Webmaster Back!! Airwarriors Forum running slow?

[webmaster]

Ok, I just got back from my WESTPAC deployment, and have been doing some admin housecleaning of the site. First off, wow, there are ALOT of new members, quickly approaching 6k, and we have roughly ~2k of daily visiting members! Welcome to all the new members, glad to have you here, and hope you get something useful out of the site! Never thought we would have this many users.

Anyways, I am back with broadband, and have noticed how the site is severely lagging at times now (thought it was just my slow 42k dialup connection on deployment). Mostly when it seems we have more than 25 ppl browsing the forum at once, which is most of the time now. Also, the site takes a big hit when multiple ppl run searches through the forum. The Access database has grown to 80megs+.

What does all this mean? Well, right now I am in the process of switching the backend to mySQL, so you will see an improvement in performance.

OK, two questions for everyone using the site:

1) Is Airwarriors running slow for you? And what connection do you have?
2) Seriously considering switching away from ASP to another Forum/Bulletin board program. Snitz has not had ANY updates in over a year. Any personal favorites, or recommendations? So far, I am partial to PHPBB2, and would like to use linux/unix boxes since the domain hosting is more inexpensive for those providers.

Finally, I have a full PM Inbox, and I will try and wade through it and answer them as quickly as possible. I will also be reopening the Change your Title thread shortly.

All the best, and happy holidays to everyone, man, its great to be back!

John

 

[EA-6B1]

Great to see you're back, John. You've started a great resource of Military Aviation information, and it's growing more and more, daily.

Anyways, #1. I don't particularly think that AW runs slow for me, but I'm also on a cable modem connection. I do notice that it's slower at different times of the day. At night, when everyone has a chance to get on here, for instance. The only time that I encounter lag is when I run a search.

#2. I don't know much on forums. I think if SNITZ hasn't updated in a year then that should be telling you something.

Again, thanks for all the work you've done to put this website together. I owe you one.
God Bless,
Prowler

 

[Integer]

I have seen many web sites upgrade their forums for many reasons, only to end up accomplishing nothing more than losing former posts. I think this web site is a treasure that should not be deleted. The site seems to run faster than usual after the MySQL update you did, but if there is still a need to use new forums (which might not necessarilly function any better), I think this directory should be saved. Leave this forum up, lock all posts, keep the search enabled, and maintain the link to this archive of information.

However, I do not think there is any good reason to switch to new forums software, even if each page took ten seconds to load. The wealth is not in the forum software or the features in the forum, as many web site designers think. The wealth is in the community, and many inactive but resourceful members of this web site 'live' in this community only via previous posts where these people have shared their knowledge with us. Other ways new forum software would affect this relationship is by changing the look and feel of this site.

This forum serves its purpose. I think it would be a mistake to forget that technology is a means to an end, a tool to help us get a function done. It is easy to make this error and try to 'serve' the technology, upgrading this and that, adding new features and speed; instead, we should work to guarantee the community is unaltered and thriving ten years from now. If posts are lost every technological upgrade, is it really an upgrade or a storm that floods every record of human existance?

I do not think it is ever the community or the forums fault that forums are recreated. With the single exception of a buggy forum that deletes posts itself, the 'need' to delete forums and start anew is always (in my experience) a hasty decision by powers that be to play with something or make something look different. Believe me, John, this forum is fine!!! It is actually more advanced than any others that I've seen--so much so, that maybe the forum software hasn't NEEDED bug patches and feature additions for over a year!

I will admit that people recover after new forums are introduced (forced ). The community isn't slowed very much. And yes, if our posts were to exist on the internet for our lifetimes, that could be a potential negative. But, I guess all I am trying to say is that there is no need to worry about upgrading forums for <b>the time being.</b>

Thank you and everybody else who has contributed to this forum, in sweat or in information. I cannot believe I am improving myself to where I have a shot at the Naval Academy (if not now, then next year), and that this is all from motivation and support I received from you guys. I know that I can't dream that you guys are representative of all navy sailors, but knowing that other moral, ethical, intelligent, hard-working students exist among the USNA and other paths leading to a commission, gives me motivation to compete for admission and stay at a higher level than most citizens around me set for themselves. Thank you.

 

[TNWhiskey]

I have a cable (broadband)connection and for the most part the site runs fine. As said above it does have periods of lag, however. Its likely what you have attributed it too...multiple searches.

In any event great site and thanks alot for your work.

 

[quickandsure]

Glad you are back safely. God bless you.

First, how about a DepRep? We are interested in sights and sounds of WestPac.

We have dial-up, and see no problems. i am quite happy with format and content.

Am delighted with the site, i believe it is helpful to so very many, in so many ways. We see so many who contribute.

We all thank you

 

[DevilDucksGirl]

John-

Very glad to hear that you're back and safe and sound! I'm sure it will be so nice to be home for the holidays! Congrats!

About the forum:
1- I have cable modem- and more often than not it has been slow lately. It has taken up to a minute to load a page, etc. I sometimes feel I'm in the dial up world- so I check another site to see if it loads slow- but it seems to be this one a majority of the time.

I love the format here- but the lag has been pretty bad.

2- I know NOTHING about other forums- so I can't help you there.

Merry Christmas to you and your family!

Glad again that you made it back safely!

Heather

 

[webmaster]

Well, thanks to everyone for welcoming me back, definitely a good feeling to be back from deployment, especially around the holidays. And even better to find the forum in good shape, thanks to YOU the participants. My biggest fear has been the forum degenerating into flame wars and immature posts. We DO have our heated conversations on controversial topics, but in my view that is a good thing. Thanks again to the moderators and other admins for keeping the site maintained!!

I have yet to make the switch to mySQL for the database (no change to you, just how the queries are run when you select a topic). I always test and implement before I switch over to anything too drastically new.

Integer, I understand the point you are bringing up. But this site has grown through 3 forums and a number of additions over the last 4 + years, and I have always preserved content, nothing has been left behind. IF I decide to switch to a new forum, everything will be transferred (my major is CIS with an empahsis on DB management), all the posts, replies, and users. There is always a "shock" to a change, and mixed reviews by the participants (functionality gained/lost), thats why I always try to solicit input, and in most cases preview the change before I make it. In this case, I am running up against a technological limit that I have known about for a long time, the fact that an Access DB basically implodes when you have 25+ people running queries on it, couple that to the fact that it doesn't perform at its best on a shared resource server, and you have the forum slowing down. I know that if I am frustrated with the speed and response of the forum, what is that initially going to do for new participants who haven't gotten "hooked" on the site?

Grist, thanks for the welcome back, will see what I can drum up as a recap for the deployment, good to hear that the site isn't loading too badly on a 56k connection.

 

[navsup]

I dont know much about web pages, but with my cable modem i experience many slow times, usually i will have multiple windows open and keep coming back to airwarriors to see if it has loaded.

ANother forum i go to ( www.chevytalk.com ) Has well over 18,000 users, and as of right now has about 70 people viewing it, can go up to over 100 without slowing one bit. every page loads instantly with cable modem. I dont know who hosts it. It might be worth checking out for ideas.

 

[Meridiani]

I have DSL, and lately the forum has frequent periods of very slow loading--so much so that my browser will give me a "time out" error.

 

[nittany03]

I'd definitely go w/ meridiani on the loading issue. I've got cable service down here in Pensacola, but occasionally the site homepage will refuse to load and time out. Don't know if it's a server or a browser or DBMS issue. I'll see if the problem continues now that I've switched from IE to Mozilla. Keep up the good work!

 

[webmaster]

I appreciate the feedback, I will give everyone a heads up when I switch to SQL, and see if it improves across the board.

 

[Integer]

I see what you are saying, in that case we should be on the look out for better forums.

Ok, I just got back from my WESTPAC deployment, and have been doing some admin housecleaning of the site

Riight. "I just got back from my (...) deployment". "Housecleaning of the site?" The timing of your post, and the dropped hints contained, show you were probably out hunting Sadam on Friday Iraqi time.

 

[webmaster]

Ha, not likely, I was in the wrong theater this time around....

 

[wink]

A P-3 aviator back from deploymnet. WOW, you must be coming down from all those nice hotel and BOQ rooms, high dollar resturant meals, nightly cold beer, loggin rack time on combat missions, and banking all the per diem! Hope you had fun. Welcome back.

 

[webmaster]

all that, 38 days of sea time, and a bag of chips....