Certificate of Merit

[Carl Hibbard]

I need to deal with some browser dependancy issues (you can guess which http client is the pain..)

Hope it works in Epiphany too, so I can have a little play?

[John Upham]

Carl,
Just for you, I have made sure that it works in Lynx.

J.

[Carl Hibbard]

For once I was serious as I really do use Epiphany

[John Upham]

For once I was serious as I really do use Epiphany

We all have our crosses to bear I suppose. Is there an emotional support group for the Epiphany user?

[John Upham]

I have today contacted the ECF Office with the following message :

Kirstie,

We have successfully trialled the CoM application with Yateley Manor School.

A number of students passed the Level One examination with either Merit or Distinction.

Are you in a position to send out the certificates and the associated goodies (whatever they are)?

We want the children to be presented with their certificates in school assembly.

Let me know that you are ready and I will send the required details.

All the best,

John

Just to keep you all in the picture : I have yet to receive a reply from Kirstie.

I know that CG has received my message. However, as yet, no acknowledgement.

[Carl Hibbard]

Just to keep you all in the picture : I have yet to receive a reply from Kirstie.

I know that CG has received my message. However, as yet, no acknowledgement.

Better get a move on then John

[John Upham]

We never got any kind of acknowledgement from the ECF Office and so have suspended trials of CoM until further notice.

I received a message from Chris Majer informing me that the Office were too busy to deal with it as the AGM took precedence.

J.

[Matthew Turner]

In fairness to the Office, I had thought that the CoM was supposed to be an automated, Internet based solution. For the Office to have to send out certificates and 'goodies' (seemingly at short notice) seems very labour intensive.

[John Upham]

The office also have a function to add new schools to the CoM database as and when they sign-up to the support package.

We tried to obtain the full list of ~9,000 schools but had to settle for 35 instead. The Office now need to add them one at a time so they will help to slow things down also.

I tried to persuade the code to put the certificate and furry key rings into an envelope and take it to the local Post Office without human intervention but was unsuccessful.

Maybe the next release of PHP will include the function "putGoodsIntoEnvelopeandPost"? Sadly, I fear not.

[Michele Clack]

Given that membership of the ECF seems to have fallen and that most children who take the CoM test are likely to be new to chess, how about giving successful youngsters a years free membership of the ECF. They will feel that they have had value for money and who knows they might decide to renew the membership the following year.

[Mick Norris]

Given that membership of the ECF seems to have fallen and that most children who take the CoM test are likely to be new to chess, how about giving successful youngsters a years free membership of the ECF. They will feel that they have had value for money and who knows they might decide to renew the membership the following year.

Good idea - maybe the new president could sort that out

[Chris Majer]

The office also have a function to add new schools to the CoM database as and when they sign-up to the support package.

We tried to obtain the full list of ~9,000 schools but had to settle for 35 instead. The Office now need to add them one at a time so they will help to slow things down also.

I tried to persuade the code to put the certificate and furry key rings into an envelope and take it to the local Post Office without human intervention but was unsuccessful.

Maybe the next release of PHP will include the function "putGoodsIntoEnvelopeandPost"? Sadly, I fear not.

John

I am sure that we have told you that we cannot release the whole chess for schools database due to data protection issues (this is because they haven’t signed up for CoM). As you say as soon as they do, the information can be released. Though I find it strange that we need exports from the database including contact details to the CoM system when all that is required is a payment confirmation. Incidentally all such matters are referred to me, they are not decided by the Office staff.

[John Upham]

Though I find it strange that we need exports from the database including contact details to the CoM system when all that is required is a payment confirmation. Incidentally all such matters are referred to me, they are not decided by the Office staff.

We do not NEED exports : they avoid errors, save time and avoid duplication. I am very happy for all the new schools to be added one at a time. I will not be doing that personally I'm pleased to say.

I've designed the app to be as efficient as it can be. If you wish to reduce its efficiency and introduce delays by involving the Office more than is required then so be it. They obviously love doing mindless data entry.

J.

[Chris Majer]

John wrote

We never got any kind of acknowledgement from the ECF Office and so have suspended trials of CoM until further notice.

I received a message from Chris Majer informing me that the Office were too busy to deal with it as the AGM took precedence.

J.

John

It would appear from the following email thread that an email went adrift. It’s unfortunate an experienced IT guy like yourself didn’t suspect an email problem. Can you provide a response and lets keep the CoM moving.

-----Original Message-----
From: Kirstie [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: 12 October 2009 13:13
To: 'John Upham'
Cc: [email protected]
Subject: RE: CoM : Are you ready to send out the Certificates?

John,

We are at the moment printing for the AGM this weekend and will not be in a
position to be able to deal with your request having only received it today
until the end of the week.
To our knowledge, only a certificate and badge were to be sent out. We do
not know what 'other goodies' you are referring to.
Without a list of names to print onto the certificates we cannot print these
anyway. How many are there to be printed?

Kind Regards

Kirstie

-----Original Message-----
From: John Upham [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: 12 October 2009 11:19
To: Kirstie Lapworth
Cc: Cynthia Gurney; Chris Majer; Andrew Farthing; Andrew David Martin; Ken
Coates; Caroline Morris; David Anderton
Subject: RE: CoM : Are you ready to send out the Certificates?
Importance: High

Kirstie,

Can you let me know if the Office are ready today to send out CoM
Certificates please?

We have let the school know that they can present them in an assembly.

All the best,

John

[John Upham]

It’s unfortunate an experienced IT guy like yourself didn’t suspect an email problem. Can you provide a response and lets keep the CoM moving.

It would appear that KLs reply did not reach me for an unknown reason.