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Changes Coming to OC ReMix Forums [4/26/2015]


djpretzel
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UPDATE: We'll be trying again this afternoon, 4/26/2015, starting at or around 5:00PM EST.

UPDATE: Issues w/ server config prevented migration. Going to give LiquidWeb, our hosts, a stern talking to. Will update with new migration date once resolved.

Introduction

Our community is lucky enough to have active online forums where opinions, feedback, project coordination, discussion, and everything in between occurs. While OCR staff make plenty of decisions on IRC, and while we continue to use Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and SoundCloud to further promote VGM & OCR both, ultimately the forums form the heart & soul of what OCR is. That's only going to become more and more true and evident as this year progresses, as most of our big plans are centered around building on top of our forums, expanding them, & integrating them with the rest of the site.

But first, a brief history...

  • Our VERY FIRST forums were a CGI version of wwwthreads, a verrrrrry long time ago... these were the forums we were using back when the vgmix split occurred, and in the VERY early days when OCR was actually a side project to the OverClocked web comic. True story.
  • We eventually moved to PHPBB as it represented the best free & OSS option at the time that benefited from PHP & MySQL.
  • As it became clear that PHPBB development was moving WAY too slow for us to keep waiting on it for certain features, we made the switch to vBulletin 3.X.
  • TL:DR; but vBulletin has majorly screwed the pooch... vBulletin 4.X showed some promise but had major flaws. Instead of fixing those flaws, they decided to go for a cash grab and proceed with vBulletin 5, which is a complete train wreck and one of the worst examples of someone ruining their own product I have ever seen in my life. Yeah.
  • That being said, we like what we're seeing with the next version of Invision Power Board (4.0), so we are migrating to Invision Power Board 3.4.7 in anticipation of then upgrading to 4.X later this year.
  • So why should you care? IPS 4.0 will form the foundation that we will be building the future of OCR on. It's going to open the doors to delivering on the promises we've made both here on the site and on our Patreon, and we are super-psyched for what it will make possible!

On 4/19/2015, we will be migrating these forums to Invision Power Board 3.4.7...

  • We have performed internal testing to verify that your profile, threads, private messages, etc. should all be transferred over...
  • We will ALSO be backing up & storing all of the archived vBulletin data, so you won't lose ANYTHING, but we recommend that you take your own screenshots, save web pages, export private messages, etc. just to be sure.
  • The vBulletin social groups will NOT be converted/migrated. IPB 3.4.7 doesn't have a similar system, and while there are mods/addons that offer similar functionality, they don't support conversion of existing data AND we don't want to buy/install any addons until we've upgraded to IPS 4.0 later in the year. So if you participate in any social groups and want your conversations backed up, you may want to take screenshots, etc.

We're gonna need your help, in a few different ways:

  • First off, we ask for your patience, both during the actual migration (which will involve several hours of downtime for the forums) AND afterwards, as we ALL adapt to & get used to the new forums. I know a lot of folks aren't always comfortable with change, and we've been on vBulletin 3.8.X for a loooong time, so I feel your pain... but we can't stay here forever.
  • Secondly, once we're migrated, we will need your help testing. We will create a separate thread for reporting issues, and we will want to know ANYTHING & EVERYTHING that seems wrong, off, etc.
  • Finally, last but not least, as we move forward we will need your ideas, suggestions, & energy to build on top of this new foundation and take OCR to the future... and beyond!!

We'll be sending out an email to ALL forum users closer to the date of migration to repeat this information & get everyone ready & psyched!!

Lastly, we'd like to thank all of our Patreon backers for making this change - and many more to come - possible!!

ocremix-ipb347.jpg

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'Doh! I was hoping the extra hours were just you double-checking stuff. :(
Uh... I was waiting the whole day. And nothing changed :( Hope the next time will be successful.

My daughter started walking on Saturday, and I spent all day Sunday dealing with this problem. Trust me, no one is more disappointed than myself.

If our next attempt is not successful, we'll be finding a new host.

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We are working with LiquidWeb to upgrade/migrate our servers to much beefier hardware PRIOR to attempting another forum migration/conversion.

While Sunday was a dark, dark day for yours truly in terms of frustration & server problems, ultimately I think this is a beneficial outcome that will make the overall site more responsive and provide a better foundation for the new forum software and the rest of the new shizz we got planned for 2015. Lemonade from lemons, in other words.

New ETA is pending information from our host about the server upgrade - that could take a week or so, then we'll regroup & reschedule the forum move.

As always, your patience & support is appreciated!

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Ah, a shame it got delayed, but your daughter walked! It's so cute when babies start growing up, especially when they talk and say adorable things.

Two year old- "Fuckle you, Daddy!" **giggles**

Father- "Aaaawwwww, my baby's first swear word... and her first grounding."

Mother- "Save it for when she's older. She doesn't know any better right now, but we can keep a tally on how many days she'll be grounded right after her 12 birthday."

Father- "Good idea." **hears daughter saying "fuckle" repeatedly to the cat** "Though at this rate, she'll be grounded 'till she's 29."

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