8kun Launcher

Release notes for v2d (November 13, 2021)

Important New Feature: Any Slice that is in a thread that is auto-updating will also be auto-updated. This allows you to follow a conversation or track the reponses to an important post in real time. Great feature for bakers.
The Post Office will now display the new post number after posting. The input fields will no longer be cleared by default. There is a checkbox at the lower right to enable auto-clear. Also, the number of posts is increased from 5 to 6.
Added an event handler to block double-clicks on the status bar. This allows for the rapid reactivation of the menu bar (useful in the Post Office).
Corrected the flawed truncation of long titles in the status bar. The new CSS will now truncate long titles correctly when the browser is resized.
I found another strange behaviour on Chrome-based browsers. Zooming is blocked if a new tab is opened without a URL. The fix is to open the tab with the URL "about:blank". This behaviour is totally unexpected. As I stated before, I use Firefox so funky Chrome issues often get missed.
Setting the proxy to "None" was causing an exception (internal Javascript crash). Sorry about that but who uses "None" anyway?

Release notes for v2c (October 20, 2021)

Ooops. I just noticed that the page width setting wasn't working. Been like that for a while but it's fixed now.
Changed the media server from "images.128ducks.com" to "media.128ducks.com". The changeover occurred early Wednesday, October 20.
The Post Office feature is now fully implemented. It includes the ability to create new threads and to manage 5 posts per instance.
It is now possible to copy the text from the status bar without causing the menu bar to open.
I can't get the XMLHttpRequest module to give progress reports for file uploads. It does not work correctly on any browser. I searched the net for a possible solution but it appears that the module is just funky. It does not function correctly on the default 8kun client either.

Release notes for v2b (October 13, 2021)

Fixed wrong button appearance on Pale Moon and Waterfox. I used an outline rather than a border around the buttons in the status bar. The outline was being drawn square instead of rounded.
Fixed three issues on Chrome-based browsers (Google, Brave, Opera and others): 1) slow countdown timer, 2) missing bread titles, 3) images appearing on the right when they should be on the left
Removed the dark border around the text area in the Quick Reply box. I missed this because I have a userContent CSS on my Firefox that does that. The fix is to specify "outline:none" in the CSS for the <textarea> element.
I am working on the Post Office feature. Give me a week or so.
Lastly, please don't hesitate to report issues with the Launcher, especially if you are not on Firefox or Windows. I can't fix issues that I don't know about and I can't spend the time to test on every browser. This is my hobby, not a profession. I also cannot test for Linux compatibility though that shouldn't really be necessary.

Release notes for v2a (October 9, 2021)

This is a major upgrade. The Bread Launcher now supports auto-updating and posting. At present, only one image or file is allowed in a post (Quick Reply). The text input is unlimited but constrained to a small window. A more complete post editor will come soon (I will be calling it the Post Office). Instructions are below.
The Youtube embed links stopped working because YT doesn't like the blank "referer" HTTP header so I removed the "no-referrer" meta setting.

Release notes for v1e (September 15, 2021)

This version is being released due to the media server issues on the 8kun site. Media are currently being delivered from "images.128ducks.com". I will update when the situation changes.
Added support for BitChute/Twitter/Rumble/Vimeo embeds. For now, the images come from my GitHub Pages web server.
The Youtube player has been updated due to changes in the Youtube API. For this reason, the player will no longer work without the Kraker Local Proxy Server.
Added a new flag to the Kraker Control Panel. This flag is undocumented.

Release notes for v1d (March 11, 2021)

A bunch of small fixes that aren't worth enumerating.
Added a control panel for the new Socks5 Proxy Server.

Release notes for v1c (December 13, 2020)

Fixed the identifiers for "Board Owner" and "8kun Administrator".
Fixed browser security violation caused by opening a web page in a daughter tab.
Added option to adjust the displayed post time. The browser is supposed to display the time for the local time zone but, for some reason, this has never worked for me. The value is expressed in hours. Fractional and negative values are permitted. For example, I am using -5 to adjust to Eastern Time.
Added option to select either the HTML or the JSON format for downloading from the 8kun server. HTML is the default option since JSON has been unreliable (missing or truncated). It doesn't make any difference as far as functionality goes since the app converts HTML to JSON anyway. However, some recent fuckery on /qresearch/ has caused the HTML format to break while the JSON was working fine. That's why I decided to include the new option.
Adjusted the cache retention policy. Expiry is based on memory usage (capped at 6 megabytes) and the time of most recent access rather than the time of creation.
I have been having issues with mp4 and webm videos. Since I only use Firefox, the problem has not been verified to exist on other browsers. The problem is that the video will stop playing partway through due to the 8kun server apparently dropping the connection prematurely. This happens ONLY on 8kun so it is not necessarily a browser issue. Downloading is not affected. The problem is resolved by routing the video through the Kraker Local Proxy Server (if you have it, of course).
PLEASE NOTE: You can help improve this app by sending me feedback. While I will continue developing the app for the foreseeable future, I am only in a position to consider features that I personally want. Without feedback, YOUR needs cannot be addressed. Send feedback.

Release notes for v1b (October 5, 2020)

Fixed some performance issues and a potential crash issue. Working fine with Google Chrome, Brave, Opera and Firefox (recommended). Waterfox, a fork of Firefox, still does not work even though I fixed some code that it complained about.
In general, web browsers do not like what this app is doing. That is unfortunate since I am doing what the browser makers have always wanted. I am using the browser as a development platform but I keep getting hammered by stupid design choices (their choices, not mine, since I follow the standards which they often do not).
Fixed a problem with extracting image links. This affects webm videos and some boards.
Added the ability to globally track reply links that have been visited and replies that have been seen. I'm not going to explain how it all works. Just watch for the colour codings and you'll understand as you go along. It works pretty good but I would like to have an ability to automatically track long or convoluted reply chains. In my experience, this might not be important. Reply chains have a tendency to degenerate into a series of pointless one-liners which are probably not worth reading anyway (amirite?).
Tweaked the CSS to improve the look and feel. If you don't like my colour choices then fix the damn CSS yourself.
Modified the retention strategy for thread caching. The retention period is now 4 hours (up from 2) but only a maximum of 15 threads will be cached at one time. This strategy may or may not be ideal for you but the point (obviously) is to limit the memory usage.

Introduction

The 8kun Bread Launcher is an app for reading threads on the free speech web site 8kun.top without the speed drawbacks of the site's normal client. Improved handling of images, headers and text makes for a sharper and more customizable appearance. The term "bread" is not a synonym for "thread" but I like the sound of "Bread Launcher" so I'm using my creative license.

This app, while it is quick, gets most of its speed advantage by allowing you to retrieve an individual post and its replies instead of the entire thread (which is a capability not supported by the current 8kun client). Threads are also kept in cache (memory) to reduce the need to access the site. There is no mouse hover functionality so reply links must be clicked on and viewed in a new tab.

To access 8kun, you need a URL with or without the domain name. The ".html" extension is not required. Examples are below. If you wish to see a specific post, then append "#" and the post number. To view a thread beginning at a certain post, append "?" and the post number. Note: do not close the Launcher while daughter tabs are still open (they link to the code inside the Launcher).

Full URL: https://8kun.top/alleycat/res/10.html Partial URL: /alleycat/res/10

If you are not familiar with the need for a proxy server, then please refer to the Alleycat Player installation instructions here for an explanation. The most reliable way to use this app is to install the Local Proxy Server. The second best way is to install a CORS bypass extension.

The Menu Options

To access the bread options menu, click on the status bar at the top. These are the options:

Update - refresh the page with new posts
Reset - reset the post counter to zero (this value appears in the window title)
Go Live / End Live - starts or ends auto-updating. The window title will show the number of new posts loaded, the number of posts loaded in total and the current time base (which depends on posting frequency). Only one auto-update session is permitted per thread. Slices in the same thread are included in the auto-update.
Mark / Restore - marks or restores your current position on the page. This is useful if you wish to explore the thread and then return to your current position.
Post Office - opens the Post Office in a new tab (instructions below).
Quick Reply - opens a reply box to reply to the thread. You are permitted one image or file. You can also embed from Youtube and other sites. There is an input for a name and a text area for your message. When you press the Reply button, your post will be submitted and a progress bar will appear near the bottom of the screen to report on the progress.

Note that only the Post Office and Quick Reply options are available in a Slice. Auto-updating and posting require either the Kraker Local Proxy Server or a CORS unblocker (a remote proxy is permitted for manual updates). The reason is to prevent a lockout by the remote proxy for exceeding its bandwidth limit. You may use one of these extensions:

Allow CORS -- Firefox or Chrome-based CORS Everywhere -- Firefox only

Hints on Posting

You cannot post without first solving the 8kun captcha. You can reach the captcha page via the link posted at the top of this page or at the top of the board catalog page.
There is a button at the right side of each post header. Click this to open the Quick Reply box while adding the post number to the text input.
You can add an image to your reply and the chosen image will appear in the reply box. The supported formats are: jpg, jpeg, png, gif. You can also attach the following file types: mp4, webm, pdf. Non-image files have no associated thumbnail but the file name will be shown.
There is limited space for the file name so a long name will be truncated. To see the full name, hover your mouse over the file name box.
The progress of your post submission is monitored for progress and the final result. If all goes well, then the progress bar will disappear when the post submission is complete. If an error is returned by the server, then this will be displayed. You can click on the progress bar to hide it. You can click on the status bar to make the progress bar visible again. If possible, the percentage progress of your file upload will be shown (this is unreliable).
The Clear button will clear all of the input fields except for the Name field. The Copy button will copy the text inside the text area.
If you post a reply from a Slice tab, it is safe to close the tab while your post is being submitted. This is not recommended since the Bread Launcher will be unable to notify you of a posting failure.

The Post Office

When you first open the Post Office, it will be tied to the thread that you opened it from. You can open the menu by clicking on the status bar at the top. You can prepare up to 6 posts in a single instance of the Post Office. Each post can have up to 5 images/files (this may be restricted to a lesser number by the board owner).
The Clear and Copy buttons work the same as in a Quick Reply box.
The current thread number can be changed by entering the number in the input line and pressing Change. The Launcher does not verify that the thread number is correct. You will be notified by the server if you try to post. You can test the thread number by sending a blank post.
You can create a new thread with the New Thread button. Caveat: this will not work if the board requires a captcha to create a thread. When the new thread has been created, the Post Office will be tied to it and additional posts will go to that thread.

Video Player

A special feature is available for viewing embedded Youtube videos. If you click on the bar below the thumbnail, the video will open with Alleycat Player or, rather, a subset of the Alleycat code. This includes the DASH capability which requires the Kraker Local Proxy Server which is available with the installation of Alleycat Player. Some videos (especially music videos) will not work with a remote proxy. This is due to an IP address restriction applied by Youtube.

Update: due to changes in the Youtube API, it is no longer possible to open a video without the Local Proxy Server.

Autoplay may be blocked by your web browser. Chrome-based browsers have this issue but not Firefox. This problem is solved if you are using the Local Proxy Server. A small stub file (called _video_.htm) will be saved to your proxy (Alleycat) folder which will then be loaded into the video player tab to force Chrome to recognize the proper domain name (localhost instead of about:blank). As long as you have given autoplay permission to "localhost" then it will work fine.

For non-embedded videos, copy the Youtube URL or just the 11-character ID to the URL input line and press "Play Video". If you copy the full URL, make sure that the video ID is at the end of the input line. Support for other video sites (such as Bitchute) is planned.

Not all formats are available. The non-DASH formats are: mp4-360p, mp4-720p, webm-360p. To save a non-DASH video, right-click on the video and choose the "Save Video" option.

Special note about Youtube livestreams

It takes three to four hours for Youtube to move a finished livestream to VOD (video on demand) status. Until that happens, only the last minute of an ended livestream will be viewable. This is a known issue with Alleycat Player.

Hints on Baking with the Launcher

This is not a general lesson on baking. Only issues relevant to the 8kun Bread Launcher are discussed here. You should already be thoroughly familiar with the features of the Launcher. If you are not, then go practice for a while before attempting to bake.

The first step to baking is to retrieve the dough for the current bread (which should already be open in the Launcher). Copy the dough from the upload site to a text editor (Notepad works fine). Open the Post Office and copy each section from the dough to a post. The first post is the intro which seldom changes from bread to bread. Add an image or Youtube link to the post. The second post may be the globals or the tool links. Not all bakers post the globals and it may be missing from the current dough. The next few posts will contain the notables.

At this point, you have the posts prepared in the Post Office and you will begin scanning the current bread for notables. It is advisable to not get too far ahead with the notables since you want to also monitor the replies. Anons may want to warn about the credibility of a potential notable or supply additional information. You should be making liberal use of the Launcher's slicing feature to open a notable post and check for replies. Auto-update should be enabled for the bread so that any Slices will also auto-update (you can update manually if you prefer). If you are uncertain about a potential notable, then leave the Slice open for a while to collect replies.

The Quick Reply box in the main bread tab should be used to collect the notables. To collect a notable, open the post in a Slice, gather the information in the Quick Reply box (including any anon replies that may be helpful) and then copy the information to your main reply box (this is why there is a Copy button). Close the Slice if you're done with it. From time to time, you should copy your collected notables to the dough and save the dough file just in case you have a system failure. Also, you will at certain points post your collected notables to the bread to inform the anons of your progress. Before you post, copy the notables to your dough. After the post has been submitted, don't forget to re-open the Quick Reply box and paste your notables back in (because, unlike the Post Office, there is no option to prevent auto-clear).

When the bread is nearly full, begin preparing for the next bread. Complete whatever changes you need to make to the dough and then save the dough on the dough upload site. Leave the site open in a tab. Make sure that your posts in the Post Office are the same as what you have in the dough. Now create a new thread with your intro post.

Special note: you may get a server error upon creating the new thread. I have tested this a few times on the /test/ board and got no errors. Perhaps this problem occurs due to the high level of traffic on the /qresearch/ board. If you get an error, then the Launcher won't have the thread number so you will need to go get it. Refresh the catalog and look for the new thread. If you can't find it, then you may need to retry the post. If you find it, then open the thread in the Launcher and copy the thread number from the status bar. Change the current thread number in the Post Office. This is not necessary if the thread was created without error since the Post Office will be tied automatically to the new thread.

Finish posting the remainder of your posts. You can prepare up to 6 posts in the Post Office. If you need more space, then open another copy of the Post Office (warning: remember to change the thread number before you start posting from this extra copy). Lastly, you need to post the link for your saved dough. If you have not already opened the new thread, then do so now and check to make sure that everything posted correctly. Copy the dough link from the upload site that you left open in another tab. Make a Quick Reply with the new dough link.

One final note. You are using the Quick Reply box in the main bread tab for your notables. If you want to post any other reply to the bread, then open a Slice in order to get a fresh reply box. This might seem obvious but it is easy to overlook this shortcut. Trust me, I had to learn this the hard way, kek.

Oh, one more thing. The font used on the default 8kun client is Helvetica. You can select this font in the Launcher in order to see your posts in the Post Office as they would be seen in the default client. I mention this due to the usage of spaces and hyphenation characters to line up some items. Select Helvetica before you open the Post Office. You can change back to another font afterward without affecting the Post Office.

8kun Bread Launcher v2d

Alleycat Player Options

Kraker Local Proxy Server Control Panel