Slow pages

Thanks for the donations - message from Webmaster.

The tech guy shall be in discussion with Admin over what needs doing, what can be done and what may not be possible if the updates for some things are no longer available. I won't be involved in the tech side as I know nothing about tech.



I don't know how long it will take but it will definitely be done.

 

Whilst I can appreciate the frustration, unless you've got some sort of crystal ball that we don't have access to, I can assure you that GC is NOT closing down.

Indeed, just over this past weekend, considerable work has gone into the planning for resolving things.

I don't have an exact timeline (@Webmaster would be better placed to give that maybe), but the facts as they currently stand:

- GC is running slow due to a combination of outdated platform software (10 years old now, which in technology terms is ancient), and a need to renew/change host server

- @Webmaster has engaged the services of the tech guru who is now working on building the 'new' GC which the Admin team will test and then assist to migrate the current forum over to the new software

- As a result of the change, there are still some unknowns at the moment... there are features of this version that are not carried forward into the current version, likewise the new version has features that are not present in this version. One of the most significant improvements is vastly improved security. Once we know more, we will let you know.

- The Admin Team, over the past few days, have been working on other layout stuff, with a view to (hopefully) making things a bit cleaner and easier to navigate... this is very much a work in progress and may well even continue after we migrate to the new software.

All of this takes time, mostly for the tech folks, who have to do a considerable amount of coding to get things the way they should be, so no overnight fix should be expected - - but, let's be absolutely clear, we are spending a lot of time in the background on this and @Webmaster is also investing financially in this too and we are not doing all that to see the site close.

 

Indeed, it isn't easy and in fairness, the hard work is falling to the tech guru - we will do whatever we can of course, but he is the real brains of the outfit.

We're planning on posting a dedicated thread relating to the upgrade once we have more specific info, to give an idea of what to expect and when. Like anything new, it is going to seem strange at first when we move across, but we're aiming to make it as smooth as possible and of course will be on hand to guide anyone that needs it.

 

Still Xenforo, just a much more up to date version

 

I second what @Fat Controller replied above. Timescales are currently unknown but we have already put in work behind the scenes in preparation.

I will just remind everyone that we admin staff are all volunteers and can't dedicate all our time to the upgrade, some of us work full time and we also have our gardens to tend too. The upgrade will be a big team effort, our tech guru will be the main driver whilst our admin team will ensure we will get a much better, reliable and easier to use forum.

There is no question of us closing down

 

Even myself, who is totally non-tech, has been involved in the discussions as I shall need to be able to cope with any changes and if I can manage it then everyone should be able to. We may need to have a 'Help' thread in case we (me ) don't understand something.

 

You were in the meeting too?