Forum software upgrade

Submitted by lanny on December 7, 2011 - 3:16pm
Body: 

Hi all,

With our fingers crossed, we're going to be upgrading the forum platform this evening. The occasional major upgrades are necessary to improve security primarily and to improve functionality and in some cases to add new features.

Our primary concern is security, since it appears that when wholewoman.com got hacked a couple of years ago it was due to an older and insecure version of our forum software. Of course, we are also now behind a robust firewall, but the internet is like any other ecosystem, there are predators and parasites against which we must protect ourselves.

So apologies in advance for any disruption. I don't expect we'll be down for more than an hour or so at about 5pm our time (MST, GMT-7), if all goes well. Thanks for your patience and, as always, for your support.

Lanny (DH and WW geek in residence)

lanny

December 7, 2011 - 10:44pm

the update seems to have worked out. the look and feel is different but we will be tweaking that over the next week or so. bear with us. do let me know if you run into something dysfunctional. also do make note of the new forum URL: www.wholewoman.com/forum. thanks.

lanny

Surviving60

December 8, 2011 - 7:33am

No problems so far, but it is a little harder now to see when there have been new responses to existing threads. Will just have to get used to some of the other methods of navigation that I didn't need to use before. Also I've often wished that members had the option to add a little bit about themselves in their profile if they wanted to.

Christine

December 8, 2011 - 8:49am

I can hardly see to post! This is not tolerable and will have to be changed asap. Sorry for the disruption to our wonderful forums!! Something like this happens every time we "upgrade"!!

ikam

December 8, 2011 - 11:45am

Has it been designed for a wide-screen computer. It is more difficult for me to read and maneover. I prefered previous version- much easier to access.
Ivonush

ikam

December 8, 2011 - 11:50am

I wanted to post something (new topic) and I got a message for I am not allowed to do so. What is the reason for this?
Ivonush

Surviving60

December 8, 2011 - 12:33pm

Ivonush - It looks like they are still getting the bugs out of the new forum software. It says I'm not allowed either!

Surviving60

December 8, 2011 - 5:15pm

I do miss seeing how many "guests" are on the site. Sometimes that number is impressive and it always makes me feel warm and fuzzy thinking that maybe today, someone new is finding some hope at right this very minute. OK, I know that we're all guests until we log on, but still...............

Christine

December 9, 2011 - 6:52pm

i have lanny working on this...

Cecilly

December 10, 2011 - 4:52pm

I keep getting the message that I am not allowed to post new topics. I can comment on other's topics, but can't start a new one. Anyone know why this is? I'm signed in!

louiseds

December 10, 2011 - 10:14pm

HI Cecilly

You are not alone in your frustration. I am a moderator and an administrator, and I cannot post new topics either. :-( Lanny is working away at fixing it. We just need to be patient. I suggest that you simply find a recent topic that is similar in subject and post a comment under that, mentioning that you can't post new topics, as per normal.

Louise

Christine

December 16, 2011 - 1:18pm

Well, I told Lanny this morning that I want our old forums back and was informed that is not a possibility. :(

We've had a whirlwind last few days at the WWC and expect to have more time to put into working more bugs out of the system this weekend. We have yet to find a Drupal expert to help with installing the missing features we want, but Lanny is putting out another agency call today.

Surviving60

December 16, 2011 - 3:50pm

As far as I can see, the only thing not working the same is that the new topics cannot be categorized, and do not show up under "new forum topics" on the left side of the screen. Is that what you're still working on, or is there more?

Christine

December 16, 2011 - 4:02pm

Yes, also...I prefer when the latest response appears at the top, rather than having to scroll to the bottom with each new post.

I miss our "how many guests" are online, a feature that was not included in this version of the software!

In past versions, we've also been able to see how many total members we have. These last two features we have to find a programmer to install.

If there's anything else, please let me know..

Sammy

December 17, 2011 - 2:37pm

I definitely prefer the post be in progressive order- never got used to the most recent being the one rite after the initial- often had trouble following the sense of contribution. the larger print is a pleasant surprise- hope all else can be resolved- this is such a busy time of year- the upgrade and associated work is appreciated

bad_mirror

December 17, 2011 - 10:24pm

I usually am content with "whatever," but shoot, I really don't like having to scroll all the way down for the new comment then all the way back up to see the topics list. Lazy scroller am I. Sorry, but I do hope the old order is reinstated.

Surviving60

December 18, 2011 - 6:25am

I could probably get used to it either way (newest on top, or scrolling down). However, something doesn't seem to be working properly. The way it is now, the indentations and reply options make it APPEAR that one can reply to a specific post within the thread, rather than just tack a post on at the end. However, when you try to do that, your reply does not in fact appear under the post you thought you were replying to. Better to just make it linear (in one direction or the other) than to have indentations that aren't logical.

louiseds

December 29, 2011 - 12:50am

Yes, Surviving60, I agree about the lack of logic in the hierarchy. It probably does make some sense to somebody, but I can't figure it out. However, I am now getting used to it.

When replying I try to remember to use the same subject line as the one I am replying to. This makes it easier to relate a string of replies to each other, kind of like a sub-topic.

L

lanny

January 4, 2012 - 10:08pm

hi all,

we have bad news on the forum.

we've had a developer looking at some of the issues (inability to post, search issues etc.). it appears that the last upgrade did not go well and considerable damage was done to the database. i have contacted a firm that specializes in this platform to see if we can get some expert help recovering and stabilizing the system.

in many ways, the forum is the heart and soul of the whole woman site and our history is written in these posts. it is very precious to us personally, as a company and we know to the many members of the whole woman family. we are doing everything in our power to protect and restore that history.

in the meantime, please bear with us. i'm hoping that within a week or so we will have the issue resolved. thank you for your patience.

lanny.

louiseds

January 4, 2012 - 11:28pm

I know how precious the Forums are to you, our Grand Techie, after all you have been through with them over the years. Best of luck. ((((Lanny))))

Louise

lanny

January 8, 2012 - 8:33pm

hi all,

it looks like the damage to the database is reparable! our developer has been working on a mirror copy of the forum and appears to have figured out both the problem and the solution. this is very good news. tomorrow (monday) night (at least for those of us in the western hemisphere) we will be taking the forum down for approximately three hours from about 7 to 10 pm local (mountain standard or gmt -7) time. if you come to the forum during that window you will see a "down for maintenance" message. hopefully it won't take three hours, but these things shouldn't be rushed.

when the dust settles, the "you're not allowed to post" message will disappear, the search function should be working. once we have things back on an even keel, there are a few minor improvements we'll be doing, now that we have a good local resource with whom to work. next time we have a major platform upgrade, we'll have expert help to make sure we don't run into these kinds of problems again.

thanks for your patience and do check in tomorrow after 10 pm.

all the best,
lanny (WW geek in residence and official WW DH)

ikam

January 9, 2012 - 1:09am

Thank you Lanny! It must have been very frustrating for you. Great it is almost sorted! :)

Christine

January 9, 2012 - 6:47pm

in a few minutes (at 7pm mountain standard or GMT -7) the site will be going into maintenance mode for about three hours. please check back periodically as it may not take that long. thanks for your patience.

lanny

lanny

January 9, 2012 - 10:29pm

hi all,

no joy yet on the system. we'll take the system down again tomorrow (tues) night for another three hours. i'm hopeful that we'll get to the bottom of it then. thanks again for your patience.

lanny

lanny

January 10, 2012 - 5:54pm

hi all,

just a quick reminder that the forum will be down again tonight for a few hours. hopefully we'll have a positive report later this evening.

lanny

lanny

January 10, 2012 - 8:23pm

hi all,

very good news...the forum is back in action. you can post again! if in the next couple of days you run across any quirks you believe shouldn't be happening, please drop me a note.

our developer will be working on why the comments are now oldest first instead of newest first, but we'll get that figured out in the next phase of the improvements. the main thing is that we now have a good doctor for the forum when it is ailing as well as a development version to experiment on before making any changes to the main forum.

thank you all for your patience and as always, many thanks for your support of whole woman.

all the best,

lanny.

louiseds

January 12, 2012 - 2:58am

What a relief!

alemama

January 12, 2012 - 9:51pm

whew! that was a rough transition. So glad things are worked out and that our history is backed up nicely. And happy you found a local person to help out. Thanks for keeping this going.

curiousity

January 17, 2012 - 11:32am

It looks like there is some extra text being inserted at the beginning of posts since the forum upgrade. I might be being a bit picky here but having this "Body:" in bold at the beginning of each post could be confusing for new members. It's also less clear who has made the original post, as their name is in very small text and commenters' names are in bigger text.

Looking great otherwise!

louiseds

January 17, 2012 - 7:29pm

I don't get that, Curiosity. Would you please post the URL where you can see it? Then we can check it out.

Louise

curiousity

January 17, 2012 - 7:58pm

That's interesting. Maybe it's a browser thing. I use Firefox on Mac.

I see it in all of the threads, when they are expanded. This one for example: http://www.wholewoman.com/forum/node/4318. At the top I see

"Forum software upgrade
Submitted by lanny on December 7, 2011 - 3:16pm
Body:

Hi all,
...
"

curiousity

January 17, 2012 - 8:04pm

And if I look at the HTML source, I see:

<div class="field-label">Body: </div>

Perhaps the formatting for field-label is different from browser to browser.

louiseds

January 17, 2012 - 10:27pm

Oh yes, so it is. Silly me. I use Firefox on PC, so I think it is probably a Lanny thing. I will email him and get him to check it.

Louise

louiseds

January 17, 2012 - 11:16pm

Hi Curiosity

It is a bit strange having "Body:" at the beginning of each topic, but like many things I guess we will get used to it. Lanny is not able to correct it in the short term but it will get attention eventually. Lanny has taken note. I hope you don't mind. At least the Forums are all functioning OK, which is much better than it was.

I was a bit thrown by the new Forums format when it first started but, like an old friend, I have become used to it's eccentricities. Change is the only constant.

BTW, while I am thinking about change, has anyone read "Who Moved my Cheese" by Dr Spencer Johnson?

Louise

takecare

January 18, 2012 - 12:29am

I like it being at the beginning of each topic - kind of relevant to us - the 'body' - not perfect, but deserves to be put first :)

curiousity

January 18, 2012 - 2:03am

Heh, no worries. A minor quirk.