The history is a sprawling mass of ancient spaghetti code worked on by successive developers.  What you see right now is the first step in getting it all sorted out.  You managed to pick an unfortunate time to join I’m afraid!

Normally you switch to the new version when it’s better. And you have version control to help with this. If you’re just hacking like frantic banshees on the live system then it’s going to be a long slow painful process.

I reckon this episode will go down in history along with the great hack of…..a few years ago!

If you’re just hacking like frantic banshees on the live system then it’s going to be a long slow painful process.

And one that may or may not end with a beautifully shiny new forum, but with a pretty much cast-iron guarantee that it has no users any more as they’ve all given up and **** off somewhere else. Emperor’s new clothes and all that.

The most telling thing is the deafening silence from anyone actually in a position to really know.

The best thing, in my opinion, would be this:

Issue a mea culpa.

Apologise for any inconvenience (probably more with buy/sell than anyone’s missives about what tyres for Brexit) as posts since the ‘upgrade’ are going to disappear.

Admit defeat and run ‘reinstall as at date of upgrade minus one’.

Work out a proper plan of upgrades to be rolled out to a staggered schedule.

Ask for a group of regular forum users who are willing to UAT each change.

Use said group to stress test and UAT each change.

Implement each change only when the previous one has been signed off.

This isn’t the NHS. People aren’t going to die because the new system turns out to be shit. Remove fingers from ears, listen to your users – and appear to be listening (a bit of PR never hurts).

If you don’t you will need to find a whole new set of users. I don’t need to be on here, I doubt most others really do.

And I’ve already booked a holiday this year and it wasn’t through Jet2.

^^ wise words

Yep, wise words from Dannyh.

Especially this,
“The most telling thing is the deafening silence from anyone actually in a position to really know.”

You may notice the site response times being quite slow over the weekend. This is because we are indexing our entire website to be able to bring back a new and improved search function to the site.

We hope faster browsing will be back by the end of the weekend

^^Well said!^^

I think.

😳😂🤔

People are’t going to die about sums it up.

@chipster 🙂

Quote’s still not working for me. I tried to paste Mark’s post in the locked sticky “Our Forum” thread.

😯

People won’t die, but the forum might.

When I click on a thread it doesn’t seem to display the first post so you just read answers to it. It’s slightly entertaining but another example of the Singletrackworld muppet show… 😘

People are’t going to die about sums it up.

Die no. Lose their business and potentially the shirt from their back. ?????

So now that the site is indexed are we going to see the new Google?

When that’s finished is Mark going to reinvent eBay for the classified section?

“People aren’t going to die about sums it up.” you seem to have got that whilst completely missing Remove fingers from ears, listen to your users – and appear to be listening (a bit of PR never hurts).

No I seen that too and can see that but I refer back to “No one is going to die”

The forum is pretty shit the way it is now, you still post though and that is happening.

It’ll be a cold day in Hell before Mark either (1) coughs to the ownership of having ballsed this whole thing up in an epic way (from concept to initial delivery to further, er, “developments”) and (2) offers any form of sincere apology. For the record, I’ve never had a problem with people miscalculating, getting things wrong, making mistakes, etc – everyone is allowed to do so. But some half-baked, vague, nonchalant statement (with more than a hint of defiance) issued on a self serving, ‘this is my sandpit’ style sticky thread that no-one can challenge you on isn’t the mark of a leader in my book.

However, I’ll bet my onions he’ll continue to wheel Cougar and Drac out as sacrificial lambs to take the flak. I’m not sure what maintains your loyalty gents, but if I was Mark I’d sure as hell be letting you know your value.

I’d now follow this serious post up with a funny meme/.gif but it’d probably break the forum. Let’s hope no butterflies flap their wings in the rainforests of South America, eh?

Sorry, Drac, not pointed at you.was for our great and entitled overlord, sir Alker of smug.

Does anyone else find it bizarre to have classes AND all that styling?

He has already Bullheart.

Still cold out there tonight though.

As Bullheart said. I’ve the upmost respect for Drac and Cougar, (and the unnamed MODS), that keep this place ticking over.

Yes, I can still post, but it’s gone far beyond a chore. The basic functionality of the forum is like nothing I’ve ever seen before. Just typing requires multiple corrections, deletes, autocorrect spannering everything. I’ve tried posting images, I’ve given up. I can sometimes quote, but the level of editing required to make it legible is breathtakingly stupid.

If this is Mark’s idea of a legitimate product, yes a product, I’m a paying customer remember, then it will only be a matter of time before STW is lying dead on the ground.

Unless some genuine feedback is given by the owners, an apology, and a transparent plan of what and when us customers can expect a working product then I’m not going to go down with the band playing in the background. I’ll take my subscription elsewhere.

#NotAFlounce I genuinely want STW to succeed, but all I can see is the spasming corpse in its death throes.

So yes, there are bugs and they will be fixed. in the meantime I’m sorry for the glitches but sometimes you have to rip everything down before you can build something better.

Lose their business and potentially the shirt from their back.

Well they can always get new jobs as forum devs 😉

So yes, there are bugs and they will be fixed. in the meantime I’m sorry for the glitches but sometimes you have to rip everything down before you can build something better.

And that’s just utter BS.

You keep the old system running whilst you trial the new one on a separate server and iron out all the bugs. No one ever swaps a live system to a completely untested new version unless they want to be fired by the end of the week….

So yes, there are bugs and they will be fixed. in the meantime I’m sorry for the glitches but sometimes you have to rip everything down before you can build something better.

No he hasn’t Drac.

^^^^ this is bollocks. And it’s bollocks because a growing number of professionals on here that are in the industry are saying it is. And they’re not just whining, they’re repeatedly offering workable solutions that could limit the damage and salvage the sites reputation.

I don’t quite get the cold thing. I’m a bit muddled tonight. Could you explain?

Not to pile on, but agree with the flappy footed one.

If this behaviour was shown in testing it should have stayed there till it was fixed.

But, to give Mark his due, he is consistent and steadfast in his belief in this new trailblazing rollout technique. Which is a admirable trait.

Anyway, I’m off to get the Wikipedia summary of the sunken cost fallacy tattooed on my right bum cheek.

He said sorry but it’s remained cold, you know you said hell would freeze over if he said sorry.

Yeah it was a crap joke.

However, I’ll bet my onions he’ll continue to wheel Cougar and Drac out as sacrificial lambs to take the flak. I’m not sure what maintains your loyalty gents, but if I was Mark I’d sure as hell be letting you know your value.

Thanks for the votes of confidence (sincerely).

No-one’s wheeling anyone out for anything.  We – well, I at least, I can’t speak for Drac – do it for the love of the community here.  Presumably the same reason everyone else is still here I guess.

It’s frustrating for sure.  But this too will pass.

Honest question, Cougar.

What gives you that hope?

It’s frustrating for sure.  But this too will pass.

Well it certainly seems quieter here.

I saw talk of a post from Mark explaining what was going on or an update – where as it as it seems to be lost in all the posts, maybe one of you could show him how to do a sticky 😉 Or it might be in the weekly Newsletters that have stopped too.

Not trying to be an arse but it’s not that good in here, mobile posting is much harder and has left me giving up replying to technical threads I could answer, the history thing means I’ve not bothered checking back on threads.

Same reason Cougar as I’ve had to ‘justify’ in the past that and I’ve known the STW bods for around 16 years now. Not sure how Bullheart thinks he knows that we’re not appreciated.

I’ve just been given six months to live by my oncologist. Will it be before then?

[inserts appropriate dark/macabre/wistful/sobbing/laughing emoji]

[deletes for fear of it ending up in Ling thread through forum redirection error]

**** hell bullheart you’ve just put everything in perspective.

I’ve just been given six months to live by my oncologist. Will it be before then?

I’m going to say no. Although, they might have fixed quotes by then.

Also, sorry to hear that mate.

Edit: The span spam has no respect.

What gives you that hope?

I’ve seen the future.

I’ve just been given six months to live by my oncologist.

Shit dude.  That was good timing on my part, sorry.  I thought you were on the mend.

Hold your horses Tonto – where and when did I mention that you and Cougar weren’t appreciated? I said that if I were Mark, I’d be letting you know how much I appreciated you both (and the unseen mods). Now clearly, you haven’t walked, so either he’s doing something right or you’re doormats, and I very much doubt it’s the latter.

My experiences of Mr Alker are not positive – but they are not definitive, a point your loyalty evidently counters. Two sides and all that…

Remember though; if something looks like shit, smells like shit and tastes like shit, it’s probably not a Lion Bar….*

* (relating to the Forum, not the owner)

Mark (F) – don’t waste your time with it, honestly. The mods are doing a good job, the forum has gone a bit shite, it will get better, one day, and as you say on FB, real things, like the crap disease that has affected many of us, you more than any I currently know, are what is properly important. Family, memories, precious things..

Just read bullheart’s Facebook update and almost in tears. Now this. Shit Mark.

Thank you my lovelies; remember though, worst things happen at sea.

I have seen the very best of humanity through this website Mark. I have experienced immeasurable kindness from remarkable people. Swallow your pride, be brave and take the advice and support given to you from the folk on here and allow someone else in my position to benefit from all the good a functioning forum can offer.

And do it quickly. I’ve got to use the Classifieds to raise funds for funeral costs.

Ya bastard!

Hold your horses Tonto – where and when did I mention that you and Cougar weren’t appreciated?

I think Drac interpreted that as “not appreciated by Mark / STW” rather than “not appreciated by the forum members.”