My questions are simple.
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Does the “Email Notification” function cause a significant server load?
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If so, what is the relative value of continuing this function? I personally do not use it ever, but have no idea if it is useful to many.
You’ve got my vote.
I never use the email function either.
I think I used it for a total of three threads I’ve ever started, and I discontinued it after I realized that an E-mail notification saves me about 15 seconds in finding the new replies to the thread…
I was going to object to this and then I realized that I’ve used it maybe two or three times total, and that I wouldn’t miss it if it were gone. So I second (third? fourth?) the motion!
The board may also be a little faster if we got rid of the Forum Jump dropdown at the bottom. The list for the dropdown gets dynamically generated each and every time someone visits any page it’s on. The dropdown is useful for the search function, but I’ve personally never used it anywhere else.
For a speed increase, I’d also take a look at the MySQL config. Tweaking it might be well worth the time, if it hasn’t been tweaked to death already.
As for the Email Notification causing significant load, I’d have to guess that a lot of people don’t use it. The process that sends the e-mail is pretty simple so even heavy use of this feature shouldn’t cause a noticeable load increase.
Hold on, lemme get that straight… The “Forum Jump” dropdown is dynamically created? That never changes! (well, ok, almost never… Not since we changed “Mailbag” to “Staff Reports”.) Even if we got rid of it in the form it is now, we could just hard-code it right back into the boilerplate at the bottom with the link to the Straight Dope homepage, etc. It woulnd’t even be at the level of a tweak to the code (which I know makes the techs uncomfortable), but a setting to the code, and a change of some straight HTML. Does anyone with server access want to give it a try?
Even if the forum jump is dynamically created, it’s such a minor select (or least it should be) that I can’t see it impacted performance. Unless the design of vB is unusual, it’s probably selecting all rows from a table of eight rows.
As for the email notification, I also used a couple of times when I first started but never do anymore. I’m guessing that few people use it, so it may not improve server performance.
As JeffB said above, I doubt there is a performance impact creating the ‘Forum Jump’ dropdown.
However, there is a performance impact by using it. It’s there as a convenience, but clicking the “GO” button calls on the server to give you a fresh new copy of the Forum Homepage (Thread List), which it has to create dynamically. If you use your ‘Back’ button on your browser, the page is recreated from the browser’s cache.
So, if it being there causes more people to use it instead of using their ‘Back’ button, then it could have an impact.
Just a thought. I find myself clicking it just because it’s there, even though I don’t care for a new copy of the Thread List and wish I didn’t click it as I wait for it to come up.
Jim
The “email notification,” doesn’t use much resources, especially as few people use it. Especially after the first time. 
What DOES take up a lot of resources is the search function, especially when you do a search through the entire database. If you wanna be helpful, limit your searches in scope when you can. Of course, during our busiest times you get limited anyway, but we’d really prefer you get what you need rather than have to sit and wait . . . or worse, get timed out.
your humble TubaDiva
Administrator
If a lot of people are using the forum jump in that way, it could impact performance. I use it differently, though. First, I use it to jump from one forum to another, which wouldn’t impact performance since the server has to build the new forum page anyway. Second, I use it to go back to the forum after making a post, which does impace performance, but the alternative is to navigate several pages back.
As far as the search function goes, I can see how that could really slow the server down. At the same time, we do encourage people to use the search function. I’m assuming there is some kind of index on both post date and forum to speed searches. I’ll try to remember to limit my searches during peak times.