Author Topic: End of an era. GB forums enters its final year (Read 1504 times)

Conan The Librarian · « **on:** November 24, 2010, 02:21:35 PM »

Can't get to the forums 1/3 of the times I try. Weird popup ads. It's over, man. This site will be gone by 11/24/2011. It is the way of all websites that exhibit these quirks.

MGMorden · « **Reply #1 on:** November 24, 2010, 03:46:30 PM »

The site is presumably unavailable or slow much of the day due to heavy load. The ads are a (admittedly bothersome) way to try to foot the bill for the site. If they brought in more money I'm sure better hosting services and/or servers (not sure if the site has a dedicated server or is hosted) could be purchased.

I've also noticed based on the error messages that the problem is often related to the forum software not being able to connect to the database. SMF (the message board here) unfortunately only has MySQL as an option for a database backend. Anyone who works with databases knows MySQL is not the pinnacle of reliability, but if that's what the message software requires then there's not much choice. It's a shame though - PostgreSQL is superior in every way, and is also free just as MySQL is; it's just that fewer third party software programs support it (phpBB does, but there are other issues to consider there too).

All in all though, the site not behaving because of load is not that bad. If enough people get fed up and leave, it'll eventually return to a more stable state as the usage drops

. Your quote reminds me one of by Yogi Berra about Ruggeri, a restaurant of his day: "Nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded."

Ponder the quote for a minute if the irony isn't immediately visible

.

no guns here · « **Reply #2 on:** November 24, 2010, 04:22:39 PM »

You're nuts... you may be gone but we'll still be here.

NGH

Graybeard · « **Reply #3 on:** November 24, 2010, 06:16:56 PM »

Yup we'll still be here. We've had lots of other folks predict doom and gloom and all have now faded and we're still getting bigger.

Yes we're having some problems but we've invested a bunch of bucks to solve them and Matt will get it all worked out. The pop ups will be gone come January and while I'll miss the income it's just not enough to continue to put up with them once the contract expires on Dec. 31.

We currently own two servers which are co-located in Dallas. I just paid for another year of co-lo fee yesterday. One server is used as the primary and the other only a back up which isn't very cost effective but is how we're currently set up.

Our problem is we just have too much load for the current server to handle under peak loads. We host Marlin Owner's which has now grown to be quite large in its own right and several other smaller sites as well.

We have a third server that we'll likely place either in B'ham or Atlanta so that if something goes wrong Matt can drive there and fix it. Dallas is a bit far when things go wrong. I just purchased an additional 8 gigs of RAM and a 500 Gig hard drive to go in the new server. As soon as Matt figures where to place it we'll get it online and it will host GBO only and nothing else. Taking the GBO load off the current servers will make things better for the other sites we host and having the new server with nine gigs of RAM will make things much better for GBO.

BTW Conan I thought you were leaving and not coming back. Did you just come back to be a naysayer?

The Hermit · « **Reply #4 on:** November 24, 2010, 06:17:53 PM »

Try running your antivirus and use a good popup blocker, that worked for me.
Hopefully, this site is here to stay.

The Hermit

LONGTOM · « **Reply #5 on:** November 24, 2010, 06:59:29 PM »

I wish all I had to worry about all day was that I couldn't get on GBO or that a pop-up keeps comming on the screen.
Quit complaining and enjoy the site.
Personaly, I think it is a small price to pay for such a great place to come and be among friends
who like the same things as myself, enjoy a bit of humor, be able to buy and sell and all at no cost to us.
A small donation once in a while does help pay some of the bills.
If we all chipped in say $100.00 a year I am sure that would cover the cost of operations for the site.
I am guessing at that sum of course.
It may not even be that much, given the number of members the site has, and then there
wouldn't be any problems.
I think I get way more than that amount of info and fun from here that a mere $1.92 a week is well worth the price.
That's just over a large coffee at the Sheetz store and less than half the price of a pack of smokes per week.
Would be pretty cheap I say!
I know I pay a lot more and get way less from some other forms of entertainment!!!
Like GB said, "WE WILL STILL BE HERE"!
If not the current members, than those that take our place.
I for one, plan to stay and help do what ever it takes to keep the site going.
I have told many friends about the site and I know some have visited, not sure if they joined or not.
Sorry, don't mean to be pointing any fingers at anyone in particular.

LONGTOM

Tommyt · « **Reply #6 on:** November 25, 2010, 01:56:07 AM »

The Only End is written Below and I'm sure you'll be back with a different Name

Quote

Conan The Librarian
Trade Count: (0)
Avid Poster

Offline

Posts: 141

Looking at what you have to say "141" You are no more than stirring the Pot.
I'd rather the Pop ups
Than you Popping Off
I do not use the Ignore Button but I'll do my best to avoid you

Tommyt

oldandslow · « **Reply #7 on:** November 25, 2010, 03:03:23 AM »

I haven't had any problems to speak of with GB. There have been a couple of times in the last three months when I got a white screen and a message that the server was too busy and to try later. One in a great while it will quit loading and I just go somewhere else for awhile. As to the popups I keep my sound turned off until I run across something I want to listen to. I hardly even notice when one shows up. It certainly doesn't bother me and I'm not going to gripe about them. GB has said they are gone next year but if he needs to keep them for the income I won't complain. It's too good a forum to lose. That reminds me I need to send a few bucks to help out.

williamlayton · « **Reply #8 on:** November 25, 2010, 06:24:45 AM »

I suspect that I am here much more than most and I have never had a problem gettin on.
Now I am sure that GB sometimes wishes I would go away

But I hang around just to make sure his heart beats

.
Blessings

lakota · « **Reply #9 on:** November 25, 2010, 07:39:46 AM »

I dont have many problems getting on and when I do they generally seem to resolve themselves in 5 or 10 minutes

tallyho · « **Reply #10 on:** November 25, 2010, 10:00:47 AM »

On this day of Thanksgiving, all I have to offer is my Thanks for this forum. And Thanks to Conan the Librarian for posting his freely expressed opinion, thereby allowing and encouraging some of the rest of us to freely post and express ours.

As far as I can tell that's exactly what this day means to this country!

wreckhog · « **Reply #11 on:** November 25, 2010, 12:59:06 PM »

The site was down much of today with some weird error page about a webserver not being installed.

wareagleguy · « **Reply #12 on:** November 25, 2010, 01:35:35 PM »

We can't do much with the server overload but if you guys go with Firefox and an ad blocker it all works great!!!

pmeisel · « **Reply #13 on:** November 25, 2010, 02:43:21 PM »

I've been on most of the afternoon -- no problem.

Matt · « **Reply #14 on:** November 25, 2010, 02:45:02 PM »

Quote from: Conan The Librarian on November 24, 2010, 02:21:35 PM

Can't get to the forums 1/3 of the times I try. Weird popup ads. It's over, man. This site will be gone by 11/24/2011. It is the way of all websites that exhibit these quirks.

Heard that many times before but the facts make me believe you about as much as I did the others... GBO has been online for over 13yrs and we contintue to grow every year. We will have the new server in place soon and all this will just be a bad memory (for me anyway)

But if you are so confident how about a gentleman's wager on it...

Matt

Matt · « **Reply #15 on:** November 25, 2010, 02:53:20 PM »

Quote from: wreckhog on November 25, 2010, 12:59:06 PM

The site was down much of today with some weird error page about a webserver not being installed.

Yes the GBO CMS is down or at least not working properly if you go to www.gboreloaded.com then yes you will get that page but if you go to www.gboreloaded.com/forums then all is well. The problem is with the apache web server and mod_rewrite which I hope to have fixed asap.

Matt

30-30man · « **Reply #16 on:** November 25, 2010, 03:22:49 PM »

I have noticed that the pop-up ads have kept me away recently and I will be glad when they are gone. I love this site though and I am glad for all the work that involves keeping it going. I guess we all need to make something for our trouble, so i don't fault them on the pop-ups..I just hate them with a passion. They made me want to never look at what they were selling....Just too annoying! When are advertisers going to learn that being obnoxious is a huge turn off?....Pop ups that come on constantly fall in that basket.

Spirithawk · « **Reply #17 on:** November 25, 2010, 03:40:12 PM »

I have trouble getting on sometimes but more often once I'm in I'll check a few posts and lose the link. Have to go out a while then come back. The pop-ups are quite agravating since I'm often getting two at once now. However, if these things were the worst of my problems wouldn't life be grand? Like I always say, " Don't sweat the small stuff!"

bulletstuffer · « **Reply #18 on:** November 25, 2010, 04:10:06 PM »

And it's all small stuff. This is an awesome site

Happy Thanksgiving Graybeard, family and friends!!!

Bulletstuffer

Brett · « **Reply #19 on:** November 27, 2010, 09:29:28 AM »

Boy it doesn't take much to irritate some of you folks... And this being a gun forum I presume most of you own guns too.

Graybeard · « **Reply #20 on:** November 27, 2010, 12:16:21 PM »

Quote from: Brett on November 27, 2010, 09:29:28 AM

Boy it doesn't take much to irritate some of you folks... And this being a gun forum I presume most of you own guns too.

Some of them I really doubt it Brett. I think they are here only to talk politics and argue.

As much as I hate the popups and I do hate them they aren't as bad as the commercials on TV and I pay $112 and change a month to watch TV via Dish Network and no one is forced to pay a single red cent to use this site.

williamlayton · « **Reply #21 on:** November 27, 2010, 01:41:55 PM »

AAAWWWWW hell, what is irritating about em.
Got to pay the bills and they aint irritating to me----course i have lived with an elementary school teacher for near half a century--so I am real used to irritations from the Hen.
Blessings

woodchukhntr · « **Reply #22 on:** November 27, 2010, 02:03:03 PM »

This is a great site! The pop-up ads are a minor irritation that I have come to terms with. I spend a lot (too much) of time here and really appreciate the work that goes into the site. I don't see how anyone with zero trades and 141 posts has anything to gripe about. The vast majority of the other 38524 users seem to be weatherng the problems well. My only gripe was the elimination of the PIF forum due to the actions of several morons. I would have done the same as Bill, except I would have done it sooner!

GOOD JOB BILL and CREW!!!!

JoeG52 · « **Reply #23 on:** November 28, 2010, 12:20:15 AM »

I'll bet the GB Forums will still be here even after December 21, 2012. :-)

powderman · « **Reply #24 on:** November 28, 2010, 02:56:08 AM »

Quote from: JoeG52 on November 28, 2010, 12:20:15 AM

I'll bet the GB Forums will still be here even after December 21, 2012. :-)

YEP. Hope we aren't all coved up in snow by then. POWDERMAN.

Range Rider · « **Reply #25 on:** November 28, 2010, 04:07:02 AM »

I never understood why "Doomsday" folks just pop up every now and then. I know some critters grow up that way when they are taken off the teat too young. I think maybe its the same way with humans. I recall back some 40 years ago some writers told us how firearms were changing. They wrote about the end days of the lever action rifles, single action handguns and the old out dated 1911 ,45 ACP. Yea, they are never right just PO'ed at the world in general. Just view them as you would the critters in the Monkey House at your local zoo.

RR

cwlongshot · « **Reply #26 on:** November 28, 2010, 04:29:05 AM »

The pop ups don't really bother me.. OH wait a moment, Michell Ikeler just stopped in...

OK, I'm back.

Anyhow, we gotta pay the bills somehow!! Really it doesn't bother me any.

I have had times when I cannot get on or cannot reconnect. The message says busy or some such thing. No worries. I grab a coffee or check one of the other sites I frequent. When I get back its almost always accessible. Only time it bothers me is when it happens when I loose a post. Sometimes I take a while to write one. If I know its a long post, I'll use word then copy and paste. But sometimes the words just flow and before I know it I have written almost a page in a quick post. More my fault than the servers or anyone else's.

I agree with Tallyho, I would like to again thank all the people who do what they do so we can all enjoy this great site!!

I know we have a place to make donations, and I do so when I can and try to again every time a make a dime on a classifieds sale. Come to think on it, its been a couple months or so since my last. I have a set of stocks up now. I think I'll donate the proceeds once they sell!

Thank you again,
CW

billy_56081 · « **Reply #27 on:** November 28, 2010, 05:29:03 AM »

I was somewhat bothered by the random errors. So ya know what I did? I clicked on the donate button on the bottom and sent a few bucks. I'd rather do something to help rather than complain.

williamlayton · « **Reply #28 on:** November 28, 2010, 01:19:42 PM »

Now---I am in favor of a hot babe to take waddels place in the line-up.
Blessings

FourBee · « **Reply #29 on:** November 28, 2010, 05:14:09 PM »

Quote

by Matt ~I hope to have fixed asap.

You're a Champ!; Matt.... My brain couldn't begin to cope with that data stuff. Seems like I read once that your Dad asked you to jump in and start this forum up for him. Not many sons would do such a thing for their Dad. Your dedicated work here is what has made this site great. Of course we can't take away from GB's foresite and his involvement in what should and shouldn't be. Thanks again for a great site with taste, variety, and a good family environment...
4B