This site is fre.... que... nt... ly... v... e r y s l o w

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vBulletin does not cost very much, and I dont think you were the first person who offered to buy it. If it was only a issue of buying the latest forum software, then there wouldnt be any issues.
The version of forum WP is using is way outdated, but getting the newest versions is never the problem, heck, anyone can download the latest version of phpBB for free, it is open source, that is never the problem for most forums. I am not sure why he cant update to the newest version of phpbb, but I am almost certain there is a good enough reason why he cant
There IS a phpbb to vbulletin converter, but I am almost certain you would run into major problems along the way, if it is even possible depending on how much the phpbb was changed, but good luck trying to sell your solutions to Alex, any improvement would be nice, but I am not going to hold my breath

FYI. Alex did have a version of WP running with phpBB3, as an experiment, briefly, a while after phpBB3 was released. There were a few problems (I converted my small website from phpBB2 to phpBB3 as well, immediately it was released, and there were some early issues).

Alex stated that the main reason he did not switch to phpBB3 was that he felt the overall layout change would be too much for many members.

The other problem is that it is not merely the forums that must be considered. WP is actually PHP-Nuke - with a lot of add-ons and extras unique to WP, I think.

Finally, I do not know exactly what versions of PHP-Nuke and phpBB2 are in place. I think they are both at least three years out of date. Also note that PHP-Nuke is no longer free software.

There are technical issues with the site as it exists today. I'm not in charge here, but if I were those would trump concerns about the layout. Also based on anecdotal evidence, I'd guess moving to vBulletin would help with those more than moving to phpBB3 would.

I suspect any new software could be tweaked to more closely match the existing layout. Also, it's pretty inevitable that the site will have to transition eventually, as it begins to appear increasingly rough and out of date compared to other discussion forums on the web.

As previously mentioned, I'd be willing to assist, or even take the bull by the horns, with any transition. I just want to hear Alex's thoughts from his own mouth, or fingers. It's possible a custom tool would be needed for the transition. I have no problem with that. I realize coming on here and offering critique may not be the best way to sway hearts and minds, but I'm an aspie

I think it would also be an opportunity to clean up and streamline the layout. Let's face it, new users are not going to be impressed with what they see. They probably will be impressed with the discussions and content, and the community. It would be nice to have the best of both worlds.

I may not have made it completely clear. I don't think Alex was unhappy with a change of layout, and indeed, neither would I be...

Actually, that's a lie... I would be very unhappy with it... as is already the case, where I employ local CSS to hold back such alterations as have been made, and employ AdBlock to suppress not only the adverts (which I find far too distracting) but also all animated avatars, which invariably would prevent me from reading the accompanying posts.

I don't think I am an atypical autistic. Change is something I find deeply distressing. I find minor changes even more distressing than major ones. E.g. a minor switch from phpBB2 to phpBB3, with customisations than made is very close to the current layout, etc, would probably disturb me more than a complete revamp of the whole business.

I am opposed to any replacement of the current setup, purely on the grounds of keeping up with the times. Any changes would have to have very clear advantages. Merely guessing that a change might speed up the site is not a good reason to cause the inevitable upheavals.

In that case, I would lobby for a single, one-time, major revamp.

The technical issues (it is *not* okay to get a "site busy" page) as I mentioned, in my own mind would trump any issues of appearance. However, a good appearance (combined with the good community) will encourage new people to use the site.

I don't like animated emoticons and avatars either and would suggest forcing everything to be static in any new layout. Also, vBulletin supports plugins and it may be possible to create a nearly pixel-perfect 'legacy' version of the site.

To me, robustness trumps *all*, followed by speed. I realize this may not be the priority list of everyone. I also realize that any site owner would be scared sh*tless of losing users. But I believe it's inevitable a change will happen eventually. Online communities are a fickle thing (maybe less so this one), and Alex knows he doesn't own that. I understand where he's coming from.

I second that emotion. One of the beauties of this site is its consistency. It has looked almost exactly the same since I joined in 2005 (ads were added at some point). And that is deeply comforting.

I too, would much rather a whole revamp than different this and different that. I used to have the ad block but took it down when I modded as I wanted to see the site as new members see it. (I must say, the several months the Mormons were paying for more advertizing than the flabby belly people and acai berries combined. )

Put me down for a complete new experience with the membership thriving as long as the incredible treasure that is WP is archived for the ages.

Merle

I would myself have WP to look different... but the colour scheme to still look very similar but I don't know if its even a good idea, you could try and make a poll about it and maybe alex might have a look at it.

I do not know Alex at all, but I think he is doing superbly well at keeping WrongPlanet orbiting along.

"Latest and greatest" is not always best, and I suspect Alex understands that.

Maybe you guys should start by adding some performance monitoring and collection on the server. It seems like the obvious bottlenecks would be:
- The web server itself (could be tested by hitting a static html page)
- The scripting engine (could be tested by hitting a page with a small sample of script that doesn't hit the DB)
- The database (could be tested by hitting a page with only script that accesses the DB)
- The full system (could be tested by hitting the "view post" page for a particular thread)

Then fine tune the metrics until you can narrow down the exact cause. My initial (uneducated) guess would be that it's something DB related - either the database software/design/config or the number of queries the software makes to the DB when a user views a thread.

t0 I believe the issue is mostly with the version of phpBB in use here. I agree it's good to evaluate all of those things though.

I agree, and don't think there's anything that needs fixing.

well dnt u tink it just needs a lil tweaking?

Alex stops in every two or three years and advertises for money.
Then he wanders off and lets the mods run it, again.
such has been my experience.

Merle

so basically u have been a mod before? i know this sounds daft but whos alex?

Alex owns the site. I sent him a PM trying to start a discussion about this a few days ago, but apparently he hasn't found time to get back yet.