Shall we update Talkchess' software?

[Christopher Conkie]

Another question? Have you asked Sam and the owner of Talkchess about updating the software and changes that would be made in this forum.

Yes, and the answer was that we ought to start with a poll. This poll. (Not that we wouldn't have started with a poll anyway!)

Thank you for your effort to improve talkchess forum.

Good luck,
Gerold.

What effort would that be Gerold?

He made a fucking poll.

Do you think if I make a poll on gun control in the USA here they will disarm the members of the NRA? It only takes one bullet to die after all......



Chris

(I love banal CCC polls.....thinking about making a few myself to keep the minions happy here. Did we ever have polls in the CTF?)

[gerold]

Another question? Have you asked Sam and the owner of Talkchess about updating the software and changes that would be made in this forum.

Yes, and the answer was that we ought to start with a poll. This poll. (Not that we wouldn't have started with a poll anyway!)

Thank you for your effort to improve talkchess forum.

Good luck,
Gerold.

What effort would that be Gerold?

He made a f***ing poll.

Do you think if I make a poll on gun control in the USA here they will disarm the members of the NRA? It only takes one bullet to die after all......



Chris

(I love banal CCC polls.....thinking about making a few myself to keep the minions happy here. Did we ever have polls in the CTF?)

Well there are about 5 or 6 working on this update issue. Also a new web site has been created for some of the programmers using software that they want to use in this forum. Have you been to that new programmers web site yet? Maybe it will replace OpenChess forum as it is about dead.

[Christopher Conkie]

Another question? Have you asked Sam and the owner of Talkchess about updating the software and changes that would be made in this forum.

Yes, and the answer was that we ought to start with a poll. This poll. (Not that we wouldn't have started with a poll anyway!)

Thank you for your effort to improve talkchess forum.

Good luck,
Gerold.

What effort would that be Gerold?

He made a f***ing poll.

Do you think if I make a poll on gun control in the USA here they will disarm the members of the NRA? It only takes one bullet to die after all......



Chris

(I love banal CCC polls.....thinking about making a few myself to keep the minions happy here. Did we ever have polls in the CTF?)

Well there are about 5 or 6 working on this update issue. Also a new web site has been created for some of the programmers using software that they want to use in this forum. Have you been to that new programmers web site yet? Maybe it will replace OpenChess forum as it is about dead.

Should I make a poll to see if anyone wants to show me the URL?



Chris

[Adam Hair]

Another question? Have you asked Sam and the owner of Talkchess about updating the software and changes that would be made in this forum.

Yes, and the answer was that we ought to start with a poll. This poll. (Not that we wouldn't have started with a poll anyway!)

Thank you for your effort to improve talkchess forum.

Good luck,
Gerold.

What effort would that be Gerold?

He made a f***ing poll.

Do you think if I make a poll on gun control in the USA here they will disarm the members of the NRA? It only takes one bullet to die after all......



Chris

(I love banal CCC polls.....thinking about making a few myself to keep the minions happy here. Did we ever have polls in the CTF?)

Well there are about 5 or 6 working on this update issue. Also a new web site has been created for some of the programmers using software that they want to use in this forum. Have you been to that new programmers web site yet? Maybe it will replace OpenChess forum as it is about dead.

Should I make a poll to see if anyone wants to show me the URL?



Chris

http://computerchessauthors.com/showthread.php?tid=1

[Christopher Conkie]

Another question? Have you asked Sam and the owner of Talkchess about updating the software and changes that would be made in this forum.

Yes, and the answer was that we ought to start with a poll. This poll. (Not that we wouldn't have started with a poll anyway!)

Thank you for your effort to improve talkchess forum.

Good luck,
Gerold.

What effort would that be Gerold?

He made a f***ing poll.

Do you think if I make a poll on gun control in the USA here they will disarm the members of the NRA? It only takes one bullet to die after all......



Chris

(I love banal CCC polls.....thinking about making a few myself to keep the minions happy here. Did we ever have polls in the CTF?)

Well there are about 5 or 6 working on this update issue. Also a new web site has been created for some of the programmers using software that they want to use in this forum. Have you been to that new programmers web site yet? Maybe it will replace OpenChess forum as it is about dead.

Should I make a poll to see if anyone wants to show me the URL?



Chris

http://computerchessauthors.com/showthread.php?tid=1

OK thank you Adam. That is a MyBB board. Something that was discarded about two years ago as an alternative to this. Has anything changed since then?

Chris

[Adam Hair]

I have little knowledge of forum software, so I can not tell you if anything has changed. But, several people believe it is an upgrade compared to phpBB 2.

[Christopher Conkie]

I have little knowledge of forum software, so I can not tell you if anything has changed. But, several people believe it is an upgrade compared to phpBB 2.

Well it is newer and updated. The real question is.....does it do whatever we need here.

It is relatively easy to convert a flat phpBB2 or flat (the only choice you have) phpBB3 board to MyBB. To convert a threaded phpBB2 board (as we have here) to MyBB is in no way simple

The best alternative we have at this moment in time is to archive what we have now (as was done before) and then to start form scratch with something else.

The forum software we need )does not yet exist (at least not with major ammendments).....and we have looked)



Chris

[Peter Skinner]

Well it is newer and updated. The real question is.....does it do whatever we need here.

It is relatively easy to convert a flat phpBB2 or flat (the only choice you have) phpBB3 board to MyBB. To convert a threaded phpBB2 board (as we have here) to MyBB is in no way simple

The best alternative we have at this moment in time is to archive what we have now (as was done before) and then to start form scratch with something else.

The forum software we need )does not yet exist (at least not with major ammendments).....and we have looked)



Chris

MyBB has been updated quite a bit, and it is extremely easy to convert from a phpbb2 threaded board to that system. The issue revolves around database size, which the CCC would be fairly large I would figure.

That is why I asked earlier in this thread if someone would allow me access to the database so I can try a few dry run conversions to see just how many issues we would have. I don't expect to many to be honest.

On the flip side I have contacted the author of MobyThreads about making an update for phpbb3 and he states the authors of phpbb have made it near impossible to go back to a threaded system. He would have to rewrite half the board itself to make it compliant.

So we are left with using an outdated version of software on this forum that will get exploited if left in place long enough, or move to something that doesn't have as many flaws. Reading the history of why phpbb went to forcing a flat view was the legacy code require to facilitate threaded features was a security risk in itself. Once trying to update that code to the modern code they had for the flat system it became obvious they went to far in one direction to allow both to exist.

Leaving this board in place as is equates to using Windows 2000 on the internet in today's ecosystem. We both know why that would be a stupid thing to do.. so why use the same logic with the site's software?

People aren't trying to change the software here just because they don't like it. Several of the people involved, myself being one of them know it is just a matter of time before this place gets exploited. We're a relatively small community compared to some mass bb based websites. They found out the hard way what we are trying to prevent. "Stay current, or get exploited."

Now we could just archive everything we have and start fresh. That would be far easier to do than anything. We would only have to merge over the user accounts. Setting that up would take all of 30 minutes once the archiving is done.

Peter

[JuLieN]

So we are left with using an outdated version of software on this forum that will get exploited if left in place long enough, or move to something that doesn't have as many flaws. Reading the history of why phpbb went to forcing a flat view was the legacy code require to facilitate threaded features was a security risk in itself. Once trying to update that code to the modern code they had for the flat system it became obvious they went to far in one direction to allow both to exist.

Leaving this board in place as is equates to using Windows 2000 on the internet in today's ecosystem. We both know why that would be a stupid thing to do.. so why use the same logic with the site's software?

People aren't trying to change the software here just because they don't like it. Several of the people involved, myself being one of them know it is just a matter of time before this place gets exploited. We're a relatively small community compared to some mass bb based websites. They found out the hard way what we are trying to prevent. "Stay current, or get exploited."

We are incredibly lucky we are such a "niche hobby" that we are too small to have been noticed by hackers (this and the fact that we're one of the few fora that asks for people's real names). But we all know that soon or later our 8/12-years old software will eventually get exploited, yes. Height years is an enormous amount of time for internet technologies!

That is why I asked earlier in this thread if someone would allow me access to the database so I can try a few dry run conversions to see just how many issues we would have. I don't expect to many to be honest.

(...)

Now we could just archive everything we have and start fresh. That would be far easier to do than anything. We would only have to merge over the user accounts. Setting that up would take all of 30 minutes once the archiving is done.

Peter

I am personally totally opposed to this "solution", because I don't want us to lose any content : Talkchess is an invaluable resource for many people, starting with the programmers. Of course, if a majority of people say "let's go for a reboot", who am I to say "no!", but I am truly convinced that this would be a major error and a big waste. But I see no reason why you couldn't do for Talkchess what you did for the smaller CCAA's forum, Peter. Certainly there will be no problem. But we'll see that you can get what you need for the tests (once the poll has ended).

[Peter Skinner]

I am personally totally opposed to this "solution", because I don't want us to lose any content : Talkchess is an invaluable resource for many people, starting with the programmers. Of course, if a majority of people say "let's go for a reboot", who am I to say "no!", but I am truly convinced that this would be a major error and a big waste. But I see no reason why you couldn't do for Talkchess what you did for the smaller CCAA's forum, Peter. Certainly there will be no problem. But we'll see that you can get what you need for the tests (once the poll has ended).

We have archived in the past. Problem is getting someone to host all of it and being able to search it.

You and I both know there is one lingering issue from the conversion of the CCAA forum; the way links from previous threads are now displayed. I am editing the merge code to fix that glaring bug and then I will fix it in the current database over there.

Being that my family and I are technically starting our Christmas festivities today, things will move slowly as I work on this between family visits and shaking off hang overs

Peter