# New Thread on Board Performance **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [July 30, 2014, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-thread-on-board-performance/694442 "2014-07-30T19:59:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 20
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2018, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-thread-on-board-performance/694442/381 "2018-12-20T19:11:02Z")
That’s it. Auto-subscribe is the one I was thinking of. ---
**Author:** ![spinky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@spinky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spinky)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2019, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-thread-on-board-performance/694442/382 "2019-05-12T07:53:15Z")
> [@TubaDiva](#): > > There is a possibility your older operating system could be part of the problem. Windows 8.1 was released in October of 2013, and while this is not the oldest operating system around, it is long in the tooth where the internets are concerned these days. LOL. He’s been reporting this problem for **five years**. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2019, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-thread-on-board-performance/694442/383 "2019-05-12T20:39:13Z")
> [@spinky](#): > > LOL. He’s been reporting this problem for **five years**. And on two continents. (Or one continent and Polynesia, as the latter is not really part of a continent.) ---
**Author:** ![spinky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@spinky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spinky)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2019, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-thread-on-board-performance/694442/384 "2019-05-12T21:18:50Z")
My point is that it’s kind of silly to receive a report of a problem, then wait 5 years, then blame the fact that your OS is 5 years old. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2019, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-thread-on-board-performance/694442/385 "2019-05-19T04:18:24Z")
Aaannd … just happened again. First time in a while though. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2019, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-thread-on-board-performance/694442/386 "2019-09-04T03:58:17Z")
I gave up reporting the odd zapping from time to time, but now it’s happened every time I’ve logged on since late last week. All posts marked as read, and my last reported log in is always listed as now. Is something going on? ---
**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:** [September 4, 2019, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-thread-on-board-performance/694442/387 "2019-09-04T15:36:52Z")
This post is to acknowledge your posting. Sorry that this is happening to you We don’t know what causes it. We don’t know how to fix it. I wish that we had better news for you. Jenny your humble TubaDiva Administrator ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2019, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-thread-on-board-performance/694442/388 "2019-09-08T06:35:09Z")
'Sallright. Seems to have stopped again. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2019, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-thread-on-board-performance/694442/389 "2019-09-08T12:55:01Z")
This thread has a misleading title! ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2019, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-thread-on-board-performance/694442/390 "2019-09-08T21:31:23Z")
> [@Johnny\_Bravo](#): > > This thread has a misleading title! I was expecting some Tony Hawk videos. ---
**Author:** ![Turek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/turek/32/18782_2.png) [@Turek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turek)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2019, 9:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-thread-on-board-performance/694442/391 "2019-10-05T09:56:15Z")
The board is really slow this morning, and for about 15 minutes all I got was 502 and 504 errors. ---
**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:** [October 5, 2019, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-thread-on-board-performance/694442/392 "2019-10-05T15:47:05Z")
Been seeing this occasionally for at least two weeks. Not sure what’s going on. I have inquired. Jenny your humble TubaDiva Administrator ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2019, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-thread-on-board-performance/694442/393 "2019-10-11T18:53:33Z")
New font? ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2019, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-thread-on-board-performance/694442/394 "2019-11-06T21:57:45Z")
Been getting a lot of 50x errors this session. ---
**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:** [November 7, 2019, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-thread-on-board-performance/694442/395 "2019-11-07T01:33:49Z")
I haven’t personally experienced anything but it could happen to me just as easily. I don’t discount these reports, there’s just not much we can seem to do about it. Management has said it appears to be an occasional hiccup at the server farm. They are inquiring about it and asking what can be done to smooth out performance. Apologies to anyone who has been inconvenienced by this. Jenny your humble TubaDiva Administrator ---
**Author:** ![Max\_S](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2019, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-thread-on-board-performance/694442/396 "2019-11-18T15:32:46Z")
> [@TubaDiva](#): > > Sorry it happened. > > We’ve never been able to figure out what causes this or how to keep it from happening. Had some serious tech people spend time looking at it and never received any useful input or assistance on this issue. > > The closest I ever got was a tech person telling me it was probably some sort of unfixed system bug in vBulletin itself, some kind of system conflict. No one has ever been able to chase it down. > > Why it happens mostly to you and no one else is likewise a mystery. > > Again, sorry for your inconvenience. > > Jenny > your humble TubaDiva > Administrator I’ve been able to consistently reproduce the “zapping” phenomena by browsing the forum a bit _before_ logging in. Perhaps the generic guest cookie is being carried through when I log in, and overwriting my unread thread list? ~Max ---
**Author:** ![Max\_S](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2019, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-thread-on-board-performance/694442/397 "2019-11-18T16:23:55Z")
> [@Max\_S](#): > > I’ve been able to consistently reproduce the “zapping” phenomena by browsing the forum a bit _before_ logging in. Perhaps the generic guest cookie is being carried through when I log in, and overwriting my unread thread list? > > ~Max Reproduced a few minutes ago: > [@test](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/test/843617/5): > > Thanks, I was testing the behavior of unread threads. The test was successful. > [ul]I began on my User CP, refreshing the page until this thread was marked as unread. Thank you **burpo the wonder mutt**! > [li]At 10:51 AM eastern, this thread was marked unread. So was the economics of trolling thread. I clicked Log Out.[/li][li]At 10:52 AM, with the “All cookies cleared!” page still up, I opened a new, private window. The original (non-private) window is now in the background, on the “All cookies cleared!” page.[/li][li]At 10:53 AM, in the private window, I navigated to [Straight Dope Message Board - Your direct line to thousands of the smartest, hippest people on the planet, plus a few total dipsticks.](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/). I was not logged in.[/li][li]I clicked “About this Message Board”. All of the threads had closed envelope icons.[/li][li]At 10:54 AM, I clicked “Main” from the navigation tree at the top.[/li][li]Still in the private window, I logged in and let the browser auto-redirect me back to the Main page ([https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/forumdisplay.php?f=15](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/forumdisplay.php?f=15)).[/li][li]I clicked “User CP”. The page read, “There are no subscribed threads to display in this folder for this time period.”[/li][li]I closed the private window - I might have logged out first but I didn’t bother recording such.[/li][li]At 10:55 AM, from the “All cookies cleared!” page in the normal window, I logged in from the top right. I was redirected to the main page.[/li][li]I clicked User CP. The only thread that appeared was the Trump Impeachment Inquiry thread, with a 10:54 AM post by **Skywatcher**.[/ul][/li]So in the end, this thread was marked as read without me ever reading it. > > ~Max ~Max ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2019, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-thread-on-board-performance/694442/398 "2019-11-18T16:47:55Z")
^ “Generic Guest Cookie” = boffo band name ---
**Author:** ![Max\_S](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2019, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-thread-on-board-performance/694442/399 "2019-11-18T16:59:49Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > ^ “Generic Guest Cookie” = boffo band name [offtopic]Imagine the “Generic Guest Cookies” headlining at Georgia Gwinnett College! The GGC at the GGC![/offtopic] ~Max ---
**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:** [November 18, 2019, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-thread-on-board-performance/694442/400 "2019-11-18T20:43:54Z")
> [@Max\_S](#): > > I’ve been able to consistently reproduce the “zapping” phenomena by browsing the forum a bit _before_ logging in. Perhaps the generic guest cookie is being carried through when I log in, and overwriting my unread thread list? > > ~Max To the best of my knowledge cookies are not different between usergroups or for logged or unlogged users. The cookie settings are global. We have three settings involving cookies. One turns the cookie function on. (We have always used this function.) The second is “database thread marking limit.” The system default is 30 days. This means all threads on the board that do not have posts after 30 days are marked as read. The third sets the period of inactivity before the individual user session is marked as inactive. It is and has been 40 minutes, again, that’s a recommended setting/system default and has always been in place. Your experiment is interesting but I do not know how to correct for it. One of our former tech people said there was a system bug in vB that caused this problem but he did not have the time or resources to spend on tracking it down. I remind everyone that we are on an older “cracked” version of vBulletin; with the passage of time and the influence of IT personnel over the years, it’s a miracle it works at all. It’s not a great story but it’s all I got to tell you at this place. Jenny your humble TubaDiva Administrator [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-thread-on-board-performance/694442.md?page=19) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-thread-on-board-performance/694442.md?page=21)