posted 09 February 2001 06:01 PM               

Please STOP BY THERE and TAKE A LOOK. Give me your thoughts - feedback. It has many neat features and (the reason I am even considering it) I can import all the current messages from this software.

posted 09 February 2001 11:04 PM               

I dunno - just a lot of things that I like. But I am asking you folks in case I'm just in love...

On my end it's database driven and thus faster, for 1 thing. There's some neat stuff like you can see who's online while you're online.

posted 11 February 2001 09:24 AM               

I guess if it had the basic features of:
- indicating which topics have new posts
- search
- looking at a certain number of days of posts
- scrolling down the entire post of a given subject
- and, of course smilies!

I also didn't try any of the reply features, but assume that's pretty standard.

Your the boss, whatever works best for you.

posted 11 February 2001 12:47 PM               

Looks good.

Would it be and internal forum of current cove members (and future memebrs)?

Would the topic fields/headers stay the same?

How long would the switch take to complete?

I like the part about it being faster!

posted 11 February 2001 05:35 PM               

As far as I can tell the switch would only take a few minutes but I plan to have the board down for a few hours - possibly as long as a day as 'insurance'. As I understand the importer it takes all the old messages, forums, member details and such and imports them into the wwwthreads database - so I would expect topics and such to stay the same. Supposedly even the members database is carried over - but that might be a problem as many people ask the software to memorize their password in a cookie - and thus don't remember what it actually is.

Of course, that's in a perfect world. I've migrated enough data in the last 25 years to know imports (migration) seldom go as planned.

The idea is to stop using UBB if the migration works. The plan is to end up with the same content - just a different program.

One of the features that really turned me into a believer is the option for 'members' to attach a file to a post. That would (could) end all the "...e-mail me a copy of that, too..."

There are a couple of trade-offs, but that's the way it is with all software. One program does something one way, another program does it another way, etc.

One last thing I like a lot is anyone who posts to an existing thread can get an e-mail when the thread is replied to. With UltimateBB only the forum moderator and the originator of the topic can get e-mails of responses.

posted 12 February 2001 09:39 AM               

I'm one of the masses that still has slow connection at home. 28,800 on a good day. (If I wasn't so cheap I could go cable!)

I do like the ability to attach a file or form.

Good luck!

posted 12 February 2001 10:06 AM               

My 2 cents worth....

I have always liked how the forum is currently set-up. It is extremely easy to use, and all information you need is readily available, but.....

Change....

Always a difficult concept for the masses, don't we all know this from our daily battle to change and improve our processes. So don't be discouraged by negative comments about the new program.

I say, if it works better, is easier to manage and will improve the process....GO FOR IT!!! We will adapt!

Good luck and thanks for all your hard work!

Carol

posted 12 February 2001 10:21 AM               

Any chance of spell-check foer fat fingerred peoeple like me!!!!

posted 12 February 2001 10:30 AM               

Change is always difficult for people. The real value to the forum's is the people that contribute, and they will adapt.

WWWThreads is used by a couple of the Palm sites I frequent. It is decent and I can not say that I see any major problems posting to them. The problem that is common to all is if I miss a day. It is not easy to find out what happened a day ago or two days ago. If the new software addresses that it is a plus.

A neat feature of your current system is the email notice of a posting. Will the new system also notify moderators of postings?

posted 12 February 2001 10:41 AM               

Since you're not on a fast connection speed will not be an issue to you at all - and really isn't right now. Your ISP and modem are your limiters. I'm on a fast connection so I'm more sensitive to network congestion and other 'limiters'. The server its self is plenty fast.

posted 12 February 2001 10:49 AM               

->WWWThreads is used by a couple of the Palm sites I
->frequent. It is decent and I can not say that I see any
->major problems posting to them. The problem that is common
->to all is if I miss a day. It is not easy to find out what
->happened a day ago or two days ago. If the new software
->addresses that it is a plus.

I know you can do the 48 hour click - not just the 24 hour click, but you answered the question - if you visit places using wwwthreads and it's also hard there - well, this is the same set of scripts.

As far as change, we all have to now and again and none of us like it. We get to a point where everything is familiar and a minimum of thought is necessary. Change good - change bad.

posted 12 February 2001 11:22 AM               

Think I would only miss the smiley's...

posted 12 February 2001 09:57 PM               

"It should be borne in mind that there is nothing more difficult to arrange, more doubtful of success and more dangerous to carry though than the initiation of change(s). The innovator makes enemies of all those who prospered under the old order, and lukewarm support is forthcoming from those who would prosper under the new. Their support is lukewarm partly from fear of their adversaries who have existing laws on their side, and partly because men are generally incredulous, never really trusting new things unless they have tested them by experiences. In consequence whenever those who oppose changes can do so, they attack vigorously and the defense made by others is only lukewarm. So (keep in mind) both the innovator and his friends are endangered together."

As quality professionals, we deal with resistance to change daily. We also know that progress would not be made without change. If that is the format of your preference, then Iâll be right behind you.

posted 21 February 2001 11:03 AM               

Check it out at
http://www.infopop.com/

an example is http://watergardening.infopop.net/3/OpenTopic

Since it's from the same folks, migrations should be no problem.

Your suggested software looks and acts a lot like the Open Topic.

------------------
See you down life's highway!

posted 21 February 2001 03:33 PM               

Yes - I know the infopop people have another version. They doubled their price and upgrade policy which I didn't appreciate. To top it off, every time I have upgraded in the past there were more bugs in the latest version than were fixed. I finally said bull - There are so many bugs in the version I have that I decided not to make things worse by upgrading again.