On the “database error” page, the message says something like “An email has been sent to our technical support staff.” Does it really generate an automatic email every time someone gets a database error? And if so, who are they sent to, so that I can send my sympathies? That’s a LOT of emails…
AFAIK it does indeed send an e-mail, which is received by one of the people in charge of the SDMB server. I’m sure they enjoy reading through all those by the light of a warm fire on those cold and windy Chicago evenings.
Oh, come on, Arnold. Everybody knows that Jerry loves nothing quite so much as getting an automatically generated e-mail from one of the Teeming Millions that effectively says to him that the latest batch of fixes aimed at keeping this place lurching along at its usual lightning speed is no longer adequate, and that he needs to come up with some additional resources for the hamsters to draw on.
Probably Jerry, even more than you long-suffering Evil Nazi Moderators and Administrators (trademark pending), is the least appreciated person involved with this online community. And if he happens to come across this thread while wading through the latest round of needed fixes, I just want him to know that he has my thanks for all his efforts.
I second that thank-you to Jerry.
I was just about to start a thread on this… can anyone tell me what the server is doing every morning?
Could the admins also be so kind as to change “We apologise for any inconvenience.” to “We apologise for the inconvenience.”?
From what I heard, it’s down every morning because the database needs to refresh itself or something. I saw a question about this in a thread some time ago, but can’t remember the exact reason. Might be that the staff need to capture screen views (don’t know if that makes any sense), or that it’s the hamstes’ naptime. (I like that explanation better)
Probably someone who knows way more than I do about the technical side of this will come in and answer for you. 
Wikkit, Flamsterette_X - that’s why we have a FAQ.
You’re no fun at all.
Thanks for the pointer.
The SD used to have a screen displayed during the maintenance tell us that… well… that the board was down for maintenance.
Once the New Improved Dope II[supTM[/sup] started, it took me longer than it really should have done to figure out that the reason I couldn’t get onto the board each morning when I started work was the exact same reason that I used to be unable to access it.
Dur.
pan
Can the Admins shut it off?
I made a (stupid) post to a (stupid) thread in GQ, and got the “database error… an e-mail has been automatically sent…” message right after the “thank you for posting” message. Then I tried to go back to the main board page and got it again, then I tried to “forum jump” to get here to ask about it, and I got another one.
By my count, that’s three e-mails that Mr. Davis, et. al., didn’t need to get in exchange for one thouroghly useless post from me. That seems like an unnecessary strain on the server, since I didn’t notice any actual problems with the DB dip, it was more of a “time out” thing.
I guess what I’m trying to say is that the SDMB has cap issues, and the auto-e-mail chews up more cap, which leads to a horrifying recursive sentence which could co on forever.
So:
-
I hereby apologize to jdavis for three annoying e-mails.
-
Can somebody stop this before the Reader puts another black mark against us and comes up with another reason to shut this down?*
BTW - I tried to post this earlier and got timed out again. That’s a better argument for “recursive strain,” eh?
*[sup]Okay maybe I’m overreacting, but they’re STILL giving us this thing for free.[/sup]
jdavis is a board administrator and does a lot of the setup for the SDMB. So if he wants to turn off the e-mails I imagine he will.
Oh, man.
Thanks for replying, Arnold.
I guess I need to get in to the “Drunk Posters” thread in MPSIMS and 'fess up.
I apologize for this mess of a post, and anything else I may have done under the influence of eight Sam Adams Boston Ales last night.
/dev/null told me just yesterday how much she is enjoying the daily batch of e-mails from the SDMB… 
Jerry
And here, all this time, I never realized that the bitbucket was a female.
Never worry about a *nix freak when it comes to computers: We’ve got the tools, and we’ve got the talent!
(We’ve also got gratuitious Ghostbusters references.)
Whoa.
Eerie coincidence. I was just about to ask the same question.
I post regularly on another board that uses VB. This board has been hacked by the administrators, which, thanks to Mr. Winkelried’s FAQ, I now realize means that they don’t get support from VB anymore. I don’t know how this information will positively impact my life, but since I am easily impressed by trivial things, it’s good to know anyway.
Oh, yes, the point of this post.
Well a couple of days ago the board went completely FUBAR. It only shows the info of the title post in the front page. Every thread is shown as having 0 replies until you open it. It also has lost the “bump” feature, so all new threads display as a straight queue in order of post. On top of this, every time you add a post, you get the “email has been dispatched to our technical staff” error screen. Hitting refresh and resend will get your post out nicely, however.
So to make a long story short (too late?), I asked yesterday if the technical staff really were getting bombarded with emails since every time anyone posted one of these emails is supposedly getting generated. I received the following reply:
So kudos to Jerry for giving all those network packets a home of their own. It shows you have a real heart, unlike the evil people at the aforementioned board who abandon these packets that never asked to be born all alone out in the cold wasteland of cyberspace. It’s a tragedy! It’s enough to make Sally Struther’s cry.
I’m thinking of starting a “International Christian Network Packets’ Fund” to aid these unfortunate bit packets.
Okay, so reading comprehension seems to not be my strong suit today. Somehow I read the congratulatory posts but completely phased out the bit bucket references.
I rescind my kudos! You are just as heartless as the rest of them.
It’s tragic!
I must double my efforts to insure the well being of these poor packets!
A $1.00 a day can make all the difference in the world.
Well, Hoopy, I’m sure if you are willing to give those poor messages a home, jdavis will be more than happy to reroute them to your e-mail account!
But see, I just don’t have enough space in my account to shelter those poor, helpless packets. That’s why I’m starting a charity to help their cause.
All donation’s are tax deductible. Really. Just send a cashier’s check made out to Grant Anderson for $1000 to my address (which you can ask for).
However, you better hurry because I’m moving into the house my wife and I are building soon. This way I can get your money and change addresses without you knowing or being able to trace me and get your money back…um, wait, did I say that out loud? Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain. You are getting very sleepy. You will not remember anything written in the paragraph you are currently reading.
Where was I? Oh, yes.
Once I receive your cashier’s check and have deposited it into my untraceable offshore account, you will get all the info on the the bit packet you are sponsoring. For example, you might be chosen to help out the following packet:
1 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1
1 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1
1 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 1
1 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 1
1 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 1
1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1
How can you resist such a cute array of bits? Sadly note, however, how it only has header information and no actual data. This is because it has no access to the data it needs to become a fully functioning member of the transmission packet society. But with your help, it could even work it’s way up to be a streaming video packet, possibly even transmitted over a wireless broadband network! It could accomplish all this just by your searching in the depths of your heart and reaching into the depths of your pocketbook to contribute a one time, tax-deductible donation.
Act now, and if you are one of the first 20 people, you’ll even get a bonus refrigerator magnet with the picture of your packet on it and a message showing how you were one of the first 20 truly caring people.
Together we can end this injustice!
ok, this should go in threadspotting, Hoopy.