Upgrading The Forum

[neil]

Thanks for the idea Rutty, I like it although I will stress that any donations are entirely voluntary.

 

Thanks to those who have generously donated this morning already.

[neil]

Folks, that's 7 of you today already that have donated - thank you all very much as you have all been very generous.

 

It was 2 years ago that the poll was started and I need to review what the best forum software out on the market is - I know people are used to this one, however I would like the site to have so much more such as an integrated photo gallery and other related shooting material ... I think this could be a winter project

 

I've no doubt you'll all provide useful suggestions and contributions

[Guest Trigger]

I have not been a member very long and have been more of an observer than contributor. My knowledge of Forums and types is pretty well none existent but I do know that there is much interesting information and discussion to be found on this Forum. Even if the thread does drift away to another world at times.

When it comes to voting on a possible upgrade I am told that I have already voted, my memory must be worse than I thought. Not having a clue as to just what IPB V2 or phpBB are about I am unlikely to have knowingly voted. I see that there are 684 members (not many votes) and I would be suprised if I am the only one with a poor understanding of Forum Types. It would be helpful I believe, if someone could in very simple terms, explain the pros and cons of the voting choices and maybe the reasons for considering a change. For the likes of me to enjoy visiting the Forum it has got to be simple. I do see the Paypal Logo has now appeared, a brief explanation of this may be useful to some of use and maybe productive.

[neil]

Hi Trigger,

 

Some of you questions may be addressed if you click on page [1] of this thread - which can be found at the top and bottom of the thread.

 

The Paypal link is simply there to receive funds towards the running costs of the forum.

 

The more people join, the more it starts to cost in hosting. Now I don't mind covering most of this cost but if people wish to contribute then this is graciously received.

 

Most likely I will upgrade to v2 of this forum software so as to minimise any disruption to the members. That also gives scope to integrate a gallery too - this will obviously increase the amount of data as photos take up considerably more bandwidth than just text.

 

If you have any more questions then feel free to post here or PM me.

[neil]

I've said before but if anyone wants to have a look at those available, then the links are on page [1] of this thread.

 

Invision v2 is swaying it for me right now because:

 

1) It is still being supported and improved (quite often extra admin functions)

2) A fully integrated gallery can be purchased and use the same login details

without having to hack anything to get it to work

 

$250 for the above

 

The other main option I'm cosidering is vBulletin and then some o/s gallery software

that has already been 'hacked' to use the same usernames and passwords - not as clean though.

[neil]

Right folks,

 

Thank you to all of you who have generously donated, you know who you are.

 

Your support has enabled the purchase of Invision v2.

 

We are going to upgrade the forum asap so please expect the forum to be down for a short period of time.

 

Thanks

[neil]

Forum software now upgraded

 

I went for v2 of the same software so as to minimise disruption to the

service and keep the learning curve to a minimum.

 

I hope it is well received.

 

There are a few glitches that need rectified (such as some smilies not showing from old posts)

 

Thanks for your patience.

 

Neil

[Mr D]

We are going to upgrade the forum asap so please expect the forum to be down for a short period of time.

 

Very short period of time, I was logged on a little earlier, went off and had a cup of tea, came back and its all changed!

 

Cracking upgrade Neil!

[neil]

A few "wee" niggles still need ironed out ... there are a few issues with permissions that I'm looking at just now, as some folks have reported that they can't see everything that they did before...

[neil]

A few "wee" niggles still need ironed out ... there are a few issues with permissions that I'm looking at just now, as some folks have reported that they can't see everything that they did before...

 

Getting there ...

[Guest ilovemybed]

A few "wee" niggles still need ironed out ... there are a few issues with permissions that I'm looking at just now, as some folks have reported that they can't see everything that they did before...

 

Getting there ...

 

Oooh! Pretty new dress...

[neil]

A few "wee" niggles still need ironed out ... there are a few issues with permissions that I'm looking at just now, as some folks have reported that they can't see everything that they did before...

 

Getting there ...

 

Oooh! Pretty new dress...

 

Also much better functionality back end, can give more control to moderators/2nd admins etc

[Guest ilovemybed]

Also much better functionality back end, can give more control to moderators/2nd admins etc

 

Yeah, Whatever.

[Guest]

'Tis not too bad at all now.

Miss the quick reply feature though.

And no doubt we've other bugs in here somewhere too.

But seems like a good improvement to me. Even the backend is better.

(And no, your bum does not look big in that theme)

[neil]

Quick reply can be switched on per forum mate, just not had time

 

Can I suggest that people clear their cache and cookies for the forum.

 

(Internet Explorer = Tools -> Internet Options... -> Delete Files (half way down))

(Firefox = Clear Private Data)

 

The reason for doing this is to ensure that you get the new forum icons and also

alleviate problems with getting thrown out of the forum when moving between pages.

 

WARNING: By clearing your cache and cookies by the above method, you will potentially

lose other automatic login details to other sites