Changes coming to the VentureRider site

[Freebird]

Sometime in the near future, I will be making some major changes to the VentureRider site. This is not something that I want to do but am pretty much being forced to do.

 

This site is a conglomeration of several different software packages that are somewhat integrated together so that a single login works from the home page, the forum, classifieds, etc. It is a common occurrence that I have to upgrade the software from time to time. Sometimes it is to add new features but it is often because new security vulnerabilities are discovered. Once they are discovered, it is not long before the hackers and spammer find out about them and then we are open to such attacks.

 

The problem is though that often if an upgrade is required in one area, for example the forum, then it causes problems with other areas such as the home page. So it's a chain effect, an upgrade here ends up requiring an upgrade to other parts of the site. Often it is after an upgrade is already done before you find the problems that it caused in other areas. An example is this last upgrade where an upgrade to the forum software caused such things as the "Mark Forums Read" and etc. to stop working on the home page and also the side menu here. That is because the side menu here on the forum is actually part of the home page software. It all gets so confusing.

 

While it can be irritating and cause a lot of work and debugging each time, the problem is that the people who wrote the software that I am using on the home page appear to have pretty much given up that business. They are no longer offering upgrades or support for the software. This last little change and the problems that it caused created some real headaches and several hours to figure out what code needed to be changed so that it all worked together again. As more changes are made to the forum, the problem will get much worse.

 

The bottom line is that I am going to have to completely redo the VentureRider home page from scratch. Remove the current software and integration and come up with a new solution. Over the next week or two I will be looking at various options and making a decision on what will the be best route forward. There may be some changes that some of you like and there may be some things that go away that some of you will really miss. It can't be helped and I promise that I will try my best to retain all the current features that I can.

 

The good news is that the actual discussion forum will remain pretty much the same. The decision that I make for the home page will determine if there are any changes at all to the forum. If there are changes, it will still be the same basic software and no changes in the way that it actually works on your end. Also, we should not lose any posts. The only thing that we might lose, at least temporarily, are some of the custom features that I have added over the years. If so, I will add them back as soon as possible.

 

Well that's the story. It is not going to happen today or this weekend but will be happening soon. This is such a big change that when I do it, I will very likely have to shut down the site for at least a couple of hours. I will give advance notice before doing that.

[Condor]

Good luck Don. May the cyber gods watch over you, plus I'm sure it won't be as bad as the big crash....

[Guest scarylarry]

I will very likely have to shut down the site for at least a couple of hours

What will we do?????

I don't have a life outside of this forum..

[Scooter Bob]

It is not going to happen today or this weekend but will be happening soon.

 

To bad this didn't happen in winter, instead of your riding season.

 

Well maybe not, this way you can sneak out for a putt before you pull the rest of your hair out.

 

Keep up the good work Don.

 

Later, Scooter Bob

[Marcarl]

SOMEBODY QUICK,,,,, make a copy of this site,,,,,,, no never mind, Don has it under control!!!!!!!!!!

Progress,,,,,YES!!!!

[BuckShot]

Sounds good Don---Work you magic.

Been wondering who all was on facebook anyway.Just another way to keep in touch if need be.

[Tartan Terror]

Oh boy...... This wont be like the big crash of 06? I remember those dark days. Thats why even the originals here all say 2006 even though this site existed well before that. Those of us who are here all the time went through some awful withdrawls and we all had to re-register. Let us all pray.

[Rocket]

SOMEBODY QUICK,,,,, make a copy of this site,,,,,,, no never mind, Don has it under control!!!!!!!!!!

Progress,,,,,YES!!!!

 

Another backup copy (just in case) will be good too......

 

I do not want to suffer again, from the effects, of a long term outage like in 2006 (3 days of no site + re-building the lost info since). If I remember correctly, it was a server crash & a corrupt backup that brought the site down, back then.

 

:fingers-crossed-emo

[Lone Eagle]

Good luck, Don - keeping the crossed and the warm for ya.

[buddy]

Thanks for the info. Boss, most places give you no warning and do it anyway. And I'm sorry your are having to this up grade. We all know its been a pain a time or too for you, and for that I'm sorry.

And it has not been asked yet so I will.... $$ Does the venturerider.org have enough money to cover this up grade? as we all know you have given a lot of your time & personal money up for us and I want to make sure this does not happen again. I don't have much but what I have its yours to use for this site.

Don,

Peg & I also want to Thank You for all your time and sweat you put into this site, You really have a big family here, we're here if you need us (VentureriderFamily) in one way or another Please ask! if you need anything.

Buddy & Snowflake

[Skid]

Thanks Don, good to know you're on top of things.....

[Yammer Dan]

Thanks Boss. I wish I understood about 1/20th of what you do on these things.

[MidlifeVenture]

Thanks for spending the time to keep this the great place it is

[chocking]

Thanks Don

 

All the work you do for this site is more appreciated than you know:lightbulb:

[Zfrebird4]

... for taking care of all of us in your large family. I agree on the $$ dues if needed; let all of us know if $ are needed.

 

And ya, put that golf ball to see if you can loose it. That'll help your frustration! (Some).

 

JackZ

 

Yea Don!

[Freebird]

Thanks for the info. Boss, most places give you no warning and do it anyway. And I'm sorry your are having to this up grade. We all know its been a pain a time or too for you, and for that I'm sorry.

And it has not been asked yet so I will.... $$ Does the venturerider.org have enough money to cover this up grade? as we all know you have given a lot of your time & personal money up for us and I want to make sure this does not happen again. I don't have much but what I have its yours to use for this site.

 

Don,

Peg & I also want to Thank You for all your time and sweat you put into this site, You really have a big family here, we're here if you need us (VentureriderFamily) in one way or another Please ask! if you need anything.

 

Buddy & Snowflake

 

 

Thank you and to everybody here. Money is fine. The dues more than cover the hosting and this upgrade. Thanks for asking though. Depending upon which route I take, it will cost between nothing and about $275.00. Either way, like I said, it is covered already with the yearly dues.

[BuddyRich]

Don, one thing I have learned in this business is that its constant change. Its also a constant battle to keep up and to keep the bad guys out. No matter what you do some will like it and others will hate it. Get what ever is easiest for you to maintain.In the last 20 years I never had a user toss his PC in the trash and tell me he's goin back to a typewriter,pencils and paper. I

[MidlifeVenture]

Speaking of dues that should be coming up does it all fall on the day dues went mandatory or is it the day we payed and will we get a reminder:think:

[Guest scarylarry]

Don, one thing I have learned in this business is that its constant change. Its also a constant battle to keep up and to keep the bad guys out. No matter what you do some will like it and others will hate it. Get what ever is easiest for you to maintain.In the last 20 years I never had a user toss his PC in the trash and tell me he's goin back to a typewriter,pencils and paper. I

 

They still make typewriters?????

I did see some paper and pencil at wally world

[Freebird]

All of you SHOULD get an email when your memberships are expiring. Since this is the first time for this, I am just HOPING that it works as it should.

 

You can look in your UserCP though under Paid Subscriptions and it will show you the date that they expire. You can renew anytime you wish and a year will be added to the current expiration date.

 

Don

[ibents]

All of you SHOULD get an email when your memberships are expiring. Since this is the first time for this, I am just HOPING that it works as it should.

 

You can look in your UserCP though under Paid Subscriptions and it will show you the date that they expire. You can renew anytime you wish and a year will be added to the current expiration date.

 

Don

 

Pay Pal sent Don, my sub expires on the 13th April. Cost me 45 cents exchange, gotta like it

 

Ian

[mrich12000]

When I donated extra cash Don emailed me and asked why? I said you may need it for something well your welcome. This site has proven so informative and I have met and talked back to the great members here . Heck I even found a long lost relations here. Keep up the great work Don!!!

[MiCarl]

Don, I question your sanity.

 

The project you're describing sounds perfect for January or February, not riding season (which just started!). You've already gone through the pain of patching it together for the latest upgrade, why not wait 'till the snow flies for the rework?

 

Just thinking you shouldn't be hunched over a computer when you should be getting saddle sores.

[Two Tone White]

Is it me or is this deja vu all over again? Didn't we change to this new version/new look (vBulletin) a couple of years ago because the old one was easily corruptible or something like that and this one was the premier software to avoid whatever problems we were encountering... or am I just imagining things?

[BIG TOM]

I'm aleady skeeeerd...be gentle with our site Don...:rotf:Naw..... we trust you. Do what you got to do... :smash2: