When is the forum update coming?!!

I can access posts on my tablet and a little on the cell but the computer is out of bounds. Does the internet management company need an upgrade?
 
Ladies,

There are a few things to consider here before jumping into conclusions or act on misinformation.

JustSitNBePretty I am aware that the month has come and gone, a lot more than you are trust me on this :)
@ all others - yes as paying customers you require a service and that is what we are doing. All the updates and little features we add here and there are just add ons. The forum needs to work which it does and the information needs to be available which is.

However the fact that the forum does not work to its maximum potential or the fact that the user experience is poor is something that really bothers me and steps are being taken to rectify this. You might not like the speed that these steps are executed but I would rather being "yelled" at online than take a decision and act on it which would bring the forum down.

For those that were around a few years back when we decided to upgrade (not change) the forum software to the 4.x version, you will remember that yes it was kinda nicer and more modern but the user experience was horrible. Just a FYI during that time we lost around 25% of our normal traffic - people just hated it plain and simple.

During that time I spent close to a month working with vendors on a daily basis to revert all the changes. The process was costly both in time and money and so we are back on the familiar forum.

This is one of the reasons that I am hesitant in upgrading the forum software before everything else is in place. There are a lot of pieces that have to be completed before we do the upgrade.

Server upgrade
Currently underway, we are upgrading one server at a time to ensure that the site does not go down. This means we have to bring one server down, fully upgrade the operating system, reinstall everything and put it back in the cluster. We have been doing maintenance, mostly at nights for the past couple of months.You might have not noticed it but that doesn't mean it that it didn't happen. :)

Search upgrade/maintenance
Recently you saw that it was down, it is available again now

Pictures/Albums
The current galleries/pictures are incompatible with the new software. I need to either find someone to move them over, delete them all or write something on my own that will do this. Currently seeking the first - find someone to move them over.

Thanks
Again current storage of the Thanks is incompatible with the new software. I do have however someone that can do the job

Mobile App
There will no longer be an app for the new forum since the forum itself (new software) was designed with mobile in mind, therefore all you will need is the browser. Our vendor refuses to give us any updates as to when the app will be fixed and it has been over a year since the last update. My request have been unanswered or answered vaguely.

Search
Due to our volume we will need to create a new search server which will help us grow and allow you to search as before. The current search is not compatible with the new software but there are good alternatives out there.

Database
Last but not least the database needs to be upgraded (software) as well as the server itself (operating system). This is a two step process and a very lengthy one time wise. We will have to export the database, upgrade the server, upgrade the software and re-import the database. Easily 6-10 hours.

Forgive me for being so "slow" in addressing this but I really have to be careful as to when each update happens so as to ensure that when we do upgrade the forum software everything is in place.

I will post an update with timeline of actions as soon as I have the information about the missing pieces.
 
dimopoulos said:
Ladies, There are a few things to consider here before jumping into conclusions or act on misinformation. JustSitNBePretty I am aware that the month has come and gone, a lot more than you are trust me on this :) @ all others - yes as paying customers you require a service and that is what we are doing. All the updates and little features we add here and there are just add ons. The forum needs to work which it does and the information needs to be available which is. However the fact that the forum does not work to its maximum potential or the fact that the user experience is poor is something that really bothers me and steps are being taken to rectify this. You might not like the speed that these steps are executed but I would rather being "yelled" at online than take a decision and act on it which would bring the forum down. For those that were around a few years back when we decided to upgrade (not change) the forum software to the 4.x version, you will remember that yes it was kinda nicer and more modern but the user experience was horrible. Just a FYI during that time we lost around 25% of our normal traffic - people just hated it plain and simple. During that time I spent close to a month working with vendors on a daily basis to revert all the changes. The process was costly both in time and money and so we are back on the familiar forum. This is one of the reasons that I am hesitant in upgrading the forum software before everything else is in place. There are a lot of pieces that have to be completed before we do the upgrade. Server upgrade Currently underway, we are upgrading one server at a time to ensure that the site does not go down. This means we have to bring one server down, fully upgrade the operating system, reinstall everything and put it back in the cluster. We have been doing maintenance, mostly at nights for the past couple of months.You might have not noticed it but that doesn't mean it that it didn't happen. :) Search upgrade/maintenance Recently you saw that it was down, it is available again now Pictures/Albums The current galleries/pictures are incompatible with the new software. I need to either find someone to move them over, delete them all or write something on my own that will do this. Currently seeking the first - find someone to move them over. Thanks Again current storage of the Thanks is incompatible with the new software. I do have however someone that can do the job Mobile App There will no longer be an app for the new forum since the forum itself (new software) was designed with mobile in mind, therefore all you will need is the browser. Our vendor refuses to give us any updates as to when the app will be fixed and it has been over a year since the last update. My request have been unanswered or answered vaguely. Search Due to our volume we will need to create a new search server which will help us grow and allow you to search as before. The current search is not compatible with the new software but there are good alternatives out there. Database Last but not least the database needs to be upgraded (software) as well as the server itself (operating system). This is a two step process and a very lengthy one time wise. We will have to export the database, upgrade the server, upgrade the software and re-import the database. Easily 6-10 hours. Forgive me for being so "slow" in addressing this but I really have to be careful as to when each update happens so as to ensure that when we do upgrade the forum software everything is in place. I will post an update with timeline of actions as soon as I have the information about the missing pieces.
Click to expand...
As an IT professional myself, I totally get it. Thank you for taking the time for the lengthy explanation. I m responsible for upgrades and the like and there is no good time to take the system down because there will always be someone who will be inconvenienced and wet-hen mad because they can't get to something at 3AM when I have already been up all night trying to resolve some issue I've never encountered before. Good luck to you.
 
SuchaLady said:
Sooo we are losing the app after the upgrade? I'll probably never be here now. Oh well :ohwell:
Click to expand...

I understand that it's out of his hands but that sucks.

It's really sad having a app is do much easier.

I'm grateful for the information about what's going on.
 
Naveah2050 said:
Who has the time to log in on the computer?!! I am confused? The browser experience is a mess
Click to expand...

I primarily come here when I have downtime at work... I have to sit so the computer is fine for me anyway. I cannot stand trying to post things from smaller devices.
 
The fact that the update was made with the mobile app in mind might be okay though. I am hoping it will still look nice from my phone and provide a better user experience since the app sucks now anyway. I will probably just use one browser exclusively for this site which will kind of make it like an app.

I appreciate the update although the time it took to let us know what is going on is unacceptable. Customer service around here needs to improve with the forum.
 
Leesh said:
Wow, no more app... Bye yall.
Click to expand...

Curly Nikki got rid of their app and that forum is a ghost town now. Most people use a small screen mobile device or tablet to surf these forums. Navigation in a browser is tedious to say the least. I honestly couldn't figure out how to use it. I was obviously not alone because no one uses the browser version. Check it out and you'll see what I mean.

Wish I knew this before I paid my subscription. #disappointed
 
Last edited:
Joigirl said:
Curly Nikki got rid of their app and that forum is a ghost town now. Most people use a small screen mobile device or tablet to surf these forums. Navigation in a browser is tedious to say the least. I honestly couldn't figure out how to use it. I was obviously not alone because no one uses the browser version. Check it out and you'll see what I mean.

Wish I knew this before I paid my subscription. #disappointed
Click to expand...

No lie, Im rarely on a desktop or laptop, unless at work and Im working not surfing. It'll be over for me. I use my phone to keep me company whenever Im somewhere waiting or in my bed, where theres no big computer. This sucks.
 
Since the search function is back I think I'm going to start collecting as much info (hair) as I can from this site before it permanently shuts down... it seems like I'm getting that 404/"The site is upgrading" message more randomly and frequently now and that's kind of alarming.
 
Leesh said:
Wow, no more app...


Bye yall.
Click to expand...

Joigirl said:
Curly Nikki got rid of their app and that forum is a ghost town now. Most people use a small screen mobile device or tablet to surf these forums. Navigation in a browser is tedious to say the least. I honestly couldn't figure out how to use it. I was obviously not alone because no one uses the browser version. Check it out and you'll see what I mean.

Wish I knew this before I paid my subscription. #disappointed
Click to expand...

I rarely used the app on my mobile device; I didn't like it and I didn't like Curly Nikki's either. I prefer the web interface.
 
alexstin said:
Me too, surprised so many love it. I always use the browser when I'm on mobile devices.
Click to expand...
We don't love it cause it never works. But it's easier to use the app than the web browser on my iphone. Because it's optimized for my screen, I'm not scrolling all the way to the left cause someone posted huge pics. That's too much work
 
SuchaLady said:
Sooo we are losing the app after the upgrade? I'll probably never be here now. Oh well :ohwell:
Click to expand...

You will be able to use the browser of your mobile device to do exactly the same thing even better. I have used the mobile version of the new software on my phone and tablet and it works as advertised.

I did inquire about why our app has not been updated for months and all I got "no updates at the moment". Quite a few of you know that the app crashes constantly on certain phones and for some it simply doesn't work... :(
 
On my iphone I use the web browser. It's easier than the app for me. Rarely do I see huge pics but I am also not in certain forums/threads that often either where people post a lot of pics.

Either way, I am a little irritated that EVERY WEEK, I get error messages these days. It never used to be like this.
 
dimopoulos said:
You will be able to use the browser of your mobile device to do exactly the same thing even better. I have used the mobile version of the new software on my phone and tablet and it works as advertised.

I did inquire about why our app has not been updated for months and all I got "no updates at the moment". Quite a few of you know that the app crashes constantly on certain phones and for some it simply doesn't work... :(
Click to expand...

dimopoulos Are you all paying them?
 
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