# I'm disappointed that we're getting Discourse **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [June 11, 2020, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-disappointed-that-were-getting-discourse/855427 "2020-06-11T02:33:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2020, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-disappointed-that-were-getting-discourse/855427/101 "2020-06-14T22:59:14Z")
If I had a nickel for every time someone predicted the board was doomed over the past 20 years, I would be a very rich man.šŸ˜ƒ ---
**Author:** ![Anxious\_Squirrel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/anxious_squirrel/32/1083_2.png) [@Anxious\_Squirrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anxious_Squirrel)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2020, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-disappointed-that-were-getting-discourse/855427/102 "2020-06-14T23:11:54Z")
> [@bucketybuck](#): > > It is the move that likely will kill the SDMB, whether it be to Discourse or to anywhere else. The hardcore user base will make the effort to move across but its likely that a lot of people wonā€™t bother or will just get lost in the shuffle. They wonā€™t bother checking their emails, wonā€™t bother trying to get their accounts reset or reopened, will take one look at the new format and nope out, will see some of the new functions and nope out etc etc. And every member lost will mean less traffic and the board will become even less relevant than it already is. > > Surgery sometimes kills the patient, thats just the way it is. What the OP seems to miss is that if you are dying anyway then surgery is the right choice. On the bright side, weā€™re all getting older and dying off anyhow. In another ten, twenty years the ancient doper specimen will probably be extinct. But that doesnā€™t mean we canā€™t all have a super fun retirement home to wheel around in and cause trouble. šŸ˜› šŸ˜› And if we really wanted to bring new people in there are lots of things we could do to facilitate that. Not that we necessarily want to do any of those things, but we do have options. The biggest obstacle is that none of us actually own the board, so we might need permission for any massive changes, which may or may not be granted. But just some ideas of things we could do are AMAā€™s like reddit has. An informational area full of the weirdest, wackiest news and factoids we can find, which would need to be google searchable, as would the AMAā€™s. People first got into the dope because of the column. We probably wouldnā€™t be allowed to create a new Cecil just for the forum, but we could still do the same thing ā€œheā€ did on the forum. As long as it was searchable by google. The more interesting info we have on here that is easy to find, and the better we are at using SEO, the more popular weā€™ll become. ---
**Author:** ![Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heffalump_and_roo/32/7691_2.png) [@Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heffalump_and_Roo)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2020, 9:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-disappointed-that-were-getting-discourse/855427/103 "2020-06-17T09:07:50Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > None of that replies to what I said. She said they removed it, but then **GraysonCarlisle** said thatā€™s impossible. So we have conflicting information. I am asking for clarification. That was the puzzling part of your post. You didnā€™t ask for clarification. You simply quoted **GraysonCarlisle** and wrote the same question again. Since the question had already been answered and you noted in your post that you had been told directly the same answer, I was puzzled about why you would be getting clarification for the third time. I thought you might not have seen the second clarification, so I quoted it and posted it to you. I donā€™t think anyone here knows all the answers to the questions about the set up since it wasnā€™t chosen by anyone here. Multiple clarifications wonā€™t change that. > [@BigT](#): > > I would also ask you to read entire threads before responding. I already addressed that post several times, so you should have known I was already aware of it. Not only did I read the entire thread, I read your post several times. In fact, I referenced your post in my post as ā€œin post #33 before your last postā€ showing that I read your post in the thread after post 33. I would also ask you to read posts more carefully before responding. You should have read that and known that I read your post. > [@BigT](#): > > I also hope you have a nice day. Thanks! Iā€™m looking forward to the migration. Have a great day as well. **BigT**. ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2020, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-disappointed-that-were-getting-discourse/855427/104 "2020-06-17T17:18:52Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > If I had a nickel for every time someone predicted the board was doomed over the past 20 years, I would be a very rich man.šŸ˜ƒ Thereā€™s an old joke about the guy who jumped off the Empire State Building, and as he reached the 40th floor someone asked him how itā€™s going, and he said ā€œso far, so goodā€. It seems widely accepted that the board has been heading steadily downhill over the years, and that if this longstanding trend continues, the board will inevitably die. Irrespective of whether this or that decision did or will contribute to that decline, crowing triumphantly about past predictions of doom in the face of that dynamic is silly, as above. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2020, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-disappointed-that-were-getting-discourse/855427/105 "2020-06-17T18:29:12Z")
Iā€™ll be happy as long as the fucker loads. Ironically, I had a much longer post typed out and it was eaten by a VB outage. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2020, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-disappointed-that-were-getting-discourse/855427/106 "2020-06-17T22:46:01Z")
> [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > It seems widely accepted that the board has been heading steadily downhill over the years, and that if this longstanding trend continues, the board will inevitably die. Irrespective of whether this or that decision did or will contribute to that decline, crowing triumphantly about past predictions of doom in the face of that dynamic is silly, as above. Who crowed triumphantly? It was just a wry remark. Messageboards in general have been declining, and maybe weā€™re Betamax. At some point, this board will no longer exist, or be transformed beyond recognition. But people have been exclaiming about how this board was about to die ever since I joined. Sometimes it was because we went pay-to-post, sometimes it was because we banned a popular poster, sometimes it was because we prohibited certain words in one forum, sometimes it was because we changed the smilies. Letā€™s just say I have a wait-and-see attitude.šŸ˜ƒ ---
**Author:** ![Ale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2020, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-disappointed-that-were-getting-discourse/855427/107 "2020-06-18T02:30:27Z")
> [@filmore](#): > > My concern is that it seems like members have been trickling away for some time. Thereā€™s a lot of reasons for that. Certainly board performance is one reason, but there are lots of other reasons which have nothing to do with performance. Iā€™m concerned that the different format of Discourse will be another reason that people leave. I personally donā€™t like those kinds of forums. I prefer a more structured forum with defined categories, threads, and pages. Seeing as how the audience here tends more to the ā€œI donā€™t like changeā€ category, the change could be offputting and more people may trickle away. Iā€™m also concerned that there isnā€™t more of an action plan about password/email issue where people with invalid emails may have trouble resetting their password on the new site. I suspect some people will not bother and never return. Iā€™m not going to bother with the change to Discourse; so, so long and all that. ---
**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:** [June 18, 2020, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-disappointed-that-were-getting-discourse/855427/108 "2020-06-18T02:45:22Z")
Ale, thatā€™s too bad. If I may inquire, why? Jenny your humble TubaDiva Administrator ---
**Author:** ![goldmund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a4c791/32.png) [@goldmund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/goldmund)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2020, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-disappointed-that-were-getting-discourse/855427/109 "2020-06-22T05:36:32Z")
Me neither. I was never a huge contributor here, but Iā€™m out. Iā€™ve been on other discourse forums before and itā€™s just never been a platform that ā€œflowsā€ well to my brain. Also the lack of Tapatalk support. Iā€™ve mainly been a lurker and probably should have spoken up about it in the other Tapatalk discussions, but its utility doesnā€™t just lie in providing a mobile native UI, but in aggregating multiple forums. So, a poorly implemented discourse-specific app is not really an alternative. Iā€™ve been losing interest anyway. I wonā€™t point fingers, but the past few years I simply find the content and discussions far less engaging. As they say on Shark Tank, for those reasons, Iā€™m out. Itā€™s been a fun ride, and I wish you the best in your new digital home. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2020, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-disappointed-that-were-getting-discourse/855427/110 "2020-06-22T05:53:45Z")
It doesnā€™t work in my current preferred browser. So thatā€™s a big obstacle. I also hate the tabletisation of the internet, and this is a prime example, with infinite scrolling, popup form fill overlays, and bland colours, with a thousand icons and buttons everywhere. ---
**Author:** ![PlaceboTarget](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/placebotarget/32/1073_2.png) [@PlaceboTarget](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlaceboTarget)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2020, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-disappointed-that-were-getting-discourse/855427/111 "2020-06-22T06:15:57Z")
> [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > Thereā€™s an old joke about the guy who jumped off the Empire State Building, and as he reached the 40th floor someone asked him how itā€™s going, and he said ā€œso far, so goodā€. A logical ramification of this train of thought is that no mortals should ever answer ā€œIā€™m fineā€ when asked how they are doing since unless youā€™re a god doom ultimately awaits just around the corner. ---
**Author:** ![GreysonCarlisle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2020, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-disappointed-that-were-getting-discourse/855427/112 "2020-06-22T06:51:07Z")
Optimistic people are healthy. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2020, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-disappointed-that-were-getting-discourse/855427/113 "2020-06-22T11:31:24Z")
**TubaDiva** said no infinite scrolling, but Iā€™m seeing infinite scrolling everywhere instead of pagination, and nothing in user preferences that can turn off this satanic behavior. The list of posts is _ugly_ as heck, and I donā€™t know which threads Iā€™ve participated in. Using Markdown is **really** nice, though. ---
**Author:** ![PlaceboTarget](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/placebotarget/32/1073_2.png) [@PlaceboTarget](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlaceboTarget)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2020, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-disappointed-that-were-getting-discourse/855427/114 "2020-06-22T11:37:50Z")
It takes a little amount of getting used to but Iā€™m sure weā€™re smart enough to fightā€¦ this. šŸ™‚ ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2020, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-disappointed-that-were-getting-discourse/855427/115 "2020-06-22T14:54:47Z")
**Tuba** never _actually_ said no infinite scrolling. I checked what she said when people flat out asked if there would be infinite scrolling and she always danced around that question, but did not give an actual answer stating ā€œNo.ā€ I took that to mean that we _were_ being forced into infinite scroll. Which sucks and is the worst possible way to format a message board. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2020, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-disappointed-that-were-getting-discourse/855427/116 "2020-06-22T17:46:34Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > If I had a nickel for every time someone predicted the board was doomed over the past 20 years, I would be a very rich man.šŸ˜ƒ Sure, but the Tesla Dealer is going to be pissed off when you pay him with sacks of nickels. šŸ’° ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2020, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-disappointed-that-were-getting-discourse/855427/117 "2020-06-22T19:42:14Z")
Can someone remind me why it was we had to switch the Boardā€™s software to begin with? I mean, I get that we were getting timeouts and gateway errors with the old system, but was the cause of those errors ever determined to be specifically linked to the old vBulletin software? That is, was it verified that vBulletin was simply unable to deal with a message board of our size using the hardware available to us? Or was this more a question of the board administrators not being willing or able to track down the exact cause of the problem, and so moving to an externally hosted Discourse instance as the easiest option? ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2020, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-disappointed-that-were-getting-discourse/855427/118 "2020-06-22T20:05:48Z")
> [@psychonaut](#): > > Can someone remind me why it was we had to switch the Boardā€™s software to begin with? I doubt anyone who posts here actually knows how Discourse was selected. Iā€™m pretty sure that Tubadiva didnā€™t get to make that call ā€“ rather, the boardā€™s owners did. And probably someone in that group had heard good things about Discourse in some vaguely related context, and hoped it would help grow the boardā€™s revenue. In a different context, Iā€™ve been told itā€™s more modern. A lot of that is features that the administration here is turning off, of course. But from 50,000 feet, thinking ā€œhow should I upgrade this board I ownā€, it probably looked good. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2020, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-disappointed-that-were-getting-discourse/855427/119 "2020-06-22T22:38:01Z")
Maybe some enterprising creative soul with time on their hands can make a SDMB Theme that more closely resembles the old site, with specific colour choices or displaying features in familiar places, and submit that to be included in our options. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-disappointed-that-were-getting-discourse/855427.md?page=5)