I got no beef against mods or admins; I still think the Chicago Reader is a pissant, penny-ante operation unfit to own this board or the Cecil Adams trademark.
Not at all. Dex was talking about the decision to upgrade the server and/or software and when that is to happen; Tuba was talking about the decision to pass along the information about the planned upgrade. We, as staff, can’t control the former, but the latter is shared because posters have requested that we share it. Tuba acted in good faith with the information she had at the time.
That’s a very good point that I didn’t think of when I posted the ATMB thread, and I just posted words to that effect in the original thread. Well said, An Arky, and I apologize to all members of the administration that I unfairly implicated due to their posting of false, incomplete, or bullshit information provided by the Reader.
Gee, that seems like a familiar excuse. And you’d think if it’s happened more than once, she’d learn. And the other guy who’s routinely trashed for it here didn’t even have the benefit of experiencing it before, as Tuba has…
And the crickets keep on chirping.
Huh. I thought it was locusts, buzzing.
what sound do buzzrds make?
I’ve upgraded a vBulletin-based message board many times. It’s simple; replace existing vBulletin scripts with the new versions, run an upgrade script, and click “continue” when prompted. That’s it. The process will take longer because of the size of the SDMB databse, but otherwise it’s quite easy.
**Jerry Davis ** has kindly been responding in the ATMB thread: Yeah, I know it’s been done to death, but…
Maybe you could pop in there and politely suggest the upgrade path is not painful, how to get past the 2.4 Gig limit and what benefits to the Server Admin the upgrade will provide. A good quick tech rundown might be appreciated. I speak as an IT guy in this case. I of course could be dead wrong.
Jim
Sorry to follow up, but …
It looks like messages are being deleted from the SDMB on a weekly basis. It also looks like messages have been purged on a regular basis since January. See http://www.big-boards.com/board/15/
Also, from the page …
Done. I went into a bit more detail, but it’s still a very simple, mostly painless process. 
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=7858308#post7858308
If, for some reason, vBulletin just isn’t cutting it (even though it works fine on much larger boards), there’s always the option of trying Invision Power Board. vBulletin is the standard on most larger sites, though, and visiting one that uses IPB just makes the site seem a bit off.
Indeed. Lately it seems to be getting worse and worse, and I too wonder where all that money goes. As we all agree, the money we pay doesn’t relieve us of the responsibility of obeying the rules or eliminate the penalty of being banned, and that makes sense. In any place of public accommodation, even one that you have to pay to enter, customers have to toe the line or be ejected. But I sure thought we’d see some performance improvements, and that hasn’t happened.
Would it help if the “guest” period was cut down to a week? Given the pace at which things happen here, if you don’t know whether you want to be a full fledged Doper after one week, you’re probably not going to know after three more weeks either.
Agreed. In my case, I posted two questions as a guest, and was sufficiently impressed by the board’s responses that I bought a membership after four days. I don’t know this for a fact, but I feel that most people who milk the full month are trolls, socks or both.
I don’t think that that would make too big of a difference in terms of speed. I think that a week is too short of a time.
I guess it’s safe to assume that we won’t be getting any new stuff and that catsix and others won’t get the apology that they deserve.
Safe assumptions, both.
Ah, but if you got an answer … would you believe it?
“Fool me once …” and all that, you know.
As far as the memory capacity to archive posts, I have to agree with others in laughing at the mention of cost in any way. Shit, WOOT had a 250GB HDD running at $50 a few days ago. Granted, it’s for personal use, but storage space is fucking cheap. Even for commercial use, it can’t be so cost-prohibitive to archive posts. (Even if they include mine)
Hell, I know of a technology that would easily do what we all want in regards to archiving for nearly no cost. But mentioning it would get me banned. :rolleyes:
Part of the reason I re-upped was to just watch what happened when all the promises and glory were called bullshit, and the dancing that would ensue. (Subscription paid so I could commentate on the lies spewed.)
Can’t remember who the dick was that called for the end of the board last spring (since banned), but he seemed to be onto something.
A lot of people like to say “Well, quit paying and avoid the ass-door connection on your way out.”
Fuck that. We’re paying money to a site that tells us we’ll be happy if we pay and wait a bit longer after doing so, so we can enjoy the rapture of astounding goodness in a board. Still not sure what the goodness is though.
Tell ya what. I paid to join. I was told I’d see some great improvements. Haven’t seen them (other than two emoticons being removed), and haven’t gotten any notice about the “Coming Change.”
I paid for that promise. Refund my fucking money or perform what was promised. I’ll go quietly. I won’t create socks or alt identities. I’ll watch my bank account for the refund and cease to post here. Otherwise, I’ll play fast and loose with the rules and protocol, just like those that are in position to make the statements cited that began this whole thing.
Not true.
“Commentate” is not a word.
Are you suggesting that “he” was banned because he called for the end of the board? Not likely.
This brings to mind the terrorist with a gun to his temple, saying that if we don’t release someone, he’ll start shooting.
Son, don’t post drunk. It scares away the newbies.
:: ahem ::
So we can freely discuss P2P and how to implement it? Good to know.
So, should we call you Merriam or Webster?
Well, I never suggested his banning was because of that, but you’re the boss, so twist it into whatever you like.
So you’re equating me to a terrorist threatening to kill myself? Because I’d like to get a little accountability from those I’m sending money to? Nice. Very nice.
No, douchenozzles like you that the newbies see as in charge scares them off. Keep in mind all your disdain for me. It’s so true and pure that anyone with a functioning brain stem can see it, right? Yet you post this shit. Says something about you.
Now answer the fucking questions. Quit ducking them with insults and condescension. (Yes, that’s a word as well. Look it up.)