Venting:
When using these boards, more than most any other board, I’m most apt to blow a fuse, because it’s SO SLOW. Also, sometimes when I click the link which comes with my e-notification, it doesn’t work (i.e. the task bar states: Done but the post doesn’t appear). So I manually go to SDMB and have to figure out where the heck my post was that someone responded to. Then, slow-as-a-turtle, the post finally comes up, only to see that some wiseguy decided to respond with some wisecrack. So I blow a fuse: FOR THAT I WENT THRU ALL THIS TROUBLE SEARCHING, THEN WAI-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-T-T-T-T-ING???
To top it off, many SDMBers tend toward linear logic (rather than circular). That means Nitpicking, with a capital N. So for example, I can post something on the topic of Apples (only adding an incidental not-so-100-percent-accurate note about oranges) whereupon there is guaranteed to be AT LEAST one nitpicker who will pounce on the incidental aside, rather than the main issue, thus adding to my frustrations with the SLOWNESS of this board.
Also, when I went thru the bother of modifying/submitting a change of My Profile, to change my e-notification address etc., it did not register the change.
I think that the slowdowns are caused by people searching the archives. Give it a few minutes and it should clear up. Make sure to narrow your searches, that might help some.
BooBoo, aside from the fact that this board is supposed to be for tech Q’s, your response (i.e. “complaints go to the pit”) is an example of the type of linear logic I mentioned above.
Fact is, my complaints are intertwined with the dysfunction of SDMB; the two issues cannot be separated, as they’re inter-related!
In fact, I just now tried again to edit my profile, to change my e-notification address, and once again, upon Submission, I checked, but the change had not registered. Same 'ole e-address.
And what about the fact that the e-notification Clicks don’t always function?
P.S. as for what you said about the slowness being caused by people searching the archives, then would it not be advisable (if feasible) for the administration to segregate the less recent archives onto a separate website, so it shouldn’t impede people’s speed?
The architecture of the database is such that we can prune old posts but not save them elsewhere, so that idea is pretty much out of the question. (But we are investigating some alternatives, that’s why we haven’t pruned yet.)
As someone who cannot read the board at all except in the wee small hours of the morning, I absolutely feel your pain.
It has been suggested to me that I remove the “search all forums” part of the search function, as that’s the thing that really ties up the system . . . I’ve been resistant but what the hell, maybe it’s time to try that. Search is already restricted to registered members; we did that a couple of weeks ago and it seems to have helped quite a bit.
All we can ask you to do is to be patient, as you wish others to be considerate of you be considerate of them (no elaborate searches, and what the heck, join me on the night shift.
maybe you do need to think about where you post your questions. I think I’m one of the people you refer to as making wisecracks but I don’t think your question about Cherries and Menstruation belonged in GQ. MPSIMS or IMHO perhaps.
I got frustrated by your anecdotal story about how cherries suppress your menstruation. You weren’t willing to accept that the factual evidence isn’t out there. There’s a bit more leeway in IMHO for that sort of thing. You might have gotten a more rewarding thread in IMHO :;shrug:: who knows?
Just to clarify a bit about here and the Pit: Complaints about the board being slow: ATMB. Complaints about people making nitpicking or “linear” responses: BBQ. You were really posting about two completely different issues.
I think that the problem you’re having with the e-mail links is just an aspect of the same slowness problem: Sometimes I get that same problem from the links on the forum page. I suspect that what’s happening is that the server delivers part of the page, then stalls, and your browser times out waiting for the rest of it and says “what the heck, this is all I’m gonna get, so I might as well say I’m done”.
My full Q wasn’t addressed yet (re: non-successful change of profile including e-notification address)
Why your frustration? I did address my post to gynocologists, if you note the subject line.
Seriously, I think we’d be mutually happier if you and all linear thinkers just avoid my posts in future.
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To anyone in general:
Just to set something straight, when I post on these boards, I’m up against a very slow system. I don’t know how many others experience this, & I frankly can’t understand how some SDMBers can be so prolific unless their systems are much speedier than mine; my computer isn’t optimized to begin with so it wears me to a frazzle. So when I post, it’s with the hope that only non-judgmental, non-egotists, yet knowledgeable people will respond. I know, of course, that’s like asking for the moon, but just explaining my position.
First of all, I was wondering why, when twice I tried changing my profile & e-notification address, it did not register.
Now, once again, to address the issue about Complaints:
What if the two issues are inter-related (as I responded to BooBoo above)? They’re interrelated because the slowness intensifies my frustration with nitpickers.
I don’t know if my usage of SDMB is slower than other SDMBer’s because my ISP is AT&T’s cheap monthly plan, or whether it’s because my system isn’t optimized; I do know that using online email, and certain other boards are also slow on my machine (slower than at my local library). But there are boards that operate quicker than this.
jally I have NO idea why you think that gynaecologists know anything at all about herbal medicine.
And no, I’m not gonna avoid your threads just because you think that I am judgmental and an egotist. Oh and because I don’t happen to be precisely the kind of professional you nominated to answer your questions.
My position is that this is a public message board. It’s slow for all of us and I’m not going to file Jally under Oh Yes, That Poster who thinks I’m Egotistical, Judgmental and a Linear Thinker, ignore. I will continue to reply to threads which interest me.
That’s not much of a link. I mean, I’m currently having some trouble with quirky bugs in the software I’m writing for solar physics research. That annoys me, of course, and it also tends to aggravate other annoyances. Does this mean that a bunch of images of the Sun have anything to do with the performance of this message board? Of course not.
Meanwhile, this board is, by its very nature, full of linear thinkers. It’s fundamental to the purpose of the board. I’m not sure why you have such a problem with that, but that’s your business. The point is, though, that you’re not likely to single-handedly change the personality of the board… So if you dislike it so much, why not post elsewhere where the people are more to your liking?
And yes, by the way, everyone has to suffer through the slow load times. Sure, there’s boards faster than this one, but those boards are all either smaller or better-funded, or both, than this one.
I don’t know why it didn’t register the change; my guess is that you tried it at times the system was absolutely stretched to its ultimate limits and you got timed out.
You WERE able to make the changes, correct, finally?
(1) Statistics, dear Watson, think about it.
(2) Aren’t you making assumptions? Who says I don’t? Now, had you asked “why not post ONLY elsewhere” then that would have been a more linear line of questioning. OTOH, I might prefer that to be a more linear circle of questioning or a more circular line of questioning.
Yep, TubaDiva, your assessment is correct; it finally worked today (& it’s quicker today.) I still think it’d be a great idea to remove most of the archives to a separate site which wouldn’t run interference. If indeed that’s the culprit.
Might I also deign to suggest that you check out the site I quoted to Primaflora & Winkelried (above) since that might be another solution for avoiding extra clutter (& resultant clogging?) on the SDMB boards. It might really come in handy for those pissed-off debaters on Great Debates.
Ummmmm I’m not getting this? On a board which is already overloaded, Jally The Circular Thinker suggests that posters get to tell other posters what they think of their responses.
Geez.
I couldn’t imagine a more idiotic feature. Adds lots of noise with very little signal. How on earth does it decrease clutter to say that a post was off-colour?
