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Upcoming Changes for VMB

Discussion in 'Admin. Announcements' started by Sonya, Apr 4, 2014.

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  1. Sonya

    Sonya Queen of VMB

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    Just wanted to give you guys the first heads up that some changes are coming to VegasMessageBoard.

    You may have noticed the static banners. I have a software problem I can no longer work around, so we are about to upgrade the board to a new software version.

    There will be new graphics and similar colors. Most things should look and work pretty close to how they do now, but there will be some changes. I will do what I can to help you with tutorials of new menus and tools. Don't hesitate to ask for help if you need it.

    We are looking at adding a number of new bells and whistles that I'm really excited about, including an actual mobile version of the site.

    Work begins next week behind the scenes with the developer. We will be upgrading to the latest software version in the next couple weeks if things go smoothly (famous last words :evillaugh). After that, there are some customized bells and whistles we will be adding slowly after the site goes live.

    Please be a bit patient with us as we make these changes. Obviously when we do the conversion, there will be some downtime, but I will try to keep it minimal. We will probably not have a chat client for a few weeks while we work out the bugs of the basic set-up. Once we've determined the server load, we're going shopping!

    I don't want to give away too many details yet, but be aware, if you are using a Proxy or TOR client to access the board, that will no longer be possible due to the new software.

    Feel free to ask questions and make suggestions. The plan is pretty set for the board, but the bells and whistles are still being gathered.

    Thanks! I'm excited this is finally happening. It has been long overdue.
     
  2. sweetcanadian

    sweetcanadian High-Roller

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    I didn't even really notice the banners.

    It will be nice to actually respond to threads with a mobile version rather than just read them.
     
  3. Persistent Cat

    Persistent Cat Tourist

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    Can only certain phones comment? I can with my phone.
     
  4. Stizz19

    Stizz19 Low-Roller

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    Looking forward to it.
     
  5. Turtleman

    Turtleman VIP Whale

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    Sonya: Thanks for the heads-up and I'll be looking forward to seeing the changes. Meanwhile, here's a very minor suggestion I thought about after it was too late the last time you asked for suggestions. Maybe you could make the "New Posts" link stand out with a different color or perhaps positioning on both sides of the page. I undoubtedly use that link hundreds of times more often than any of the others.
     
  6. Sonya

    Sonya Queen of VMB

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    That's on the list Turtleman! It might not be there at first, but it is a top priority on the customization list. I want search a bit more prominent too. :wink2:

    Tapatalk app works pretty well on most phones. I don't like that I can't easily do my admin stuff through it, but it works fine for reading and replying. I'd like to be able to offer something specific to us though.

    Just be a little extra gentle with SH0CK and I as we do double duty on two different boards for awhile. I think we have a pretty good grip on what people want based on the last attempt. And once it's running, there will be bugs. It's inevitable. I wanted to give you all a heads up, instead of just springing it on you and let you know that it's going to be a work in progress for some time to come.

    This next version of software should be faster, more secure and easier on the server load. It also opens up the door to add more bells and whistles on an ongoing basis as this version is no longer officially supported. :( I think it's a good change for the community overall, but I hope there won't be too many changes to throw off the members who are less computer savvy than others.
     
  7. Joe

    Joe VIP Whale

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    It's the only link I use. Once I've read all I want to, I just go to quick links and mark all forums read. Next time I come back, I only see new posts.
     
  8. gambler

    gambler VIP Whale

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    That system only works if you're able to check through all the posts before marking read. But what if, for example, you want to come back later and read all the ones you've missed? Or you start reading a long trip report and want to leave part way through? I don't believe there is a way to keep track of that (someone correct me if I'm missing something.). Lately there have been days when I only have a few minutes. I'll check one or two posts and then leave the rest for another day. But I end up missing many posts.

    I belong to another forum that works like this - if you enter the thread and only get to page 2 of 10 pages, next time you come back and click on the thread, it takes me to the last page I read or even the last post read. I never miss a thing. And it's automatic.

    Anyhow Sonya, we'll look forward to the changes. I know it's been giving you a lot of grief lately but we appreciate you keeping it going.
     
  9. Sonya

    Sonya Queen of VMB

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    It sounds like a cookie issue. I'm not the most savvy person out there, so maybe someone has a better explanation than I do. VMB works on cookies. It remembers your read posts, etc. If you have the cookies set to expire or delete every time you close your browser or shut down your computer, it will lose all that info.

    You should be able to adjust the settings, but directions would depend on your operating system and browser. The cookie is set for vegasmessageboard.com if that helps you search for it.

    I'm hoping the cookie system will perform better on the new software, but it's wait and see I guess. I'll make a note to be sure I've got it set up optimally on the back end for you all. Your individual browser settings are out of my control.

    Thanks!
     
  10. gambler

    gambler VIP Whale

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    That's something I never would have thought about. Thanks for the explanation. :beer:

    I'll have a look.
     
  11. thekillers

    thekillers Low-Roller

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    Just curious, what message board software are you updating to? I'm a developer and worked with a few message boards back in the day. The updating was always a pain in the a$$. Every time we updated we always made some people happy and some people miserable, could never please them all.
    I'm more than willing to be patient with the change, knowing the pain that can happen! :nworthy:

     
  12. sweetcanadian

    sweetcanadian High-Roller

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    I use tapatalk and i can not respond to posts and i have a S3 so it should.
     
  13. Sonya

    Sonya Queen of VMB

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    We are sticking with vBulletin, but we're moving up to version 4.2.1.

    Yeah, there are always some people unhappy with the changes, but I'm hoping the ones we are making are for the better of the community as a whole.

    Sweetcanadian, I don't know why you can't reply via Tapatalk. You might try contacting their support.
     
  14. donfairplay

    donfairplay VIP Whale

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    [​IMG]

    Actually though, these changes sound pretty good.
     
  15. DeMoN2318

    DeMoN2318 The DERS

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    This completely changed my life!!!! Thanks Joe!
     
  16. wigwam_salesman

    wigwam_salesman VIP Whale

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    I'll have a crack at explaining this in layman's terms for you. I have worked in digital media for 18 years since 1996 so I have a pretty good grip on these things. Specific to this thread I have project managed some pretty heavy duty vBulletin stuff...

    The cookie actually just holds a random piece of text called a hash - I think it's 40 characters long for vBulletin. On its own it is completely useless. What happens is that when you load a vBulletin website it looks for this cookie and the string of text in it. If it finds this is says hello to a table in the database that contains all of your user information such as last login time and various other info. From this is then calculates anything that has a newer timestamp (which is the number of seconds since 1st Jan 1970 - when the epoch timestamp standard started counting) than the one on your last login and pulls out all content newer than this. It's quite a complicated algorithm based around an SQL query (a standard way of talking to a relational database such as MySQL that these forums use).

    No self-respecting developer will store anything more than a timestamp hash (or something similar, maybe including a hash of your password or / and username) in a cookie because they are transmitted over the internet in plain text usually and would be too easy for hackers to intercept.

    We are getting into the realms of cryptography now and I won't send you to sleep with that but essentially cookies are not very secure so you want to keep most stuff stored on the server.
     
  17. fossefritz

    fossefritz Low-Roller

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    Vb 4.2.1 is most recent u should like

    Also u should get Sucuri Security for this site as it does auto Malware scans set to Admins restrictions

    Anyways ur board is touchy u need to update
     
  18. cartoonp

    cartoonp Low-Roller

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    thanks for advace warning sonya
     
  19. Sonya

    Sonya Queen of VMB

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    I should probably give an update. Things are going slower than expected as we ran into some complications. Then those complications had a little complication. :) (any Brazil fans?)

    Things are moving along, but slowly as developers show up and don't show up. But we're getting there.

    Thanks for being patient!
     
  20. wigwam_salesman

    wigwam_salesman VIP Whale

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    If you are struggling to find a reputable digital agency I can give you a list of a few that would be worth considering. No affiliation other than knowing that they can deliver a project when asked to.
     
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