Accept URLs without extensions for userpic uploads

[spin]

Title
Accept URLs without extensions for userpic uploads

Short, concise description of the idea
Change 'Upload from URL' at the 'Manage Userpics' page to allow the uploading of userpics that do not end in .gif, .jpg, .png

Full description of the ideaWhen you upload pictures to the scrapbook, they come out as something like Read more... )

Comments

[dropsofviolet]

I agree with this! It weirds me out to see a picture without an extension. I guess that would be a new suggestion though.

[spin]

I was actually debating which one to go through with... I thought the userpic allowance would be easier to implement and could benefit LiveJournal more, since Scrapbook pictures can be linked on other sites.

[dropsofviolet]

That makes good sense to me. I'd like to see your suggestion implemented in one form or another.

[kate_nepveu]

This is something that Dreamwidth does--I mirror my icons there by just uploading from the LJ userpic URL--so it is already a solved problem.

[lady_angelina]

I suppose that one potential objection is that the current behavior makes it less convenient for someone to "steal" images from someone else's userpics and ScrapBook files to use as their own without permission. But that's neither here nor there.

I've wanted something like this suggestion because it would definitely make it easier for folks to share their icons with others over LiveJournal. Having to upload to a third-party image hosting service when ScrapBook is right there and available for use is a drag for the icon sharer, as is having to download locally and re-upload it to LiveJournal for the icon user.

One possible advantage is that for someone using a mobile device that doesn't handle file uploading very well, the elimination of the "download locally then upload to allpics.bml" step would make it more convenient for someone to add icons by URL while using a mobile device.

[danceinacircle]

The current issue with uploading images from Scrapbook isn't that there isn't a .extension on them - there's a bug that needs fixed. It's been reported.

Unless this is something else entirely and I'm just missing something?

[lady_angelina]

Userpics on LiveJournal are the same way; they don't appear to have extensions either.

[danceinacircle]

Exactly - uploading from a userpic URL works just fine.

[lady_angelina]

It does? That must have changed... or something. 0_0 I remember the last time I tried it (granted, it was a couple of years ago), it didn't work because LJ claimed it wasn't in a valid file format. This was albeit the fact that I was trying to upload it from a pre-existing userpic that had already been uploaded to someone else's userpic set -- and yes, they gave me permission to gank it (inb4 "ZOMG ICON THIEF!" XD ).

Anyway, thanks!

[mlady_rebecca]

Sounds like a good idea. Either this, or "fixing" Scrapbook as people mentioned in earlier comments.