# Why does this board load so slowly, or not at all? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [May 7, 2003, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-this-board-load-so-slowly-or-not-at-all/173717 "2003-05-07T18:07:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CastleAnthrax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecd19e/32.png) [@CastleAnthrax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CastleAnthrax)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2003, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-this-board-load-so-slowly-or-not-at-all/173717/1 "2003-05-07T18:07:38Z")
I have DSL and it takes at least 30 seconds to load a page on this board; sometimes over a minute. (and boy does that sound whiny!) Still, it takes hugely longer to load this site than any other- how come? Sometimes I give up after a couple minutes and sometimes I get the dreaded page cannot be found error. I realize the board is huge, but since I’m loading indexes and not all the posts at once, why does it take so long? Posting also takes at least a full minute. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2003, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-this-board-load-so-slowly-or-not-at-all/173717/2 "2003-05-07T18:38:13Z")
From the sticky thread in this forum, [FAQ - technical issues - please read this BEFORE posting a question](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=103503): > [@](#): > > Q: Why is this board not fast enough for my rapidly typing fingers and hair-trigger mouse speed? > A: This board has in a way been a victim of its own success. The Chicago Reader is currently investigating possible solutions to the speed problem. In the meantime we appreciate your patience and ask you to bear with us. (Also see further explanation below.) > … > Q: Why doesn’t the Chicago Reader do anything about this? > A: This message board is not a big part of the Chicago Reader business, and they get very little revenue from it, so they don’t spend a lot of money on it. > > Q: Are there any plans to make revenue from it? > A: People at the Chicago Reader are discussing possible ways to start getting revenue from the board. > > Q: Would you like suggestions on how to make money from the board? > A: This has already been discussed at the SDMB multiple times, at great length, with many different types of suggestions, so forgive the staff if they don’t become actively involved in any new discussions. > > Q: Oh come on, how expensive/hard can it be to beef up the SDMB server? > A: Any hardware upgrades done in the past have almost immediately been met by increased demand, and the board speed went back to its usual, not-so-fast (at peak times) self. > > Q: I get a lot of enjoyment out of the SDMB and would like to contribute financially to my host in some way. > A: You can always Buy Straight Dope Stuff. If you already own all the Straight Dope items, you could buy some more and give them away to friends / local libraries / high schools etc. P.S. Your duplicate thread may have been a board fluke. However, just as a reminder, to avoid duplicate threads or posts when the board has timed out, don’t use the back key on your browser and always redisplay the thread or forum before trying again. ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2003, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-this-board-load-so-slowly-or-not-at-all/173717/3 "2003-05-07T19:50:23Z")
> [@](#): > > Your duplicate thread may have been a board fluke. Which I’ve taken the liberty of deleting.