WW2F Site Migration Update

I've been busy pushing things along and thanks to all you generous Patrons we are in motion. A whole lot will be going on, so I'll list a few of the highlights here.

New Server/New Web Host
The new server has been purchased and is in place. It is a top tier physical machine that will hosting this WWII Forums site alone. Many hosting plans are virtual servers and/or share space with other websites, which by their nature subject all sites to the woes of any one site. We are a standalone setup at a new host I trust a bit more that where we are now.

New Forum Software
The new XenForo software is purchased and ready to go. We will be using the safe software as WW2Talk and it will be a huge improvement over what we use now.

Technical Resource Hired
I've retained the services of a technical guru to handle the migration. I am extremely happy with his ability and track record. He has imported over 1 billion (not a typo!) posts into the XenForo platform, we are in good hands. Testing is being conducted now, and we are probably two weeks or so away from the move.

Forum Restructuring
Over the years the forum structure has gotten a bit bloated. Once we move to the new site we will be overhauling the forums and sub-forums to be a bit clearer to navigate.

Safe Harbor Forum Imports
I previously mentioned that during our migration the WWII discussion board War44.com was going to be imported into our existing forum to preserve the data and keep it accessible. While I was grinding through the technical requirements to make this happen, another admin of a very strong WWII forum approached me to to the same for his site. This is all very sudden, and our new tech guru is reviewing the feasibility of importing not one but two forum databases. So far, all signs point to this being possible, so will have an influx of members and posts once our move is complete. I'll share more details about this second import as the details and feasibility are confirmed.

WW2.org Integration
As we move into a stronger, better platform, we will be better able to integrate with ww2.org, which will be the repository for all the research we do here on the WWII Forums. The site will serve as an encyclopedia of WWII knowledge and as a repository of WWII manuals, books, studies and the like.

There are at least two more items I'm eager to reveal, but I'll wait until the deeds are done to announce them. I've plenty on my plate right now to keep me busy. Thanks again to all the generous Patrons, you've help make us a better place for WWII research.

 

Looking forward to the new setup, Otto.

 

I cannot tell you how eager I am to move on. The current system contains countless frustrating configuration quirks and omitted features that should be available. XenForo will be so much better on the administrator side it will undoubtedly safe me a few gray hairs, and save a few hairs pulled out altogether.

All the nice features we had previously will be back, including the graphics gallery, the organized smilie gallery, the Cooler, etc.

 

All he gets is a baseball and glove.

 

I'm all ready to go, and looking forward to the new digs.

I like the granular banning potential.

Adam, don't summon the kraken. Its been so relatively peaceful for so long.

 

There are so many obviously helpful admin functions that remind me of all the nicer bits of vbulletin, the platform where we had the Cooler. It stands to reason as the people that coded vB are the same crew who made XenForo.

USMCPrice you are correct Formerjughead is the undisputed Cooler King, but I think Poppy will is going to give him a run for his money.

 

I was hoping to keep things in this thread related to the progress of the site, but I'm happy to address this and move forward.

I don't recall a time when the site was actually "vicious". Over 17+ years the membership and culture has ebbed and flowed. I don't agree with you about the era paradigm you describe, but I'm sure that any "20 to 30 dudes" that posted here regularly would have a strong influence over the culture, heck 25 people would have influence anywhere they went.

"Censorship" is an odd thing. By definition neither this site nor I are actually capable of censoring anyone. Now more than ever in history, we all have the ability to create websites and publish whatever we please. I have no influence over anyone's ability to express themselves, save for this single website. The best legal analogy I've heard for a message board is a chalkboard sitting on a lawn. The owner of said chalkboard can invite others to come by and write on the board, draw pictures, whatever. At the end of the day, the owner of that chalkboard can do whatever they please with it. They can erase every second word, add to the text, wipe over a particular writer's massage and leave all others, translate the entire thing into Italian, douse the board in kerosene and set it ablaze, etc. No one is mandated to use that board, and no one is prevented from buying their own. That person who bought the chalkboard and supplied the chalk is master of their chalky domain.

That said, I think we do a very good job leaving visitors to write what they please and not editing or erasing their scribes. Those who know me well are aware of the unreasonable focus I have for keeping data online in it's original form. In fact no posts actually get deleted here, even spam posts get thrown into a hidden area called "The Latrine" where no one can see them. The Safe Harbor Initiative is essentially my effort to seek out defunct forums to save and maintain their members and their posts. The realities of running a site like this force some small amount of content management, but by and large we let the adults act like adults.

As for free speech, it's yes. Obviously it's yes, but as I stated above, I don't have much say in that here.

Poppy, I can't say I've seen evidence that someone is "trying to take you out, or suppress what you have to say". Although I have seen you get heated at times, I don't think anyone here dislikes you as you suggested above. I don't think too many people carry these online discussion around or take them to bed in their heads, and if they do they should take a break from the site. It's only the internet after all.

Granular banning means we can block a user from specific parts of the site, rather than the all-or-nothing binary options we have now. The new site will allow banning from a forum, or even form a single thread. I'm sure you can see the usefulness of this.

 

The move might be happening over the next 48 hours or so. Some small items being ironed out, but initial test imports have been successful.