Forum Update About to Happen

[daiv]

OK this technically should go in the "CactiGuide.com Comments" section, but being as important as it is, I am posting it here and will move it later.

If all goes as planned, the forum will be updated from the ancient version of PHPBB that it is on to the current version.

This is going to mean lots of new features and improvements in many areas for everyone.

However, it is also certainly going to involve some struggling as we get used to the adjustment and work out whatever bugs might pop up.

So please bear with this as there will probably be some down time and other issues. You all have my e-mail: daiv@cactiguide.com and please contact me by e-mail if you can't log in.

This should all happen within the next few days. Still planning and plotting. Will add more specifics as I have them.

Thanks!

[martenfisher]

Personaly I like the simple features of this forum. A couple other forums I was on recategorized everything into finer categories and complicated the sites. I don't use them realy at all anymore. I hope you don't take a more complicated route.

[Ron43]

Personaly I like the simple features of this forum. A couple other forums I was on recategorized everything into finer categories and complicated the sites. I don't use them realy at all anymore. I hope you don't take a more complicated route.

Agree.

[Tiggy]

Personaly I like the simple features of this forum. A couple other forums I was on recategorized everything into finer categories and complicated the sites. I don't use them realy at all anymore. I hope you don't take a more complicated route.

I'll second that, It's less than a year since I acquired the internet and was then using a simple laptop with Windows XP. Then our daughter paid us a visit from Australia and seeing that it was an old laptop (cast off from our other daughter) kindly left me her newer Asus with Windows7. It has taken a lot of patience and hard work trying to adapt, (and still can't get the Wi-Fi to work), Oh well, I suppose it keeps my brain active and staives off early senile dimenture I'm certainly making a note of Daiv's email though I spend most evenings on here so will be quite lost if I can't work it out. Susi

[CoronaCactus]

I'm quite sure Daiv will keep the current forum layout/structure. The basic functionality will remain the same. The main changes will probably just be some fancy new user features, stuff that if you don't understand it, it's not really important. This is just my opinion of course, as i used to run several other forums.

I do hope the new version is smartphone friendly. Would love to be able to post pics from my phone!

[daiv]

Hi everyone. Sorry to "announce and run" yesterday. I had some visitors and then the local historical society meeting, etc.

Anyway, I am definitely into clean, uncomplicated, intuitive setup as well.

The number one reason this update needs to happen is for security. The CactiGuide.com account has been compromised in the past by a spammer who was able to install some malicious files onto the server which sent out spam e-mails. We caught it and ended it, but such a thing could happen again and is more likely with the old forum versions.

Other issues like people being unable to stay logged in cannot be fixed in the old version.

Finally, the new version has much better features for handling images. We will be able to have user galleries. This will be a very nice addition and make it easier for everyone to reference their photos. For instance, if you want to re-post a photo in a new thread.

Well I'll be focused for a while on this and hopefully everyone will be pleased in the end!

[hob]

have you decided on a date yet?

[daiv]

Hey Hob, I'm digging into this right now... I'll be back with more details soon....

[SkyClan Cat]

Finally, the new version has much better features for handling images. We will be able to have user galleries. This will be a very nice addition and make it easier for everyone to reference their photos. For instance, if you want to re-post a photo in a new thread.

Will the photos we already posted stay up? Because if not, there's going to be a whole lot of broken images, and it's bad enough Photobucket takes stuff down after a while so some old threads that may have been helpful before no longer are.

[daiv]

The photos won't be removed or moved to another place and so all those should remain in tact.

However, the picture uploader now is an add on feature and that will go away. The new version has picture uploading and managing built in.

SO.... what is there will stay as is. If users want to include past pictures in their new gallery, that will have to be done manually.

[RichR]

Looking forward to the new features, Daiv. And many, many thanks for all you have done to make CactiGuide one of the most informative and helpful sites on the web. I've gotten more useful info from all the contributors than I have from a dozen cactus books.

[peterb]

Definitely psyched about the change! I look forward to the picture gallery thing! That will revolutionize my cactus picture life, somehow, I can tell.

Thanks again Daiv for everything you do to make this forum useful, friendly, accurate and in depth.

peterb

[Arjen]

I can't wait to see what it will be/look like!

also a thank you from me for maintaining this very friendly and helpful website

[majcka]

I see you did some work. Now I have to do some work to find things I want. Must say that form is somehow known to me, because it's similar to another forum I'm member of.
Good work.

[daiv]

Hey sorry for the ugly look. I had a PHPBB modder help me with this and went live before I knew what was happening.

I'll be working this morning on getting this thing to look right and then will set to work on making sure the functions are all doing what they should.