[Speed Racer]

Ok...before this gets out of hand: :wink:

I'm finding numerous posts where you guys are wanting this mod done, and that mod done. I have no problem with doing that, however, I do have a few concerns...

1) I have seen message boards get nuked/become unstable because they were "too" heavily modded. Errors start happening, etc etc. I worked for Sierra On-line (computer software company) for 7 years. Trust me when I tell you that it is not wise to mess with something that isn't broken. Software "patches" sometimes have a tendency to open a can of worms that didn't exist before.

2) I read the post about wanting to somehow integrate a "mail bot" with this forum, so people could get an EMAIL digest of what's going on with the board. This is not something that I have time to do, especially since it's only going to benefit a handful of people that actually want it.

You guys have to realize that editing code, and making sure it's sound - that takes a LOT of time, and it's by no means a simple procedure.

3) I plan to do some gentle tweaking, and a few modifications to the board, but please understand something - right now the board is very stable...and I know for a fact that SF.com has had some serious issues, some of which are the result of the board being modded, with no backup of the files that were actually changed. I have seen SF.com down numerous times because of "unknown" issues. I've seen other message boards have to be completely reinstalled because the "mods" weren't friendly with each other, databases were corrupted etc.

Mike Webber -
I realize that you found the phpBB community (as I did when I initially downloaded and installed the software), and there is a lot of useful information in there. I have already modded the board (safely) with features that I saw were lacking in the OEM version. I did this a couple days before Malloy announced that it was available for use.

I'm going to look into the quick reply mod more closely - but it appears that the people who have implemented the mod, have had mixed success. I read the entire post...and I will re-read it again.

I strongly suggest that you guys think carefully about adding modifications to this board, and weigh the benefits vs. the possibility of melt down. Please don't take my comments in a negative light - that's not my intent.

*getting off soap box now*

 

[MWebber]

Like I said, and I'll say it again.

I'm game if someone wants to start a Dev team, and in that same breath I also said it would take "A LOT" of time. I guess I should have been a little more clear about what is involved, (but people who write code know this already and would understand what they are getting into, you obviously do).

I posted about the quick reply just so people would know it's available, I didn't demand you install it. I haven't had any experience with it yet, so definately check into it, and see what makes it tick. It really doesn't matter to me if we have the feature or not.

as to the email bot, I was mearly expressing a possible way to do it, and I also said "we'll see what comes of it". I personally don't have time to do it either, but would be willing to make time to benifit other MKII fans.

AND, this IS the suggestion box, most people ( I assume) don't or can't understand the risks vs the gains. Let them post thier wants/wishes then let them know if it is possible or not. That is what this area is all about.

off my soapbox too.....

 

[quick]

This is just my opinion, and I have no say:
---
The most important things are stability to the majority of users, not features for the 10% that want them.

...especially when the people that want them aren't paying the bandwidth bill, etc etc.

In my opinion if you send Mike $50 a year to keep this board running then you start to have a say in what 'mods' get done to the board.

If it ain't broken don't fix it.

It ain't broken.
---

 

[BillyM]

I used to internet-game alot, had a few "clan-sites" for my different groups and always had quick-reply in our forums. It never caused problems for us, and I found it rather time-saving. Pretty much, time-saving is what this is all about. If we werent in it for the time-saving features, we would all be using yahoo boards. Not saying you need to do it, but it might be something to look into.

--BillyM
Viva La Quick-Reply (and AutoX ofcourse)

 

[pdupler]

In my business, any software consultant that ever suggests that they can custom-code anything just for us gets the boot out the door very quick. We got burned and are still smoldering from a bunch of custom mainframe applications. Today the new buzzword is "configuration" and NOT "customization". We look for software that has lots of options available in the user "preferences", you know, radio buttons and check boxes to turn various features on or off. Last thing we need is to invest a million dollars in writing some code that has to be modified at great expense the next time the software company or operating system makes an upgrade. Believe me, "customization" creates a lot of headaches in just keeping up with constantly changing object models and such. If y'all could find another commercial forum ware that offers the options you're looking for out-of-the-box then thats great but if serious modifications are done, sooner rather than later I guarantee we'll all be staring at error messages and wondering what ever happend to that guy that did all those modifications for us. Its hard enough for a corporation with structure, documentation and substantial resources to deal with customized software but we are a very loose group run totally by volunteers and financed by donations. We don't even have an official club with officers or any means of continuity. We don't want to make things too complicated that the group can't recover from technical distaster. We have to realize that Malloy and Sidman who've done a great job might not always be around. Case in point - Helene and Matti who started the E-mail list five years ago were nearly declared MIA three years ago when Matti went in the army and Helene got a job. No one else had rights to make changes to the E-mail service. Realize too that if this thing crashes and our webmasters are gone, there's no way for anyone else to contact all the members to direct them to a new site. Worker bees are just lost when you move the hive while they are out. Considering all this, I think the simpler the better.

Phil D.

 

[Speed Racer]

Phil D -

Amen to that man. And...thank you.

Just to let you guys know, as long as Mike or someone owns the domain name - I'll be around if need be. I have no plans to sell my Mk2 anytime soon, so the interest is very much still there.

Also, I do agree completely with Phil Dupler - the simpler the better. The forum is VERY stable right now and I've been extremely careful with the mods that I have chosen to put into place.

As far as losing data, please read this annoucement I posted the other day: http://www.celicasupra.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1491

BillyM -

Quick reply is not a stock function built into phpBB - and if you can get by without it, that would be nice - simply for the reasons Phil D has already stated. If I modify the hell out of this thing, eventually it's going to lose stability - working for Sierra On-line for a few years taught me that. If you introduce enough software patches - it eventually blows up. Anyone who has worked in this industry knows it to be true.

I'm sorry you're not entirely happy with the forum, but you have to understand my position here. Hopefully MOST everyone else does too.

 

[wallcrawlr]

I'm sorry you're not entirely happy with the forum, but you have to understand my position here. Hopefully MOST everyone else does too.

As a contributing member I think the site is just fine and the philosophy you are using to decide how to mod the site is well thought out.

Congrats on your commitment.

 

[dohc82]

This place is great If you change anything I will Kill you..Im not kidding :x yes i am seriously its not broke so there is nothing to fix.
so relax and go drive your car

 

[dogstar]

i really like the way the boards are set up.

php, if found, is one of the smoothest and cleanest forum types around, and if it works, and works well, im in favor of simply maintaining it.

 

[kicknsupra]

i to like the way its set up i cant think of anything i would change but if i do i will let you know :wink:

 

[Henge]

I've always thaught with cars.... "If it's not broke, mod it!" Isn't this a car forum? :wink: I'm kidding 8)

 

[Speed Racer]

I've always thaught with cars.... "If it's not broke, mod it!" Isn't this a car forum? :wink: I'm kidding 8)

Two choices:
1) I'll do this to you :fart:
2) Or you can climb in here :toilet:


Choose your punishment :wink:

 

[Henge]

ROFL :lol: :fart:

 

[fjb]

Yes, I agree with the flavor of keep it simple, and avoid custom local hacks - the time will kill the site, especially if something gets broken. On the other hand, there are several well-tested mods posted within the phpBB community that add some small yet advantageous features. I've used the author_hyperlink mod on one of my forums (with version phpbb-2.0.6) and found it completely reliable, and more intuitive for my users than the profile button.

Also, the phpBB-2.2 version will be coming out in the near future (already out in alpha and beta editions). I haven't used it much yet, but I like what I see. Profile Control Panel (PCP) is a good example, but check out the phpbb.com site (and the 2.2 demo site) for details. It (PCP) is also available as a mod for 2.0.x versions, but too big a change IMHO for a well-running, stable board like this one right now.

But be cautious, because the content is more valuable than any potential new feature!

 

[Tommy]

Here is exactly how I feel about it,... (if it makes a difference, Stephen knows how I feel about "code updates) Hehe,....

Read Quick's reply. That's it in a nutshell. It aint broke!!

Jamie

 

[Junkie]

Here is exactly how I feel about it,... (if it makes a difference, Stephen knows how I feel about "code updates) Hehe,....

Read Quick's reply. That's it in a nutshell. It aint broke!!

Jamie

:werd: :lol: :wink:

 

[n_et_o]

I dunno If this thread is still being checked...But i was thinking that when I wanna insert emoticons ans I click "View More Emoticons", In order to see all of them I gotta scroll right and left as well as up and down. How about puttiing them so all we gotta do is scroll in 2 directions not 4. It's not really a problem, just a suggestion, it would certainly be more convienient...

 

[Andrew]

[start rant]I don't see why people want to recieve a "digest" in their mailbox to see whats happening on the forums. Isn't that why we're here in the first place? I shall gladly suggest that if they want to recieve e-mails they should de-evolve to the Yahoo MK2 Group:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mk2/

Just in case anyone didn't know, this forum is a product of Mr Malloys celicasupra.com and the Yahoo MK2 Group making some freaky love.

And I like it! [/end rant]

8)

 

[RedP85]

Why disabling an account when changing the email adress ?
We already provide the password, so why disable it ?
I lost my View post since last login for today...
..if this is a Preference...

 

[Speed Racer]

Why disabling an account when changing the email adress ?
We already provide the password, so why disable it ?
I lost my View post since last login for today...
..if this is a Preference...

Jocelyn,

I don't know why phpBB does that, but it works that way on all versions of the forum software and I've just kind of accepted it. I think it's done as a safety precaution to make sure that you are supplying the forum with a "valid" new email account. That's the only reason I can think of.