beyond wmflabs.org because the scripts essentially call for a part of the map at a given lat, long and zoom level. The scripts do not process any personal information. Of course, WMF is welcome to set up their own tile server, but this is not something that the Wikivoyage community can decide or implement.

The scripts on maps.wikivoyage-ev.org are the source of those on tools.wmflabs.org. They are used for maintenance and development. --Alexander (talk) 07:22, 9 August 2014 (UTC)

The WMF privacy policy considers the IP requesting the information confidential... --Rschen7754 03:45, 10 August 2014 (UTC)

Could you explain why WikiMiniAtlas complies with the privacy policy, and current Wikivoyage scripts not? --Alexander (talk) 06:20, 10 August 2014 (UTC)

Yeah, tiles are rendered on Wikimedia lands servers, and traffic to my land instance goes through an anonymizing proxy (with the purpose of housing user IPs even from tool operators on labs). --Dschwen (talk) 07:02, 11 August 2014 (UTC)

Not sure that I understand. Anyway, the point is that Wikivoyage won't benefit from embedded maps themselves, but it needs maps + POIs, and the scripts are handling POIs. We don't care where the map comes from, so if we simply take it from wma.wmflabs.org and/or toolserver (just like WikiMiniAtlas does) instead of using external tile servers, would it be OK? --Alexander (talk) 10:31, 11 August 2014 (UTC)

How much server capacity (CPU and bandwidth) is available on wmflabs (presumably toolserver is shutting down?) and is it enough, given that the maps are on over a thousand WV articles and growing? K7L (talk) 14:57, 11 August 2014 (UTC)

I believe that what Dschwen said was, "Only a fake IP address is sent to MapQuest, so there is no possible violation of the privacy policy". User:Dschwen can correct me if I've misunderstood. WhatamIdoing (talk) 16:06, 11 August 2014 (UTC)

Yeah, i think you misunderstood. The fake IP applies only to WikiMiniAtlas. --Dschwen (talk) 22:10, 11 August 2014 (UTC)

Thanks for the clarification. WhatamIdoing (talk) 23:37, 12 August 2014 (UTC)

It is already used a lot on enwiki, so I don't think there would be server load issues. --Rschen7754 02:21, 12 August 2014 (UTC)

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@Dschwen: Can I ask how to convert eg. [1] to the url of WMA's tiles? --Zhuyifei1999 (talk) 09:30, 12 August 2014 (UTC)

@Dschwen: Quote: "... traffic ... goes through to an anonymizing proxy". Who is the operator of that proxy? He knows all the IPs of the users of WikiMiniAtlas. Isn't it a big security risk too? - Joachim Mey2008 (talk) 09:30, 13 August 2014 (UTC)

The operator is the foundation. --Dschwen (talk) 11:01, 13 August 2014 (UTC)

P.S.: knowing IPs is not a security risk, it is a privacy concern. --Dschwen (talk) 11:02, 13 August 2014 (UTC)

@Zhuyifei1999:, this does not work. The WMA had a different format/projection etc. Tiles in some resolutions are rendered on the client, it had 3d buildings and so on. But there is a time server that you can use on labs in the maps project. I'll look up the details. --Dschwen (talk) 11:12, 13 August 2014 (UTC)

"Compiling" WMA is beyond the ability of my nonnative human js and php compiler (a.k.a. reading). It would be great if there's some way to automatically convert the url formats. Also it seems that the other tile providers used by dynamic wikivoyage maps have the same kind of zoom-level, x-axis, y-axis. I'm mot sure if adding a bunch of other code specific to WMA is efficient. --Zhuyifei1999 (talk) 14:45, 13 August 2014 (UTC)

In the next version "Dynamic maps" of Wikivoyage the Mapnik layer is by default. Tiles for this layer are then requested by wmflabs server. External servers are marked in the layers selection tool (example see development server). Thus, the problem should be solved? -- Joachim Mey2008 (talk) 17:23, 13 August 2014 (UTC)

Did you succeed to get Mapnik from the wmflabs server, or you still get it from Mapnik directly? I think that we preferred Mapquest as the default layer because it has less detail, but we can also live with Mapnik if other layers are not available. --Alexander (talk) 18:21, 13 August 2014 (UTC)

Yes, in future I am referring Mapnik tiles directly from wmflabs tiles server. Mapquest layer would be much more appropriate. But it is unfortunately only externally. Mapquest (powered by AOL) insured in its privacy policy "We collect personal information when you make your information known, such as by registering, authenticating, making purchases, or interacting with AOL. If you do not make yourself known to AOL, your use of our content and services is generally anonymous.". I am satisfied with that and do not understand the fuss here. -- Joachim Mey2008 (talk) 18:44, 13 August 2014 (UTC)

I don't understand it either, but we have to comply. Anyway, thank you very much for resolving this issue! Scripts on tools.wmflabs.org should be updated in about a week. Then we can check that Wikivoyage pages do not load any information from external (not trusted) sites. --Alexander (talk) 19:01, 13 August 2014 (UTC)

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The script "Poimap2.php" has been changed. Mapnik tiles are now loaded from "https://tiles.wmflabs.org/osm/" (example). The gadget "Mapframe" needs to be changed. The default layer must be "M" instead of "O" in lines 15, 16 and 27 [2]. I do not have access rights. - Joachim Mey2008 (talk) 12:21, 18 August 2014 (UTC)

Great, thank you.--Ymblanter (talk) 14:00, 18 August 2014 (UTC)

Thank you again! I made the changes in Russian and English Wikivoyages. Other projects have to do it on their own by changing the script in Mediawiki:***.js and by modifying relevant templates that display maps in articles. --Alexander (talk) 02:25, 20 August 2014 (UTC)

If there are no local active admins for a project, you can request assistance at SRM and someone will help. --Rschen7754 02:29, 20 August 2014 (UTC)

Also done in Chinese Wikivoyage. Thanks Mey2008 --Zhuyifei1999 (talk) 14:16, 20 August 2014 (UTC)

Thanks to everyone who pitched in to identify and fix this problem - it is really great to see everyone helping out to protect user privacy! —Luis Villa (WMF) (talk) 00:59, 22 August 2014 (UTC)

• Now why do I see requests to aus4.mozilla.org and ciscobinary.openh264.org ? http://www.webpagetest.org/result/141112_10_ECX/5/details/#request112
• If the gadget is finally clean and legal, it would be better to host it on a Meta-Wiki MediaWiki: namespace page, as we usually do with global gadgets. (It's the best domain, because it's already loaded for CentralNotice; any additional domain takes time for SSL negotiation etc.) This way, we would benefit from cache and avoid the 112 seconds load time we're currently seeing at [3] because of [4] being down (reported by Pajz [5]). --Nemo 10:42, 12 November 2014 (UTC)

Different language versions use different varieties of the mapping script. No single version will fit everyone. Problems with loading times are on the tools.wmflabs.org side, and they won't be solved by hosting gadget in a different place. They can be solved only by improving the stability of tools.wmflabs.org, which has been mentioned many times on different occasions. --Alexander (talk) 22:35, 12 November 2014 (UTC)