TourBusFaq

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This is the page for frequently asked questions regarding the TourBus.

Section for Passengers

Quick access to the TourBusMap

I'd like it if there were a pointer to the TourBusMap at each bus stop, in order to give me an "aerial view".

: This may well be a future improvement to the system.

For Hosts, Editors and Founders

Transparent image

Is there a transparent image of the bus (my wiki has a non-white background)?

: Yes, you can use the transparent http://www.wikiservice.at/image/wikibus.gif.

Route numbers

I'm curious about the route numbers and if they have any meaning.

: Yes, some have a meaning. But of course the route number are - like everything - open for discussion and change. Esp. the 01 and the 42 should be clear. The 12 is inspired by the NoSmoke asian influence and the asian sense for harmony and perfection. The 02 seems also clear, because it was the second step in spreading the wiki. The 03 has little significance. The 66 should also be clear, a long route where you go slow, enjoy yourself and look around.

: We shall reserve #666 for anything Microsoft related. ;) -- jh

: Route #84 is a reference to the book 1984 by George Orwell.

Bus Image

Existing stops reference the bus image from www.wikiservice.at/image/wikibus.gif or www.wikiservice.at/image/wikibus.jpg. Would it be a good idea to continue to do so, or should each stop copy the image to its own server?

I personally prefer reference over copy, for these reasons:

consistency (everyone refers to the exact same image)
extra work to copy to each server
would often require work of web administrator, rather than allowing wiki users to do it
browsers can cache it and reuse it at each stop rather than downloading it at each stop
any future changes to the master image immediately update on all bus stops
less bandwidth towards the user, image is loaded only once (otherwise each stop loads his separate image)
RemoteLinking concept - and as a counter for use? MarkDilley

But copying would have these benefits:

less network traffic to www.wikiservice.at
- I might get it onto img.web.de, which is 6 or 8 machines behind 600MB/s ;) --jh
  - Jürgen, yes, thank you for this offer. We could do this, although I feel no pressure on wikiservice.at. Does anyone experience delays in loading the image? Usually I'm quite happy with my server at verio.de . -- hl
if www.wikiservice.at goes down or is inaccessible for some users, they can still see the icon at each stop

I prefer option C. I just had to be different! The only reason I copied and placed it on my server was the fact I wanted a transparent background, but I dispise GIF images. GIF images pixalate badly when using transparency. So I converted it to a IE compatible 8 bit (256 color) based PNG image. Note: the 24 bit PNG doesn't display in IE. - GuyM?/LasVegasWiki?

Copyright

We should address copyright concerns. Where did that image come from, and are we using it legally? (I don't doubt that we are; I'd just like some "documentation" of it.)

: Ok, the image comes from a muddy source and was heavily reworked. I doubt that anyone except me could claim a copyright and I don't claim it. -- HelmutLeitner

: By the way, I think we should buy a few new buses next year. It would be depressing to use the same old bus on all tours around the worlds. -- hl

Foreign language wikis

Is there a need to have a TourBusStop and a TourBusHaltestelle on a German wiki?

: No, each tour is kept in one language. If your wiki is part of a German tour, you only need the page TourBusHaltestelle (only wikis that connect tours of different languages need both pages).

Several people have suggested a TourBus Central or Main Bus Terminal (more at TourBusDiscussion, need to move)

One way to solve this, may be to put a link to all the lines on every TourBusStop, we just need to let folks know which line(s) that particular wiki is on. Seems straight foward enough

For example: On the Eclectic Wiki Proposal all the wikis are linked to each other In a bus line, and all link to the Grand Wiki Tour through a link to MeatBall:TourBusStop.

: All the blame for this goes to MarkDilley ;-)

This is a suggestion from a friend that really liked the TourBus Project! -- RANDOM-WIKI-TOUR --- ''Can we create a random feature for available TourBusStops?? Folks from MeatBall, click and go to a random TourBusStop

New questions:

CategoryBus