Post by: namida on November 10, 2013, 08:48:53 AM
Post by: ccexplore on November 10, 2013, 11:00:03 AM
So probably no one is actually "running" the site actively at the moment. To be fair, you don't really need anyone to "run" the site on a daily basis when things are going okay. It's only when problems like spam attacks or downed servers that you truly need the admin.
Actually, thinking about it is making me a little nervous. Maybe someone should start looking into having a temporary backup forum site available in case this one went down with no one around to fix it.
Maybe we can hijack Insane Steve's puzzles contests forum if this ever happens. 
Post by: Clam on November 11, 2013, 06:54:15 AM
Admins: Adam and Mr K. Can do pretty much anything to the forum. Adam is in charge of hosting (i.e. paying the bills to keep this place up).
Global moderators: me and geoo. Can edit topics and posts, and ban people.
Sectional moderators: Proxima (challenges board), Simon (Lix board). geoo is also sectional mod for Lix board, seems redundant now doesn't it?
. Same as moderator status but only within the specified boards.I'm able to squish the spammers when they show up. If the forum goes down though - I'm as stuffed as the rest of you
We did have a temporary backup forum at one point; I remember using it when the old forum went down. IIRC Mindless hosted it.
There's also the Lix IRC channel of course (irc.quakenet.org/#lix)
Post by: Akseli on November 11, 2013, 03:16:36 PM
I remember asking Mr.K if he could upload DoveLems pictures to the Lemmings Forums resources last Winter, here's what he said:
Well, uh... slight problem. I'm kinda the sub-admin compared to Adam, who pays to keep this place up. Anyway, at some point (probably during a drive failure) I failed to copy across the document where I had the FTP password stored, so only Adam has it right now and I can't upload anything... otherwise I'd be on it. Same reason I can't update the forum software either. It's... a bit embarrassing that I've ended up so neglectful. I'll try to correct this though.
Currently the resources are inaccessible and Mr.K didn't know how to fix that thing... :I I mailed Adam about this (and also about the discontinuity of the Level Jam), but he didn't response. However, I see that Adam has at least uploaded some videos in his YouTube channel during last months, but I didn't get a response even when I messaged him there. :/
Post by: geoo on November 12, 2013, 05:06:53 AM
Yeah, I haven't been overly active in the last few months, but I'm around checking the forums a couple of times a week to see what's going on, I'm just not posting much.
On a different note, I wonder whether we can still get the data from the previous incarnation of the forums (henriwatson I think). 4 years ago Mr K said he had a backup of the raw data somewhere...
Post by: namida on November 12, 2013, 05:12:29 AM
I guess as a first resort, we can always head over to the Lemmings Heaven forums if this one goes down, but that's... well, no offence to the guy, but the forum is really crappy. :/
Post by: Akseli on November 12, 2013, 03:34:47 PM
On a different note, I wonder whether we can still get the data from the previous incarnation of the forums (henriwatson I think). 4 years ago Mr K said he had a backup of the raw data somewhere...
Do you mean this discussion?
I actually asked Mr. K also about that backup last Summer, here's his answer:I know it's somewhere, but of course I haven't found it :/ But even if I find it I can't just post it direct because it contains sensitive information (password hashes, private messages, etc) so I would have to locate and clean out that data and then put it back up. And even then it's just a raw SQL database.
I have to say that I'm as well really interested to see backups of previous forum incarnations.
Likewise I'd like to see the old posts from Lemmings Heaven forums again, I don't know if LoftyD or someone else has a backup for those.
Post by: Mr. K on November 15, 2013, 04:07:24 PM
I DO have the capability to make database backups, although I admit I don't know the actual database login information. So if the forum were to fail and need reinstalled on the same server, we'd be hosed. The good news though is since I can get the backup SQL file through the forum, I could theoretically export it to another server and set it right back up. Not that I have a reliable server to work with (except for a home-run server that would probably melt/get me banned from my ISP due to the traffic), although I can probably afford it now because I am FINALLY not just a student and am employed on the side.
Also, I did actually re-obtain FTP login information
I just haven't done anything with it... because of the biggest problem: I am horribly distracted and admittedly don't have a lot of community connection any more. I float in and out and forget things easily about this place. I am simply not a very good admin when it comes to getting things done in a timely manner (or hell, even participating). And bad communication is not good for a forum admin. When I was younger, I was more invested and possibly even took over the place because of teenage ego reasons. Nowadays I don't even know if I'm the right guy for the job because of how neglectful I tend to be, but I did what had to be done to keep the place at least existing.Point is, I know I'm an awful admin and I feel pretty guilty about it. I can try my best to improve, or if I talk to Adam again maybe we should consider passing it on to new management. For now, I need you guys' help: Keep in touch with me outside of the forum and give me a laundry list of stuff that needs maintained. I am having a brutal semester, but after the first week of December I should be reasonably free enough to start looking at issues.
My deepest apologies.
Post by: mobius on November 24, 2013, 01:39:31 AM
and maybe look into the spoiler tags. Though this is not a high priority.
Post by: namida on November 24, 2013, 03:05:00 AM
Post by: Clam on November 27, 2013, 09:04:24 AM
I see that Adam has at least uploaded some videos in his YouTube channel during last months, but I didn't get a response even when I messaged him there. :/
I just found his Twitter page - via his forum profile, funnily enough. Last update: 5 hours ago.
Our admin is alive and well
Post by: ccexplore on November 28, 2013, 02:47:20 PM
Well, I suppose we now at least know where to go to yell at him on the day something catastrophic happen to the site.
Post by: namida on November 29, 2013, 12:16:17 AM
Post by: ccexplore on January 06, 2014, 02:36:15 AM
Post by: namida on January 09, 2014, 09:29:45 AM
Regardless, perhaps we should arrange now for someone to take over the site in the event it goes down, and make sure everyone has a way of contacting that person (we can also use Lemmings Heaven forums as a backup if need be, though it's kinda shabby...). I guess the first people to ask would be the other admins and mods, and I'm definitely willing to run a new forum if need be. If anyone has the know how but needs an affordable host, I'd reccomend Nearly Free Speech - incredibly cheap and never had any problems.
(And, to Adam if he's reading this - if you're not wanting to continue hosting the site but don't want to just cut us off - it's fine, say something! As has been proven time and time again, there's always someone in the community willing to take over, and if you think you've done your share, I'm sure no one will complain - plus, that way you can help ensure a smooth transition.)
Post by: Mr. K on January 09, 2014, 08:00:13 PM
If needed, I can host this on my personal server temporarily, although it is running off a box in my basement on residential internet (transfer rates are pretty good actually). Not exactly the best choice, but it's something. I'm regularly grabbing database backups in case things go south. Should the worst happen, contact me via email or whatever else and I'll do what I can to help us transition.
Post by: ccexplore on January 09, 2014, 08:13:48 PM
I wouldn't rule it out. Clearly, he's still paying to keep the site up.
Sure, but it is still problematic. For all I know that could be an autopay setup that he has since forgotten about (and could easily expire in the future if it's tied to an expirable instrument of payment like credit card, and it is possible that Adam may not even be notified of that if, for example, his contact information such as email address has changed, but he has forgotten to update that information for the party he is paying to keep the site up). Or, he may have other forums and stuff hosted on the same server, in which case he could be responding incidentally as a result, just not to us. While the latter is at least better than complete abandonment, it still means that 1) we would be unable to receive administrative actions from him for issues specific to our forum and not the whole server; 2) we would not be notified of any significant breaking changes (eg. server move and the current forum URL no longer works).
Post by: ccexplore on March 27, 2014, 09:44:28 PM
More importantly, after the forums are up again, I actually saw a sighting of Adam being active today on the forum. Even if he didn't actually post anything here, I'm going to take all this as a sign that the forum is still getting maintained, and more importantly, in the (hopefully never) event that stops happening for good, we will hopefully be alerted here beforehand so someone else can pick up the pieces and set up a new forum somewhere.
Post by: Prob Lem on March 28, 2014, 12:58:32 AM
I'm so glad the recent forum database outage has been fixed now, I was so dreaded that no one would be around to fix that and it would finally be The End.You aren't the only one!
I'm just thankful that the only thing amiss now is that some of the forum sections are out of order. I can more than live with that.
Post by: mobius on March 28, 2014, 02:30:20 AM
C'mon Anything, no matter how simple would be nice.
Post by: Mr. K on March 30, 2014, 11:02:27 PM
Post by: namida on March 31, 2014, 05:03:54 AM
Post by: Mr. K on March 31, 2014, 01:07:38 PM
I have a domain I can set us up with as a subdomain, so there's that. Not sure if my home-based server could take it though or if my ISP would eventually crack down due to what would likely be a huge bandwidth spike.
Post by: Prob Lem on March 31, 2014, 03:54:52 PM
I stop by and read a couple of forums hosted there, and they never seem to have much, if any, downtime (when there is to be some, it's almost always noted in advance). They'd definitely be able to handle the sort of traffic generated by our little lot.
Post by: ccexplore on March 31, 2014, 08:20:12 PM
I think we can definitely start setting up a new location. We don't have to open the new location for general posting or even logins/user registrations at this time, but at least having a known location to look for information would be helpful whenever the "real" forum goes down.
I stop by and read a couple of forums hosted there, and they never seem to have much, if any, downtime (when there is to be some, it's almost always noted in advance). They'd definitely be able to handle the sort of traffic generated by our little lot.
I think Mr. K is more referring to that if the forum is hosted in his home-based server, the resulting traffic to his home internet connection would likely be too high compare to normal personal residential usage and would lead to issues with his ISP. I am guessing that Mr. K does not have access to this forum's traffic data/statistics to get actual concrete numbers on what kind of traffic he could be expecting in that case.
Post by: Prob Lem on April 01, 2014, 12:09:21 AM
I think we can definitely start setting up a new location. We don't have to open the new location for general posting or even logins/user registrations at this time, but at least having a known location to look for information would be helpful whenever the "real" forum goes down.I deeply hate saying this, but this sounds like a sensible course of action, now.
Quote
I think Mr. K is more referring to that if the forum is hosted in his home-based server, the resulting traffic to his home internet connection would likely be too high compare to normal personal residential usage and would lead to issues with his ISP. I am guessing that Mr. K does not have access to this forum's traffic data/statistics to get actual concrete numbers on what kind of traffic he could be expecting in that case.Yeah, I know. That's why I figured that a service hosted elsewhere might be a possible option. (It could perhaps also somewhat circumvent administration issues regarding the forum software, since that's all handled by them, rather than the founders or any other users.)
Not that I suspect we all generate a huge amount of traffic at this time, mind you... Was just a thought, at any rate.
Post by: namida on April 01, 2014, 01:52:12 AM
I probably already mentioned this, but NearlyFreeSpeech is a great low-cost host. I used to have several sites with them, with varying levels of activity, and I don't think it ever cost me more than $2-$3 per month (not including domain registration, but they have better-than-usual prices for that too). Though it has been a long time since I used them. They work on a "pay for what you use" basis rather than the usual package deals "X amount of storage space, Y amount of bandwidth per month, for fixed rate $Z" - and almost always work out cheaper.
Post by: Simon on April 01, 2014, 10:59:56 AM
If someone is going to register new webspace/domains, I'll pitch in a one-time 10 euros for hosting costs. :-)
And give at least 3 people maximum rights for the board -- one will be AWOL and one will lose the password. >_>;;
-- Simon
Post by: ccexplore on April 01, 2014, 09:43:11 PM
(or do we already have them? Wouldn't know, I use AdBlock...)
Thank god no, the current forum is ad-free, and I think we can all agree that it should stay that way in all future incarnations of the forum.
Post by: Prob Lem on April 02, 2014, 01:25:44 AM
Thank god no, the current forum is ad-free, and I think we can all agree that it should stay that way in all future incarnations of the forum.Absolutely agreed, though I think it's nice to know that a stable backup option exists, even if it does have ads...
Post by: mobius on April 02, 2014, 03:12:17 AM
has anyone asked him about it lately?
Post by: namida on April 02, 2014, 05:00:23 AM
Anyway, if we're going to set up a new forum, I'm happy to help with hosting costs and administration, though as far as more technical stuff goes, I'd rather leave that to someone else (simply because I'm not overly great with PHP and I'm not familiar with SMF's source - the only forum system I am familiar with to some extent is GF++).
Post by: Mindless on April 02, 2014, 06:09:40 AM
Good question. I don't want to throw all this away if we don't have to, but it's hard to be sure what's going on.
Can you, as an admin, do some sort of backup or export of the forums database?
Post by: Mr. K on April 02, 2014, 12:20:55 PM
Post by: namida on April 02, 2014, 09:30:14 PM
Post by: Mr. K on April 03, 2014, 02:07:02 PM
Post by: namida on April 04, 2014, 05:09:22 AM
Post by: Mr. K on April 04, 2014, 01:06:43 PM
Post by: geoo on April 07, 2014, 12:02:06 AM
Post by: namida on May 08, 2014, 12:24:43 PM
Post by: geoo on May 16, 2014, 02:15:57 PM
I hope you're alright, and that whatever keeps you so busy in real life is something pleasant and not something nasty.
Post by: Luis on May 16, 2014, 04:36:26 PM
Post by: Prob Lem on May 17, 2014, 12:54:43 AM
I thought a 30+ year old was running this site.And that's not young, now...?
Happy Birthday, Adam!
Post by: namida on May 17, 2014, 06:02:16 AM
Post by: Simon on July 06, 2014, 07:06:17 PM
[18:36] <SimonN> namida needs a subforum on LF
[18:37] <SimonN> but Adam isn't around and Mr. T lost his password and the forums are a little botched
[18:38] <SimonN> I found Adam's reallife address in Great Britain from the domain whois, let's go threaten him until he fixes everything and then go out in town like old friends.
Meanwhile, I made a thread about a minor release.
[18:57] <geoo> maybe you should have a new thread for releases that change physics, but just bump previous threads if there are no physics changes?
[18:58] <SimonN> sensible
[18:58] <SimonN> will move
[19:07] <SimonN> I want to have more time besides math, lix, and playing several games; then I'd consider renting a virtual private server and host the forums and a couple websites of my own
[19:08] <SimonN> the forums need more subcategories; namida is hosting entire programming projects in a single thread, those should get a board at least
[19:09] <SimonN> whenever you consider not making a post because it clutters the current infrastructure, it's a sign of too few tree nodes in the infrastructure
Very philosophical. Internet culture demands me to start a blog. For that is the place to safely dump such ideas where nobody gets offended, to be found only by those in search for them.
-- Simon
Post by: namida on July 07, 2014, 05:48:28 AM
There's also that, while some people are finding it fun to play existing levels with NeoLemmix's added features (like gimmick forcing etc), the only content atually being created specifically for it is my own Lemmings Plus III. While that remains the case, a subforum probably isn't nessecary.