# Anybody know what the heck happened? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [September 20, 2002, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-know-what-the-heck-happened/128695 "2002-09-20T01:11:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2002, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-know-what-the-heck-happened/128695/1 "2002-09-20T01:11:20Z")
Not to bitch, whine, or otherwise cause a ruckus . . . But does anyone have any facts on the outage? Lance Armstrong quit pedaling? Hamsters quit running in the wheel? Cecil take off his tin-foil hat? Tripler Enquiring minds want to know. ---
**Author:** ![imthjckaz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/imthjckaz/32/3223_2.png) [@imthjckaz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/imthjckaz)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2002, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-know-what-the-heck-happened/128695/2 "2002-09-20T01:20:40Z")
An [explanation](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?postid=2451326#post2451326). ---
**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2002, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-know-what-the-heck-happened/128695/3 "2002-09-20T01:44:14Z")
Aaah. Thanks. Tripler ---
**Author:** ![Skeezix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/839c29/32.png) [@Skeezix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skeezix)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2002, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-know-what-the-heck-happened/128695/4 "2002-09-20T04:14:16Z")
P’raps more importantly, can we avoid it again? How impractical would it be to, let’s say: Backup (and lock) all threads that are inactive for x-period of time to another server, (perhaps in some other format) to lighten the load on the board? Searches could then be directed to “the archives” first, before taxing the board’s server itself. Delete any thread that’s been locked with less than x-number of replies? (I’m thinking here of multipost OPs, or trolling OPs that were locked quickly after being posted.) I’m almost positive I’ve read one of the mods/admins post something relative to this, about bringing such threads to thier attention for just such a purpose, but I’m a bit squeamish about performing a large scale search after the past couple days. Board access will be heavy enough tonight/tomorrow morning as it is, I think. Anyone recall what I’m thinking of? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2002, 10:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-know-what-the-heck-happened/128695/5 "2002-09-20T10:46:46Z")
Trouble is deleting a thread is (if I understand correctly) itself a serious hit on the server since it involves not only removing the thread from the database, but removing all references to it from the search index. I think I’m right in saying that this is why bad/pointless/illegitimate threads usually get locked rather than deleted. ---
**Author:** ![vanilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f19dbf/32.png) [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2002, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-know-what-the-heck-happened/128695/6 "2002-09-20T13:20:15Z")
You know, I left with 3790 posts. Now 15 have been knowcked off, and I can’t recall each thread I had posted in. Sigh… ---
**Author:** ![vanilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f19dbf/32.png) [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2002, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-know-what-the-heck-happened/128695/7 "2002-09-21T18:27:15Z")
I am just happy we are all back! Lets hope it doesn’t happen again-maybe the hamsters want chocolate? ---
**Author:** ![Achernar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e274bd/32.png) [@Achernar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achernar)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2002, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-know-what-the-heck-happened/128695/8 "2002-09-21T22:53:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by vanilla \* > **You know, I left with 3790 posts. Now 15 have been knowcked off, and I can’t recall each thread I had posted in.** [I remember one…](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=135959) ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2002, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-know-what-the-heck-happened/128695/9 "2002-09-22T01:56:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mangetout \* > \*\*Trouble is deleting a thread is (if I understand correctly) itself a serious hit on the server since it involves not only removing the thread from the database, but removing all references to it from the search index. I think I’m right in saying that this is why bad/pointless/illegitimate threads usually get locked rather than deleted. \*\* Right - I posted why this was, but ironically I think it was lost. Anytime you have to unindex words from the Search table it sloooooooows things down. What _could_ be done, to speed the Board up, is have the Mods copy and paste the thread ID in a post in their private area, or offline. Then, have the SDMB go down for one day every month, where Jerry executes a big old row of deletes (they could be put into one big honkin’ script, perhaps), and re-indexes the Search. A once-a-month thing like that might help to yield a significant overall speed increase; however, it likely would take more of Jerry’s time than the Reader pays him for. ---
**Author:** ![Skeezix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/839c29/32.png) [@Skeezix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skeezix)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2002, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-know-what-the-heck-happened/128695/10 "2002-09-22T07:39:01Z")
**Anthracite** : I should have waited a few minutes to post. After thinking it through a little more, this was the qualifier (or at least real close to it) I should have added to my ideas above. ---
**Author:** ![vanilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f19dbf/32.png) [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2002, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-know-what-the-heck-happened/128695/11 "2002-09-22T19:38:02Z")
Oh-thank you! For the link to the Uno thread! Much help. Youre nice.🆒