OLD BOARDS SHUTTING DOWN ANY MOMENT!

THE BOARDS WILL BE SHUT DOWN ANY TIME NOW, AND REMAIN DOWN FOR APPROX 12 HOURS


I'm looking at doing the switch this weekend: I'm gonna shut BOTH boards down around 3AM ET Saturday (Midnight PT Friday) and let the importer do its thing for 8-9 hours while I sleep. Then when I get up I'll fine-tune stuff that I've been working on the past couple weeks if they were lost. (And hopefully the importer doesn't hang, or my connection goes down, in the middle of the night to delay things)

If all goes smoothly, it should be up and running Saturday afternoon. If all does NOT go smoothly, it could be Saturday evening or even Sunday. (It better not interfere with football! lol)

*******************************
Anyone wishing email updates during that timeframe, please EMAIL webmaster@GangsterBB.NET me (starting now) with "Board Updates Please" as the subject, and I'll keep y'all informed on the progress!
*******************************

I ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO BE SURE THAT YOUR EMAIL ADDRESSES ARE UP-TO-DATE IN YOUR PROFILES!




Okay, folks - for the past couple weeks I've been busy playing with the latest version of UBB. I'm quite excited about it, actually, as there are so many cool new things available!

*** The new board should be installed the weekend of Oct 21, causing considerable downtime ***

I'm gonna list some of the PROS and CONS first:

UPDATED 10/15:

PROS

• Database backend which should run more efficiently than the current setup, with less of a chance of my overwriting it
• ALL current posts will be brought over, so nothing will be lost
• I can post important Announcements to all forums at the same time so they won't be missed. That would've been good for this posting!
• Will include a left-side column with a Search box, Who's Online (you can be invisible), Links, Board stats, and more
• Uur old friend "Shout Box" (this one works - in fact, the last shouts from 2004 are still on there!), Calendar displaying member birthdays (if you have one designated - don't worry, you don't need to include the year!), Optional Private Calendar for your own use, and more. (The right-side column has been disabled to allow more room for the forums)
• You can have 200 PMs rather than 60. You can even PM up to 10 people at once! (They're called Private Topics)
• Sub-forums can be created if I feel the need
• You'll be able to attach certain files to your posts, within reason - and until this gets abused. There will be a file size limit.
• You'll finally be able to upload your own avatars (up to 5k), and the avatar size has been increased from 64x64 to 72x72 (Any bigger and I'd have to remake all the ones we have already)
• I'll be activating RSS feeds for some or all forums if desired by you guys
• With "Topic Watching" you can subscribe to a topic w/ optional email alerts. You can watch forums, topics, or even other members
• Increased Polling functions
• New Post Editor allows you to change font, font color, font size and more!
• Quick Reply may or may not be implemented - I haven't decided yet. It's off for now, to avoid confusion.
• Topic Ratings - know at a glace which topics are worth visiting
• This could be good or bad: The Importer imports A BUNCH of old PM you sent/received! So you'll have to delete a slew of them. However, if there were any you regretted deleting in the past, you MIGHT get them back (if the OTHER person didn't delete it)
• Your Profile can include more IM addresses, and a "public" email address different than your official one if you choose
• You can still turn off other people's avatars and signatures - but I'm still not allowing images in signatures because it's unsightly. Unless I can control the size of them - we'll see.
• If there are Categories that you NEVER visit, you can collapse them to hide them if you want
• Active Topics for past 24, 48 hours or 7 days
• EVENTUALLY, Live Chat can be integrated into the BB, using your BB name! (I may need to take donations first for that, tho )
• The BB reports the latest 5 newest members rather than just 1
• The Top 5 posters are also listed, which should make Irishman and DE NIRO happy
• You have the option to view the BB in "Threaded" View (I don't care for it, but now it's a profile option for those who do)
• Admins and Mods can enter the Admin/Mod Control Panel instantly
• By clicking on a user's name on a post, you can instantly view their profile, PM them, "watch" them, or view their other posts
• You can email a post to a friend, and print out an entire topic
• You'll be able to search all forums at once, like in the past
• "Preview Post" is really cool
• Multiple skins will allow you to view the board in different ways - the default "GBB" style emulates this board
• I'm sure I forgot some!

CONS

• I tried my best to recreate the look of the current BB, but the new one won't be 100% the same.
• Currently you click on a person's name to get to the last post of a thread. The new way, you'll be clicking on the date instead, as clicking on a name goes to that person's profile. It's just something minor to get used to, that's all.
• While Active Topics includes more time options, it currently loses the topic preview that we currently have. Hopefully they'll bring that feature back in the future.
• There is currently no inline frame to view the entire thread on the reply page, but you can see the last post. I hope they bring this feature back because I used it all the time to navigate w/o opening a new window, but for now that's what we'll need to do I guess.
• PMs emailed to you currently do NOT include details of the PM
• Most Member #s will change - I'LL be that long-lost #2 once again! But it appears Member #'s aren't displayed anyway, so no big deal. (You can still see them looking at the url of someone's profile, tho)
• Change is tough sometimes. But this new version JUST came out, and things will improve and be added as they release updates.
• The biggest CON of all, though: It takes 8-9 hours to import the current BB posts into the new one. So after we test out the waters and everything's running smoothly on the new version, I'll have to close the current BB to be sure all new posts/members make it over. This also assumes everything will work smoothly. So, from the time I close the current BB, to the time the new one opens, it could be about 10 hours (best case) to 12 hours until the new one's up and running. And worst case would be that it didn't work right and I'd have to do it again (another 10+ hours)... But I'm obviously trying to prevent that from happening with the current tests I'm doing, and you're gonna do, and as I learn the new software better and better.

As I said, some things may work a little differently than what we're used to, but I think the PROS outweigh the CONS.

If you wanna check out what state it's in right now, check it out ! (You'll need to log in with your current login info)

Again, it's not final - just where it's at right now.

IMPORTANT!

> The new version of the BB is for TESTING ONLY -- Do not post anything you'll want to keep, as they will ALL be ERASED!

> Anything and Everything you do on the TEST BOARDS will be ERASED when testing is over! What you do there will NOT effect the current BB!

> Please test EVERYTHING you can, and explore around to get a feel for it. Try to break it, even.

Please take some time to explore and test it out. When we switch over will depend on how well/poorly the testing goes... could be next week!

Not sure this is really an improvement, at least not visually.

Way too narrow (this is a real pain in the neck), far too cluttered visually, and the black-on-maroon lettering is almost impossible to read compared to the current white-on-black.

I've always felt that if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Is the BB really broke?

These are just my initial reactions from a quick glance. I may edit/change my opinions later.

Signor V.

Well, obviously it needs some touching up - that's why it's called a BETA test. And you can widen it by removing the right column, as I said...

BTW - I'm not 100% satisfied with it yet. And until I am, I'll keep working on it!

Hahaha. The old shout box is up. Nice to see MFM up there. It looks different but alot of people complained about this bb when it was first implemented. Change is good.

Bad Daddy is online now? Or is that old information?

I think the "Who's Online" updates every 5 mins or so... plus, some people chose to be Invisible so won't be listed. But in any event - he was. Not any more.

Geoff,
The BB is your baby. Do what you feel is necessary to keep it going. Is the upgrade necessary though?

PS. I thought I would take a stab at the avatars and it came up but when I went off and came back on same old problem. I guess it is not meant for me to have a new avatar. Not that I was wanting to get rid of Mama C. unless you have another one of Mama

Exactly what is the calendar on the right for?

How fitting..plawrence is one of the top posters. Can that be frozen in time?

A smaller font size in the sidebars help... it was too big before.

Apparently the public calendar lists members birthdays, and can also have events posted to it by moderators. There's also a "Personal Calendar" which members can post private things to...

As we go, we can see which things are useful and which aren't.

P.S. - Don't be afraid to post negative reactions (ahem, Vitelli :p ) but please try it out first and give it a fair shot. Spend some time with it, and note things you like -- and dislike -- after a while. This is OUR board, and I think it'd be nice to step into the 21st Century with it... but I do want most people to be happy with it! So I'll of course address all concerns as they're posted here...

The look of the board may take getting used to. But we got used to this new board all those years ago. I don't think it's all that bad.

Geoffy,
Why won't my password for this board work for the new one?

PS - For a "cleaner" look, try the default "ubbthreads" stylesheet in your Preferences. The GBB stylesheet tries to emulate what we have now...

It most certainly should! In fact, I saw you on there before... PM me with your current password and I'll look it up for you, just in case...

I was on it cuz I asked for my PW and it gave me a temp one. So I logged out of this BB logged back in and used my pw and it worked. I'll try it again before I send you my pw.

I tried this. Ehhhh.. I think the other way is a little better. It has more color.

I like the "shout feature". It's a little too busy for my liking at this time but of course I will give it time to grow on me. (It's kinda like the first 5 times I met JG, couldn't stand him, but now after meeting him that 6th time, I can honestly say I don't hate him. )

Just curious, is there a way to change where the "item of the moment" is?

sending you a pm with my pw

WOW!

I think I fall into the "If it ain't broke..." category for most things in life - to be honest, change intimidates me...

I was a bit shocked in my initial reaction, simply because I'm so used to the current set-up, and it's hard for me to imagine it any other way. But when it comes to web design, I think I'd trust JG over myself.

Random thoughts...

- I like that the search allows you to specify a date range of both "newer than" AND "older than." I think this would be helpful when you know that the thread/post you're looking for was much older - narrows it down a bit.

- I like that we'll be allowed to save more PMs - as I just mentioned to you, JG, I'm a packrat, and I'll love getting to save more. My question regarding PMs, as I'm looking through mine...are they no longer separated by incoming and sent? I guess this is given by the "last post" feature, right? Also, is the feature showing whether or not the recipient has read the PM still available?

- The recent posts shown for each person is 200 compared to 50 here, is that right? I like that!

Anyway, I'm still looking around, but I figured I'd get my 2 cents in. The only thing I worry about is getting used to the new design...but it looks like there's a lot of nice, new stuff! Thanks for working so hard on this.

I have a password???? I usually just bring up the website, and BOOM, I get that special Ciao, Sicilian Babe message (the one that Geoff SWORE is just for me). I guess I'll have to ask to have my password emailed to me.

Looks like you added some terrific features, JG.

OK, I had my password emailed to me by The Team at GangsterBB.net. Who are the other members of this team??

I can change the positioning of each element in the sidebars... why? where would you like to stick it? :p

JG, Of course we are all resistant to change, but I liked it. It looks like you incorporated some very cool stuff, and I think that we'll end up loving it even more than the current format, it will just take some getting used to.

Ok, I checked it out briefly. I don't really have a problem with it and actually think it's kind of neat. There's a lot of browsing to do though.

I didn't check (or don't even know if you can reply to any messages on the new board) but are posting "links" the same as they are now? I like the change, but don't get to complicated on me.

I think we should try it out for a while. That's the best way to get the feel of it. However, Geoff, it's your baby,so whatever you do is ok with me. That 12 hour down time though....make it while I'm at work or sleeping ok? :p I hate the withdrawal process. (Btw, do we have smileys? I forgot to check where they were).

TIS

Geoff,

I'm sorry to be a pain in the ass tonight but why isn't showing that I logged in? I used the temp PW

Right on that, TIS!

Geoff, I've got a better idea...just split the twelve hours into four three-hour intervals, okay?

I didn't have any problems logging in, so that's a relief.

I think part of my initial hesitancy has to do with my only being familiar with these boards in the version they are now. Many others have been here far longer than I have, and have mentioned having to adjust when the boards were updated to their current version. I guess that just when I've figured out a lot of the current board functions, everything (or nearly everything) changes!

From the way you outlined the pros and cons of the new board, it would appear that to a web designer/webmaster, there are many features that make it much better than the old system. Being an incredibly low-tech kinda guy, though, reading through some of this made me feel like I was reading Klingon. The terminology is way over my head. Don't understand hardly any of it.

Does being able to upload your own avatars and attach files in your posts mean that you've eliminated the need for photo hosting services? Or, am I reading this wrong? I'm quite curious about this part.

When I was able to fiddle around with preferences (My Stuff), I was able to make things a little simpler, visually. The preview functions, though, are aggravating. Each window now seems to be in a different physical position on my screen. Don't know if this is only me, or...

I guess I'll get used to it. :rolleyes:

Signor V.

Gina,

4 hours down time in each time zone should do it. Ha ha ha

TIS

I can change the positioning of each element in the sidebars... why? where would you like to stick it? :p [/b][/quote]I got about 3 places in mind right now

I was thinking just putting it at the bottom, for some reason it distracts me in the middle there...

As long as it isn't any trouble for Geoff, right TIS?

Joke's on me...I came back to this thread after looking at the new design, and this looked weird to me.

Going back and reading pm's from 2002 is freaky. Some are funny and some are nostalgic seeing ones from people who no longer post here. I think I even got one from Mister Sixer. Didn't he once call me the worst poster here?

I wasn't even on the BB in '02

I've been around since dirt.

Man, I see some from people I don't even remember!!


TIS

I know. I got pm's from someone named Hitman. I don't remember who the heck that was.

Does this count all the past pm's? I have a stretch where I have a pm from February, 2006, then the one before that is December 2005, and before that is July 2005. Maybe I'm not that popular like plawrence.

I remember him...well his BB name anyway. Can't tell you much about him. Hope one of his competitors didn't get him.

TIS

This can't be all the pm's. I know for a fact there are people I sent pm's to on a daily basis and none of them are listed. Unless they paid Geoff off and had them permantely removed. :p

Yea I noticed the same thing. I am missing some also. I guess it's no big deal cuz I deleted them to begin with.

I deleted all of mine. La Dolce Vita and I used to pm each other practically daily and I don't have one pm of hers here.

I noticed it as well. I wonder if it goes only to a certain date??? I'll have to read thru mine again, but I know some are missing.


TIS

I've only got a total of 3 pages of pm's. I can't imagine that's all I have in 5 years. If so, that's just sad and depressing.

Don't feel bad Beth I got 3 pages to

It's nice, JG. I never saw a problem with the way things are now, and usually I don't like change either, but it's nothing I can't get used to.

And like everyone said, what a hoot to see all those old PM's again! Some people I even forgot I used to talk to.

Hmm.... I have 54pp of PMs!!! But most of that is probably from the "Welcome to the BB" auto-messages...

I have PMs from July 2001 when the board first opened up! Someone is right, tho, it's hard to tell if it's TO or FROM... but at least you can see who's involved if you click on the "Participants" link -- BUT! each PM says "started by XXXX" underneith the title, so, that should give a clue...

We ALL have a learning curve here, including me!

The "New Post Indicators" actually WORK now! If you reply to a post, even YOUR post isn't considered "new" any more (why would it be, to you?) Nice!

Thinking -- I *could* move the right-side content to the left... that'd make the forms wider... tho Shout Box is nice on the right... need to work this out...

Fuck that!! You gotta fix my password.

(I can't get logged in)

My password won't work also :rolleyes:

Have the system (here) retrieve your password for you via email to be sure you got it right. (It's case-sensitive)

If you do it there, it'll asign a new one, then you'll have 2 to worry about. (Although, of course, I run out of breath reminding people that they can change their passwords to ANYTHING they want in their profile... but, alas, that goes unnoticed. :p )

Boy, that's cool!!!
I love that shout box thing!!!

Its ok i got in,need to use capital letters

Also what happend to the directory,there was an option where you could view the members by how many posts they had "Number of posts"

User List > Total Posts (twice)

...if that is what's important to you :p

Thanks,Just something i like to look at every so often

Its cool where you can see everyones avatar on the directory

I didn't get to see how it works!

you mean you cannot go here, Afi?

http://www.gangsterbb.net/threads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=cfrm

JGeoff wrote:
Hmm.... I have 54pp of PMs!!! But most of that is probably from the "Welcome to the BB" auto-messages...

I have PMs from July 2001 when the board first opened up! Someone is right, tho, it's hard to tell if it's TO or FROM... but at least you can see who's involved if you click on the "Participants" link -- BUT! each PM says "started by XXXX" underneith the title, so, that should give a clue...


I don't know Geoff. How would the system decide which pm's to save and which ones to not. I still only have 3 pages of pm. It just seems weird to me.

same here, Beth! I hoped to retrieve the PMs I exchanged with Plaw, but none of them are left.....

you mean you cannot go here, Afi?

http://www.gangsterbb.net/threads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=cfrm [/b][/quote]I'm getting too old, cause I'm not sure if I ever see any link in JG's post.

oh, I'm the living demonstration that age is a pure abstraction........ c'mon, go there and let's have a chat!

My immediate thoughts...

Having experience with Invision Power Boards, VBulliten, Proboards, and obviously UBB, I have to say...whoever designed this layout needs to be fired. It is way too cluttered. There needs to be an option to turn off the entire left column, at least outside of the main page.

I don't mind all the columns for the main page, but for the posts, the post(s) should take up the whole screen as it is currently, not 3/4 with a bunch of useless links and other crap on the left side that I don't need to see 24/7.

I like the idea of bigger avatars, attachments, quick replies (please add this, its really nice... ). However, the aesthetics are HORRIBLE. I mean, yes, the functionality will be spectacular, but this layout is absolutely terrible, it hurts my eyes.

I'd look into some sort of custom layout or skin, Geoff, to get rid of some of these things. Less is better, imho, and if we can get rid of all the columns and boxes outside of the main page, I'd be 100% in favor of this switch. I really think that the pros are great, and the cons, with the aforementioned exceptions, should make for a better forum. I have to think other people have had similar problems with the UBB upgrade, so maybe there is some sort of mod/skin/hack or customization feature or add-on to fix this train wreck of a forum layout.

The changes look good to me, and I do not agree that not changing the look of the board is a "con."

It IS a little "busy". You can fix some of that, though, by changing your preference in how the screen is presented.

Go to MY STUFF.

Scroll down to MY PREFERENCES

Scroll down to YOUR PREFERRED STYLESHEET (and change it to UBBTHREADS)

Scroll down to TURN OFF RIGHT COLUMN (and answer YES)

Scroll down to SUBMIT (and hit the icon)

I find that a more pleasant view.

Yeah, once you hide the right column it is an easier read. Don't know how that would work if you want to use the shout box beings that's on the right hand side.

What is the "my watch list" under my stuff?

Where is that link to the new boards?

Crazy since I've been on them already ten minutes ago...

On Geoff's first post, towards the bottom it says "check it out".

I was just on. It seems to be working ok.

It IS a little "busy". You can fix some of that, though, by changing your preference in how the screen is presented.

Go to MY STUFF.

Scroll down to MY PREFERENCES

Scroll down to YOUR PREFERRED STYLESHEET (and change it to UBBTHREADS)

Scroll down to TURN OFF RIGHT COLUMN (and answer YES)

Scroll down to SUBMIT (and hit the icon)

I find that a more pleasant view. [/b][/quote]Yes, I've already turned that off. I'd like to be able to shut off the left column as well.

Basically, my solution would be to set the code so that these "columns" only appear on the frontpage, and then when you're at a specific forum (General Discussion, Sports, etc.) they are gone.

When I first checked out UBB.threads' Beta months ago, I was appalled at the "clutter" -- they even had a "portal" page that I found useless and of course disabled it here.

But in no time I got used to it, and actually started to like it (the columns, not the portal). Now, after playing with this for some time, I don't even notice.

GRANTED - So far the posts kinda look like shit with the header bars on each one, etc. I'd like to tighten it up a bit. I only used the same colors as the current board to reduce the "shock" value. I still like these colors, but maybe it needs to be toned down a bit.

UBB.threads 7.0 just came out. Down the line I'm sure there will be further customization hacks and such.

But the biggest problem right now isn't the sidebars -- like anything else in life, you'll get used to them and eventually won't even notice them unless you use them. The biggest problem right now is getting the colors more pleasing to the eye -- I think that is the biggest issue here at the moment. And obviously it's something I'll be working on!

I could move all the right-side stuff to the left as a default, but I like shout box where it is. When you ADD features, you gotta put them someplace, right? :p

And sure, I can turn off the left sidebar as well. But right now I don't wanna. MAYBE I'll make it a user option down the line, but I doubt it.

Try the "ubbthreads" stylesheet in preferences. I think that's more pleasing to the eye at this point. Maybe a blue like the ubb homepage. I'm still playing around.

That's why you're supposed to read the thread before going there... :p

Those of you who didn't get "every" PM of all time, did you only get 5 pages worth, exactly? Because that would reach the current 100 PM limit. Apparently Admins/Mods don't have that limit. When I do the switch, I'll increase it to 200 or 250 I guess....

Well make us all moderators for a day so we can see all our pm's. :p

Why couldn't it save the the 200 good ones?

It still seems it picked and chose which ones to keep. I have one from 2002, but am missing a good chunk after that. Did it scan them for any X-rated ones?

How long will you be in the testing phase Geoffy?

I think I'm gonna change my PW which board do I change it at and how many characters do I need?

Your current password on the new board won't work any more after the switch -- ALL info will be taken from the old board, so you can change BOTH passwords to the same thing if you want to make life easier. Don't know the character limit - it might say...

It saved my first ever PM. It was from some guy named JGeoff who was testing the new PM feature (7/24/01). That guy is still around.

The PM record is spotty, it has some really old (and useless ones) but missed many discussions I had with Plaw which I had deleted, and now in retrospect, I'd like to have back.

Geoff,

I got 8 pages, but I know some PM's are missing. Interestingly enough, the ones missing are the ones from people I've pm'd the most, both past & present.

TIS

Assuming that ALL PMs were at least imported into the database, as a test I just changed the limit from 100 to 400 -- do you see more older PMs now than you did before?

Jeoff, I like the new website. The red layout is a little annoying, so I switched to the other one.

I still have the same PM's.


TIS

Is everyone only seeing 10 Topics Per Page and 10 Replies Per Page?? It's set at 35 for both, but when I look at people's settings they're set to only 10....?

If you're only seeing 10, then you should change both to 35 in your preferences, to match the current board...

Total topics to to show per page: (default is 35)


Total posts to show on one page when viewing a post in flat mode: (default is 35)

Both of these should be 35?

Yeah... to be more like the current board... I don't know why it defaulted them all to 10

I also tweaked the look a bit - I think it's a little better

I still have the same pm's as before.

I could not log in with my old password and had to request a 'temporary' one. Did I mess up?

How do you send a pm?

Click on someone's name (when it's available as a link), or, go to their profile...

I wanted to comment on the pm notification system. I'm not sure if this can be changed through preferences but I like the way it just says "you have new messages." Just incase the title of the message is not appropriate (cough) or if it says something in there that you dont want others to read.

I'm personally torn between keeping my work email as my main one or switching it to another. Work is better because I can constantly check it and know there is a pm, the downside is that others can potentially read it too.

Just my .02

Another comment about the pm's. I liked it before you could read the pm in your email. And you knew it was from before opening the email. Can you bring that feature back?

OK I'll just change my email address

How do you know if a message has been read or not on the new board?

It'll say "Unread By: xxxx" on the bottom left of the msg

It'll say "Unread By: xxxx" on the bottom left of the msg [/b][/quote]oh I see now

Ok Geoff I'm gonna be a pest AGAIN tonight. How do you get smiles in the shout?

Since I talk to a certain someone a lot through private message, I was wondering is there a way to increase the number of messages before it says topic maxed?

You talk to people via PMs??? Oh, that's right, you're the Internet Ho!!

Use the shortcuts -- like

: + ) =

: + cool + : =

(See the FAQ here, most of them should work on the other one)

Mig, sorry, but I logged out of the other site and didn't feel like finding my password AGAIN. I am exhausted, and my ice cream really is melting.

The new board looks...
GREAT

But the smileys are... "don't take it personally" look ugly, can't you change it to the other aWeSoMe LoOkInG smilyes or like the smileys that you see on the other boards or at least a spoof of yahoo and msn smileys,



Thank you Don J Malta

Just checked the new site for the first time since earlier this afternoon.

Now, the But of course...you should post thread (in General Discuussion/Other) seems to have been enlarged so much horizontally that I have to constantly use that bar at the bottom of the screen to read anything.

Is this another new change, or is it me? Only seems to be this thread.

Signor V.

I think we can thank BETHIE for this one. I didn't notice it because I use a superior browser called Firefox. But when I checked with IE to see what you were talking about, I see what happened. Blame Microsoft - and Bethie for failing her PHP test!

I'm glad you're having much luck so far, Vitelli! But I swear, it's gonna be a good thing.....

Is it safe to assume that there is no way to increase the amount of messages in a pm?

I don't recall seeing an option for that, but I'll look into it.

But in the mean time... ever hear of email or a telephone? :p

I don't recall seeing an option for that, but I'll look into it.

But in the mean time... ever hear of email or a telephone? :p [/b][/quote]ummmm I'm not going to be using a telephone in the middle of class :rolleyes: :p sorry "class"

BTW - It seems the web host went down for a while this evening, as I was watching a DVD. I assure you it's unrelated to the BB, and sorry for any inconvenience! It's been a while since that happened, which is a good thing, but it still sucks every time, even if it's rare!

I'm glad you're "learning"

I think this is fantastic change, JGeoff. You have poured your soul into these amazing new features. I commend you once again, because you are so amazing.

No JG, I only got three pages and I'm sure some of the PMs I deleted were lost. At least two from plaw, which I was hoping to retrieve.

My thoughts on the layout:

I would like a horizontal shout box instead. Also the rest of the right column could go under the left column. Wider main page area would be better.

The new layout looks cool(and I would know, cute little play on my handle )

Still can't understand why I am listed as "Member" on the new board. I get the feeling (from what SC has said) that only if you manually alter your status on the old board (in your profile) that it is carried over to the new board.

I can find no option available for doing this anywhere in the My Stuff section of the new board. (Maybe only administrators have the option available?)

JG: I was never aware before that a board's appearance would be so greatly affected by the browser being used.

My overall opinion so far:

Can't help it. "New" does not necessarily always mean 100% "improved" - though, to be fair, I think that the better improvements may be more from a webmaster's point of view.

Signor V.

I think we can thank BETHIE for this one. [/b][/quote]It's been awhile since I was thanked for making something larger.

You don't see a change in your status there??????

You don't see "Brooklyn Bar Owner" under your name????

(I'm serious)

Geoff -

Whenever I try to Log In, it says that my password is incorrect.

"Mike, uh - why am I out?"




Don Cardi

DC, I had problems logging in at first, and then realized that the Login must be case sensitive. Did you type in your password with caps, etc.??

Same thing happened to me. He made me swear I wasn't taking my wife, my family and my girlfriend in Vegas to another website before he allowed me in.

You'll have to set up a temporary (new) password.

You shouldn't have to create a new password over there, but it won't hurt.

But now's a good time to remind everyone to keep their chit current:

Please go into "my profile" then "Edit Profile" and be sure that your email address is correct and current.

If you need to change your email address, please do so.

NOTE: You will receive a new password via email to the new address. When you log back in, you can change your password back to what it was (or, better yet -- you can create ANY password you want so you can remember it).

If you forgot your password, or if you want to confirm your password, please retrieve it here . If you can't because your email is old, email me with your Member Name, Member #, Old and Current Email addresses and I'll do it for you...

Thanks

That's true for EVERY site. But it's my fault for not testing in the P.O.S. IE browser. You also need to remember that this is NEW -- I'm learning it, too -- so is everyone on the planet using it, because it just came out! That's why we're "beta testing" and why we're still here...

So I suggest a little patience my friends! We're not switching until we figure everything out...

Updates from the developer...

I asked about email notifications of PMs including the PM itself, and they said perhaps in the future. They claimed that "site owners would rather have visitors go to the site itself". Crock o' crap. But I may be able to get a hack for it...

I also asked about Custom Titles - They WERE carried over from this board, but, there's no customizable field in our profiles to change them. They said it's "on the list" of things to do. For now, you'll have to request a custom title.

As for 35 Posts/Page, I was able to change that for everyone at once, to better reflect the current boards.

And as a reminder from what I said earlier, there are growing pains for everyone, even the developers. I'm on the Dev board every day trying to keep on top of this.

Update on PM import issue: Apparently if either member of a PM has a message in their inbox it will be imported for BOTH users. So if both people deleted the same PM, then they won't be imported. That makes some sense now. Sorry for the previous confusion...

Yeah I can't log onto the new board. JGeoff you suck.

Well, you could either confirm you log-in info here, then try again... or... over there, retrieve a new password...

I moved all the crap to the left side only - does that work better for you guys? (Even tho I got used to the 2 columns already :p )

Can we get our stars back?

Or, possibly, can we finally have custom colored titles like "Chairmang" in pink?

My biggest problem is something small, insignificant, and simple.

I CAN'T POST.

Strange, since this is the ONLY message board that doesn't like my settings. I've turned off my firewall too, and it doesn't help. WTF?

What makes you think they're missing? You haven't even posted yet I don't think... :p

Testing it with Turi... he looks good in pink.

I think you're taking advantage of my good nature!

Strange, since this is the ONLY message board that doesn't like my settings. I've turned off my firewall too, and it doesn't help. WTF? [/quote]Your IP address doesn't resolve ("no details") - who's your host and I'll try to find out WTF is going on...

Geoff --> PM.

Ah, I think I figured it out. For some reason, Symantec's Personal ID Protection feature dislikes the BB, I had to turn it off. I'll try adding it to the list of trusted sites and turning it back on.

Sorry for the trouble...never had that happen before...

Nope...even with GBB trusted, it doesn't like it.

Well, I don't care much for Symantec myself, so I guess we're even!

Well, I don't care much for Symantec myself, so I guess we're even! [/b][/quote]Pfft, if it was McAfee, I'd still be waiting for my computer to load with all the resource-laden crap from their security suite! :p

At least McAfee actually FINDS viruses and PROTECTS my computer :p

It didn't find the one I just sent you.

Bwahaahahaha! :p

I'll protect your computer JGeoff. I'll throw hedgehogs at anyone that comes near it.

Trying to get on the Beta site, but the link isn't working!! WTF??

It's working for me...

http://www.gangsterbb.net/threads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=cfrm

or to remember it more easily, it's just

http://www.gangsterbb.net/threads/

After trying to get on a few times, it wouldn't work, and then it did. It was like getting a little present.

Isn't that what they call what your dog leaves on your carpet?

I liked it better when you had things on both the right and the left........... :p j/k

Isn't that what they call what your dog leaves on your carpet? [/b][/quote]After 3 months on Puppy Prozac, she doesn't do that anymore.

Where can I buy the puppy prozac? I'm getting a little tired of the yellow and brown presents I get. Or how would you like to add a Golden Retriever puppy to your house?

Edit: I finally made the top page

Mig, I'm so proud of you for making top of the page!!

My dog had separation anxiety and used to tear the house apart, rip up anything she could, and leave us little presents every day, but only when we left the house. If we were home, she was very good. So, the vet put her on Clomicalm, and it worked! Thank goodness!!

Btw, JG, LOVE the new site (felt compelled to comment on it, since I was here).

Nah Sampson is doing good with the potty training. When we leave we put him in his cage or leave him in the backyard.

His name was going to be Cicci but I got out voted. His name fits him cuz by the time he's done growing I'm sure he'll be close to 100lbs.

Our dog Angel is only about 27 pounds, but she managed to tear her way out of 2 different cages. One we borrowed from friends, so Mr. Babe repaired it and returned it. Then we bought a new one from a guy who guaranteed that she wouldn't be able to break it because it was made for a rotweiller. She got out in two and a half hours. :rolleyes:

Well, I'll stop being a curmudgeon (temporarily) and say that I actually like some of the recent changes in the new board.

Having one column on the left is an improvement on the two-column design. Also, it appears that you've changed the maroon "bar" (header?) at the top of each post to a gray one - much easier to read.

We're getting there...

Now, for a truly troubling thing: Why are you no longer able to be Member #1? I take it as a given that many people here will say that you are now and will always be #1 with them, and I would agree, generally, with that assessment.

My point is that even if some of us may disagree from time to time, you should never be referred to as #2 - especially after reading the previous posts in this thread by Mig and SB.

Signor V.

That's a start, thanks! :p

It's a database thing. They used slot #1 for internal purposes. It's no big deal - that's the least of my problems... but thanks for being so supportive!

Any updates on when the swap will be made!!

Not sure, I'd like to do it soon - but I'd also like to get a lot more people testing it out first, making posts, etc, to get used to how it works... :p

I noticed one bug, by the way - It seems the New Post Indicators aren't working on the main page for some reason. I thought I was going crazy -- maybe I am! -- but that's why the new board never looked like people were posting much...

JG - I have seen the bulb turn yellow, but only in General Discussion. Now, either people are only posting in GD, or you have a bigger problem.

I don't know about anybody else here, but I find myself going between the two board here, posting back and forth. Kind of fun, but hard to keep track of everyone.

Oh and Beth, are my eyes deceiving me or were you have a conversation with yourself on the shout board???


TIS

Pretty funny, but I've been forgetting to check THIS board most of the time since playing (and working on) the other one!

I love the new board.

I guess you do!!!! You can sort of "bare" it all there hu Turi!!! You are so funny!!!


TIS

I'm all alone here on Walton's mountain.

Be my friend...Godmother?

So everyone's post counts starts over if/when we make the move, right?

(Relax, those of you with 30,000 posts. It's a joke.)

those of you = Irishman :rolleyes:

Well, it's when, first off. Secondly -- and this explains why Irishman and DE NIRO don't post on the other one -- cuz those posts (until the switch) DON'T count toward total posts! :rolleyes: :p

A couple questions:

1. I still don't get how to post an image. I don't understand even with the help section. :p Do I copy/past the URL? It is so easy as we have it now with the "image" option.


2. I assume the animated flame thingy by certain topics means more than 100 posts?

3. Will our PM indicater be flashing when we log in if we have a PM?

4. Oh, and what's the stars by certain topics mean? Why does the "Real Dickhead" thread get 5 stars?

TIS

It's obviously to do with the quality of the thread. The board is still in its testing stage but when JG gets it going properly all my threads will have 5 stars.

1. I still don't get how to post an image. I don't understand even with the help section. :p Do I copy/past the URL? It is so easy as we have it now with the "image" option.

You can do it the same way as here, but instead of clicking on you'd click on to enter the URL.

OR - If the image isn't too large, you can actually upload it to the new board rather than link to it, which is usually preferable since you're not leeching bandwidth from another site. To do that, you'd first save the image to your hard drive, then you'd click on the "File Manager" link when you're posting, Browse for the file you saved, click on "Add File", then "Done adding files". The file will be uploaded when you post, and will either be displayed IN the post, or be linked to, depending on its size.


2. I assume the animated flame thingy by certain topics means more than 100 posts?

Yeah, instead of seeing it's now -- I may change the image to be less annoying. Current "hot topics" are 25+ posts I believe. I've increased it to 100+ so it doesn't look like we're sitting amongst the flames of hell!

3. Will our PM indicater be flashing when we log in if we have a PM?

Yeah, the PM indicator will appear in the top black nav bar, between "My Stuff" and "User List"

4. Oh, and what's the stars by certain topics mean? Why does the "Real Dickhead" thread get 5 stars?

This is a feature I've wanted since Day 1, but wasn't available in this version. Topics can be rated by members on a scale of 1 to 5 by clicking on "Rate this Topic" at the top of each thread. And yes, Turi's ass is worth 5 stars!

PS - The new board doesn't have an 8-image limit per post!

Sheesh. Just look at the Word Games forum over there! :rolleyes:

PS - I've disabled the ability to upload files for the Word Games section because, quite frankly, I don't wanna fill up my disk space with such crap. :p

can you change the "hot topics" to 1000 for the word games thread :rolleyes:

Sheesh. Just look at the Word Games forum over there! :rolleyes:

PS - I've disabled the ability to upload files for the Word Games section because, quite frankly, I don't wanna fill up my disk space with such crap. :p [/b][/quote]That's fair do's because no one cares about those supposed games but I thought you were 'testing this thing', pussy.

I can't test it by myself!! :p

PS - You like the guns, or is that too much?

No, I actually like the guns to tell the truth. I'm a wee bit drunk so when I first saw them I thought they'd always been there. They fit in das gut ja!

Definitely not posting pictures tonight!

I don't think my opinion matters right now anyway.

what guns?

The post indicators on the new board maybe? :p

Good - No "pouch" pics tonight!

The post indicators on the new board maybe? :p [/b][/quote]ummmm why don't I see them lol

On the main page? Hit F5

ah now I see them, what does f5 do?

Looks cool though

F5 is the same as Refresh/Reload

So when's the new house warming party when when when

I'd like to do it over a weekend -- I don't want people going to work w/ nothing to do! -- so hopefully next weekend, if they release some bug fixes by then...

Cool,Should be a major event,ill look forward to it

Ive probley missed this but whats happends to the stars next to our name!

Good question...

Good Luck

Okay, Member Titles have been reset -- BUT anyone with Custom Titles lost them, at least for now. Hopefully when we switch it'll import titles properly...

Hi Geoffy

Will you have to switch your GF Trilogy pages as well

Hi, Miggy! Nope, I already did that weeks ago. This is just a BB change.

So when is this baby due?

I'm looking at doing the switch this weekend: I'm gonna shut BOTH boards down around 3AM ET Saturday (Midnight PT Friday) and let the importer do its thing for 8-9 hours while I sleep. Then when I get up I'll fine-tune stuff that I've been working on the past couple weeks if they were lost. (And hopefully the importer doesn't hang, or my connection goes down, in the middle of the night to delay things)

If all goes smoothly, it should be up and running Saturday afternoon. If all does NOT go smoothly, it could be Saturday evening or even Sunday. (It better not interfere with football! lol)

*******************************
Anyone wishing email updates during that timeframe, please EMAIL webmaster@GangsterBB.NET me (starting now) with "Board Updates Please" as the subject, and I'll keep y'all informed on the progress!
*******************************

Verrrrry exciting, JG!! Can't wait to see everything up and running!!

Anything we can do to help out? Are you going to back-up the BB before the process begins to make sure that if something weird goes down, everything will be okay?

If you need help, let me know.

Thanks for the offer, but there's really nothing anyone can do to help... except bring me drinks!

The importer won't effect the old board's data, so that's one thing we won't have to worry about. I just need to be sure everything makes it's way over to the new one.

Actually there is one thing y'all can do to help: Make sure your email addresses are valid in your profiles!

Thanks for the offer, but there's really nothing anyone can do to help... except bring me drinks! [/b][/quote]Scotch and water, hold the scotch!

No, no... you got that backwards!!

I like this. I like highlighting a text and then pressing bold to make it bold. And I love how easy it is now to post the same lists I make for the "Rate the Director" threads on the film board...

Here.

Geoff,

Good luck with the switch. I'm glad that you are going to switch it this weekend cuz I'll be out of town going to Amish country.

BTW Did you ever figure out why we can't read the PM's in our e-mail?

They didn't carry that feature over yet... but I'm hoping they'll add it back in!

This most likely is a dumb question, but will we still be able to get to the new BB if we saved it to our favorites, or will we need to do a search and get on that way?? Know what I mean?


TIS

The new board will be accessible the same way as it is now, through this link:
http://www.GangsterBB.NET/threads/ubbthreads.php

This will work, too, but it will redirect you:
http://www.GangsterBB.NET/threads/

And once the switch is made, you can just use the normal link:
http://www.GangsterBB.NET/

After the switch, we'll all find out how well it will redirect if you already are linking to THIS board... but you're better off just changing your bookmarks to the new location probably, after the switch.

What about this board, will it really disappear, vanish into the unlimited dust of cyberspace?

Or will we still be able to take a peak at it from time to time, like revisiting an ancient Greek historical site, wondering about everything that happened on the place, who has been there?

No.

It will go into Al Gore's lockbox.

After all, he invented the internet. :p

Great new board Don Geoff, love all the extras, especially the shout box.

Had no problem logging in, though it set me back seeing a pic of Turi's arse first thing in the morning.

No.

It will go into Al Gore's lockbox.

After all, he invented the internet. :p [/b][/quote]You have a problem with Al Gore, man?

Serious :p

Don't start that crap in this thread!

*Joking*

Really, there isn't any war...besides, SC, since you seem to be ready to pounce, I doubt any sort of shenanigans would get past your watch.

I can pounce, too. :p

I don't think I like the new boards... I might become a conservative.

(Note: not meant political, do not interprete politically)

Can't be cautious enough. :p

I haven't spent enough time on the new board to either like or dislike it. Never had the patience to deal with the 'trial' stage of any upgrade.

I'll just jump in with both feet on Saturday and get familiar with it when there's nothing else to turn to.

Apple

I'm also glad I'm due to leave for Oklahoma Friday about noon, and won't be back until sometime Sunday night. Going to the Oklahoma/Colorado football game. I'll get familiar with the board when I get back.

JG, I don't know if someone asked this already, but shall we be able to edit and delete our posts on the new board?

Aww, 'joo a pussycat.

Yeah but you're just a pervert though aren't you?

But what's that have to do with anything?? :p

You brought up your dirty pouncing. Anyway, do you actually ever sleep? You're an adult now, quit leading the college lifestyle.

Of course I do!

Starting around 5AM these days. (Shut up about it being almost 7AM ET! :p )

And, I can act any age I want! Don't need another mommy. :p


'night!

I notice the "Who's Online" feature of the new boards doesn't seem to be working lately.

Or is it me?

Signor V.

Its you.

You're logged in???

Does the first poster on the new board win a prize?


Good morning SC & SV!


TIS

Yep, all logged in.

I was watching the shout board with JG, Partagas and Lavinia yet it said nobody at all (invisible or otherwise) was online.

This only started happening yesterday.

Edit: Mornin' TIS! Didn't know you were online.

Signor V.

What do you see right now??

Well, now it's working.



But it wasn't yesterday and in the middle of last night - at least not for me.

Signor V.

Sure.

Turi was the first poster on these (current) boards (other than Geoff). So, you get a picture of your butt posted as the prize.

Aaaargh! No more Turi's Butt!



My only consolation in this life is knowing that Turi's hindquarters will be erased when Geoff makes the Big Switch!

Signor V.

--------------------
Say NO to (Turi's) crack.

Oh c'mon. Your three puns in a row response (to his picture) was one of the funniest replies I've ever seen here.

Are you making Turi the butt of your jokes?


TIS

I was gonna do that but its all behind me now. :rolleyes:

OMG!!!! And did you read all naughtiness????

Ok, as I'm not going to log in the weekend, I'll be back with the new BBs!!!!! Good luck with the big switch, JG!!! Hope to meet you in the shout box on Monday morning!!!

You need to refresh the page to update Who's Online, and in addition, the data can be up to 5-15 minutes (I forget what it's set at right now) behind...

THE BOARDS WILL BE SHUT DOWN ABOUT 6 HOURS FROM NOW (3AM ET), AND REMAIN DOWN UNTIL SATURDAY AFTERNOON

The importer script will need about 8 hours to copy everything over if everything goes smoothly. If things don't go smoothly, obviously that'll add another 8 hours.

I'll be back in a few hours...

OMG! He's gonna get plastered then come home and transfer to the new BB!! Well, we'll probably be back on-line next week some time.

TIS

I'm just hoping I can stay up 'til 3... I'm so freakin' exhausted! I was working on a new version of MobPosters.com (and yapping on the freakin' ShoutBox) 'til amost 7am yesterday!! Maybe I'll shoot for 2am ET if no one's on then.

Geoff...be safe. :p

Are there snakes around?

OMG, I was trying to post and the server went down! That's just great - when I'm about to do an 8-hour import that can't be interrupted like that! :rolleyes:

quote:

---

Originally posted by J Geoff:
OMG, I was trying to post and the server went down! That's just great - when I'm about to do an 8-hour import that can't be interrupted like that! :rolleyes:

What would happen if it did that in the middle of it?