trisonic Posted July 4, 2012 Share Posted July 4, 2012 Luckily the guys of RMWeb have an abundance of "Good Will" from the mob here (including me)! There is nothing else quite like it. Otherwise the site would resemble a town in Arizona where the last greasy bar was closing down and the only movements were the tumbleweeds crossing the tracks, themselves sinking into the dust and sand.........or something. Best, Pete. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold RedgateModels Posted July 4, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 4, 2012 is there really that much of a problem here? it's a hobby site, not anyone's job (apart from Andy's now ) So I have to wait once in a while for the SQL errors to clear, big deal. I've worked with (and supported) far less reliable business systems in the past, now THAT is something to get bothered about Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave777 Posted July 4, 2012 Share Posted July 4, 2012 Rob, you're posting as if the previous 7 pages never existed. Not sure if you've really added anything to the discussion there other than saying 'It's crap, do something about it'. We know that and we are. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium 45156 Posted July 4, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 4, 2012 I have stayed out of this one, but have followed it as it is an issue for all of us - not getting access to our favourite websites is indeed frustrating. However, I do know that when I started on RMWeb just after its launch, there were 400 of us, no facility to upload at all, and it was just a simple discussion forum. The site has grown immensely since then, and we now have a 4000% increase on those modest numbers, and as a result, one of the best resources in the UK if not in the world. Clearly somebody thinks so, otherwise Warners would not have shown any interest in the site. BUT allowing for the Pareto distribution, we can expect that 20% of the membership is active - so then, probably about 80/90 posting members with the rest lurking or contributing occasionally. Now probably about 3200 - and not just words, but videos and pictures as well. The site is, without doubt, a success story, and I have often thought that the time was imminent when it would become unstable due to hosting and other resource problems. I am not a software engineer, nor am I a computer buff at all - the "on" button is about my limit. Andy has a solution, and it may well be a viable one, and now that we have the answer, I think it's time to sit tight and see what happens. A timescale has been indicated, and I am doubtful that until the solution is tried, there will be any measurable improvement in the performance with the present host. There's not a great deal to gain in trying to fix something now with the present arrangements as spending any more would be throwing good money after bad. So may I humbly suggest that we sit tight and wait and see what happens. Andy has it in hand - has he let us down at all over the last 7 years? - I think not. Let's keep things in proportion - this is a hobby site (albeit now a commercially run one), not a totally vital online resource like your bank/credit card etc... Oh yes, and there's only one Andy, and although this is now his day job, there's also member's day and all the other stuff that's also going on around the site - how many other web forums can say that they are so varied. Rant over Stewart Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
trisonic Posted July 4, 2012 Share Posted July 4, 2012 Not a "rant", Stewart - seems awfully sensible, old chap! This place is almost like a group "Gestalt". It's been great "meeting" like minded people like you (and many others). What chance would we have had before this revolution in communication? It's been a "God send" to me to get away from all the cares and worry of my normal life. Long may it continue. Best, Pete. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenton Posted July 4, 2012 Share Posted July 4, 2012 If there really was an alternative site (and I acknowledge there are some) then the membership would be leaving RMWeb in floods. The main reason why that is not happening is partly to do with the loyalty and community of members and partly to do with the content. Quite a few of the "core" membership have survived through the total system collapses of the past and far worse things than the minor irritations of SQL errors and the occasional slow down. I have never been one to believe the membership figure or the site statistics regularly shown, But Andy will have a pretty good idea of page hit counts and unique visits but I have seen the number of regular contributors increase enormously over the years. The number of new topics created per day doesn't seem to have increased much - it still only takes me a matter of minutes to scan the VNC the 2-3 pages back since the previous visit, but the number of posts per topic certainly has increased. OK many of them are of the me2 variety and some seem to be simple conversations that should really be by PM (or some chat system) but they have increased. It is now possible to leave the PC for an hour or two and return to find that the topic has moved on several pages. None of the other railway modelling forums seem to exhibit that same real time life among its membership. It is also easy to forget, perhaps more so by the prolific posters, that there are many who simply visit the site as a modelling resource and have no interest in participation in a discussion or any social media. They visit the site to obtain information, probably pointed here by a search engine, perhaps only visiting a specific page. The loss of previous database in previous versions - it has been lost in at least 3 versions - was a significant blow to RMWeb. A great deal of time and effort had been put in by contributors and I think some were for a time more cautious of repeating their contribution. Along with the demise of the fotobucket sites many have forgotten the golden rule of computing - take a backup. A change of host may or may not be the solution, personally I have my doubts. To me the fundamental flaw is in the software. But I still wish the move to be a success. There probably are alternatives to the software, certainly in a more refined and basic system but a significant portion of the membership would be affected by loss of some the features introduced (eg. gallery and blogs) and as Martin has pointed out we would again go through the pain of loss of data - or at minimum an archive break similar to the existing archive. Perhaps in the end that may be what happens. If so, a Plan B, I would be first to support it, but meanwhile I want to give the new host a chance - everything to maintain the stability and integrity of the forum. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted July 4, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 4, 2012 Not a "rant", Stewart - seems awfully sensible, old chap! This place is almost like a group "Gestalt". It's been great "meeting" like minded people like you (and many others). What chance would we have had before this revolution in communication? It's been a "God send" to me to get away from all the cares and worry of my normal life. Long may it continue. Best, Pete. Absolutely spot on Pete and Stewart (and others) - it's just about the only 'club' that I've ever joined; it's great resource and has an amazing sociability about it as well; something which shows how good the 'net can be when used in a positive and innovative manner. Yes - at times it can be awkward and I've never been too keen on pink. Yes it has some problems but it is only a hobby; at one time the system at my last place of full time employment got so bad at losing work I wrote to the I.T. Director and told him that I had started breeding swans - I definitely will not be posting on here to that effect Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
trisonic Posted July 4, 2012 Share Posted July 4, 2012 I hate Clubs too! On here we get no Bad Breath or Body Odours and we can avoid Bores without insulting their mothers.....big plus that. Best, Pete. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
buffalo Posted July 4, 2012 Share Posted July 4, 2012 ...I have never been one to believe the membership figure or the site statistics regularly shown... Nor me, the current total 'membership' has now passed the 16000 mark but these are no more than individual recorded sign-up events and include the 85% of the then current total at the last major software change in October 2009. However, a few minutes fiddling with the "more search options" on the members page provides some interesting figures. About 6600 of the total were carried over from the previous incarnation. To these must be added some of the lost 15% (around 1000), some proportion of whom will have signed up again since the changeover. Of the carried over figure, about 2600 had never posted anything, and 1400 of those who had have not posted anything since. In all, about half of the carry over have not visited the site since the changeover. Of the current total, about half have made at least one post since joining or rejoining, including the above 1400. Looking at the more recent picture, nearly 4000 have posted at least once in the past twelve months and around 3300 of these since the start of this year. The above are very rough figures but, whilst the 16000 may not be very meaningful, it's probably fair to say that we have a little less than 4000 active posters plus an indeterminate number of signed-up non-posting members. When we include the nearly 2000 new sign-ups since the start of this year, that still looks very healthy picture to me. Nick Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodshaw Posted July 4, 2012 Share Posted July 4, 2012 I hate Clubs too! On here we get no Bad Breath or Body Odours and we can avoid Bores without insulting their mothers.....big plus that. Best, Pete. Ugh! I don't want to meet any of you lot then... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenton Posted July 4, 2012 Share Posted July 4, 2012 The above are very rough figures but, whilst the 16000 may not be very meaningful, it's probably fair to say that we have a little less than 4000 active posters plus an indeterminate number of signed-up non-posting members. When we include the nearly 2000 new sign-ups since the start of this year, that still looks very healthy picture to me. A fair summary I agree. But we must not forget all those who simply visit, perhaps signing up because they think they have to or there is something extra to be found, sign up and forget their membership id/password, sign up and wish to re-anonymise themselves. Although they may not be actively contributing to topics or joining in the community they remain important, hopefully learning from the site and growing the hobby. They may the "takers" rather than the "givers" but they may still play a part in the future of the hobby and possibly may contribute in the future (even if it is after signing up again). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold martin_wynne Posted July 4, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 4, 2012 Hi Nick, Don't forget the very large numbers of unregistered/unlogged-in visitors -- nearly always showing as a larger number than logged-in. There is no way of knowing how many of those are registered members. Unless you intend to post something on RMweb there is no actual need to log in. The site's own Search is restricted to logged in members, but Google search isn't. It's the unregistered visitors which advertisers have their eye on -- apart from being greater in number, they are more likely to be the less computer-savvy who will click on anything. vBulletin have a specific function to target advertising at unregistered visitors to their forum software sites. regards, Martin. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
buffalo Posted July 4, 2012 Share Posted July 4, 2012 ...But we must not forget all those who simply visit, perhaps signing up because they think they have to or there is something extra to be found, sign up and forget their membership id/password, sign up and wish to re-anonymise themselves... Don't forget the very large numbers of unregistered/unlogged-in visitors -- nearly always showing as a larger number than logged-in... Not forgotten, merely impossible to quantify Nick Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold martin_wynne Posted July 4, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 4, 2012 This is RMweb's likely new home: http://goo.gl/maps/dFZa http://goo.gl/maps/cEI8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33aOkxE5N_s Judging by performance today, we can't get there soon enough. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted July 4, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 4, 2012 This is RMweb's likely new home: http://goo.gl/maps/dFZa http://goo.gl/maps/cEI8 Judging by performance today, we can't get there soon enough. No doubt we will hear in due course but I wonder if living within 20 or 30 or whatever miles of the place will be advantageous or - as seems to be the internet way - our communication with the servers will go via Vladivostok or Muncie if either happens to be the clearest route when we start pressing buttons. However if what happens there is more capable and much quicker then I don't mind if my posts get there via Australia. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
edcayton Posted July 4, 2012 Share Posted July 4, 2012 I can see that someone new on here would be driven away by the problems, but most of us have been here for years and know what the forum and Andy can do. I have been on several other forums/fora and NONE of them have the immediacy that this one does-it's often close to a real-time conversation and that is, to me , the magic. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ceptic Posted July 4, 2012 Share Posted July 4, 2012 Martin,...I may be wrong,..but... That plot don't look anything like the Green Isle / Erin / Irish (Cloud). Seeing is believing, and what you're hinting at, is that, our forthcoming host provider is, once again, within these shores.....Roll on. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold martin_wynne Posted July 4, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 4, 2012 That plot don't look anything like the Green Isle / Erin / Irish (Cloud). Hi Ceptic, I can't speak for Andy, but he has stated that the hosting company is Irish, and that one of its directors is an active member of RMweb. The company concerned is based in Dublin and have their cloud servers installed in several co-location data centres around the world, including that one. Since the majority of RMweb users are in the UK, it would make sense to use their UK data centre, and their own web site is hosted there. Until Andy makes an announcement it is all speculation, and saying more would infringe RMweb's rules about the anonymity of members. I posted it just as a bit of encouragement for members after a day when RMweb has performed worse than usual, at least for me. regards, Martin. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Y Posted July 4, 2012 Share Posted July 4, 2012 Until Andy makes an announcement it is all speculation, and saying more would infringe RMweb's rules about the anonymity of members. Thanks Martin, I can confirm that the servers will be in a UK data centre; that has been part of the reasons for change to enable more effective communication in times of urgency. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Tony_S Posted July 4, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 4, 2012 When I read that the site was going to be located in a cloud I assumed the Goodyear blimp I saw over Canvey Island was doing some installation work. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DerekEm8 Posted July 4, 2012 Share Posted July 4, 2012 Strange happening -not a whinge- went to the VNC link to this topic and guess what ? First one today! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
robmcg Posted July 4, 2012 Share Posted July 4, 2012 Thankyou all for recent posts, whether or not stimulated by my post about forum reliability and speed. I too value this forum for its content and the excellent people, I hope the software and delivery of this brilliant resource can be made reliable or at least pleasant-to-use... my post yesterday was primarily frustration at the clunkiness and sometimes failure of the site to load. I would not have complained if I didn't value the site! All power to you Andy, and Moderators. ...and see, I can use this as an excuse to add a picture of 1960s BR in all its imperfect glory... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ceptic Posted July 5, 2012 Share Posted July 5, 2012 Many Thanks, Martin and Andy. Message received, and understood. The most recent SQR interruption occured during the middle of a PM reply. I admit to being thrown off course, completely. I tried retrieving said reply, via saved draft,..no luck,.. not possible. 2nd. attempt included a link. Again, nothing saved,....in the end... I gave up ! .. Tho' this reply is Auto Saved ??,...Beats me ?. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F1p Posted July 5, 2012 Share Posted July 5, 2012 Wise choice splitting over multiple servers Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozzyo Posted July 5, 2012 Share Posted July 5, 2012 Wise choice splitting over multiple servers Well I don't know what this is about? OzzyO. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.