Forum Changes

Bawanna

Bawanna

Moderator
Joined
Dec 19, 2012
Messages
10,280
I can't say I'm thrilled with the changes in the forum format but console myself in that it's not wrong it's just different and perhaps will take some getting used to. I've always kind of been anti change, like things the same but once we're accustomed it might be better and we won't miss the old.
At least we can hope.
 
They're still working to fix some issues, so it's hard to say what the format will look like when they've finished.
 
Bawanna said:
I can't say I'm thrilled with the changes in the forum format but console myself in that it's not wrong it's just different and perhaps will take some getting used to. I've always kind of been anti change, like things the same but once we're accustomed it might be better and we won't miss the old.
At least we can hope.
Click to expand...
I'm with you Bawanna - It seems as if the techie types are always attempting to "improve" my experience. How about just leave it alone and let it work?
 
The upgrades to BladeForums servers/hardware were necessary/overdue. The time that it took do simple things, like login, go to various forums, etc., was taking too long. Hence, the upgrade(s) to the servers/storage/network/other. You will notice that the login and navigation is much more responsive now.

Upgrading the forum software was a judgment call. I can't speak to whether there were highly desirable features that the new version offers. I have experienced software that gets out-of-date enough that it can't be upgraded anymore. That becomes a death spiral, so owners/moderators are keen to avoid that sort of thing.

Understand that the people who run websites HATE to do major upgrades, either hardware or software. It leads to downtime, upset users, perhaps hoof-and-mouth disease. Not sure about that last one.

I'll be 70, next birthday. I HATE change. My favorite conversations begin with "What's new?" If the response is "Not much", a lot of tension goes out of that conversation. I've spent decades creating upgrades for my software and applying them from software vendors. Both ends of the stick suck.

Seems that Spark is doing a super job of fixing the seemingly missing features (much of which involves "it's over THERE now..." and guiding all of us through the usual morass of changes. There will, of course, be bugs. It IS software, after all.

I don't care for some of the changes, but they certainly aren't grievous enough to stop participating here.

I have no inside knowledge about the decision making that went and goes on here. I'm just speaking from some experience with computers and software.

YMMV.
 
Last edited:
Thanks, Aardvark, you said what I wanted to say but was too lazy to write it down. I also have experience with conversion of computers and software. My first job in the field was on a project that converted thousands of lines of computer code from an obsolete CDC computer to a newer IBM computer, for Bell Telephone Company of Canada. No one wanted to do it, and the project was quite expensive, but it had to be done because the old computer was no longer sustainable and couldn't handle the growing volume of business.

There were incompatibilities between the two computer systems that led to differences between the original programs and the converted programs. I'm sure that some of the cosmetic changes in BladeForums are for the same reasons, while some other changes might be fixed in the coming days. As Kismet says, "We will cope."

Just to add a tidbit from the Bell of Canada project that might be of interest to some people here: Most of the programs that I converted involved statistical analysis. The IBM computer had greater built-in precision than the older CDC computer. In order to make the new results match the old program (one of the requirements of the contract) I had to deliberately make the calculations less precise on the IBM side. It was rather like tuning down a high performance car so you can drive it on the street instead of on a race track. That brings back memories.
 
Yeah, I had one of those cross-platform conversions, HP to IBM. I can't tell you how much joy that brought.
 
I liked the look and feel of the old one better. But I don't do anything all that complex here, so I haven't noticed any functional changes. But I kind of miss the comfort of coming in and it feeling familiar.
 
While I find software/database conversions painful. I'm loving his new look. Pages load faster and smoother. And I'm not being bugged by ads...so far. Hope that last part stays as is :)
 
Does seem to work faster so far but I always thought that they should make these software people accountable for their own software before it can be released. They should be locked in a room for thirty days requiring them to use their own software for thirty days or more before they can have it published then they are good to go. Kinda like making a civil engineer live under the bridge they just built for a few years before they could move back home. Ya just got to be accountable for your own work before you can expect to get paid for it! WE will see:)
 
aaaaand the ads are back. well, it was nice while it lasted. gotta pay the bills! looks like the page loads quite quickly, even with the ads back on. well, it seems to me.
 
They are working on the ads. Once they get it fixed paid members won't see the ads. Think there's still several bugs they are working on.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top