Why is a tech forum using some of the worst software available?

[natto fire]

Hey,

This is my first post in OT in a long time, and I am sure this question has been beat to death, but I have to wonder why it is so.
I know there are technical limitations because of the sheer volume of idiots, err, users here, but doing some research, the actual amount of "regulars" amongst the 106K registered is quite small.

It just seems that there is better software available, with much more functionality available, such as a working search feature.

I am in no means trying to stir up $hit, but part of the reason my post count is so low is because I have found MUCH better places to waste my time with people that still have interests or knowledge equal to this place, with much better tools to communicate.

 

[Accipiter22]

I've wondered that myself. This is my favorite forum i've ever posted on, yet they use the worst software I've ever seen

 

[tasmanian]

If i remember correctly alot of people said they would recode the site if at allowed it.

 

[HamburgerBoy]

The search sucks here, but it does on many other forums as well. Forumplanet and Nationstates are two large (albeit not AT sized) forums that both have a lame search engine. Fusetalk isn't too bad.

 

[everman]

One of the site admins did/does work for fusetalk, I believe that's how it got this way. There's plenty of better free stuff now but who wants to migrate it all?

 

[thirdlegstump]

are the free stuff as scalable as fusetalk?

 

[mugs]

Come on guys, the search isn't that bad... unless you want to find something.

 

[Safeway]

Actually, I hate other forum software. It all looks so, so ... unprofessional and childish.

 

[RossMAN]

Originally posted by: mugs
Come on guys, the search isn't that bad... unless you want to find something.

Exactly.

 

[JEDIYoda]

Originally posted by: everman
One of the site admins did/does work for fusetalk, I believe that's how it got this way. There's plenty of better free stuff now but who wants to migrate it all?

too funny...plenty of free stuff..rofl

 

[montypythizzle]

The search function is there....
next to the profile and help button...

 

[Safeway]

Originally posted by: RossMAN

Originally posted by: mugs
Come on guys, the search isn't that bad... unless you want to find something.

Exactly.

You two are being unfair. I find threads using the search function quite often.

 

[HamburgerBoy]

Originally posted by: Safeway
You two are being unfair. I find threads using the search function quite often.

Agreed, but of course, whether or not the threads you find are what you're looking for is entirely another matter.

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: Safeway

Originally posted by: RossMAN

Originally posted by: mugs
Come on guys, the search isn't that bad... unless you want to find something.

Exactly.

You two are being unfair. I find threads using the search function quite often.

Oh I find threads, I just have a hell of a time finding the one I'm looking for. It's the advanced search that really sucks.

 

[ed21x]

outside of search, fusetalk seems to be handling everything all 100k members are throwing at it (we have passed 100k many times, but AT seems to purge unused accounts far more frequently than most forums). I dunno, other software might have more functionality, but seeing as how we aren't allowed to use most of them anyways (this is a good thing), why bother?

 

[natto fire]

My qualms are not necessarily with the search function itself, it has worked for me plenty of times, it just seems that the forum is scraping by with this, and weeding out the crazies (there are plenty) to make the problem less noticeable.

Also, the preview works good, and I have never had any problems with double posting. (I am still convinced that is a latency problem on the client end)
However, it also seems like allowing embedded images, if linked from a different host, should be allowed. I don't really know how any of it should be handled, as I am not particularly savvy when it comes to online DBs.

I just feel that things could be handled better.

I don't really want to hear anything about scaling either. If phpBB can handle 10x the posts of this place, and it is rather crummy in itself, then there really is no excuse.

 

[Alone]

Originally posted by: Captain Howdy
Also, the preview works good, and I have never had any problems with double posting. (I am still convinced that is a latency problem on the client end)

I've double clicked the submit button on more than one occasion without double posting. I think those who do it must hit it immediately after the information is submitted to the database, or they hit back.

Originally posted by: Captain Howdy
However, it also seems like allowing embedded images, if linked from a different host, should be allowed. I don't really know how any of it should be handled, as I am not particularly savvy when it comes to online DBs.

Embedded images would make this place look like utter crap.

 

[mobobuff]

Because we are the elite, and we're too good for the popular shite.

 

[alimoalem]

Originally posted by: Alone

Originally posted by: Captain Howdy
However, it also seems like allowing embedded images, if linked from a different host, should be allowed. I don't really know how any of it should be handled, as I am not particularly savvy when it comes to online DBs.

Embedded images would make this place look like utter crap.

i agree. it'll look real childish with the way people post threads here (ATOT that is )

 

[Alone]

Originally posted by: mobobuff
Because we are the elite, and we're too good for the popular shite.

I don't really see any problems with the current design. One thing I'd like to see is how links are handled, so we can use the standard bbtags (http://google.com]Google[/url]).

 

[natto fire]

Originally posted by: Alone
I've double clicked the submit button on more than one occasion without double posting. I think those who do it must hit it immediately after the information is submitted to the database, or they hit back.

Embedded images would make this place look like utter crap.

Like I said, I have had no problems with double posting, so I cannot comment.
As for the embedded images, it would not really make the place look like crap, it would be the userbase abusing the power that would make it look so. I visit plenty of forums that allow embedded images, and I can read them just fine, as images are only used to stress a point. While I know that there would be too many here that would abuse it, if parsed correctly, I believe it could work. Maybe the software is not the problem so much as the people that are using it?

As for the purging of accounts, posted by ed21x, are you serious? I could do a random search of common names and I bet more than half of them would be stale accounts. Those are just the ones that have their profiles enabled. While it is great to say that AT has 100K+ members, realistically, only 30% of those, at best, are regulars.

 

[Alone]

Originally posted by: Captain Howdy
As for the embedded images, it would not really make the place look like crap, it would be the userbase abusing the power that would make it look so. I visit plenty of forums that allow embedded images, and I can read them just fine, as images are only used to stress a point. While I know that there would be too many here that would abuse it, if parsed correctly, I believe it could work. Maybe the software is not the problem so much as the people that are using it?

Too many people would abuse it with sigs, porn, flashy annoying crap, etc. One of the reasons I visit this place is because I don't have to deal with the crap I see everywhere else. I want my tech info and my discussions, I don't want to see how fast your internet is, or how annoying you can make a sig. I just don't.

Originally posted by: Captain Howdy
As for the purging of accounts, posted by ed21x, are you serious? I could do a random search of common names and I bet more than half of them would be stale accounts. Those are just the ones that have their profiles enabled. While it is great to say that AT has 100K+ members, realistically, only 30% of those, at best, are regulars.

Nothing in the terms say that you lose your account privileges by letting them go unused. Removing them would be completely unfair for those who decide to return. Having them here changes nothing, so long as it doesn't stress the server (which it shouldn't, unless everyone makes it a habit to look up the entire userbase hourly).

 

[angminas]

Originally posted by: montypythizzle
The search function is there....
next to the profile and help button...

Search button, yes. Search function, no.

I wonder sometimes if it's crappy and useless on purpose, so people will be less able to dredge up troll bait. There are a lot of people here who do a lot of that anyway. Imagine if search actually worked. The whole forum would be nothing but a bunch of it said, it said.

 

[slpaulson]

Originally posted by: Captain Howdy
My qualms are not necessarily with the search function itself, it has worked for me plenty of times, it just seems that the forum is scraping by with this, and weeding out the crazies (there are plenty) to make the problem less noticeable.

Also, the preview works good, and I have never had any problems with double posting. (I am still convinced that is a latency problem on the client end)
However, it also seems like allowing embedded images, if linked from a different host, should be allowed. I don't really know how any of it should be handled, as I am not particularly savvy when it comes to online DBs.

I just feel that things could be handled better.

I don't really want to hear anything about scaling either. If phpBB can handle 10x the posts of this place, and it is rather crummy in itself, then there really is no excuse.

I HATE embedded images. It's always a blast when some moron links to goatse.

 

[LS20]

php is sooo much better