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Re:Options for RSC to continue, stay tuned.
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TOPIC: Re:Options for RSC to continue, stay tuned.
#1027846
Doc_V (User)
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Re:Options for RSC to continue, stay tuned. 1 Month ago  
I don't know if it's been discussed yet, but I've been MIA for a while... However... If it comes down to "no more RSC" because porting it over is too complicated and costly, what about using a not for-profit service like archive.org to save the many years and valuable information and starting completely fresh with a more up to date, more cost effective, and more easy to run public forum service going forward? That way no one person has to shoulder the burden and cost of maintaining the servers. And of course the responsibility of site management would have to be spread out, like we've had numerous moderators in the past, so as people come and go we can keep things going.

We'd pick a date and the RSC as we know it would be frozen in time, but still accessible for all the useful info. That would become the "RSC Archive" so to speak. And then going forward the www.roadstarclinic.com URL would be directed to an all new site, which may not have the exact same layout or bells and whistles, and you might even have to re-register, but it would still be on the internet for anyone who comes looking. And given the choice between different vs nothing... I'll take different! ...As long as it's not Facebook.

That way everyone could still post questions and keep in touch. It's not the most ideal solution but would allow us to keep what made this site so good and continue to move forward... Just a thought.

Doc_V

P.S. If re-registering is required, maybe we could offer something like a "Charter Member" designation for those who have been around more than a year, "Old Timer" for more than 5 years and, "Founding Member" for anyone who's been here more than 10 years. ...or something along those lines.
 
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Last Edit: 2018/01/24 14:28 By Doc_V.
 


It\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s been lots of fun guys... Thank you Gram and catch you all on the other site.
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#1027908
Horsehammerr (User)
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Re:Options for RSC to continue, stay tuned. 4 Weeks ago  
Doc_V wrote:
I don't know if it's been discussed yet, but I've been MIA for a while... However... If it comes down to "no more RSC" because porting it over is too complicated and costly, what about using a not for-profit service like archive.org to save the many years and valuable information and starting completely fresh with a more up to date, more cost effective, and more easy to run public forum service going forward? That way no one person has to shoulder the burden and cost of maintaining the servers. And of course the responsibility of site management would have to be spread out, like we've had numerous moderators in the past, so as people come and go we can keep things going.

We'd pick a date and the RSC as we know it would be frozen in time, but still accessible for all the useful info. That would become the "RSC Archive" so to speak. And then going forward the www.roadstarclinic.com URL would be directed to an all new site, which may not have the exact same layout or bells and whistles, and you might even have to re-register, but it would still be on the internet for anyone who comes looking. And given the choice between different vs nothing... I'll take different! ...As long as it's not Facebook.

That way everyone could still post questions and keep in touch. It's not the most ideal solution but would allow us to keep what made this site so good and continue to move forward... Just a thought.

Doc_V

P.S. If re-registering is required, maybe we could offer something like a "Charter Member" designation for those who have been around more than a year, "Old Timer" for more than 5 years and, "Founding Member" for anyone who's been here more than 10 years. ...or something along those lines.
I'm ALL FOR IT
 
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#1027928
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Re:Options for RSC to continue, stay tuned. 4 Weeks ago  
This is basically what I suggested to Steve (Gram). Take the current platform and just archive it. No new registrations, updates, patches, etc. Just an archival snapshot. Then start with a new platform without worrying about migrating anything. The current URL would then go to the new platform and site. The new site would would have a link to the archive if someone wanted to look up something. But people would register with the new site if they wanted to post anything.

Migrating historial data has been the biggest challenge in our discussions. It's also the biggest limitation because we'd have to move to a platform that is compatible for a migration from Fireboard. But if we start fresh then our options are wide open. We could use vBulletin for example. it has a very large user base and the cost for the software is reasonable. They even have a cloud option where they handle the hosting, server, and updates. Prices start at $20 month and go up based on capacity. Since we'd be starting new then the bandwidth and such would be less than this current site.

We could even use a free forum plugin in Wordpress. I actually played with one a bit about a month ago and came up with this in about half an hour. http://tykesplace.com/forums/forum/general/

My point is that there are a lot of possibilities.

What I don't know is the cost of a server that could handle the archive. Since nothing would be changing (new threads, etc) then we should be able to fix that cost. I think it's possible we could drop the archive on to its own server. Maybe a VPS with minimal resources just to handle the storage and bandwidth. Over time I would think that the traffic would start preferring the new site over the archive.

We won't get Gram's time to make this happen, but we will need to convince him that we're serious about the effort and that the group has the capabilities to make it happen. And the ability to raise and maintain the necessary funds. We will need to know how much data we're taking about for the site files and database so we can specify the correct server and know that cost. He'll need to grant us the access that we'll need to migrate the current site files and database, change the DNS, and so on.

The first step is to get the group together that can handle this. And that also can honestly say they have the time to deal with it. It's easy to say this is important, but we all have work and priorities. We started discussions in a Google group, but honestly that lost steam after a few weeks. But now that the deadline is real maybe it will show some urgency.


Doc_V wrote:
I don't know if it's been discussed yet, but I've been MIA for a while... However... If it comes down to "no more RSC" because porting it over is too complicated and costly, what about using a not for-profit service like archive.org to save the many years and valuable information and starting completely fresh with a more up to date, more cost effective, and more easy to run public forum service going forward? That way no one person has to shoulder the burden and cost of maintaining the servers. And of course the responsibility of site management would have to be spread out, like we've had numerous moderators in the past, so as people come and go we can keep things going.

We'd pick a date and the RSC as we know it would be frozen in time, but still accessible for all the useful info. That would become the "RSC Archive" so to speak. And then going forward the www.roadstarclinic.com URL would be directed to an all new site, which may not have the exact same layout or bells and whistles, and you might even have to re-register, but it would still be on the internet for anyone who comes looking. And given the choice between different vs nothing... I'll take different! ...As long as it's not Facebook.

That way everyone could still post questions and keep in touch. It's not the most ideal solution but would allow us to keep what made this site so good and continue to move forward... Just a thought.

Doc_V

P.S. If re-registering is required, maybe we could offer something like a "Charter Member" designation for those who have been around more than a year, "Old Timer" for more than 5 years and, "Founding Member" for anyone who's been here more than 10 years. ...or something along those lines.
 
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#1027932
Jaybo (User)
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Re:Options for RSC to continue, stay tuned. 4 Weeks ago  
We talked about this a while back in the previous discussions, We need to have a forum software package that we keep updated with each new release. This way we don't have to keep patching older versions and run into problems. Custom additions and tweaks are cool, but they bring in problems for updates in the future. I'm sure there are options out there and we have had people want to step up and help and even run the server.

I'm in the middle of setting up our trade show but will look back and see who it was that offered recently.

..Jay
 
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#1027934
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Re:Options for RSC to continue, stay tuned. 4 Weeks ago  
Just to expand on what I was thinking... A hosted service who maintains the software and updates on the back end, sort of like Wordpress, with the ability to manage the site online via browser; rather than having to purchase software that someone runs locally and uploads updates.

And it would probably be a good idea to include some ads to help offset costs; as long as they're not obtrusive or bandwidth intensive. [some sites are really ridiculous]

That way no one person is responsible for maintaining the hardware or software or coming up with the funds to run the site long term.

And yes, we'll have to sacrifice some of the features we've come to like, but we'll get used to it. I've had it happen on other sites, and often, once people get over the unfamiliar they end up liking the new even better.

I'm sure the one feature everyone would like to keep is the "New Forum Posts" column. It may end up looking different or be in a different location on the site, but serve the same purpose. However, if we have to sacrifice it, so be it.

As far as the "who" part, what about establishing a group email list for those involved in the transition and ongoing management of the site? It might be easier to keep people involved vs having to log on to a Google discussion to check in. ...Just a thought.
 
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It\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s been lots of fun guys... Thank you Gram and catch you all on the other site.
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#1028051
chromepony (User)
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Re:Options for RSC to continue, stay tuned. 3 Weeks, 5 Days ago  
Good imput & ideas all around.
Once again, I'm not a technical kind of guy, but let me know if there's anything I can do to help keep this train on the rails.
 
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#1028209
StarCruiser06 (User)
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Re:Options for RSC to continue, stay tuned. 3 Weeks, 2 Days ago  
Dang it! I am so mad at myself for not checking in more often than I do...
I haven't been riding a lot lately and Life has been happening at light speed!

I am running 5 websites through the same provider, so I have access to 5 times unlimited storage through my hosting service. (There is only one account that I cannot commit resources from..) That leaves four accounts that each have up to fifty MySQL databases (yes 200 Data bases)... I haven't used them yet...

as a longtime RSC member, I willing to make my domain space available if it would help keep the Clinic open!
 
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Never miss the oppertunity to pee, never waste an erection... And never, ever, trust a fart!
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