Hopefully not until the 10th anniversary this october
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(81 posts)- Started 14 years ago by chdot
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Posted 5 years ago #
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regarding the second last post above. maybe we need a 'list of things new members need to know'.
number 1 can be 'don't make lists'.
Posted 4 years ago # -
- Don't make lists.
- If you do make lists, remember to close them properly by including a "[/list ]" tag (but without the space).
- If you forget, you can still edit your post but the edit button is not in its normal place.
- Don't make lists.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Excuse the daft question but what happens when you make a list?
Posted 4 years ago # -
If you forget to include the [/list] tag at the end of the list, the formatting of the whole page gets messed up.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Just wondering, if it's not perhaps a rude suggestion…
Now that the WordPress site that this forum came out of no longer exists, might it make sense to change the forum software to something a bit more featureful (while keeping the current forum as a read-only archive)?
Unfortunately, there are quite a few useful features which the forum lacks, such as a decent search facility, a more useful "new posts" (and unread posts, etc) filter, a device responsive theme, and let's not mention lists.
A large number of other community group forums use phpBB, which seems to tick all of the above, although many other forum systems are available (I'm not particularly keen on Discourse, though, clever as it is.)
Any thoughts/feelings?
Posted 4 years ago # -
“Now that the WordPress site that this forum came out of no longer exists”
Not strictly true.
https://cyclingedinburgh.wordpress.com/
It came to the end of its usefulness.
CCE is different but better!
“there are quite a few useful features which the forum lacks, such as a decent search facility”
It can be good, but Google tends to be more effective.
“A large number of other community group forums use phpBB”
Haven’t looked for ages, but before setting up CCE, I looked at what was available then.
I don’t remember seeing a phpBB site that was ‘attractive’.
There was a crisis a few years ago when the service provider could no longer deal with BBPress (they updated their) software and broke things).
Fortunately a CCEer put in the time and effort to make it work in a different webspace.
I would love there to be a simple/better alternative that just worked and had various better options too.
I wonder how many current posters would bother to acquaint themselves with new layout/software.
Meanwhile any good phpBB sites to look at?
Posted 4 years ago # -
@chdot: Ah, sorry, I must be getting my cyclingedinburgh's and my citycyclingedinburgh's mixed up!
Point taken regarding the relative (im)maturity of web applications way back when.
phpBB was just an example of commonly used forum software which seems to be a bit more featureful, there are various others which also seem to be quite popular.
As for 'attractive', as somebody once said, "I only buy it for the articles, not to look at the photos"...
Yes, a lot of phpBB sites just stick to the default theme, or have only a small handful of themes which members can choose from, but it is primarily the informative, useful and entertaining discussion that we're here for, isn't it? That the forum isn't very mobile-friendly is quite an awkward thing nowadays, unfortunately.
Anyway, it was only a suggestion, no offence intended, and, of course, thanks for setting things up in the first place...
Posted 4 years ago # -
Ah that site. That was a forerunner too!
Not offended, just wish there was a simple answer.
“That the forum isn't very mobile-friendly is quite an awkward thing nowadays, unfortunately.”
I’m not really aware of this because I use iOS devices.
I know some people just use RSS readers.
Posted 4 years ago # -
(just back in the country and back on wifi)
So, it's a good question, and thanks for bring it up because it is actually becoming more pressingly as the site only runs on php5 which went out of support on 31st December 2018
So short/medium term we DO need to consider moving to something new or do the work/find a fork for sticking to bbpress.
So in general options are:
1. bbpress wordpress plugin. When I started hosting I tried an import to this and couldn't easily get it to work. But my impression is that you end up with a blog/website engine with a forum on the side.
2. move to something new. Options would be something like phpBB or alternatives. I did setup a discourse instance and actually managed to import the full site and all users quite well, and for me I was quite impressed. But the biggest sticking point is that it is a very different/whitespace/"modern" feel, so ideally we need to get some buy in, from most of the regular posters. But it will work well on mobile, do notifications of @messages and still do PM's, remember what's been read, smart notifications etc. I do have a demo of this I could show off at the next not PY or pub or even put online if people wanted to have a look.
3. Stick with what we have. Strange as it seems lots of people like the site, and they way it works. I am about to switch the site over to a new server, and have a way to keep it working on php5; but the downside is that whatever vulnerabilities are present in php5 won't get fixed so there is a increasing chance that if/when something comes along that potentially opens up the site to hackers to steal the database (with your email addresses and hashed+salted passwords) as well as PM's and all of Gembo's posts. GDPR means that I'm pretty much liable in this instance so hence the current stasis isn't really a long term option.
I also hope to switch the site over to https (the secure lock and removing sending passowrds in the clear) - but the whole thing seems to be hardwired in the database at various points to http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/ so not as straightforward as I had hoped, again another nail in staying as things are.
I only look after the technology; but we do need to consider that things are going to have to change one way or another at some point, discussion and suggestions are most welcome.
Also for the technically minded - the code for the current site is a https://github.com/chrisfleming/citycyclingedinburgh.info
Posted 4 years ago # -
Discussion continues here -
Posted 4 years ago # -
The link above leads to a thread where comments are closed.
If you are thinking of re-jigging the site actual dates for posts would be more useful than "4 months ago", "5 years ago". Sometimes I look at a thread to carbon date a consultation.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Why does CCE log me out at random intervals? Is it something I said?
Posted 4 years ago # -
Think it’s browser related.
(Happens to me too)
Posted 4 years ago # -
I was going to say that there is a script that clears out old sessions if they've not been touched for 24 hours that runs at 9 minutes and 39 minutes past each hour.
But the directory is completely empty.
Settings show that this is the right directory and permissions are okay.
So I've no idea how they work. But as they do work, I'm not going to touch anything. Very recent xkcd comes to mind, https://xkcd.com/2261/
Posted 4 years ago # -
Nah, worse things could happen.
(Don’t try to find out what...)
Posted 4 years ago # -
IWRATS me too.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Can anyone else see anything I post on the Corona thread?
Posted 3 years ago # -
I can't see any posts of yours appear in the last four pages (I stopped checking after that).
Posted 3 years ago # -
@ wingpig
Apologies
Found 3 posys spamtrapped
Only yours
Only one thread
As you know from odd times over the past 10 years, spam trapping is wholly random. AND (fortunately) pretty rare.
Previously one person registered about 4 accounts because they were all getting spam trapped. Speculation was that it was something to do with ip addresses, but it couldn’t be confirmed.
I usually used to notice ‘missing’ posts when I got an email but didn’t see a matching post. Now a lot of CCE notification emails go to my spam.
I suspect this is to do with my ISP (or perhaps Mail) rather than CCE.
Just another unexplained random!
Posted 3 years ago # -
Hi folks,
I made a post to the Corona thread but I think it has been spamtrapped. I can see it when logged in, but not if I'm logged out.
Posted 3 years ago # -
Sorted
Happens occasionally with posts containing lotsa links.
Posted 3 years ago # -
Thankyou! (Fewer links in future for me :))
Posted 3 years ago # -
The text box has gone yellow. Is this intentional? Sure not mellow.
Posted 3 years ago # -
@iwrats you. Been eating dem mushrooms?
Posted 3 years ago # -
IWRATS is your browser trying to autocomplete it for you? Still white here.
Posted 3 years ago # -
Text box back to white. Was outlined in yellow before.
Or that was my perception.
Posted 3 years ago # -
Number one son just bought text book copy we pressed him to buy, for his course. As kindle had no pictures (film course) has come as loose leaf manuscript. WTAF
Posted 3 years ago # -
Is the Search function still working?
Posted 3 years ago # -
No. Google from the Outside.
Posted 3 years ago #
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