Some site news...we're moving! [Update in Post #138 4/6/21]

Boards.ie: Niamh · 04-06-2021 10:55am

odyssey06 wrote: »

Can I get a notification if someone replies to one of my posts?

No it's not one of the features of the new platform (at least not at the moment). The good new is when they build new features, we can just plug them in or not if they suit us as well as working on our own stuff.

frozenfrozen wrote: »

Will signup date be visible beside all posts?

Join date will still be there yes.

WestWicklow1 wrote: »

Will there be a "Back to top" button in threads?

I thinks so but I don't remember off the top of my head and can't access the test site at this very minute. I'll check that and get back to you.

StupidLikeAFox wrote: »

Slightly off topic, but if new features are easier to implement on the new platform and its something admins are placing a focus on, would you consider setting up something like uservoice? This would let people suggest new features, other users could vote for them etc

I've never heard of uservoice! Users have always been able to make suggestions for new features in Site Development or Feedback with other user's input but I'll take a look at uservoice to see what it's all about.

MEGA BRO WOLF 5000 wrote: »

Will "join date" still be under people's avatars?

Yes it will.

AlmightyCushion wrote: »

What is the story with the 10,000 post limit per thread. Do threads that big cause issues on the new platform?

They shouldn't cause the same issues but will check and confirm. I'm not sure they have any other sites as big/busy as Boards so they might not be too sure themselves.

Deja Boo wrote: »

Will be changes to avatars?

Your current avatars will be migrated to the new platform as they are but I think the avatar options will be different then, I'll have to double check

Boards.ie: Niamh · 04-06-2021 10:58am

Declan A Walsh wrote: »

Is there something that can be done about posters who keep closing their accounts and then starting with new usernames? I know it's not a crime but it can be annoying, particularly if done for trolling purposes. Maybe, where admin can see it is coming from the same source, e.g. same email address, some kind of tick or icon is put beside the username.

Closing an account and then opening a new one is not against the rules unless it's to get around a ban in which case the admins are usually quite good at spotting it. There is no 100% approach to this other than making people reg with real names and ID and so on which will never happen on Boards.

I don't want to get off the topic of features of the new platform so I will leave it there for now.

Hodors Appletart · 04-06-2021 11:13am

Boards.ie: Niamh wrote: »

I'm not sure they have any other sites as big/busy as Boards so they might not be too sure themselves.

have you any links to forums that are currently running on Vanilla, just for a looksee?

Gregor Samsa · 04-06-2021 11:16am

I'm excited about this. I like new things.

I know people will gripe because such-and-such a feature will be gone or different, and it can be frustrating when something you're used to changes, but clearly the technology behind Boards is long overdue update. This really has to happen. We'll all get used to it in time no matter what.

Boards is all about the people and the content. And long may it continue.

Baggly · 04-06-2021 11:18am

Gregor Samsa wrote: »

I'm excited about this. I like new things.

I know people will gripe because such-and-such a feature will be gone or different, and it can be frustrating when something you're used to changes, but clearly the technology behind Boards is long overdue update. This really has to happen. We'll all get used to it in time no matter what.

Boards is all about the people and the content. And long may it continue.

+1

Gregor Samsa · 04-06-2021 11:18am

Hodors Appletart wrote: »

have you any links to forums that are currently running on Vanilla, just for a looksee?

https://vanillaforums.com/en/showcase/

EmmetSpiceland · 04-06-2021 12:03pm

Hi, just wondering, with all the new “acknowledgements” for posts will these be totted up, as the currant “thanks” are?

I’m someone who, almost, exclusively uses the “touch site” so was unaware of this until quite recently. It looks like I have a pretty good ratio of “approval” from the users of this site and would hope that such esteem would carry over to this new “setup”.

Trigger · 04-06-2021 12:16pm

I'm saving pacman as a bookmark to use especially if you can embed images so freely..

Share the wealth!

https://b-static.net/touchapp/i/smilies/pacman.png

Baggly · 04-06-2021 12:43pm

#pacback

Gregor Samsa · 04-06-2021 1:03pm

AlmightyCushion wrote: »

What is the story with the 10,000 post limit per thread. Do threads that big cause issues on the new platform?

Boards.ie: Niamh wrote: »

They shouldn't cause the same issues but will check and confirm. I'm not sure they have any other sites as big/busy as Boards so they might not be too sure themselves.

I just had a snoop around some of the other sites that use Vanilla.

There's threads on King games (Candycrush) that have over 25,000 posts.

There's a thread on Digital Spy with over 43,000 posts (The Tennis Thread). It's called "part 33", but it seems they just start a new thread about tennis each year regardless of the number of posts in it.

Obviously I don't know anything about the Boards implementation, but the platform seems to be able support more than 10k anyway.

o1s1n · 04-06-2021 1:54pm

Trigger wrote: »

I'm saving pacman as a bookmark to use especially if you can embed images so freely..

Share the wealth!

https://b-static.net/touchapp/i/smilies/pacman.png

You genius! He lives on!! :pac::pac::pac:

Deja Boo · 04-06-2021 2:00pm

Gregor Samsa wrote: »

...
There's a thread on Digital Spy with over 43,000 posts (The Tennis Thread). It's called "part 33", but it seems they just start a new thread about tennis each year regardless of the number of posts in it.

Is this ^ similar to the new forum format? I just clicked on one of the posters there just to see what profile pages are like... Sure feels empty and loses some community feel without a friends list. Guess I've grown used to attached to them filling my page, over the years (miss them already!)

I know there is no way around this, and I am truly grateful Boards will still be intact, so thanks for all your efforts regardless.

Gregor Samsa · 04-06-2021 2:19pm

Deja Boo wrote: »

Is this ^ similar to the new forum format?

I've no idea. I assume there's a lot of leeway in skinning the tool and changing the UI, and Niamh said it would look like the current Boards look when launched. So I wouldn't take the other sites as examples of what it will look like.

It'll be a surprise! :pac:

seamus · 04-06-2021 2:28pm

Gregor Samsa wrote: »

I'm excited about this. I like new things.

I know people will gripe because such-and-such a feature will be gone or different, and it can be frustrating when something you're used to changes, but clearly the technology behind Boards is long overdue update. This really has to happen. We'll all get used to it in time no matter what.

Boards is all about the people and the content. And long may it continue.

+1

It's going to be annoying. Every change to a platform you're familiar with, is annoying. I've been through enough versions of Windows (and boards!) to know that you have a bedding-in period of weeks to months where people whinge incessantly about how things aren't where they were before, things don't work like they did before, it's slower, it's ugly, etc etc.

It all settles down in the end. Some people jump ship, but they always come back. The overall format of boards hasn't really changed (for me anyway) in about a decade. Which means this transition is going to be a difficult one.

I'm a bit amazed that the old vB platform (or what's left of it) has held together as long as it has. There were big discussions when boards first became a paying employer, about rebuilding from the ground up, but trying to run something like that *and* keep the site ticking along turned out to be a very long project.

I'm excited for the team because they've been looking at all sorts of recurrent issues and inefficient processes and thinking, "If only we could sort that....", and now they're going to get that chance.

Necro · 04-06-2021 2:41pm

Gregor Samsa wrote: »

I'm excited about this. I like new things.

I know people will gripe because such-and-such a feature will be gone or different, and it can be frustrating when something you're used to changes, but clearly the technology behind Boards is long overdue update. This really has to happen. We'll all get used to it in time no matter what.

Boards is all about the people and the content. And long may it continue.

Yeah I definitely agree. I can only imagine how vBulletin is being held together by little staples and some super glue after this long and it's a long overdue upgrade.

Sure, it might take a little while to get used to. For others maybe a bit longer than that.

But given the new features already announced by Niamh and the possibilities of more when the switchover is all done over time (I'll be asking about automated vote counters for Werewolf games

Don't worry right now guys, we will talk soon though

) I am seriously looking forward to it all.

The site may change in looks a bit and we might lose some old friends (pray for pac) but in the long-term this will be a fantastic thing to keep the site going.

o1s1n · 04-06-2021 3:32pm

Is there any way we could use this as an opportunity to find a balance between the current header with four drop downs (with only one of them being for actual forum topics)

And the older one? (apologies for the size, if you click into it you'll see what I mean, with all the drop downs for topics along the top)

One of my theories in many forums going dead is the compression of all of the topic drop downs which were along the top of the page into one TOPICS button. People just don't browse through them anymore.

The old system you just hovered your mouse at the top of the screen over a category and all the forums would appear. Was a really great way of discovering more obscure places you'd never visit, they'd all just display there in one place.

Boards.ie: Niamh · 04-06-2021 4:02pm

The excitement in here is palpable! Which is why it pains me to tell you that we've had to push back the move from next week unfortunately. It is a combination of things really.
We had a deadline today to get a certain amount of things done which was a very tight but doable deadline but then Vanilla pushed out an update earlier in the week that knocked out all of Dave's theming and he had to re-do it. This pushed other things further down the To Do list. On top of that there are two backfground issues that we need to work out so we're going to spend more time looking at both of these issues. Hopefully it will just be a pause of a few weeks, we'll keep ye updated here.

Sorry about that, I know it was exciting to have something to look forward to

ShaneU · 04-06-2021 4:04pm

frozenfrozen · 04-06-2021 4:05pm

Dark theme as default theme please since you're starting again

Trigger · 04-06-2021 4:06pm

Baggly wrote: »

#pacback

^^^^

:pac:

Declan A Walsh · 04-06-2021 4:06pm

Boards.ie: Niamh wrote: »

The excitement in here is palpable! Which is why it pains me to tell you that we've had to push back the move from next week unfortunately. It is a combination of things really.
We had a deadline today to get a certain amount of things done which was a very tight but doable deadline but then Vanilla pushed out an update earlier in the week that knocked out all of Dave's theming and he had to re-do it. This pushed other things further down the To Do list. On top of that there are two backfground issues that we need to work out so we're going to spend more time looking at both of these issues. Hopefully it will just be a pause of a few weeks, we'll keep ye updated here.

Sorry about that, I know it was exciting to have something to look forward to

You definitely work in IT with a detailed report like that!

DopeTech · 04-06-2021 4:11pm

Will there be any enhancements in regards to notifications when you have been mentioned/quoted/replied to in a thread? Even if you are not following the thread?

Boards.ie: Niamh · 04-06-2021 4:12pm

frozenfrozen wrote: »

Dark theme as default theme please since you're starting again

If we were really starting over again we'd be pushing back to 2022, dark theme is top of the new feature requests but probably won't make it to the first iteration.

Boards.ie: Niamh · 04-06-2021 4:13pm

DopeTech wrote: »

Will there be any enhancements in regards to notifications when you have been mentioned/quoted/replied to in a thread? Even if you are not following the thread?

If you are tagged in a thread you will get a notification but not if someone replies to or quotes your posts.

Boards.ie: Niamh · 04-06-2021 4:13pm

Declan A Walsh wrote: »

You definitely work in IT will a detailed report like that!

Not sure if you are being serious or sarcastic :pac:

Declan A Walsh · 04-06-2021 4:16pm

Boards.ie: Niamh wrote: »

Not sure if you are being serious or sarcastic :pac:

Not sure myself! The level of detail in your explanation on why it is has to be postponed reminds of some people with IT careers!

Trigger · 04-06-2021 4:19pm

Declan A Walsh wrote: »

Not sure myself! The level of detail in your explanation on why it is has to be postponed reminds of some people with IT careers!

God no.. we would usually get a "implementation of ticket xxxx has been postponed for this month."

No reason why

Beagslife · 04-06-2021 5:12pm

A go on now! You're all just going on the lash for the Bank Holiday. The thought of trying to sort problems on Tuesday and Wednesday was just too much. Anyway Enjoy it!!!

04-06-2021 5:30pm

Trigger wrote: »

God no.. we would usually get a "implementation of ticket xxxx has been postponed for this month."

No reason why

Usually it's "Management have told us to delay until X as they're having a board meeting and don't want there to be any risks due to the upgrade!"

Trigger · 04-06-2021 5:38pm

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Usually it's "Management have told us to delay until X as they're having a board meeting and don't want there to be any risks due to the upgrade!"

Where they all sit around smoking cigars laughing at us mere minions

Some site news...we're moving! [Update in Post #138 4/6/21]

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