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From a technical perspective, sure. It's really easy. In fact, we don't need to backup much of anything, except the database of posts, and move that all over. Really simple.

Two problems:

1) Once you move to a different platform, something is bound to change. Be it something about the look of the site, how something works, something will change. This is a community that doesn't do well with change. So no matter how easy you make it out to be, that is a huge challenge.

2) Even the technical act of migrating things over is non-trivial. The database here is simply massive, and there are enough changes to how things are stored to make off-the-shelf migration scripts mostly useless.

You can make all the proclamations that you want, but the fact of the matter is that you don't know anything about how this forum is run, so all you're doing is making generalizations without any of the facts.

How many autistics here have protested against a needed change so far?

Besides, this is a sacrifice that needs to be done if we want to see some improvement. No other way.



All it takes is some time and effort. You guys already have the knowledge and ability to follow instructions. There is no need to keep thinking up more obstacles.



Maybe so, but it looks like this forum is run using a no longer supported version of phpBB. I myself run a forum that makes use of phpBB itself, and I have access to the file manager of the hosting space on the server that I rely on to host the forum. I'm more aware of what the difficulties are exactly than what you may think.

Whatever needed to be customized here may already be a default option with the new platform. Best to make sure you guys pick the right one before anything else.

One thing to me that seems like it would be easily understood by someone designing a site for people with Autism, is contrast, colors, font size, and simplicity in presentation. The custom design of the software of this site is obviously designed with that intent in mind. Unfortunately most software off the shelf is designed toward those without visual sensory issues.

I doubt this is an option in what is presented in other software designs on other sites for Autism, support. I can't remember seeing a site that avoids black and white contrast the way that this site does. It can be horrible for someone that has issues with visual sensitivity. It hurts my eyes to post because of the black and white format here. These are the kind of small details, that Alex took the time and attention to focus on when he developed the software. And it can make the difference, in whether someone can tolerate the website or not.

If Alex ever decides to close this site down, I'm sure the other site will get more traffic, but I seriously doubt it can compete unless it matches the finely tuned features that have been customized here for Autistic people.

The problem at this point for this site is one of success, and the successful format no longer meeting the demands that heavy use is putting on it. There are probably alot of details that we are not thinking about, in the cost/benefits of moving to a new platform.

Cost/Benefits of moving to a new platform shouldn't be an issue.

Any admin can change the look of a forum to suit the visual needs of some of the autistics here. That's something that can be negotiated with.

Hopefully they will take that in consideration to provide a better viewing experience for some with visual sensory problems. A more difficult issue is getting Autistic people to "change" over to the other site. I was the only one online, when I checked it out. Variety is good, but here, there is an almost instantaneous response to posts, I do think though, that it this site ever closes the format of that other site is about the best that I have seen so far.

And that alone betrays how little you know. Just about the only thing that's left of the stock phpBB code is the piece that actually lets you create posts. The user system has been ripped out and merged with a bunch of other pieces, which is one of the bigger challenges. Barely anything, from a code standpoint or from a database backend standpoint, is stock phpBB, which is why it's such a pain to perform any kind of migration of data.

I *want* to perform the swap as much, or more, than anyone else. So I wouldn't be exaggerating the challenges that we face if I didn't have to. That alone should convince you that I'm not making this up. As for your question as to how many people have objected to changing the site, the answer is none - because it hasn't even been put out there for people to have an opinion on.

I agree that when presented with the choice to either continue down this path, or support changes that will make this community better, faster, etc, that most people here would support change. The problem is that the people that I've talked to about this, feel that if they did change the site - it would lead to a huge backlash, so they're not willing to move forward with a new site unless it's functionally and stylistically identical to the site as it exists now - which is a goal that is near-impossible to achieve in a reasonable timeframe. Their fears aren't unfounded - I've been lurking on this sub-forum in particular for a long time, and I've seen plenty of threads from people genuinely distressed about minor changes or bugs. When you look at that over any significant period of time, it makes sense that you would be extremely hesitant to make any changes to avoid those kinds of issues blowing up in your face.

That's the main reason I'm on here trying to explain the issues with the site, and explain how a change would be beneficial, and hopefully show Alex and the others who have input in this decision that the community supports those changes.

I wouldn't object to a change in software to Phpbb3 and having things different.

Hey, it's not like all the bells and whistles with the current software work properly anyway, so I wouldn't miss them.

Good point.

sliqua and Alex and co. are smart enough to handle the migration bit properly anyway. It doesn't have to be phpBB3. In fact, I recommend against it. Better to go for something that makes administrating the forum easier for Alex and his team.

sliqua, for the record, where can I see the costs for your services on your site? Or am I not allowed to see them at all unless I make some deal with you?

Not quite that simple. The vast majority of people who come to us require something custom tailored to their environment, so we always end up creating a custom quote for them. Some of our pricing (ie. bandwidth, email boxes, etc.) is a fixed pricing tier, but our core hosting is usually customized.

Ok, fair enough.

I'd like to get a general custom quote for a dedicated server with the following specs:

Intel Xeon 3470 (Quad Core)
8 GB DDR3 Memory
2 X 500 GB Hard Drives
10 TB Bandwidth
9 Dedicated IPs

I'm asking this to get an idea of the range of costs. I think I have the right to know as a potential consumer.

This isn't the place to be asking for a hosting quote, MCalavera. Go actually quote that out a few places, as in not here. Heck, feel free to quote it out with him (us) at his (our) website. It wont be that hard to find.

I'm not going to advertise ourselves here, and I am not going to have us giving out quotes publicly over an internet forum.

I don't understand. You two work together?

And why is it wrong to advertise your services in public? I mean there should be a list of costs on that website like other hosting sites. But I see none.

Yes, Toggi3 works for Sliqua - that's considered public knowledge.

As for why we don't offer pricing on our site, I gave you an explanation - you're free to accept or reject that, but it's hardly relevant to anything discussed here. I'm not going to conduct my business over a forum, feel free to email me or send a request through our sales department.

EDIT: I even made my email public to make it easy for you.

I'll send you a PM soon.

We dont do our pricing in tiers or in some canned fashion where you choose an array of so many options and stick with it and nothing more or less.

We cater to individual circumstances, case by case. We aren't the only host in existence to do things this way. It works out better for us and we believe it works out better for our clients because they can negotiate exactly what they want.