Matthew

>Indeed. I also can't understand how this affects PCI compliance. The
>open port can be explained - I've heard of others having other servers.
>Perhaps the real solution to that is also to move card servers away
>from customer servers.
>
>All of which is irrelevant, but I do hope that some sort of per-user
>system is available. Perhaps a Slack forum - or is that not suitable?
>We need somewhere to hang out with a "next unread" facility. What makes
>WebBuilder and ElevateDB is access to the other users and the ability
>to ask questions. I only answer things because it is just there and
>telling me there are new messages.

Precisely. The newsgroups were what tipped me in favour of buying DBISAM - the community was great.

A web based forum will just be
>people asking questions, and the occasional answer if someone happens
>by weeks later.

Well, I suppose SO has a lot of stuff on - mind you I've never asked a question on there just found stuff from yonks ago that answers a question for me now

>If this was part of a grand plan to give us a new
>system, I'd be happy.

If its as convenient as NNTP - ie I don't have to go and log on, and leave my browser open all day just to see - yes otherwise no. My browser gets used a lot for business and I constantly shut it down (its either that or keep closing pages) - I suppose I could have a different browser open permanently to view the new forum - or possibly not.

Roy Lambert

Matthew,

I'll respond here because you created the original post.

We just got hit with this, and are required to comply by March 6, so I don't have any choice in this matter.  It's really that simple.  The alternatives are both expensive (in an ongoing way) and time-consuming, so I have to shut it down.

I'll be updating the support forums to offer more features as I get the time to do so.

Tim Young
Elevate Software
www.elevatesoft.com

Tim Young [Elevate Software] wrote:

> Matthew,
>
> I'll respond here because you created the original post.
>
> We just got hit with this, and are required to comply by March 6, so
> I don't have any choice in this matter.  It's really that simple.
> The alternatives are both expensive (in an ongoing way) and
> time-consuming, so I have to shut it down.
>
> I'll be updating the support forums to offer more features as I get
> the time to do so.


Is there something we can do to run a user NNTP forum? Or something
like that?

--

Matthew Jones

Roy Lambert wrote:

> Well, I suppose SO has a lot of stuff on

I see there is an "elevatedb" tag (6 questions), but not "webbuilder".
Perhaps that's worth a ponder for a destination - no chatter, but you
can get an RSS feed. Such a pity to lose the community this way.
Hopefully Tim can find a solution and make that happen, and when it
does, tell us all. See you on the other side friends.

--

Matthew Jones

Matthew Jones wrote:

> Is there something we can do to run a user NNTP forum? Or something
> like that?

https://payments.discourse.org/buy/ might be an option, but it costs!
The more expensive option allows import of existing data. Hmm, no
mention of "unread" messages. Probably rules it out.

--

Matthew Jones

Matthew,

<< Is there something we can do to run a user NNTP forum? Or something like that? >>

Why would you want to do that ?  *This right here* are the official support forums, so anything else is unlikely to get any traction.

Frankly, I'm not quite sure what all the fuss is about.  It's not like you're losing that much functionality, given the message volume here.  Plus, everyone had to expect this at some point - how many sites do you know of that still run NNTP servers ?

Tim Young
Elevate Software
www.elevatesoft.com

On 19/02/2016 8:12 a.m., Tim Young [Elevate Software] wrote:
<snip>
> Frankly, I'm not quite sure what all the fuss is about.

The "fuss" is about losing a collaborative community.  To us, especially
to solo developers like me, it is like losing touch with a family ...

I honestly can't see how the web interface can be the same.  Will there
be the ability to follow threads and find unread items easily.

Sounds like a lot of enhancement to the forums.

Maybe you can quickly knock up an EWB forum client that presents the
threads like a newsreader and somehow keesp track of unread items at the
client end.

Cheers

Jeff

Jeff Cook <jeffc@aspect.co.nz> wrote:
> On 19/02/2016 8:12 a.m., Tim Young [Elevate Software] wrote:
> <snip>
>> Frankly, I'm not quite sure what all the fuss is about.
>
> The "fuss" is about losing a collaborative community.  To us, especially
> to solo developers like me, it is like losing touch with a family ...
>

The fuss to me is that I check the groups on my phone or work PC and if I
see an interesting question that I can help answer, I will chip in. But if
I have to visit a web forum, then I will typically do that once a month or
so, and I scan the topics, most old and unanswered, and ask my question and
move on.

If Tim will be able to answer all questions promptly then it may not matter
but the wider discussion will disappear and that will be a loss. I hope
that it works out.

--
Matthew Jones

Tim

I told myself that I wouldn't respond again but I feel I just have to

><< Is there something we can do to run a user NNTP forum? Or something like that? >>
>
>Why would you want to do that ?

Because NNTP works and on-line ones don't work as well, or at least none I've seen.

Little example - I use Maxthon as my browser and had a weird thing happening with some sites. I went onto their on-line forum, logged in and posted a question. I then had to leave my browser open refreshing occasionally to see if there was a response. I'd set the flag to ask to be notified when there was a reply. The only problem is you have to be logged into their forum to get the notification. Traffic volume meant that my post had only slitherd half way down the page when an answer came in.

>*This right here* are the official support forums, so anything else is unlikely to get any traction.

Probably right, especially after those without a valid subscription were banned from posting.

>Frankly, I'm not quite sure what all the fuss is about. It's not like you're losing that much functionality, given the message volume here.

The fuss is about USABILITY more than functionality. A decent newsgroup doesn't need much functionality to work really well. You ask a question, you (hopefully) get an answer. In my client I can flag thereads for watching, or for flag as read when downloaded, and click to go to the next unread. They're organised nicely into topics. That's not a lot of functionality but it scores VERY highly on usability.

>Plus, everyone had to expect this at some point - how many sites do you know of that still run NNTP servers ?

Not that many. There are still the Embarcadero ones, and there was a lot of shouting on there when the attempt was made to move to a swishy new on-line pile of poo.

Roy Lambert

Jeff,

<< The "fuss" is about losing a collaborative community.  To us, especially to solo developers like me, it is like losing touch with a family ... >>

But, you're not *losing* anything - everything is still where it is, and the forums/messages are the same that they always were.

<< I honestly can't see how the web interface can be the same.  Will there be the ability to follow threads and find unread items easily. >>

Trust me, I've been using the web interface now for some time for answering questions, and it really isn't as bad as you guys are making it out to be.  As I already stated, there just simply isn't the volume of messages that cause the lack of threading, etc. to be an issue.  The most recent posts are always at the top of the forum.  Also, you can still reply to individual posts, and internally the server is keeping track of the threading, so when we move over to something more functional, it will all still be there.

<< Maybe you can quickly knock up an EWB forum client that presents the threads like a newsreader and somehow keesp track of unread items at the client end. >>

No, I won't be knocking up a new forum quickly.  As I already stated, this was sprung *on* us, not *by* us.  Everyone will just have to adjust for now until I can come up with something new.

Tim Young
Elevate Software
www.elevatesoft.com