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The site will be down for a few hours tomorrow from 6:30am as we migrate to new host.
The process begins today for us behind the scenes as we copy over the very large media library (all the images). A practical upshot is that if you are a subscriber and you upload an image to the forum, it may not appear tomorrow for a few hours after we have migrated everything.
Good luck with the move...
Looks like the UKs productivity will increase tomorrow as people will need to work rather than be browsing this site :). No idea what my ‘toilet reading’ will be now!
Download Issue 165 today... read it on the bog tomorrow.
New host. Does that mean Wordpress pro or whatever is mo more?
Better move all my work meetings to 6 am tomorrow then.
bbpress pro.
Good luck, hope all goes smoothly. 👍
And we're back...
We expect things to be a slow for a bit while the site cache fills and catches up. We are monitoring closely and undoubtedly there will be some issues.
I liked the Slieve Donard image on the maintenance page.
UPDATE: Still indexing jobs going on in the background. We are adjusting things to tweak the performance. We are aware there are some missing images. These will be back soon.
Hmm got a warning on Chrome that Site not secure
We expect things to be a slow for a bit while the site cache fills and catches up.
Site's never been as fast on my PC. 2 secs from click to page appearing. 👍
So far so good
Get the security warning on Edge and Firefox.
I will say, as a freeloader, this place is faster now, thank Jebus H Ray
Wow - this forum has just turned from the slowest website on the internet into the fastest! Nice work
Well done and thank you for the persistence and hard work.
You are probably aware but, when I posted a picture this morning it tried to post every picture I have posted on here for about the last year!
T'is quicker 💪
Blimey - that's a hell of an improvement. About time.
It is very much noticeably faster.
I can't use the site on the duckduckgo browser, it doesn't allow me to go adfree.
I won't be using the site other than posting this, if I can't use a privacy browser.
Also took ages to post that message, hence the double post, so no improvement in performance so far for me.
I can't use the site on the duckduckgo browser, it doesn't allow me to go adfree.
I won't be using the site other than posting this, if I can't use a privacy browser.
...that's kind if a you problem not STW's.
I have uBlock Origin installed in Firefox. It is disabled for singletrack (because you need the ad revenue) but I still get the "disable ad blocker" and cannot view the forum.
Presumably it actually means completely disable or uninstall the extension.
Have you been bought out by Reach?
...that's kind if a you problem not STW's
No, it really isn't as I had the same message on the laptop earlier and there was no ability to click the go ad-free button.
and there was no ability to click the go ad-free button.
Subscribing is the only legit way to go ad-free.
Reject and Go Ad-Free button should take you to the subs page but isn't doing so at the minute.
Quite a bit faster for me now too. Mac OS and iOS with Safari, photo uploading earlier was superfast compared to previous. Good stuff.
I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong compared to those who’ve noticed a faster site, it’s like I’m on dial-up viewing the site now.
It was sluggish before the update but now the speed is glacial.
We are still getting things optimal. Part of that process is we clear the cache from time to time. When we do that some of you will find it slows down briefly. That's because the cache needs to fill itself up again with copies of each page. If you get an uncached page that comes directly from the database, which is slower.
The consent box that briefly appeared to some is a test. It leaked out on the live site before it should have. That was a me issue. However, it does speak to a fundamental issue with what we do. The implied contract we have with you all is that you can access our site for free, but if you choose that option we recoup our costs through advertising. In effect the price you pay to view and interact with the site is the ads. If you block the ads then you are breaking this 'agreement'. We have to pay the bill somehow and the ads are a vital part of the equation. That impliend contract has always worked on a kind of honour basis. We have always been able to detect if a visitor is blocking the ads but we've never proactively done anything about that. This new system that is very much only a test, will mean there will be a paid option to block the ads across the site. This won't be a full subscription to Singletrack that includes all the subscriber benefits and access - it will just be a cheaper option for those users who want to use the site but without the ads.
I appreciate that for some that won't be acceptable but what we do can't be accessed without some kind of exchange. Blocking the ads and using the site is not fair to other users who don't do that or the ones who pay to be a subscriber. It's also not fair to us here at Singletrack who make our living from the work we do. There will always be a choice for everyone though.
For now it's all in the testing phase.
1-2,1-2 this is just, uh, TEST!
Naaah for realz that's a good idea Marky-Mark.
And thanks for the commitment to the site. You're clearly a Chipp of the old block x
This new system that is very much only a test, will mean there will be a paid option to block the ads across the site. This won't be a full subscription to Singletrack that includes all the subscriber benefits and access - it will just be a cheaper option for those users who want to use the site but without the ads.
People have been asking for a "forum only" subscription for years. It'll be interesting to see how many people piss and moan about you offering exactly that.
While I've still got access to the forum I'd like to thank all those who've contributed to making this place what it is. There is a sense of community even when we're squabbling amongst ourselves and whilst I don't agree with everyone on everything this is the corner of the Anglo-Saxon Net that I've found the most affinity with politically, socially and MTB.
It's a place where the members are the providers of most of the content that brings me here, and the freeloaders provide a goodly proportion of that content. I'll have a look at fresh goods Friday, a reader's bike or a bike test but maybe once a week whereas the forum gets visited every time I sit down with a coffee and check my e-mails, the weather, the news, the markets etc.
Insights on Ukraine, what's Timba got to say. The bike biz, Kelvin. UK politics - Kerley, Kimbers, MSP, Ernie (PIP), that bloke who draws things... . Guitars/basses - some people can actually play them! MTBs, it seems some of us ride them and even travel with them, I had thought of doing a TJ/Monty on my next trip and posting from a tent. The petrolheads, I love you all really and at least Mert knows what he's talking about. 😉 The cops, good cop bad cop and someone who actually is a lawyer. Scotland, yes I've understood, it's not the same as England, Wales or either bit of Ireland for that matter and it looks nice in photos where you don't feel the midges or climate. Photos, some very inspiring ones with Countzero and Colournoise to keep it ticking over. Farming, from a Welsh perspective. The foreign correspondants: MSP, dudeofdoom, the Swedes, Rick, the Ozzies, a Belgian beer, Alpin. Which brings me to Tracy of the alpine adventues, NBT, Bunnyhop and the skiers, kayaks, climbers... .
There are still maybe a hundred people here that have posted enough that I associate something with them - so no need to sulk if you aren't mentionned above, I haven't even mentioned Molgrips. Go back and have a look at some threads from just after the hack (when most of the current regulars signed up even if they have changed pseudo since) and you'll be reminded of how many have dropped by the wayside, had perma bans, or flounced. Not much new blood but some which brings me to:
I not sure that a time when the week old threads are progressing up the page is a good time to take a chance on the persistently freeloading content providers changing their minds and newcomers reaching into their pockets when not already hooked, but hey it's not my business.
Good luck with it all and thanks again.
Edit: coz Cougar typed his short post faster than it took me to type my long one. Happy to oblige Cougar 😉 I did think of including you in my list of experts as computer bod - ex mod but thought it unfair to mention mods, but as I have Cricket, saving lives and moderation - drac.
I have Cricket, saving lives and moderation - drac.
Ooooh! I’m all giddy.
Turn the nitrous mix down
This won't be a full subscription to Singletrack that includes all the subscriber benefits and access - it will just be a cheaper option for those users who want to use the site but without the ads.
I appreciate that for some that won't be acceptable but what we do can't be accessed without some kind of exchange. Blocking the ads and using the site is not fair to other users who don't do that or the ones who pay to be a subscriber. It's also not fair to us here at Singletrack who make our living from the work we do. There will always be a choice for everyone though.
For now it's all in the testing phase.
Any idea when this new option will be available?
No definite timeline on that yet. There are still things that need to be changed at the providers side rather than ours. In the next week or so is my best estimate right now.
Big improvement, great work.
The consent box that briefly appeared to some is a test. It leaked out on the live site before it should have.
I appreciate that for some that won't be acceptable but what we do can't be accessed without some kind of exchange. Blocking the ads and using the site is not fair to other users who don't do that or the ones who pay to be a subscriber. It's also not fair to us here at Singletrack who make our living from the work we do. There will always be a choice for everyone though.
Help me out here, please.
My mobile browser is Firefox Focus, which doesn't have the option of add-ons, so without an ad-blocker.
It's set up with the default tracking protection enabled and your ad-blocker consent box popped up.
Is that setting blocking ads or is the site over-sensitive?
I can't test it out now so please feel free to name, shame and educate.
Thanks
My mobile browser is Firefox Focus, which doesn't have the option of add-ons, so without an ad-blocker.
I was under the impression that essentially it has trackers and ad-blockers built into it?
My mobile browser is Firefox Focus, which doesn't have the option of add-ons, so without an ad-blocker.
I was under the impression that essentially it has trackers and ad-blockers built into it?
It might be that blocking "a wide range of common trackers by default including social trackers and those sticky ones that come from things like Facebook ads." is the problem?
Just a setting change if that's the case
Likely the ad-blocking part. @Mark is in a better position than me to comment with a more definitive answer.
There's currently no ad blocking tech in place. What appeared the other day has been removed.
There's currently no ad blocking tech in place. What appeared the other day has been removed.
It'll be back ^^
I'm trying to do the job right in the meantime, thanks both
@Mark - I've discovered a problem. When I click on My Media to select an image for posting, I'm seeing a drop-down of all the images I've ever posted (well, many pages at least). It's not exactly a showstopper but I imagine it might be having some effect on server performance having to maintain all of those links?
I'm needing to go clear all the site settings and cookies and log back in as the site isn't any faster and is actually slower for me.
I've discovered a problem. When I click on My Media to select an image for posting, I'm seeing a drop-down of all the images I've ever posted
Oh yeah! I get the same.
That's how it was always meant to work. All uploaded images are stored on our server (subscriber perk). You can now see them all and you can delete them if you want/need to.
Yeah, I can seee the logic in that - and it might even prevent multiple uploads of the same image. I'll have a play around with it.
Thanks
PS - would it make sense to have a "My Media" link on the users profile/account page?