This Server, UGH

[dmahurin]

Originally Posted by DaFace

The software is a minimal cost compared to the hosting.

Absolutely but if he could save 3000 a year and have a modern db and site better optimized for the growing user base and traffic, could be a win win. Both of the free options I posted are PHP/mySQL based so shouldn't much in way of a learning curve for anyone working on it if they work on it currently. Hell, if someone wants to send me a copy of the database schema with no data in it, I'd play around and see if I could get something basic working as a proof of concept.

[DaFace]

Originally Posted by dmahurin

Absolutely but if he could save 3000 a year and have a modern db and site better optimized for the growing user base and traffic, could be a win win. Both of the free options I posted are PHP/mySQL based so shouldn't much in way of a learning curve for anyone working on it if they work on it currently. Hell, if someone wants to send me a copy of the database schema with no data in it, I'd play around and see if I could get something basic working as a proof of concept.

Eh, Xenforo or vBulletin 6 are both around $200 for the software and both have migration tools - that's really not the issue. I'd personally rather go with those rather than something open source since they tend to be better supported.

(But again, only one person's opinion matters here.)

[ChiliConCarnage]

Originally Posted by DaFace

Eh, Xenforo or vBulletin 6 are both around $200 for the software and both have migration tools - that's really not the issue. I'd personally rather go with those rather than something open source since they tend to be better supported.

(But again, only one person's opinion matters here.)

Well, I'd think your opinion matters quite a bit since you seem to do quite a bit of the front-end tweaking. $200 isn't bad, would we need a whole new server to slowly migrate too?

I'm not sure how the hosting works but maybe some others could help work on the themes are look of the new forum software if they only needed access to the new server. I know AC would probably have to migrate the data.

Let us know if we should cancel our next trips to Belize in order to donate

edit: I just caught up with the rest of the posts now and it doesn't seem like there is much to be done for now.

[Frazod]

At the end of the day, it's Kyle's world, and we're all just living in it. If he needs help, he'll ask.

[DaFace]

Originally Posted by Frazod

At the end of the day, it's Kyle's world, and we're all just living in it. If he needs help, he'll ask.

Bingo.

[Pepe Silvia]

This place is finished.

[Dunerdr]

I work at a data center and the way they spend money i'd have to imagine that host services must be pretty damn steep. No matter what the direction is, Sho's fundraiser idea couldnt hurt. Even if its just to keep the current set up. Could do something simple like a basic printful store. Complete hands off outside of designing a shirt or something. They print it and ship it. I use one for my drag racing page.

[Zebedee DuBois]

Firstly - I have zero technical expertise in this area and should probably be ignored
Secondly - I, personally, don't place a high value on the histories of this place, the old threads from 5, 10 years ago - even though I have hung out here for 20+ years.

Wildy uninformed proposal: Just migrate user names and info to a new platform and let the users create all new threads for the topics of interest. It would seem like that would be an easier transfer than all the threads, links, pics, etc. For instance, how often do people look back to page 10 of a 30 page thread? I know I don't.

Of course, there should probably be some sort of poll to gauge whether this approach is acceptable to the users.

I'll shut my ignorant and insensitive mouth now.

[DaFace]

Originally Posted by Zebedee DuBois

Firstly - I have zero technical expertise in this area and should probably be ignored
Secondly - I, personally, don't place a high value on the histories of this place, the old threads from 5, 10 years ago - even though I have hung out here for 20+ years.

Wildy uninformed proposal: Just migrate user names and info to a new platform and let the users create all new threads for the topics of interest. It would seem like that would be an easier transfer than all the threads, links, pics, etc. For instance, how often do people look back to page 10 of a 30 page thread? I know I don't.

Of course, there should probably be some sort of poll to gauge whether this approach is acceptable to the users.

I'll shut my ignorant and insensitive mouth now.

I've wondered about it. Part of our problem is that we have a post table with like 15 million rows, and that gets accessed and sorted literally every time someone loads a thread.

But in theory, that SHOULD be a surmountable problem, and there's no question that the deep history of this place is part of its appeal. I'd be hesitant to just throw all of that out if we can get around it (and I think we can).

[Fish]

Originally Posted by Zebedee DuBois

Firstly - I have zero technical expertise in this area and should probably be ignored
Secondly - I, personally, don't place a high value on the histories of this place, the old threads from 5, 10 years ago - even though I have hung out here for 20+ years.

Wildy uninformed proposal: Just migrate user names and info to a new platform and let the users create all new threads for the topics of interest. It would seem like that would be an easier transfer than all the threads, links, pics, etc. For instance, how often do people look back to page 10 of a 30 page thread? I know I don't.

Of course, there should probably be some sort of poll to gauge whether this approach is acceptable to the users.

I'll shut my ignorant and insensitive mouth now.

As DaFace already touched on... it's just not possible to simply migrate user names and info to a new platform. You guys underestimate what an incredibly complex undertaking something like that is. Since we're running a very old version of vBulletin, it's next to impossible to migrate the existing database to something newer without destroying who knows what and introducing countless new errors that users would then bitch constantly about.

This is just not an easy fix at all without trashing/changing most of what makes CP what it currently is.

[DaFace]

For the curious, our first version was vBulletin 1.1.4.

https://web.archive.org/web/20010223...m/BB/index.php

[Lzen]

Originally Posted by DaFace

For the curious, our first version was vBulletin 1.1.4.

https://web.archive.org/web/20010223...m/BB/index.php

Oh, the wayback machine. That thing is fun. I can still look up my old band's webpage on that.

And the CP threads on that link really take you back. Lot of good discussion. I wish some of those folks were still around.

[penguinz]

@DaFace.... I haven't been in the backend of VBull in over a decade but if I recall correctly it defaults to storing all the attachments, avatars, etc in the DB. OK to do on small sites but not large ones like this.

I know the new version allows to change it to filesystem but not sure if the 3.x does.

Filesystem vs DB will be much faster and less load on the server. Could be a big reason the DB backups bring the server to a halt.

[DaFace]

Originally Posted by penguinz

@DaFace.... I haven't been in the backend of VBull in over a decade but if I recall correctly it defaults to storing all the attachments, avatars, etc in the DB. OK to do on small sites but not large ones like this.

I know the new version allows to change it to filesystem but not sure if the 3.x does.

Filesystem vs DB will be much faster and less load on the server. Could be a big reason the DB backups bring the server to a halt.

It's a reasonable question, but we've had attachments stored in the filesystem for a decade or so.

[displacedinMN]

I like this format. I have seen others. Like Orange mange.....it sucked.