Merge pull request #159 from Phalcode/master

rebase

Author: Alfagun74

.github/FUNDING.yml

@@ -1 +1,4 @@
+# These are supported funding model platforms
+github: phalcode
 ko_fi: phalcode
+liberapay: phalcode

.github/workflows/add-issues-to-project.yml

@@ -1,8 +1,5 @@
 name: Add issues to project
 on:
-  pull_request:
-    types:
-      - opened
   issues:
     types:
       - opened

blog/2023-07-01.md

@@ -32,6 +32,6 @@ Crackpipe offers a self-hosted approach that gives you complete control over you
 
 Our server features offer automatic indexing of games on the file system into a database, enrichment of games with metadata like tags and genres using RAWG API, multi-user authentication, and configurable logging. We have also implemented health monitoring, full-text search, filters, sorting, pagination, and a fully documented API. The Crackpipe platform is highly configurable to suit your needs.
 
-We are thrilled that you have found us, and we invite you to try Crackpipe today. We would be grateful for any contributions, feedback, bug reports, and feature requests you might have. You can also support us by donating using the "Buy us a Coffee" link on our website. If you have any questions or would like to connect with other Crackpipe users, please join our Discord, Reddit and Lemmy communities - links to which are available in the footer.
+We are thrilled that you have found us, and we invite you to try Crackpipe today. We would be grateful for any contributions, feedback, bug reports, and feature requests you might have. You can also support us by donating using the "Buy us a Coffee" link on our website. If you have any questions or would like to connect with other Crackpipe users, please join our [Discord](https://discord.gg/NEdNen2dSu), Reddit and Lemmy communities - links to which are available in the footer.
 
 We are passionate about creating a gaming experience that is more open, flexible, and enjoyable for everyone. We hope you will join us on this journey and experience the benefits of a truly source-available alternative to traditional game platforms with Crackpipe.

blog/2023-07-03.md

@@ -63,4 +63,4 @@ In conclusion, we appreciate all the feedback and kind words we have received. I
 
 We are determined to improve and grow, and despite the bumpy start, we hope you'll enjoy the app and its functionality. We look forward to fostering a vibrant and supportive community around it.
 
-For further updates, you can follow our blog. And new posts will also be shared on our Reddit, Lemmy and Discord server.
+For further updates, you can follow our blog. And new posts will also be shared on our Reddit, Lemmy and [Discord](https://discord.gg/NEdNen2dSu) server.

blog/2023-07-08.md

@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ tags:
 
 Hello, everyone!
 
-We have an important announcement to share about our [source-available](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Source-available_software) gaming platform, Crackpipe. We have listened to your feedback and concerns, and now we need your help in choosing a new, family-friendly name that better reflects our platform's values. To make this decision-making process more convenient, we have created a poll with 100 potential names, suggested by you on our discord, some of which were generated by AI. Your participation in shaping the future of our platform is greatly appreciated.
+We have an important announcement to share about our [source-available](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Source-available_software) gaming platform, Crackpipe. We have listened to your feedback and concerns, and now we need your help in choosing a new, family-friendly name that better reflects our platform's values. To make this decision-making process more convenient, we have created a poll with 100 potential names, suggested by you on our [Discord](https://discord.gg/NEdNen2dSu), some of which were generated by AI. Your participation in shaping the future of our platform is greatly appreciated.
 
 We kindly request your support in selecting a new name for our gaming platform. The poll offers a variety of names, and we ask that you choose at least 10 names (10%) that appeal to you. By gathering diverse input and minimizing bias, we aim to create an inclusive and enjoyable experience for all users. We apologize if the current name has caused any discomfort, and we are committed to creating a welcoming environment for gamers.
 

blog/2023-07-09.md

@@ -31,9 +31,9 @@ Hey folks,
 
 We have an important update to share with you all while our poll is in progress. It has come to our attention that a group of individuals has been engaging in harassing, blackmailing, and threatening behavior towards us.
 
-It began with spam on our Issue Trackers and Discord Server but this situation has escalated to the point where these individuals went so far as to search me up on LinkedIn and threaten to inform my employer with baseless accusations of racism because of trivial reasons like the branch name in our github project being "master". Moreover, we have received reports that these trolls have extended their actions directly to other members of this server, attempting to spread negative narratives and disrupting the community atmosphere.
+It began with spam on our Issue Trackers and [Discord](https://discord.gg/NEdNen2dSu) Server but this situation has escalated to the point where these individuals went so far as to search me up on LinkedIn and threaten to inform my employer with baseless accusations of racism because of trivial reasons like the branch name in our github project being "master". Moreover, we have received reports that these trolls have extended their actions directly to other members of this server, attempting to spread negative narratives and disrupting the community atmosphere.
 
-To address this issue, we kindly request that you promptly report any encounters with these trolls to both Discord and our dedicated team of moderators. By doing so, we can take appropriate measures to handle the situation and maintain a safe environment for all.
+To address this issue, we kindly request that you promptly report any encounters with these trolls to both [Discord](https://discord.gg/NEdNen2dSu) and our dedicated team of moderators. By doing so, we can take appropriate measures to handle the situation and maintain a safe environment for all.
 
 We would like to emphasize that we are not racist individuals, but rather developers who decided to share our hard work with the community, hoping to bring joy and utility to everyone. Unfortunately, we did not anticipate encountering such creepy behavior when we made the project public. It has made us question whether it was the right decision to open up our work in the first place.
 

blog/2023-07-13.md

@@ -31,5 +31,5 @@ Now, you may be wondering why we didn't make Crackpipe fully open-source. The an
 It's important to acknowledge that maintaining and developing a software project requires resources. While we admire the open-source community and its valuable contributions, sustaining Crackpipe solely through donations or offering it for free indefinitely is not feasible. For instance, Jellyfin, a popular open-source app developed over a decade, generates only around $13,500 per year (according to their opencollective page). In contrast, Plex, a closed-source alternative, earns a significant $8.5 million annually. Our company's main goal is to keep the core functionality of Crackpipe free, but we also need to explore ways to generate revenue in order to support its future growth and improvement. We are currently considering monetizing additional convenience features for the Client Application in the future, although nothing has been finalized yet.
 
 We genuinely appreciate your understanding. As a small business with just two members, we strive to provide you with a valuable product but cannot continue to do so as volunteers indefinitely. Sustaining losses in the long term would not be sustainable, especially considering our local tax obligations. We have families and commitments that cannot be neglected, and this project is not our primary job. Therefore, please understand that Crackpipe may not strictly align with the traditional definition of "open-source," and we no longer characterize it as such. Our intention is to be transparent and present our perspective. Your understanding, support, and empathy mean a great deal to us.
-  
-If you have any thoughts or comments on this topic, we'd be more than happy to hear from you. Feel free to share your feedback on our Discord server. We truly value your input and look forward to engaging with you there.
+
+If you have any thoughts or comments on this topic, we'd be more than happy to hear from you. Feel free to share your feedback on our [Discord](https://discord.gg/NEdNen2dSu) server. We truly value your input and look forward to engaging with you there.

blog/2023-07-15.md

@@ -106,19 +106,19 @@ Well, as you all know, this was quite a journey to get here, and we wanted to gi
 
 - Everybody who gave this project's idea a chance, even if the name was kind of weird.
 
-- Everybody who made suggestions on our Discord server and participated in the discussions.
+- Everybody who made suggestions on our [Discord](https://discord.gg/NEdNen2dSu) server and participated in the discussions.
 
 - Everybody who voted.
 
-- A special shoutout to @KairuByte on Discord for coming up with the name GameVault.
+- A special shoutout to @KairuByte on [Discord](https://discord.gg/NEdNen2dSu) for coming up with the name GameVault.
 
 - We would also like to extend our gratitude to [The Selfhosted Podcast](https://selfhosted.show/101?t=2731) for discussing our app. (Brent, we are excited to hear your thoughts on the new name from a marketing standpoint 😜)
 
 - Last but not least, thank you to [The Self-Hosted Newsletter](https://selfh.st/newsletter/2023-07-07/) for mentioning our release.
 
 Thank you all for your continued support!
 
-We will keep you updated as the transition unfolds. In the meantime, head over to our Discord channel to celebrate and share your thoughts on the new name.
+We will keep you updated as the transition unfolds. In the meantime, head over to our [Discord](https://discord.gg/NEdNen2dSu) channel to celebrate and share your thoughts on the new name.
 
 Oh, and by the way, just a heads up: The transition for the "crackpipe_user" field in the database might take a bit longer, because it will need a migration. It seems getting 500 users "off the crackpipe" isn't as easy as we thought! 😉
 

blog/2023-07-20.md

@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ Hey folks,
 
 Great news. We've successfully migrated our App name in its entirety and will resume advertising as soon as it's published on the Microsoft Store.
 
-Just a heads up, there might be a surge of new users joining the Discord server due to us promoting Gamevault across all available platforms now.
+Just a heads up, there might be a surge of new users joining the [Discord](https://discord.gg/NEdNen2dSu) server due to us promoting Gamevault across all available platforms now.
 
 You're welcome to join in and spread the word about GameVault with your friends, family, social network, or colleagues!
 

blog/2023-07-24.md

@@ -25,17 +25,17 @@ tags:
 
 Hey everyone,
 
-We're excited to share some great news with you all! GameVault has reached a small milestone with over 600 official installations of our GameVault Client Application. What's even more amazing is that around 200 dedicated users, a third of these installations, have joined our Discord community to connect, chat, and share their experiences.
+We're excited to share some great news with you all! GameVault has reached a small milestone with over 600 official installations of our GameVault Client Application. What's even more amazing is that around 200 dedicated users, a third of these installations, have joined our [Discord](https://discord.gg/NEdNen2dSu) community to connect, chat, and share their experiences.
 
 We want to express our immense gratitude for your incredible support, feedback, and love for GameVault. Your ongoing encouragement inspires us to push boundaries and enhance your gaming experience. We're thrilled to announce that an awesome update is being worked on right now - the highly anticipated release of GameVault's Installation Pipeline!
 
 #### GameVault's Installation Pipeline
 
-The Installation Pipeline is designed to revolutionize how you install and manage your games. It was suggested by members on our discord server. We understand the challenges of navigating through different installation processes, especially for family members who may not be tech-savvy. With the Installation Pipeline, our goal is to simplify the entire process and make it user-friendly. Whether you're an experienced gamer or not, this update will make installing games easier for you.
+The Installation Pipeline is designed to revolutionize how you install and manage your games. It was suggested by members on our [Discord server](https://discord.gg/NEdNen2dSu). We understand the challenges of navigating through different installation processes, especially for family members who may not be tech-savvy. With the Installation Pipeline, our goal is to simplify the entire process and make it user-friendly. Whether you're an experienced gamer or not, this update will make installing games easier for you.
 
 You can read the details [here on the GitHub issue](https://github.com/Phalcode/gamevault-app/issues/18).
 
-Stay tuned for its upcoming release, and to be among the first to try out this awesome feature, make sure to subscribe to the `@Updates` Role on our Discord server, if you haven't already. We'll ping you as soon as it's live!
+Stay tuned for its upcoming release, and to be among the first to try out this awesome feature, make sure to subscribe to the `@Updates` Role on our [Discord server](https://discord.gg/NEdNen2dSu) , if you haven't already. We'll ping you as soon as it's live!
 
 #### Join us on Lemmy
 

blog/2023-11-20.md

@@ -0,0 +1,74 @@
+---
+title: "A Look Back and a Glimpse Forward"
+authors: [alfagun74]
+tags:
+  [
+    Game Development,
+    Software Updates,
+    Gaming Community,
+    UI Redesign,
+    Development Milestones,
+    Tech Progress,
+    Future Features,
+    GameVault Journey,
+    Coding Chronicle,
+    November Update,
+  ]
+---
+
+Hello,
+
+It's been a while since we caught up here, but if you've been following the action on [Discord](https://discord.gg/NEdNen2dSu), you're up to speed. Nevertheless, this blog remains your spot for the key updates and announements.
+
+Let's dive into what's been happening with GameVault since release and what's on the horizon. We've hit version 9 on the backend and 1.7 on the frontend, showcasing our commitment to continuous improvement.
+
+Alongside the usual optimizations and bug fixes, we've been paying a lot of attention to your feature requests and implemented a bunch of them.
+
+Here's the highlight reel:
+
+- Auto Extraction and Installation of Videogames
+- Uninstalling Games through GameVault
+- Uploading Images
+- Support for more Archive Formats
+- Bandwidth Control Features
+- Database Backups & Restorations
+- Crash Reporting
+- Random Game Finder
+
+So, what's cooking now? We asked for your top three desired features recently, and here are the results:
+
+1. UI Redesign for the Library and Installations Tab
+2. Support for ROMS and Emulators
+3. Support for extra files like Soundtracks, Mods, etc.
+
+By the way, if you want to take part in polls like this in the future aswell, make sure to become a council member on [Discord](https://discord.gg/NEdNen2dSu)!
+
+Right now we're knee-deep in redesigning the Library, the heart of our application. Big changes are on the way, waving goodbye to the installations tab and ushering in a sleeker UI for Library, Game View, and Game Settings.
+
+Here are some sneak peeks and mockups: (still work in progress):
+
+1. Library (Mockup)
+   ![Filters](/img/blog/2023-11-19/filters.png)
+   ![Empty States](/img/blog/2023-11-19/emptystates.png)
+2. Library (current implementation)
+   ![Library](/img/blog/2023-11-19/library.png)
+3. Game (Mockup)
+   ![Game View](/img/blog/2023-11-19/game.png)
+4. Game Settings (Mockup)
+   ![Game Settings](/img/blog/2023-11-19/settings.png)
+
+Remember, these are teasers. Anything can look different once it ships. There's a lot of work left, and we're on it. To be technical here: Most of these modern controls require us to rewrite WPF Controls from the core. On the backend, we're not slacking either – tons of end-to-end tests are being written to ensure our app's reliability.
+
+Excited about the new UI or got something to say? Head over to [Discord](https://discord.gg/NEdNen2dSu) and spill the beans!
+
+We're eager to wrap up these tasks and ship the update out to you guys.
+
+We also wanted to mention we've already crossed 2000 GameVault users with a growing engaged [Discord](https://discord.gg/NEdNen2dSu) community of 350 members!
+
+And your donations help keeping the lights on, though we're not rolling in dough just yet. Every penny counts, and we're truly grateful. Thanks a lot. ❤️
+
+Help us promote GameVault among fellow self-hosters. Your efforts could inspire a bored developer to join and contribute to our project!
+
+Stay tuned for the UI update – we'll be back in touch soon.
+
+Until then, happy gaming! 🎮

blog/2023-12-09.md

@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+---
+title: "Join the GameVault Early-Access Program Now!"
+authors: [alfagun74]
+tags:
+  [
+    Gaming,
+    GameVault,
+    Early Access,
+    UI Update,
+    Beta Testing,
+    Community Feedback,
+    Exclusive Preview,
+    Microsoft Store,
+    Discord,
+    Gaming Servers,
+  ]
+---
+
+Hey, Guys!
+
+For the upcoming large UI update of GameVault, we're launching a brand new GameVault Early-Access Program, and we want **YOU** to be a part of it!
+
+## What's the Early-Access Program?
+
+Early-Access is your golden ticket to test-drive upcoming GameVault updates before anyone else. You'll be part of an exclusive group and get a sneak peek into the latest features, but here's the deal – it might not be as stable as our regular releases and you need to interact with us. Your feedback will help us fine-tune everything before the big release for everyone else.
+
+## How to Join
+
+:clipboard: Complete the [Application Form](https://forms.gle/RQvEGfWeUFPBCUaG6)  
+:date: The first early-access phase kicks off on December 17 and lasts for one week.
+
+## Prerequisites
+
+:speech_balloon: Active participation in the designated Discord channel.  
+:video_game: GameVault installed from the Microsoft Store with a Microsoft Account logged in. If not, grab it [here](https://www.microsoft.com/store/apps/9PCKDV76GL75).  
+:rocket: A GameVault Server running the **phalcode/gamevault-backend:early-access** image. (Only run this if you are accepted as a Tester as it could break things!)
+
+### Important Note
+
+- There are only a limited number of slots in the Early-Access Program. Supporters and Trusted Members are prioritized.
+- If you're accepted and later found not meeting the requirements, you might be removed from future testing and the next applicant on our list gets the opportunity.
+
+[Apply here!](https://forms.gle/RQvEGfWeUFPBCUaG6)