Updated Bulletin Board Software

[Capt PPRuNe]

You may have noticed some changes to the software we are using. This is an updated version and contains some new features which I have yet to discover and implement.

One problem to begin with will be the apparent speed of the BB. For the first 48 hours or so the server will be building a cache of the pages and thsi will slow things down. As more and more people log into the new software we have been assured that the speed will return to normal and maybe even be faster than previously.

If you normally log into the forums by any route other than the entrance page please make sure you change the url in your favourites list. In the meantime though, please be patient while the server settles down to the new routine and builds its cache.

[Meeb]

Its great the way you continue to evolve this amazing site. Great work Capt'n! :D

[Few Cloudy]

All very exciting Cap. Thanks for your efforts. :)
FC.

[Code Blue]

:eek:

Had a fright 'cos I thought Pprune had forgotten me!

[Blackshirt]

I think the 'Rate Member' stars will be interesting - particularly for 'Guvnor' or 'Ronncher' from Wannabes - or whatever he is calling himself these days.

The chappy who wrote the Why JMC Are Amazing thread might be in for a bit of stick too...
;)

[ 07 July 2001: Message edited by: Blackshirt ]

[The Scarlet Pimpernel]

Like the look of the new BB Danny .... top work!! :p I can hopefully also get these sodding graemlins to work with the new system!

[MaxAOB]

slooow as you like..... :eek:

[Luke SkyToddler]

It looks it's gonna be lovely ... but it keeps crashing my normal browser (IE5 running under windows ME). The bug warning is 'valueversion undefined in line 4', whatever that means ...

[SevenFiftySeven]

Luke
Yep I get the same thing - it's a JavaScript error and looks like a missing or misconfigured setting on the server. I'm running IE6 on Windows 2000.

Regards,
757 - Rocket with wings. :cool:

[changewing]

I am also getting the same problem, Line 4, 'ValueVersion' is undefined. Windows 98SE, IE5

[CaptainSquelch]

It sure looks super Danny

But it is

s....l.....o......w

Sq :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

[Capt PPRuNe]

If you are getting a javascript error and you are using one of the later versions of browser software then I suggest you clear your browsers cache!

Also make sure you have in your browser options 'check for newer versions of stored pages' set to:

Every visit to the page

[tilii]

Wow, Danny, really impressive. Congrats!

One tiny comment, if I may. I find the static site list on the left of the page is unnecessary and a tad annoying in that it is 'squashing' the rest of the page up. Is there an option to allow me to remove it? :confused:

[Capt PPRuNe]

Yes there is... use this URL as your link to the forums:
http://www.pprune.org/ultimateb b.cgi (http://www.pprune.org/cgibin/ultimatebb.cgi)

Hope you don't mind me fixing your link, Danny ... it was missing a small piece

[ 07 July 2001: Message edited by: McD ]

[BEagle]

Emperor's new clothes time:

1. How do I get rid of that annoying 'navigation bar' on the left.

2. The new icons are almost meaningless on a laptop.

3. What's this 'log in, log out' business for?

4. Too many icons - I prefer text to multiple symbols.

5. Resetting all the bookmarks is evidently necessary - why?

6. Too many details in message headers and footers - e.g. 'rate member' etc add-ons.

7. But at least it isn't slower.

8. Was the previous version 'broken'...??

PS - Ah - that's how you edit a post. 'Edit' was easier...tried your link above and it didn't work.

[ 07 July 2001: Message edited by: BEagle ]

[Electric Sky]

Good work indeed Danny :)

Now with over 30000 members as well ..... wow, did you really imagine it would become such a top site when you set it up????

ES

[Pointer]

absolutely the best thing after sks and ofcourse landing at LCY and.... well great. I've tried my native toung versions (eg Dutch) but eventhough some on this BB think there is a thing called the continent of Brittain and a few islands. this is still the best BB any where!!!

Pointer :rolleyes:

[Superpilot]

I could've sworn that didn't work the first time around :confused:
http://www.infohiway. com/javascript/misc/bkmrkfrm.htm (http://www.infohiway.com/javascript/misc/bkmrkfrm.htm) )

Thanks McD!

[ 07 July 2001: Message edited by: Superpilot ]

[McD]

There is an easier way ... just use the link that Capt PPRuNe posted (right above BEagle's post).

or click here (http://www.pprune.org/cgibin/ultimatebb.cgi)

That will take you to the front page of the forums without the navbar. Once you're on that page, simply bookmark it in your browser's normal way.

BEagle, even though you've probably addressed those questions to Danny and/or PPRuNe Towers, I can probably help you out a bit with your questions...

1) See the post just above yours (or see the instructions above here)

2) (I'm not sure what you mean here ..)

3) Good question .. perhaps to keep people out of here before they agree to some TOS?That's just a guess from me.... Capt PPRuNe - over to you on this one!

4) A case of "majority rules" most likely ... a majority of people like the icons, and a wide variety of them as well.

5) Because it's a new URL ... resetting your bookmarks means that you don't have to wait to be forwarded.

6) Again, probably relates to "majority rules", but I have to agree with your point about the "Member Rated" thing. Seems a bit like a popularity contest or something.

8) No, but all good BB creators continually look for ways to improve the service, and to meet or exceed the desires of the subscribers/readership.

------------------------------

As with any change, there will be a time of adjustment. I'm sure that Danny, PPT, and others will be looking at all feedback regarding the new software. In the meantime, give it the benefit of the doubt and try out all the new stuff. If you run into problems, let someone know.

[BEagle]

Sorry - you lost me. Does anyone actually like the 'navbar'? Or the plethora of tacky icons?

(Edit) Thanks for your kind assistance- have now got rid of the damn navbar and re-bookmarked the sites I wanted. Now there are just the silly icons to junk - is there a way, anyone?? By the way, my point 2 meant that the new icons have such low resolution that their intended impact is lost on a small screen. Much as I don't like too many pointless symbols, the last series were at least legible.

[ 07 July 2001: Message edited by: BEagle ]

[212man]

It's getting faster already!

What's the deal with the rate a member setting? Are we supposed to give marks out of 5 for each contributor? If so where does that show, and is it really appropriate given the hot-headed discussions that can ensue from some topics?

[Norma Spartz]

Hey, Danny, this new format is exactly the same as the Virgin in house one (VOICE)!! What's going on here, are you now wearing a wooly pully? Can we look forward to seeing you in Lagos soon? Has PPRuNe become another notch on Richards bedpost??? :D

Just because you're not paranoid doesn't mean they aren't out to get you!!

[Capt PPRuNe]

Could be because the software, Ultimate Bulletin Board, is commercial software and Virgin thought it was good enough for them. Wish I had their budget for a really powerful server though. :(

[ 07 July 2001: Message edited by: Capt PPRuNe ]

[Winston Smith]

Some feedback/questions: I went off-line and reconnected a few hours later: to my astonishment I was still logged in! Is this the way it's supposed to be?
About those ratings: It doesn't say if we are supposed to rate someone on either: a) How much we simply like them, b) How much we agree with their opinion, or c) How important we deem their presence on PPRuNe, whether we usually agree with them or not. An important distinction!
When will UBB code in JetBlast be enabled again?
After the upgrade, I (and others) get a message like this when trying to log on to chat: "Hack attempt logged or corrupt member file found with extra fields [29 total for UserName ... ]. I even registered a new user, but with the same result.
The server's clock appears to be about six minutes slow.

[BEagle]

Similarly, I rated (as a test) Capt PPruNe as ***.. Then tried to re-rate to discover how to do so. Don't seem to be able to. Also, I dared to say that there were some elements of the new system which I personally didn't like - so someone (and I'm sure I know who) gave me a *.... rating. Not that I care a jot about that - but why is such a pointless and divisive system in place on what is supposed to be an open bulletin board? Personally I find it extremely distasteful - as I told you before, Danny.

[ 07 July 2001: Message edited by: BEagle ]

[Nightrider]

One problem found so far, when searching for someones post...not possible anymore...only by Member number...how do I find them now... :confused:

[Winston Smith]

Sorry to post again, but I just noticed that someone who had been rated "*" by 2 voters retained that rating even after I gave him 5 stars. Does this "Weighted Score" mean that some posters' vote is more important than others?

At least it would only be fair to publicly display a list of all voters and the ratings they gave, maybe with personal comments as well.

[BEagle]

Does anyone think that the 'Rate Members' feature is a good idea? Or just a way for those who don't wish to make a reasoned response to denigrate others whilst retaining their own anonymity.

Votes in favour of getting rid of it??

[ 07 July 2001: Message edited by: BEagle ]

[Tee]

How does the private message thingy work?

[Semper paratus]

If you don't like the new Rate Member option I believe it can switched off in your profile under:

"Allow your user rating to be publicly displayed? " Yes/No

[McD]

Actually, BEagle, you are not the only one who doesn't care for the "Rated" feature. There was some discussion in Chat (even before you got there) regarding this feature, and it seems (by my humble personal observation) that more people are against it . So on that note....

Remainder of thread deleted because it seems that the post by Semper Paratus (just prior to this one) has the solution for disabling the "Rated" feature

[ 07 July 2001: Message edited by: McD ]

[Prince Of Darkness]

I can't get into Chat! The new Chat window won't even allow me to type my name in the box - anyone got any ideas??

[BEagle]

Semper Paratus - thanks for the tip! But I still think that it should be generally deleted rather than selectively by individuals!

[ 07 July 2001: Message edited by: BEagle ]

[McD]

Testing the "rated" feature -- hopefully it's gone

Edit -- It worked!

Also (for BEagle and others who were asking) . . this feature MAY (I'm not sure) be an imbedded part of this software, which might prohibit it from being disabled on its own. I'll ask about that in the near future. At least the "individual disabling" is a measure which each person can take if they don't want to be annoyed with the ratings.

Clic k Here (http://www.pprune.org/cgibin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=4&t=004538) for a link to a Survey in JB regarding the Rated issue.

[ 07 July 2001: Message edited by: McD ]

[Hagbard the Amateur]

Nice one Danny - a much more comprehensive system. Ok, I'm on broadband but I also find the new engine a lot quicker.
One question - does it load up your server if I forget to log out?

[mad_jock]

What server hardware do you run the board on?

And how much load is it normally running at?

And i know this might not be PC but occasionaly we have left over hardware after upgrades and as the accountant doesn't factor it in the bill it normally gets recycled to worthy causes. And as memory has dropped to 50ukp per 256MB 133nS locally it is treated as consumables. No MBoards or procs though.

MJ

[greybeard]

Well done Danny, from an old PPRuNer :D

[Blue Sky Baron]

:eek: Wow, what a great improvement!
Speed is even faster than before and all the new features - Well Done Danny & Friends.
BSB

[gaunty]

Wooohooo.
Very cool and all those new buttons and thingys.
Good one and thanks again Danny.

[Capt PPRuNe]

Can I have a break please! :confused: I am as new to this new software as anyone else so when I get back from my flight later today and subject to not being called out on standby I will get back to you all.

We are still waiting to see what the server load will be like in anger. Monday will probably be the crunch day for that.

Because of nw file formats the password feature of the chat is disabled and I have put a generic log in page. You will just have to try and act like adults for a change and behave on there as there is no way of verifying who is who for the time being.

Patience please.

[airbourne]

Hmm I like it, but not a lot :D

[Flight Safety]

Glad to see the "Member Rating" feature is turned off, that looked like something easily abused. The site has many nice new features, well done. :cool:

[Evo7]

... D'oh! Some kind soul had just rated me 5*! :) ;)

[tilii]

Danny

Since removing the left hand nav bar by using your link, I must say there is absolutely NOTHING I would wish to criticise about this new system. It is smashing and I look forward to many happy hours using all its new features. I am particularly grateful for the "Instant Gremlins" and "UBB Codes" which have been the domain of the PC intellectuals up 'til now. Us old timers still struggle with how to log on, let alone insert fancy bits of kit like faces with peepy eyes or popping out tongues! :p :eek: And I've always wondered how some are able to use bold and italics when I've prepared my reply on Word in same only to see it disappear on posting. So many sincere thanks from the one who hopes to "tell it like it is". PPRune is simply the Bees Knees - must get a badge now from InFin! :D :D :D

[ 08 July 2001: Message edited by: tilii ]

[Skyking]

nice software ...lile slow , but hopefully things will pick up .Well done capt pprune.

Warm regards
Skyking :D

[FL310]

Looks like the investment was worth it.
Clean and nice...
Keep up with it Captain PPRuNe :D

[PPRuNe Dispatcher]

A few answers to a few questions :

Q:"What server hardware do you run the board on?"
A:Twin 550Mhz P3, 512Mb RAM, 2x9Gb SCSI RAID disks, 100Mbit direct lan connection to one of the world's major internet hub sites.

Q:"does it load up your server if I forget to log out?"
A:No

Q:"I went off-line and reconnected a few hours later: to my astonishment I was still logged in! Is this the way it's supposed to be?"
A:Yes, if you don't log off before you disconnect then the cookie which marks you as logged on is left on your computer. So ALWAYS log off when you are finished!

Q:"When will UBB code in JetBlast be enabled again?"
A:When I get some time (haha) to update the relevant programs.

Q:"After the upgrade, I (and others) get a message like this when trying to log on to chat: "Hack attempt logged or corrupt member file found with extra fields [29 total for UserName ... ]. I even registered a new user, but with the same result"
A:It's a side effect of the user database changing format. It will be fixed.

Q:"The server's clock appears to be about six minutes slow."
A:No, the rest of the world is six minutes fast ;) Updating the clock too frequently can mess up some of the load statistics we need so it only gets done when necessary. It should now be correct to within a minute or so.


---PPRuNe Dispatcher

[zoru]

cant find the 'search'function now...or am i losing it?

[ 08 July 2001: Message edited by: zoru ]

[skydriller]

Well done!!!
Something great made better!

But what was all this ratings/voting business? :confused:

[pax domina]

Since it got going, it seems to be much faster (and I'm still on dial-up, hope to have a DSL line within the month). My only (minor and hardly substantive) comment is that most of new message icons aren't IMHO the best - the wink and the "plain smilie" aren't very good, don't like the squinty eyes on the gabbing smilie, the thumbs up and thumbs down are a bit weedy, and the "cool" smilie looks like it's wearing a Batman mask instead of sunglasses. But then again, I'm a bit of a geek about things like that. http://www.stopstart.fsnet.co.uk/smilie/dorky.gif

As far as search goes . . . couldn't get it to work yesterday, and there seem to have been a number of comments about only being able to search by user number. It's missing for me at the moment as well. Perhaps it's being changed or fixed?

[ 08 July 2001: Message edited by: pax domina ]

[RadioFlyer]

Verrrrry nice, Cap'n. Not that the older version of the software was difficult to use, but this new one makes it child's play!

Great work on the site -- it is much appreciated!

[PaperTiger]

Yes, good stuff. Still doesn't fix my pet peeve though. When I reply to a multi-page thread, I'm taken back to page 1. Is this an option or can the UBB software simply not remember where I was ?

[LevelFive]

Keeping PPRuNe up to date. :D Very nice Danny, et al.

[Flight Safety]

I'm with Papertiger, being sent back to the page you were on after posting (or the next page if your post starts a new page) would save a few page accesses and cut down on the server load somewhat.

[Tom the Tenor]

This new software upgrade is so great! On Saturday afternoon it was so disappointing not to be able to log on to PPRuNe when the Upgrade was being installed I really felt empty all evening, so much so that I even thought about not going to the pub - that is exactly how bad I felt! Now, Sunday night, I have just come from work where I man the desk at a busy surgery to find this brilliant new software and I am just so thrilled that it is as good as this, and what is more, my pet Labrador, Sam loves it too! Well done, Danny and to everyone else involved as well.

[Sick Squid]

Looks as good as promised! Well done! One thing.. any chance of changing the header on the main forum page (ultimatebb.cgi) to something other than the generic "PPRuNe Bulletin Board" please... when you use multiple windows, it makes it harder to trace the forum mainpage. The old software had "PPRuNe Bulletin Board....powered by Infopop" on that page,so it was always easy to locate the main page.

In an ideal world, each header would reflect the forum it belonged to as well, but that might be asking too much..... really only useful to those who open 7 or 8 windows and move between them, rather than click through from each page.

Only if you've enough time, of course! ;)

Back to the grindstone,

£6

[PPRuNe Dispatcher]

I have temporarily turned search off. It will go back on at some point... but the server load is fairly high at the moment as the new software builds up it's cache. (Don't ask!)

Near the top right of the screen is a list of underlined links which show you exactly what forum you are looking at, and you can click on one of the links. For example, at the top left of this is :
"PPRuNe Bulletin Board » Rumours & News » Updated Bulletin Board" .

--PPRuNe Dispatcher

[ 08 July 2001: Message edited by: PPRuNe Dispatcher ]

[hailstone]

very nice indeed - proves that great things can be made greater.
love the instant graemlins :) and the ubb code function

[Luftwaffle]

When I connect to www.pprune.com (http://www.pprune.com) and then click on the "Forums" link in the nav bar on the left, I am told that the bulletin board has moved, and then forwarded. This appears to indicate that the link on the PPRuNe main page is wrong.

[slj]

Use and bookmark http://www.pprune.org/cgibin/ultimatebb.cgi

This will take you direct to forums

[What_does_this_button_do?]

Nice one,

Buttons

[swashplate]

Hmmmmmmmm........bit slow!!

Also, Message Icons a bit wimpish... :p

Any way of getting the old ones back?? :confused:

Thumbs up/down esp.......

On a +ve note, I like the 'instant' stuff, though.

[Kulu]

Just testing to see what happens - please ignore this!

[Longtimer]

Love the new software etc. Good work! :D

[Pontius]

Re Kulu's message; please do likewise with this.

PS:I love the Instant Graemlins

Pontius

[flaps]

Like many of you the new functionality is great but I cannot help feeling that the new format makes it more difficult to read the posts.

I'm particularly talking about the increased headers and addition of a bold footer to each post. Trying to follow a number of posts that are only one or two lines each meaning you've got to filter out the bits your not interested in. So why has the information that was previously in the left margin moved into a bold footer?

Edited to add below item

Just re-read the thread and my question seems similar to one of Beagle's that I missed. Guess I must agree with him.

[ 11 July 2001: Message edited by: flaps ]

[Slasher]

I dont log out when Im done so that I dont have to go through all that bloodey rigmorol of logging in.

Any consequences I should know about?

[parkfell]

Is "spell check" an option for posts?

[Final 3 Greens]

Danny

A good upgrade to the site IMHO.

:)

[iflyboeing747]

I would like to ask the same Q as "parkfell":

null Is "spell check" an option for posts?

Anyway - an option to spell check your posting is to open a blank word doc (or similar) - make a copy (or cut) of your post - paste it into the word doc - do a spell check there - then paste the corrected text into your post again and send it off..
A bit time consuming - but works fine..

[VHS]

Hi All,

Well done Danny and team.

We all own you a great deal for this great site.

Keep up the good work.

Regards

VHS

PS - Still need a B763!

[ExSimGuy]

Whaterishappeningtome :rolleyes:

The board has been in the new format for a week and I only just noticed :eek: :eek:

The new job I started recently is taking up too much of my PPRuNeing time :rolleyes: null

(I sure ad my name to the list of members who would like to go to "last page" instead of first, after posting though)

[Alpine Flyer]

Hi,

looks good, though the new message icons aren't as nice as the old ones.

I wouldn't miss the rating feature but apparently is has been turned off already.

Thanks for continuous improvement of a great system.

[BEagle]

OK - hands up who likes the new PPRuNer 'categories' - 'addicted', 'beyond all help', 'keen', 'in need of PPRuNers anonymous' et al.

Hmm. Thought so!!

[McD]

BEagle, I'm quite sure that these "categories" are only temporary ... Capt P goes through "spells" on occasion but usually returns things to "normal" (as if anything on here can be called normal) within a few days.

Even if he doesn't ... it's still a good measure of our humour, eh?

[BEagle]

McD - although I'm quite happy with Danny's humour, I'd hate to see certain people who've been striving to have wrongs righted being described as 'beyond all hope' - even if it was meant in jest. For example, those relatives of those killed in the RAF Chinook crash who post on PPRuNe must please never be described as being 'beyond all hope'!

[ 15 July 2001: Message edited by: BEagle ]

[pax domina]

BEagle, but as you yourself mentioned a couple of posts above, the description is "beyond all help." :confused:

[BEagle]

OOPS!!

But I wouldn't like to think of them being described as beyond all 'help' either.

[Captain Airclues]

Capt PPRuNe

Congratulations to you and the team on the continued success of PPRuNe. The new software is great.

Airclues

[Gash Handlin]

Capt et al

You've probably already answered my questions but:-

1. Is the closing of threads that have got over a hundredish posts due to the new software and can it be fixed because we seem to be losing some of the most popular threads?

2. Is there any chance of moving "I Wish I Hadn't Said That..." from the mil forum to the humour bit on the front page for posterity cos it would be a shame to lose these fantastic anecdotes.

Thanks,
GH

[gaunty]

BEagle dear boy,
First it was the member ratings, which I agree could have had some dubious results, but was I believe intended as a bit of fun.

Dannys new "categories" are supposed to be fun too, not poking fun.

I reckon there is enough real grief out there to deal with, than worrying about what I for one, would be carrying as a badge of honour in these halls. Live fast and have fun, we are here for a good time not a long time :D
Those who care know, those who don't don't, so who cares. :)

[pigboat]

Ok by me! :cool:

[BEagle]

Just to put the record straight, personally I don't have any problems with the new categories and hope that others don't take the titles too seriously - but there's always the chance that they might.

Agree with PPRuNe towers about there being 'too much eye candy' with the new layout and also with the comments made by others about the new style message icons - I can't be bothered to use them any more. But if that's the price which has to be paid for keeping this popular BB healthy, then so be it!

And, if you haven't already done so, please buy a badge!