# OK, you gots the money **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [May 11, 2004, 9:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-you-gots-the-money/244599 "2004-05-11T09:55:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![iamme99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/57b2e6/32.png) [@iamme99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamme99)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2004, 9:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-you-gots-the-money/244599/1 "2004-05-11T09:55:53Z")
So what’s the plan for some much needed performance enhancements? SDMB is still slow and not reliable. Email notification on threads that I am participating in sometimes shows up, other times it doesn’t. So please, tell us something positive is going to happen soon… ---
**Author:** ![gum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bbe5ce/32.png) [@gum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gum)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2004, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-you-gots-the-money/244599/2 "2004-05-11T21:28:38Z")
Got to agree on the slowness. Unbelievable. btw: My “Go to first unread post” doesn’t work. Is there something positive happening soon? Cheerio, pip pip. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2004, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-you-gots-the-money/244599/3 "2004-05-11T22:44:24Z")
It’s been plumb atrocious today. ---
**Author:** ![iamme99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/57b2e6/32.png) [@iamme99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamme99)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2004, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-you-gots-the-money/244599/4 "2004-05-11T23:27:03Z")
> [@Spectre of Pithecanthropus](#): > > It’s been plumb atrocious today. That’s for sure! I make sure that that I copy anything I’m going to post to my clipboard program before posting because you never know when it is going to get eaten. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2004, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-you-gots-the-money/244599/5 "2004-05-11T23:29:42Z")
Nobody ever said the money was going to go to increasing board performance. ---
**Author:** ![iamme99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/57b2e6/32.png) [@iamme99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamme99)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2004, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-you-gots-the-money/244599/6 "2004-05-12T06:39:00Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > Nobody ever said the money was going to go to increasing board performance. And nobody said it wouldn’t either. I’ve haunted a lot of web boards and while SDMB is one of the best places for open discussion, reliable and consistent performance of the board is near the bottom of the list. When something is free, people will put up with a lot. But when they have to pay for something, I believe people are a lot less patient. If reliability and performance of SDMB are not addressed, I think you will see an erosion of membership over time as people get more and more annoyed and search out alternative venues. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2004, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-you-gots-the-money/244599/7 "2004-05-12T06:49:52Z")
Well, if so, that should speed things up eventually. ---
**Author:** ![Earthling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/90db22/32.png) [@Earthling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earthling)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2004, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-you-gots-the-money/244599/8 "2004-05-12T07:34:12Z")
> [@iamme99](#): > > And nobody said it wouldn’t either. Um, hate to disappoint you, but that’s not true. **TubaDiva** [said](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=4797087&postcount=5): > [@TubaDiva](#): > > At no time was it mentioned (except by hopeful Dopers), that any revenue derived from subscriptions would go towards a new server. And **Ed Zotti** , in his [original announcement](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=4657204&postcount=1), said: > [@Ed Zotti](#): > > It seems certain that the number of current users will decline after we switch to subscriptions, and that board response will improve as a result. So the strategy actually seems to be “faster with fewer.” I’m not saying that I like or even agree with it, but it appears to be the way things are going. ---
**Author:** ![Earthling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/90db22/32.png) [@Earthling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earthling)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2004, 7:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-you-gots-the-money/244599/9 "2004-05-12T07:45:10Z")
Oops, I need to follow up. **iamme99** , while your assertion that nobody ever said the money wouldn’t go to improved hardware is technically correct, the quoted statements indicate to me that it’s a pretty low priority. On the other hand, **Tuba** did say “[w]hether that’s a possibility at this time, I couldn’t say, but I’ll ask about that as well.” So if the complaints get loud enough, something might just happen. But I don’t run the show here, so what do I know. ---
**Author:** ![iamme99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/57b2e6/32.png) [@iamme99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamme99)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2004, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-you-gots-the-money/244599/10 "2004-05-12T08:17:48Z")
Guess we’ll have to wait and see. But I don’t think they can count on a recurring revenue stream if these problems are not addressed. Maybe SDMB will wind up with 1000 users which will put a limit on diversity of opinion. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2004, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-you-gots-the-money/244599/11 "2004-05-12T12:46:12Z")
> [@iamme99](#): > > Guess we’ll have to wait and see. But I don’t think they can count on a recurring revenue stream if these problems are not addressed. Maybe SDMB will wind up with 1000 users which will put a limit on diversity of opinion. Oh sure they’ll be able to count on a recurring revenue stream. Too many of us are hooked. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Amp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Amp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amp)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2004, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-you-gots-the-money/244599/12 "2004-05-12T13:08:16Z")
Are we accessing the same MB? The SDMB that I read is both speedy and reliable. I usually access from 8 AM to 5 PM Eastern time. ---
**Author:** ![Gaudere](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e495f1/32.png) [@Gaudere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gaudere)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2004, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-you-gots-the-money/244599/13 "2004-05-13T02:16:13Z")
It’s been crazy fast for me. I remember when you could hardly get into a thread some days. ---
**Author:** ![iamme99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/57b2e6/32.png) [@iamme99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamme99)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2004, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-you-gots-the-money/244599/14 "2004-05-13T03:21:50Z")
> [@Gaudere](#): > > It’s been crazy fast for me. I remember when you could hardly get into a thread some days. It’s been better today but was awful yesterday. Do you guys review and analyse your logs? Do you do performance reviews? ---
**Author:** ![kniz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@kniz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kniz)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2004, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-you-gots-the-money/244599/15 "2004-05-13T04:54:31Z")
> [@iamme99](#): > > It’s been better today but was awful yesterday. Do you guys review and analyse your logs? Do you do performance reviews? :rolleyes: [sup] **Hamsters doing performance reviews? I think not.** [/sup] ---
**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2004, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-you-gots-the-money/244599/16 "2004-05-13T05:04:42Z")
There must have been a fold in the space-time continuum of the SDMB yesterday. It was so tooty-fruity that I finally gave up. I hope that the revenue may be used to improve the performance of the board. I’ll likely remain a member even if the Reader decides to invest the money in junk bonds but it would be a nice gesture to improve the service for those of us who have stuck it out through the good, the bad, and the ugly. ---
**Author:** ![alterego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6bbea6/32.png) [@alterego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alterego)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2004, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-you-gots-the-money/244599/17 "2004-05-13T14:14:54Z")
> [@Earthling](#): > > Um, hate to disappoint you, but that’s not true. > > **TubaDiva** [said](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=4797087&postcount=5): > > And **Ed Zotti** , in his [original announcement](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=4657204&postcount=1), said: > > So the strategy actually seems to be “faster with fewer.” I’m not saying that I like or even agree with it, but it appears to be the way things are going. I think it has certainly been at least insinuated. If the board wasn’t so slow right now I would search for more examples than this one: > [@jdavis](#): > > A brand spanking new server was put in place around the middle of November. Since then usage has increased 53% to the point where the new server is once again overwhelmed at times. While I’m not the final decision maker in these regards I’d speculate there will be no new servers for a good 2 to 3 years unless this place starts to generate some substantial revenue. > > I can put in ever more powerful servers and upgrade the bandwidth for the rest of my life and usage would still increase to the point of sucky performance. Every time I’ve done this (3 times now) it’s only been a matter of a few months before we’re maxxed out once again. **The basic problem is that the SDMB is free and therefore there is no reason for people not to continuously overutilize it until the point that performance will once again at times suck**. When performance starts to suck people stop using it and we reach an uneasy equilibrium point of just how much time people are willing to waste in order to get something for free. **Make everyone pay and I can guarantee you there will be no performance problems because a majority of the users will simply leave.** Don’t make everybody pay and we’ll have to deal with complaints from now paying members about performance problems they are incurring due to the usage of non-paying members. Don’t ever make anybody pay and at some point the plug simply gets pulled. None of those options look too great… > > We’re working on some type of solution but it’s not happening very quickly. > > [Jerry](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=3110307&postcount=7) I believe that **Jerry** is calling a lot of the shots. I may be wrong. ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2004, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-you-gots-the-money/244599/18 "2004-05-13T17:00:36Z")
> [@alterego](#): > > I believe that **Jerry** is calling a lot of the shots. I may be wrong. From the Technical/IT standpoint, yes. But there are others at the Chicago Reader who control the purse strings. ---
**Author:** ![iamme99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/57b2e6/32.png) [@iamme99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamme99)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-you-gots-the-money/244599/19 "2004-05-14T08:21:15Z")
So how many signed up as paying members? And how are they stopping “guests” from trying to stay free forever? ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-you-gots-the-money/244599/20 "2004-05-14T13:04:49Z")
We have lots and lots of subscribers. I’m not going to check the admin CP, but last I heard (at the end of the charter member subscription period) it was over 3500. The software automatically keeps track of how long a guest has been registered, and once the trial posting period is up, the guest can’t post any longer. Some have registered with a new name, but I’ve caught a lot of them. Generally, I remove any posts that a returning guest makes, same as I do with any posts a troll makes. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-you-gots-the-money/244599.md?page=2)