Planned forum upgrade/downtime Thursday 11/17

[TUGBrian]

We plan on upgrading the existing TUGBBS forums to xenforo this thursday afternoon on 11/17 BEGINNING @ NOON EASTERN

while the expected downtime for this upgrade is only a few hours, please bear with us on thursday afternoon if it takes longer than that to get everything back up and running properly!

note that this is an upgrade, thus all posts/usernames/etc etc will remain and there will be no need to re-register.

we hope that the much more modern features available with the new forum software will be a welcome improvement and upgrade over this very old version of Vbulletin.

not that there was actually anything wrong with the existing version, but it is extremely old and doesnt take advantage of many of the SEO or mobile technology advances available today.

We hope that everyone enjoys the new forum once the upgrade is complete, and thank you for your patience on thursday while we make the change!

 

[dioxide45]

This will be a pretty big change from a user interface perspective. There may be some grumpy people when this change happens. I am a little more used to it since DisBoards has been using this for a while.

 

[TUGBrian]

indeed, it will certainly take a bit of adjustment for some seasoned vbulletin users!

but all of the functionality should remain the same =)

one of the biggest bonuses however is the optimization for search engines for each thread...now itll make it much easier for owners to find info about TUG in the hundreds of thousands of threads we have here on the forums!

 

[SueDonJ]

This thread has gotten relatively few views so it's being bumped in advance of tomorrow afternoon's downtime.

 

[pedro47]

This thread has gotten relatively few views so it's being bumped in advance of tomorrow afternoon's downtime.

When will it happen ?

 

[TUGBrian]

scheduled to start around 2pm, but the forums will be "suspended" before that so we can do a backup before the upgrade.

 

[scootr5]

This thread has gotten relatively few views so it's being bumped in advance of tomorrow afternoon's downtime.

That might be because when you "click here" by the big red downtime notice, it goes to this: "No Thread specified. If you followed a valid link, please notify the administrator".

I participate on a couple of other fora that use xenforo; it's a little different look, but nice.

 

[TUGBrian]

link should be fixed now.

 

[scootr5]

link should be fixed now.

Yes, it's working as it should now.

 

[DaveNV]

Brian, this alleged "upgrade" you speak of. Does it result in an "enhanced member experience?" Sort of like RCI did last weekend?

Hmm. Pretty convenient, coming so close on the heels of their alleged "upgrade." Are you in cahoots with them? After all, Tug is a kind of "timeshare website." Next thing we know, you'll be raising the rates - to something outrageous, like $16 a year...

:rofl:

Dave

 

[TUGBrian]

haha...indeed we timed it perfectly!

Im not sure what "enhanced user features" the upgrade will include yet that we will implement, after all this is a pretty big change in itself, but there are features available in xenforo that werent even possible in our version of vbulletin!

once the upgrade is complete, Doug and I (ok, mostly Doug, with me just asking questions and trying not to annoy him) will do our best to make the new forum look like the old as much as possible....but it will certainly take a bit of time for us to update all of the instructions and guides etc...so we would ask for everyones patience over the next few days after the upgrade if things are just a wee bit off!

that said, the ability to actually post and use the forums shouldnt be interrupted but for just an hour or so while the upgrade actually takes place.

and lastly, this will have no impact on the member only section or any of the other TUG websites (tug2.net, etc)...just here on the forums.

 

[DaveNV]

haha...indeed we timed it perfectly!

Im not sure what "enhanced user features" the upgrade will include yet that we will implement, after all this is a pretty big change in itself, but there are features available in xenforo that werent even possible in our version of vbulletin!

Big question from me: Will the new and improved Tug have a "Like" button for posts? A lot of times I agree with something somebody says, but a new Reply post is limited in need, or appeal.

FWIW Dept: I read a Ford Owner's website (http://www.fordescape.org) that has the ability to Like a post without posting a Reply. It's pretty handy. Just a thought.

Dave

 

[dioxide45]

Big question from me: Will the new and improved Tug have a "Like" button for posts? A lot of times I agree with something somebody says, but a new Reply post is limited in need, or appeal.

FWIW Dept: I read a Ford Owner's website (http://www.fordescape.org) that has the ability to Like a post without posting a Reply. It's pretty handy. Just a thought.

Dave

DisBoards allows Liking of posts, it uses the same forum software that TUG is upgrading to.

 

[DaveNV]

DisBoards allows Liking of posts, it uses the same forum software that TUG is upgrading to.

See, now if we had a Like button...

Dave

 

[TUGBrian]

yep, there will be tons of nifty little doodad features available in xen that didnt even exist when our version of vbulletin was created.

should also have the ability to share posts and threads on social media and such...all in all a much more "internet" friendly forum software for sure.

 

[DaveNV]

yep, there will be tons of nifty little doodad features available in xen that didnt even exist when our version of vbulletin was created.

should also have the ability to share posts and threads on social media and such...all in all a much more "internet" friendly forum software for sure.

Awesome1 I think maybe you should give your hardworking Moderators a raise.

Dave

 

[TUGBrian]

im hoping its an easy transition for the mods to learn all the moderator tools and editing features in xen!

 

[presley]

Good luck with this project today!

 

[tashamen]

My withdrawal symptoms are starting

We plan on upgrading the existing TUGBBS forums to xenforo this thursday afternoon on 11/17 BEGINNING @ NOON EASTERN

while the expected downtime for this upgrade is only a few hours, please bear with us on thursday afternoon if it takes longer than that to get everything back up and running properly!

Not sure how I'll survive without TUG if it takes all afternoon!

 

[TUGBrian]

good time to catch up on posting reviews or photos =D

http://tug2.com

 

[TUGBrian]

test

 

[TUGBrian]

testing 123,...we appear to be back online.

if you can hold off for a bit on reporting things that seem a bit "off" while we take the time to make it look like it used to...we'd be very appreciative!

that said, if you encounter hard errors or major issues with your account or ability to post/browse/search/etc...dont hesitate to let us know so we can add it to the list!

 

[sfwilshire]

I am unable to see the Private Forums, though I appear to be logged in.

Are we no longer able to see our last logon date/time, or has it just moved?

Thanks,

Sheila

 

[scootr5]

I am unable to see the Private Forums, though I appear to be logged in.

Are we no longer able to see our last logon date/time, or has it just moved?

Thanks,

Sheila

Ditto for me on the private forums.

If you click on a username, It will tell you where that person was last "seen".

 

[dioxide45]

Clicking on the 'Latest" thread from the Forum Home page is producing a hard error "The requested post could not be found."