Exodus.

Discussion in 'Network Information, Suggestions and Feedback' started by von Poop, Mar 6, 2013.

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  1. von Poop

    von Poop Adaministrator Admin

    As some have pointed out, our friends at WW2F.com are moving software to Invision Power Board from their current Vbulletin.
    IP.Board Discussion Forum Software for the IPS Community Suite

    As others speculated: Will we move too?
    The answer is: Yeah, Otto (blessings be upon him) is kindly sorting us a shiny new WW2T installation on Invision, with a few new toys bolted on.

    I can't tell you all precisely when, but I've been permitted to say 'soon'.
    WW2F will be moving first, and once that's shaken out we'll be upgrading too.


    So bear with us, chaps - it'll take a while to sort completely, and people will have to face that most alarming of things... Change!
    Having mooched on a test installation I can say that the Invision system is easily as user-friendly as our current VB, and hopefully even more so.
    It'll also bring with it useful modern tools that'll allow us to run things a bit more smoothly and adjust more easily to suit what's required.

    Our current installation is a rather clunky amalgam of years of use & bolt-ons, and this ought to be a nice clean restart.

    If we pop offline (other than that bleedin' annoying morning update error, which'll hopefully go away once done), I'll doubtless keep people informed as best I can via Twatter.
    https://twitter.com/WW2Talk
    Though there's a fair possibility I'll be as in the dark as anyone else while the techno-pixies scuttle and sort.

    Any questions - fire away.
    I'll do my best, but Invision is pretty new to me as well so solid answers may be a tad thin on the ground.

    Onwards & upwards,
    ~A
     
    von Poop, Mar 6, 2013
    #1
  2. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

    Good Show VP

    All very positive for the forum and its members.


    regards
    Clive
     
    CL1, Mar 6, 2013
    #2
  3. Combover

    Combover Guest

    Good news. How long will the forum be down?
     
    Combover, Mar 6, 2013
    #3
  4. von Poop

    von Poop Adaministrator Admin

    All very positive for the forum and its members.
    I hope so. Smells good.
    Good news. How long will the forum be down?
    Really don't know, as the process is as new to me as you.
    Not too long I'd imagine. 'As short a time as possible' is probably the most honest answer I can give.
     
    von Poop, Mar 6, 2013
    #4
  5. Jonathan Ball

    Jonathan Ball It's a way of life.

    Good to hear, Adam.

    I note that the much inferior GWF use Invision. They have an opt out for the people who don't want to read the off-topic ravings of the nutters* who frequent that forum in their version of the barracks. Will WW2t have something similar?

    *that isn't meant to say that I think people here are nutters by the way.
     
    Jonathan Ball, Mar 6, 2013
    #5
  6. von Poop

    von Poop Adaministrator Admin

    They have an opt out for the people who don't want to read the off-topic ravings
    I think that comes under 'fiddly bits' for after we move and can have a proper shufti.
    The Admin tools look good on the test installation. Highly tweakable, so we'll see.
     
    von Poop, Mar 6, 2013
    #6
  7. Gage

    Gage The Battle of Barking Creek

    Gonna be all squeaky!!
     
    Gage, Mar 6, 2013
    #7
    von Poop likes this.
  8. Ron Goldstein

    Ron Goldstein WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Having recently started posting again on the ww2f site, I will have a chance to see the new server in action before it hits us here.

    Regardless of when it kicks off, the best of luck to both sites and well done to both Otto & Adam !

    Ron
     
    Ron Goldstein, Mar 6, 2013
    #8
  9. ritsonvaljos

    ritsonvaljos Senior Member

    Do you know if there be a straightforward migration of all the information on the present site to the new one, please?
     
    ritsonvaljos, Mar 6, 2013
    #9
  10. von Poop

    von Poop Adaministrator Admin

    Thanks, Ron, but don't be premature with that praise. Still plenty of scope to screw it up. ;).

    RV, on the test I've seen using another site's data, everything has transferred fine that I thought to check. There may be errors, but I think the makers of forum software have had to get pretty good at cross-format moves.

    Otto's hiring someone with a load of experience of moves to help, so we should be in good hands.
     
    von Poop, Mar 6, 2013
    #10
  11. Gage

    Gage The Battle of Barking Creek

    [YOUTUBE]6Inyg70V-QI[/YOUTUBE]
     
    Gage, Mar 6, 2013
    #11
    von Poop likes this.
  12. At Home Dad (Returning)

    At Home Dad (Returning) Well-Known Member

    best of luck with the transition
     
    At Home Dad (Returning), Mar 6, 2013
    #12
  13. At Home Dad (Returning)

    At Home Dad (Returning) Well-Known Member

    They have an opt out for the people who don't want to read the off-topic ravings of the nutters* who frequent that forum in their version of the barracks. Will WW2t have something similar?


    Our 'barracks' beats their place hands down :D
    one of the first things I did was opt out of that section, lol
     
    At Home Dad (Returning), Mar 6, 2013
    #13
  14. ritsonvaljos

    ritsonvaljos Senior Member

    Moe likely than not the changeover will be 'alright on the night'!
     
    ritsonvaljos, Mar 6, 2013
    #14
  15. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    Awhile back we were planning to have a change on the forum but for various reasons it never happened but one member screeched out ''Why weren't we told???''

    Well you have now.
    :)

    Hopefully it should go to plan but if it does go 'tits up' please be patient.
    Otto will be all over it.


    Good excuse for this song now.


    [YOUTUBE]BWw_gP0vDfE[/YOUTUBE]
     
    Owen, Mar 6, 2013
    #15
  16. Jonathan Ball

    Jonathan Ball It's a way of life.

    Or even..

    [YOUTUBE]vldP9YgX6x0[/YOUTUBE]
     
    Jonathan Ball, Mar 6, 2013
    #16
  17. summerdannys

    summerdannys Member

    I think change may be a good thing, I haven't been here too long and I must say this isn't the easiest of sites to navigate around :-/ ... Think positive and soldier on..
     
    summerdannys, Mar 6, 2013
    #17
    Za Rodinu likes this.
  18. Mike L

    Mike L Very Senior Member

    Good to hear an update is planned, although I have no problems at all with the present format.
    All plaudits to Otto and Adam for their foresight and efforts.

    I do have one question though - will the 'front page' and navigation system seem familiar to regular members?
    I am sure there are some aspects of the forum that will become more user friendly due to the change but I hope the general format does not change too much.

    I will have a look to WW2F (something I have avoided recently) to see how the new format seems.

    Best of luck to Otto, Admin and Mods. You all do a great job.
     
    Mike L, Mar 7, 2013
    #18
  19. von Poop

    von Poop Adaministrator Admin

    I think I'd like to do my best to keep a 'Portal-like' front end, but again I need to see what's what in greater detail, which'll have to come post-shift.

    There may be a better way of doing things - one of the tools being looked at appears to have potential for building multiple styles of pages from forum-generated info. The portal's essentially a fancy recently-bumped threads list with a few boxes around it - looks well within the new kit's capabilities.

    (Though I like the 'shape' of the portal, and it's accessibility, the plugin which creates it is one of the bits I dislike most about the current setup. I really won't miss it as it's one of the primary de-motivators when I'm supposed to be sorting something.)
     
    von Poop, Mar 7, 2013
    #19
  20. Vitesse

    Vitesse Senior Member

    I think I'd like to do my best to keep a 'Portal-like' front end, but again I need to see what's what in greater detail, which'll have to come post-shift.

    There may be a better way of doing things - one of the tools being looked at appears to have potential for building multiple styles of pages from forum-generated info. The portal's essentially a fancy recently-bumped threads list with a few boxes around it - looks well within the new kit's capabilities.

    (Though I like the 'shape' of the portal, and it's accessibility, the plugin which creates it is one of the bits I dislike most about the current setup. I really won't miss it as it's one of the primary de-motivators when I'm supposed to be sorting something.)
    Its retention would be much appreciated - here at least. Not being particularly monomaniacal, with so many fora and sub-fora I find it the easiest way to spot threads of interest as it's not possible to bookmark a "view new posts" page.

    Perhaps you could even suggest to Otto that ww2f adopts it as well? It would certainly make ww2f more user-friendly as far as I'm concerned and encourage me to visit more often - scrolling through a home page with 35 main fora is just too damned hard and I'm sure there are many threads I've missed there which might have been worth my while.
     
    Vitesse, Mar 7, 2013
    #20
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