Forum bombshell!

[Ein Heldenleben]

But then ff is a seasoned ace communicator.

Exactly

[Andrew Slater]

Reminder: the forum will be off-line from 9pm. Hopefully back on within 20 minutes.

[french frank]

But then ff is a seasoned ace communicator.

I now communicate that I haven't a clue what Andrew and Mark are discussing with each other. I read the emails, I see the diagrams. I am full of admiration. That is all.

Anyway, as Andrew says, we'll be down at 9pm.

[Andrew Slater]

All done!

[french frank]

All done!

Not many things in life are this reliable

[DracoM]

Wow!
BUT................what exactly does that mean to us, the un-AI peasantry?

[richardfinegold]

I'm bowled over by all the kind messages of goodwill from fellow Forumites, many thanks to you all.

Two years on and unfortunately the blood graft failed with the lymphoma returning. However, to my amazement and delight, last week I was offered what is called Car-T cell treatment, which effectively means your white cells are collected, duly modified in a lab then reinjected into your system. Advances have been made so quickly in the last two years that this is now the preferred treatment over a graft. I got the diagnosis on Tuesday and had a consultation two days later, incredible service. I am now waiting for a date in August to be admitted. I feel so very lucky to be in such good hands and they are talking about a possible ten years of normal life before the lymphoma coming back again - who knows what developments will be available by then?

I shall certainly be taking headphones, laptop etc into the sterile hospital room for three weeks and hoping to catch up on my listening. Although last time there was such an army of people coming in and out doing tests that I never got through a full work!

Sorry for going off-thread, but did so want to express my thanks. Very happy to see that the Forum is still up and running, well done to all concerned.

Car-T definitely state of the art. Best wishes

[MarkSealey]

Progress

May I just pop in from California, where it's over 40° this week, to offer a short update:

On Monday the bulk of the html, php, css and js etc files were copied (not moved: the existing site (with this forum) won't go down until everything is safely working in its new environment) from our existing host to the new one.

On Tuesday the simple content management system using which some changes are made to the FoR3 site was - I think successfully - resurrected on the new server(s).

Andrew is in the middle of configuring and preparing the latest version of the software on which this (and so the next/updated) forum runs. That's the really challenging part. Because of Andrew we're all optimistic.

We're also very close with the dozen or so email accounts (several of which keep us informed if things go awry with this forum)… they cannot be 'brought over', so are being configured manually.

Once the forum appears to be behaving as Andrew and FF want in situ on the new server(s), it will be temporarily unavailable in either location - most likely for slightly longer than hitherto - while all the data which constitutes posts, members, presentation-layer settings and so on is tested.

Assuming all that goes well (and, as FF and Andrew say, things are now looking a lot better than they did at the weekend), the final stage (for those interested!) will be to change the domain registration to point to the name-servers (DNS) of the new host.

In theory (and we'll be standing by if not) you'll notice next to nothing different in terms of connectivity; although - as par for the Internet course - you may get the old URL (for forum and site) until the new IP has propagated. This is officially supposed to happen within 72 hours. But almost always takes a lot less. We can explain what to expect if that's not clear: please do ask.

FoR3 and the forum have done really well with our old host, since we 'founded' FoR3 in 2003. Reading between the lines, Covid, rising costs and a handful of hurricanes in Florida appear to have 'done for' the former host.

It would have been nice to have received more notice of the closure; and (as FF keeps reminding) they are not committing themselves to a date definitely as far out as ten days from now. But we weren't; we had very little notice. There is little criticism on their forum about that, given the excellent service they're provided to the vast majority of their customers over the years. So…

Our new host, however, is - we are confident - even more stable. I've had a site and email with them since 1999. Very little downtime… maybe a minute or two every few years!

Our new host is expanding, we shall be running on Ubuntu and have 24/7 tech support. What's more, the new forum (and FoR3 site) are hosted in Denver, Colorado, which is considered the safest place in the US… furthest from tornadoes, hurricanes, floods and earthquakes.

Thanks to everyone here for your support and forbearance.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Thank you, Mark. That’s wonderful news.

[antongould]

May I just pop in from California, where it's over 40° this week, to offer a short update:

On Monday the bulk of the html, php, css and js etc files were copied (not moved: the existing site (with this forum) won't go down until everything is safely working in its new environment) from our existing host to the new one.

On Tuesday the simple content management system using which some changes are made to the FoR3 site was - I think successfully - resurrected on the new server(s).

Andrew is in the middle of configuring and preparing the latest version of the software on which this (and so the next/updated) forum runs. That's the really challenging part. Because of Andrew we're all optimistic.

We're also very close with the dozen or so email accounts (several of which keep us informed if things go awry with this forum)… they cannot be 'brought over', so are being configured manually.

Once the forum appears to be behaving as Andrew and FF want in situ on the new server(s), it will be temporarily unavailable in either location - most likely for slightly longer than hitherto - while all the data which constitutes posts, members, presentation-layer settings and so on is tested.

Assuming all that goes well (and, as FF and Andrew say, things are now looking a lot better than they did at the weekend), the final stage (for those interested!) will be to change the domain registration to point to the name-servers (DNS) of the new host.

In theory (and we'll be standing by if not) you'll notice next to nothing different in terms of connectivity; although - as par for the Internet course - you may get the old URL (for forum and site) until the new IP has propagated. This is officially supposed to happen within 72 hours. But almost always takes a lot less. We can explain what to expect if that's not clear: please do ask.

FoR3 and the forum have done really well with our old host, since we 'founded' FoR3 in 2003. Reading between the lines, Covid, rising costs and a handful of hurricanes in Florida appear to have 'done for' the former host.

It would have been nice to have received more notice of the closure; and (as FF keeps reminding) they are not committing themselves to a date definitely as far out as ten days from now. But we weren't; we had very little notice. There is little criticism on their forum about that, given the excellent service they're provided to the vast majority of their customers over the years. So…

Our new host, however, is - we are confident - even more stable. I've had a site and email with them since 1999. Very little downtime… maybe a minute or two every few years!

Our new host is expanding, we shall be running on Ubuntu and have 24/7 tech support. What's more, the new forum (and FoR3 site) are hosted in Denver, Colorado, which is considered the safest place in the US… furthest from tornadoes, hurricanes, floods and earthquakes.

Thanks to everyone here for your support and forbearance.

Wonderful news Mark …. many thanks to you and Andrew

[Historian]

Wonderful news Mark …. many thanks to you and Andrew

I would like to add my thanks to everyone who is working so hard to translate this forum into its new incarnation. Fingers crossed all goes well when the time comes.

[Sir Velo]

Gosh! Your life is complicated compared to my simple iPad and Mac, where the site appears on my browser Favorites home page and (if a session is not already open) I just click on the icon.

The Favourites (bookmarks) icon for For3 appears at the top of my Chrome or Firefox browser every time I open it, along with about 40 other sites I regularly visit. One click and we're in. Not sure how much space they use but it takes a matter of milliseconds to click and open. Alternative is to start typing "for3" and the rest of the url appears automatically. Can't see why all the need for searching faff...

[oddoneout]

May I just pop in from California, where it's over 40° this week, to offer a short update:

On Monday the bulk of the html, php, css and js etc files were copied (not moved: the existing site (with this forum) won't go down until everything is safely working in its new environment) from our existing host to the new one.

On Tuesday the simple content management system using which some changes are made to the FoR3 site was - I think successfully - resurrected on the new server(s).

Andrew is in the middle of configuring and preparing the latest version of the software on which this (and so the next/updated) forum runs. That's the really challenging part. Because of Andrew we're all optimistic.

We're also very close with the dozen or so email accounts (several of which keep us informed if things go awry with this forum)… they cannot be 'brought over', so are being configured manually.

Once the forum appears to be behaving as Andrew and FF want in situ on the new server(s), it will be temporarily unavailable in either location - most likely for slightly longer than hitherto - while all the data which constitutes posts, members, presentation-layer settings and so on is tested.

Assuming all that goes well (and, as FF and Andrew say, things are now looking a lot better than they did at the weekend), the final stage (for those interested!) will be to change the domain registration to point to the name-servers (DNS) of the new host.

In theory (and we'll be standing by if not) you'll notice next to nothing different in terms of connectivity; although - as par for the Internet course - you may get the old URL (for forum and site) until the new IP has propagated. This is officially supposed to happen within 72 hours. But almost always takes a lot less. We can explain what to expect if that's not clear: please do ask.

FoR3 and the forum have done really well with our old host, since we 'founded' FoR3 in 2003. Reading between the lines, Covid, rising costs and a handful of hurricanes in Florida appear to have 'done for' the former host.

It would have been nice to have received more notice of the closure; and (as FF keeps reminding) they are not committing themselves to a date definitely as far out as ten days from now. But we weren't; we had very little notice. There is little criticism on their forum about that, given the excellent service they're provided to the vast majority of their customers over the years. So…

Our new host, however, is - we are confident - even more stable. I've had a site and email with them since 1999. Very little downtime… maybe a minute or two every few years!

Our new host is expanding, we shall be running on Ubuntu and have 24/7 tech support. What's more, the new forum (and FoR3 site) are hosted in Denver, Colorado, which is considered the safest place in the US… furthest from tornadoes, hurricanes, floods and earthquakes.

Thanks to everyone here for your support and forbearance.

Thank you for this explanation of progress. In the circumstances support and forbearance seems a little enough thing for us users to provide, given all the work you,Andrew and FF have been, and are, doing to ensure that we can continue to enjoy the forum.
I will keep my fingers crossed that everything goes as planned and hoped.

[french frank]

Up at daybreak this morning to reply to Mark's latest. Amazed to get an instant reply.

Mark: You're up early
Me: You're up late

Hopefully Andrew is sleeping off a heavy night

[Andrew Slater]

Up a bit later, I'm afraid, then had to go out to do some chores, but just about to start now .....