Upgrade Downtime

Spencer · Jul 22, 2003

( When it's yellow, there are new posts. When it's white, no new posts. )

Does yellow mean brand new threads or could it also mean just new replies to existing threads?

Muhammad · Jul 22, 2003

Now I have to click twice to see whats new.

I understand that it's not quite as intuitive, but there is a realistic limit to what can be accomplished with the amount of data we're dealing with, and our current server budget.

We are going to look into options of archiving, which would allow for us to reduce our active database size to around 100,000 posts, and in turn allow more features, including the new post counts and a spell checker. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

But until we come up with a logical archiving solution, we have to make some compromises to deliver quick loading of all the messages.

Muhammad · Jul 22, 2003

Does yellow mean brand new threads or could it also mean just new replies to existing threads?

New posts or threads.

JohnMiller3 · Jul 22, 2003

Hi Muhammad,

Besides checking the Mark all read option at the top of the screen to speed things up... what are some other things, us TBN users can do to help keep the speed up... /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

looch · Jul 22, 2003

I liked the feature identifying the quantity of new posts. I can also appreciate the extra resources necessary to make this feature available.

Just a thought - I participate in less than half of the forums on the board. Perhaps one would be able to pick the forums for which they would like to have this feature?

Muhammad · Jul 22, 2003

Besides checking the Mark all read option at the top of the screen to speed things up... what are some other things, us TBN users can do to help keep the speed up

At this point, we've done all that work for you. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif There shouldn't be anything to slow your browsing down. Marking all as read isn't as necessary as it used to be.

Muhammad · Jul 22, 2003

Just a thought - I participate in less than half of the forums on the board. Perhaps one would be able to pick the forums for which they would like to have this feature?


It's an all or none feature, and changing it from that would be somewhat complicated. I can imagine it working, but it's sort of counter-productive to work on that when we could be working on archiving, or some other feature.

Ibrahim · Jul 22, 2003

( Besides checking the Mark all read option at the top of the screen to speed things up... what are some other things, us TBN users can do to help keep the speed up... )

Go outside more?

Seriously, some points to consider are:

Don't hit refresh multiple times if the site is slow. That just makes it take all the longer to come back. Trust me. There is a timeout of 300 seconds (5 minutes) on your request. If it's taking THAT long, then it'll bomb out. But that's how long the server will keep it alive. So if you refreshed 5 times every minute, you'd have 25 requests to the server instead of 1.

When searching, narrow your search as much as possible. Now that we have just single forums, that's not as much as a concern. But don't go searching for common words and stuff like that. 'kubota' is a very strange thing to search the Kubota Owning/Operating Forum for. (But if you can limit it to the past year, past 6 months, etc, that'll speed things up too.)

But the changes we've made have us jumping pretty darn quick.

-Ibrahim

Gary_in_Indiana · Jul 22, 2003

I don't see any little tractor signs. I see what looks like little light bulbs. 

Garry,

All of us who HAVE tractors get to see the tractor icon. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

CountryBoy · Jul 22, 2003

( and our current server budget )

Give us an address to send a few dollars.

JohnMiller3 · Jul 22, 2003

Re: Upgrade Downtime-DONATIONS to TBN...

( and our current server budget )

 Give us an address to send a few dollars. 

Hi Muhammad,

The TBN guys want to help with expenses...

All seriousness... why not post at the top of the screen a button to DONATE to the TractorByNet monthly maintenance fund...

Display the TBN address and phone number so people can mail their checks (whatever they feel it's worth to them) or call the phone number to put it on their credit cards...

Maybe you can even come up with some TBN Lifetime Membership amounts... /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
___________________________________________________

Hey TBN Fellow Members... what do ya think? Would ya all be willing to chip in a few dollars on an annual basis for the TractorByNet website...? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Muhammad · Jul 22, 2003

Re: Upgrade Downtime-DONATIONS to TBN...

We're considring an option like this, only because so many people are mentioning it now. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

MikePA · Jul 22, 2003

Re: Upgrade Downtime-DONATIONS to TBN...

 why not post at the top of the screen a button to DONATE to the TractorByNet monthly maintenance fund... 
While I might be revealing my age with this comment...

Hopefully, this wont be like the Soupy Sales incident when, as a joke on his TV show, told the kids to go to their mother's pocket book, take some of the green pieces of paper and send it in. Ole Soupy got lots of cash that, in his case, he had to return. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Inspector507 · Jul 22, 2003

I guess, I for one, don't really care for it. If I used to see there was ONE new post, for say an XYZ attachment, and that didn't interest me, I'd just go on. Now I have to go to that forum/post to see what and HOW MANY new posts there were. Seems to me that only slows the site down for everyone else.... /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

BillyP · Jul 22, 2003

I liked the old way too. The new way just slows me down. If it slows me down, seems to me like it would slow the server some?

rbarker · Jul 22, 2003

Re: Upgrade Downtime-DONATIONS to TBN...

( ___________________________________________________

Hey TBN Fellow Members... what do ya think? Would ya all be willing to chip in a few dollars on an annual basis for the TractorByNet website...? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif )

I could probably spare some of my weekly donut money for such a worthy cause! /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

timb · Jul 23, 2003

Re: Upgrade Downtime-DONATIONS to TBN...

I much preferred the old display with the post counts - and honestly rarely noticed the site being unacceptably slow. What about making these two main changes configurable by the user via their profile? (post count and all-or-one forum searching).

That way, those that want a more feature rich interface can decide to live with the speed - those who want the speed can streamline their "experience".

Still miss the profile search feature as well.

Tim

Golfgar4 · Jul 23, 2003

( All of us who HAVE tractors get to see the tractor icon. )

OUCH!! /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

Hey, I can now see the tractor signs too! That must mean that anyone who WILL be getting a tractor can see them too!!

Boondox · Jul 23, 2003

Re: Upgrade Downtime-DONATIONS to TBN...

I miss the old look too, and living at the absolute end of the bullet-riddled phone line, my connection was as slow as they come!

Pete

pruntyc · Jul 23, 2003

I like the old way a hundred times better. Does this mean we are stuck with this new way? The last site that did something like this. I kept going back to it less and less, to where I never go there now. I would rather it would be slower than have it this way. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif