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Genuine question. If the platform is not fit for purpose, why not migrate to one that is? Instead of customising, firefighting, bodging and applying sticking plasters all the time? I can see how incredibly frustrating it must be to work with what you’ve got, but why do you (and we) have to tolerate a systems that in your own words we’ve outgrown?
It is a very good question. I myself have pondered about this and looked into alternatives. The short answer is if we were to go down this route, it would take at minimum 18 months to write a new site that would have about 60% the functionality it does now. Would you be happy with a site that did less than it did now?
Please bear in mind we are 3 developers, some of which do not work a 5 days a week, and we try to give you the best experience we can while also providing solutions needed to the business of singletrack and editorial.
If we were to go down the route of a custom solution and move away from WordPress, we wouldn't work on the current version so it would most certainly seem like all progress and development on the site has stopped. We also have invested a lot into the WordPress ecosystem so there would be a lot of work to migrate to something other that could provide the same level of functionality, features and solutions required.
But don't get me wrong, I am still toying with this idea and if something suitable comes up, I will most certainly look into it.
Would you be happy with a site that did less than it did now?
If it had a like button, avatars, sigs and ability to block seeing the trolls, absolutely...
👍
It is a very good question. I myself have pondered about this and looked into alternatives. The short answer is if we were to go down this route, it would take at minimum 18 months to write a new site that would have about 60% the functionality it does now. Would you be happy with a site that did less than it did now?
Please bear in mind we are 3 developers, some of which do not work a 5 days a week, and we try to give you the best experience we can while also providing solutions needed to the business of singletrack and editorial.
If we were to go down the route of a custom solution and move away from WordPress, we wouldn’t work on the current version so it would most certainly seem like all progress and development on the site has stopped. We also have invested a lot into the WordPress ecosystem so there would be a lot of work to migrate to something other that could provide the same level of functionality, features and solutions required.
But don’t get me wrong, I am still toying with this idea and if something suitable comes up, I will most certainly look into it.
Thanks for the reply Tom, appreciated. However, I suppose I was thinking more of migrating to another off the shelf platform which is more capable/better fit than having to design and build one from scratch. There may be all kinds of reasons why this isn't possible and I know little about it so forgive my ignorance if it's a non starter. It's just that I use quite a few other forums for other interests, some of which are similar in size ( I guess - not sure how many users STW has) and their software seems stable and reliable. I've been on some of them for over 15 years.
An extra 50p in the meter and its now right as rain
I didn't notice. But now I know, I'm completely outraged. I deserve so much better for just under 2 quid a month.
Burgers!? Where's my burger. I pay for this place I demand a burger. GIVE ME BURGER
I checked at 3am as I had woken after an early night to bed. Site down.
Oh dear so I looked at Pinkbike for 20 minutes for the first time in ages and caught up a bit, but I don't spend ss much time on there's I used to. I think the obsession with DH on my part has gaded, unlike theirs.
Either way I now spend far more time on here than on there...
So glad you're all back.
This is only site I vist that regularly falls over itself regularly. How so? An answer would be appreciated and how you’re going to resolve it.
If anyone hears the phrase "entitled", here's a good example of it.
The "not logged - only showing single post" thing seems fixed! 👍
Do not, under any circumstances, go down a "custom, bespoke application" route. From someone who uses large critical systems in a highly regulated industry. Just don't. Developers leave. That's all.
I'd settle for a like button, but thank you for all you do. And I didn't notice anyway 😀
Migrating to a new platform sounds so 'simple' but in reality it's just a whole new set of major problems half of which you won't discover till its too late.....
major problems half of which you won’t discover till its too late…..
You've only ever been involved in successful migrations haven't you?
Do not, under any circumstances, go down a “custom, bespoke application” route. From someone who uses large critical systems in a highly regulated industry. Just don’t. Developers leave. That’s all.
As someone who's worked with a larger, very well-paid dev team who couldn't deliver a ****ing pizza - I agree with this for slightly different reasons.
I quite like it, i squeeze all my work into the down times thus freeing up much dossing time when its working.
Yep. Got much more work done today. I vote for one day a week of broken forum.
Yep. Got much more work done today. I vote for one day a week of broken forum.
Every week ? seems excessive .... can't you work Saturdays instead when i'm out riding ?
This is only site I vist that regularly falls over itself regularly. How so? An answer would be appreciated and how you’re going to resolve it.
You don't by any chance work in our Marketing team do you, and want it for next week?
STW Towers can I have my £0.02 of subscription owed paid in ADA please, for the flagrant breach in uninterrupted forum browsing that occurred while I was asleep last night hoping to learn about the latest enduro-sled?
(I can show working if required).
Yours, Outraged of nowheres-ville.
We migrated to a new system for one part of our company structure. Was horrendous! Couldn't take any downtime, so we had about half a Sunday to complete the migration. Then another 6 months making it all good.
Even off the shelf solutions end up being highly customised, tweaked and patched to get to a stage where they satify the purpose.
If it were me, I'd stick with what I had and optimise the crap out of it. As the systems evolve, there's always room to improve things.
Every week ? seems excessive …. can’t you work Saturdays instead when i’m out riding ?
That would be Sunday morning my time. No chance.
Just about to begin the migration of the old system at work to a new one, I'm managing this project. It's all gone really well so far! Thoughts and prayers plz x
stwexpertsin****geverything
You stole that off me! 😆
Just about to begin the migration of the old system at work to a new one, I’m managing this project. It’s all gone really well so far! Thoughts and prayers plz x
We've allegedly got a new CRM system (to replace a 10+ year old one) allegedly going live this summer. I'm closely but not directly involved - there's a sort of cult-ish bubble inside the project where they all think it's going wonderfully while outside everyone's looking at what's been delivered so far vs the planned 'go live' date and wondering how they hell they can keep giving project updates with a straight face. (No it's not your project @ygh)
You’ve only ever been involved in successful migrations haven’t you?
Our SW team at work migrated one of our product's platforms to a new system, it's supposed to manage 10,000s of nodes. They released Rev 1 to great fanfare. On a network with 1 node, a single button click on the GUI took 3 minutes to respond. Yep 180 seconds of the GUI doing nothing then eventually whatever form etc you wanted appeared. They didn't even have a spinning wheel icon to keep to entertained.
And they wouldn't admit that was a problem as no one has put 'must be responsive' in the spec (probably as its so blooming obvious you'd feel like an idiot adding it).
Eventually it was canned. No idea how many man years of work it took to create such an abomination.
The system still runs on a 20 year old code base which we keep maintaining as at least it vaguely works...
desperatebicycle
Free Member
stwexpertsin****geverythingYou stole that off me! 😆
Cite.
There a few experts on here that can refute that ridiculous claim.
Do not, under any circumstances, go down a “custom, bespoke application” route.
Yeah, if most places I've ever worked are to go by, everyone knows that what you should really do is take an off-the-shelf package, then butcher it to buggery, then complain that it doesn't work very well.
I just assumed someone else in Todmorden had just got the internet and the router fell over. Mark must have stopped by the town hall on his way into work this morning to reset it.
Mebe go full "year zero": Toast the forum history, pretend that pressfit bottom brackets never happened, ban mentioning 26" wheels and start completely from scratch?
Mebe go full “year zero”: Toast the forum history, pretend that pressfit bottom brackets never happened, ban mentioning 26″ wheels and start completely from scratch?
That will kill their search engine rankings over night.
take an off-the-shelf package, then butcher it to buggery, then complain that it doesn’t work very well.
We had that, tooks years to get it right. You knew where you were with it. Then we upgraded to bespoke! 🤦♂️ At great cost
there’s a sort of cult-ish bubble inside the project where they all think it’s going wonderfully while outside everyone’s looking at what’s been delivered so far vs the planned ‘go live’ date and wondering how they hell they can keep giving project updates with a straight face.
I think you must have got the devs that we let go.
That description is uncanny.
And they wouldn’t admit that was a problem as no one has put ‘must be responsive’ in the spec
"Meets expectations" 😀
@stumpy01 voucher code for £0.02 off your next subscription payment to compensate for your lost time on the site: OutageOutrage
Just about to begin the migration of the old system at work to a new one, I’m managing this project. It’s all gone really well so far!
Sounds like you are in the first hour of it and the ice breakers are just finishing...best of luck!
Meh, for me the site is working better than it ever has. And it's been years now since I was redirected to a pron site, so I'm happy.
As for Avators and sig???? Is it 1998 again already???
As for Avators and sig???? Is it 1998 again already???
Haha, bagsy the horns-and-pitchfork emoji for mine.
Avatars would actually be useful from an accessibility point of view. It'd be a great help in keeping track of who's who.
Mebe go full “year zero”: Toast the forum history, pretend that pressfit bottom brackets never happened, ban mentioning 26″ wheels and start completely from scratch?
Will he go to the trouble of creating the EvilZone persona this time?
stwexpertsin****geverything
You stole that off me!
I did indeed because I thought it was absolutely brilliant! 👌😍👍
long may it live
Thought Stack Overflow was down then (SO). I really would've been in trouble then!
The downtime was due to upgrading of the software stack yesterday and in which it caused a fatal error to occur while all us devs were asleep at midnight. This was quickly fixed and the site is now back up and running. We expect similar issues may appear over the coming days but we cannot know or expect what they will be before they happen.
Ooo oo, if only there was a way to know in advance if a change works or not. Y'know, a bit like having a Test environment and doing a bit of testing...<sighs>
Hey, I've come on here to moan about the website being down, and you've got the temerity to not only fix the bloody thing but to upgrade it! How dare you allow me to post this message! AAaaaargh.
Ooo oo, if only there was a way to know in advance if a change works or not. Y’know, a bit like having a Test environment and doing a bit of testing…
@bolbo We do have a testing environment and use it for every release. However, not all errors and issues can be resolved within the testing environment. One thing the testing environment cannot test is you as users. We do our best to simulate how you would use the site but there are times when things just cannot be foreseen.
Hey, I’ve come on here to moan about the website being down, and you’ve got the temerity to not only fix the bloody thing but to upgrade it! How dare you allow me to post this message! AAaaaargh.
And offer a refund.