# Crashproofing the SDMB **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [April 7, 2000, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crashproofing-the-sdmb/1298 "2000-04-07T15:42:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ed\_Zotti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/fbc32d/32.png) [@Ed\_Zotti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ed_Zotti)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2000, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crashproofing-the-sdmb/1298/1 "2000-04-07T15:42:00Z")
In an effort to keep the SDMB from crashing so often, we’ll be archiving or deleting the oldest threads in the busiest forums. So far we’ve completed this through 6-1-99 in GQ and 7-1-99 in MPSIMS. Longtime users may find that this causes their post count to go down. We are also installing a new T-1 line and investigating other MB software. Thanks for your patience! ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2000, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crashproofing-the-sdmb/1298/2 "2000-04-07T16:06:00Z")
Thank you administrators and moderators! This is great news, and will make our message board a happier, friendlier, and dare I say sexier place to hang out. Where do the archived threads go? It doesn’t look like the on-line “Archives” show them. ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2000, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crashproofing-the-sdmb/1298/3 "2000-04-08T05:50:00Z")
Democritus is going to archive each forum onto a CD and sell it to Rhino Records, where you’ll be able to buy it if you’re lucky enough to catch the cheesy commercials on late night tv: [http://boards.straightdope.com/ubb/Forum4/HTML/006945.html](http://boards.straightdope.com/ubb/Forum4/HTML/006945.html) ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2000, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crashproofing-the-sdmb/1298/4 "2000-04-07T18:57:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by Arnold Winkelried: > Where do the archived threads go? It doesn’t look like the on-line “Archives” show them. They should be there . . . not all threads get archived. We’re concentrating on saving the best and the brightest. your humble TubaDiva Administrator ---
**Author:** ![manhattan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manhattan/32/7_2.png) [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2000, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crashproofing-the-sdmb/1298/5 "2000-04-07T19:29:00Z")
Actually, I suspect that **Arnold** is looking in the wrong archive. If you’re looking in the “archive” on the main page that has Cecil’s columns and mailbag items, that’s not the place. Down on the bottom of this screen, in the “hop to” box, you can find an archive for each of the forums. That’s where we’re stashing the good stuff. ## And as **Tuba** mentions, we’ve got a pretty strict definition of “the good stuff.” For GQ, think under 10%. [NYC IRL III](http://boards.straightdope.com/ubb/Forum4/HTML/006163.html) is on April 15th. Do you have what it takes? ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2000, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crashproofing-the-sdmb/1298/6 "2000-04-07T19:51:00Z")
No, I was looking in the right spot. I guess you’re saying that before July 1999, there were only four “good” threads in MPSIMS? Wow, will some posters have their feelings hurt! ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2000, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crashproofing-the-sdmb/1298/7 "2000-04-07T22:55:00Z")
Pruneproofing the SDMB: Can we prevent old but popular threads from being pruned by bumping them back into action? Case in point: there is an older thread (born on 6/18/99) that is enjoying some renewed popularity- will that topic face deresolution even though it’s being actively posted to right now? How about just being a little selective in the pruning process- say, run all topic with less than 20 replies through the shredder? It would be nice to be able to hang on to some of the oldies but goodies. ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2000, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crashproofing-the-sdmb/1298/8 "2000-04-07T22:58:00Z")
By the way, the thread I mentioned is [Quick “God” question (I hope)](http://boards.straightdope.com/ubb/Forum3/HTML/001134.html). ---
**Author:** ![Ed\_Zotti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/fbc32d/32.png) [@Ed\_Zotti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ed_Zotti)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2000, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crashproofing-the-sdmb/1298/9 "2000-04-08T01:08:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Can we prevent old but popular threads from being pruned by bumping them back into action? Case in point: there is an older thread (born on 6/18/99) that is enjoying some renewed popularity- will that topic face deresolution even though it’s being actively posted to right now? Active threads will not be deleted. Threads are listed by date of last post. The threads that were deleted had had no new posts since the middle of last year. > [@](#): > > How about just being a little selective in the pruning process- say, run all topic with less than 20 replies through the shredder? It would be nice to be able to hang on to some of the oldies but goodies. All threads are reviewed before pruning. The ones we think are worth saving are archived (to view, pick an archive from the “Hop to” list) and remain searchable but are read-only - no new posts. If you think a thread deserves to remain active, posting will bump it up. We should warn you, however, that we expect bumping up of old threads to be done sparingly - if we don’t reduce the active thread count, the board is going to continue to crash. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2000, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crashproofing-the-sdmb/1298/10 "2000-04-08T02:03:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Democritus is going to archive each forum onto a CD and sell it to Rhino Records, where you’ll be able to buy it if you’re lucky enough to catch the cheesy commercials on late night tv Nah. Somebody’ll save the tracks as MP3 files, and we’ll swap 'em for free on [Napster](http://boards.straightdope.com/ubb/Forum7/HTML/001494.html). * * * “Love flies out the door when money comes innuendo.” - Marx ---
**Author:** ![whitetho](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whitetho/32/1059_2.png) [@whitetho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whitetho)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2000, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crashproofing-the-sdmb/1298/11 "2000-04-08T09:52:00Z")
By my count they archived 268 Great Debates, but only 73 General Questions. Somebody seems to have gotten the ratio reversed, if the idea is to save useful information.