Forum Updates and Realignment

[Almost Human]

Hey I just have a quick question and it might be kind of stupid so I apologize, but will happen if we click someone's 'view forum posts' after the move. Will we be able to still view pre-move posts from those links or will it all just be wiped?
I'm just curious what I should archive for future reference

[Ed]

I'm almost sure they'll link to their new location, just like when a thread is moved.

[Solaris]

I don't think that anything is going to be deleted?
Yea I just re-read NaS's post and there will only be movement and archiving/locking, so they will all still exist.

EDIT: DAMN YOU ED!

[Wheeeeeeatthins]

Nothing was mentioned about a server change that'd alter the search database, so you probably shouldn't have to archive anything. But back when the forumpocyclops happened, I made sure to save a few things just in case--just because it never hurts to have a backup! Some old threads that'll be obsolete in the new world might be locked, so if you want to use the quote/edit buttons to get the code markup, now would be a good time to get it and paste it into a text document.

An official answer is probably more helpful

[Almost Human]

Cool, thanks guys! I wasn't sure how things work when threads are moved.

[Wheeeeeeatthins]

Each thread, when made, gets a unique number, just like each post. For example, this thread's number is 42416 and your last post was 5606462. You can find it by clicking on the #105 at the top right corner of each post: it'll be in the html:

http://www.mspaforums.com/showthread.php?42416-Forum-Updates-and-Realignment&p=5607462&viewfull=1#post5607462

If I did a quote box and had quote=Almost Human;5607462 it'd say your name and then the little arrow would link to that post. You can link to any post if you know the number.

It has been two years since I've been 'new' to a forum. It feels quite weird. Look at my post count. So low. So sad. This must be rectified, and seems like a fantastic excuse to put off doing chores and homework.

Coincidentally, since each thread gets a unique number when made, even if the thread is moved or the title changes, you can still link to that thread as long as the link has the thread number which always stays the same. And moving doesn't affect linking a post, either.

[NotASenator]

I'll try to make sure everything stays visible somewhere or another. If nothing else, I'll just dump the rest of the old General Chat into the archives so everything will still be there and be searchable.

I can't say the same for Serious Business, but I'll see what I can do.

[kyriaki]

i got so caught up in my adorable metaphor that i forgot to mention, i really appreciate the admin staff being proactive about communicating this change and the reasoning behind it well in advance.

seriously, thank you so much for that. <3

[Almost Human]

Each thread, when made, gets a unique number, just like each post.

show spoiler

hide spoiler

For example, this thread's number is 42416 and your last post was 5606462. You can find it by clicking on the #105 at the top right corner of each post: it'll be in the html:

http://www.mspaforums.com/showthread.php?42416-Forum-Updates-and-Realignment&p=5607462&viewfull=1#post5607462

If I did a quote box and had quote=Almost Human;5607462 it'd say your name and then the little arrow would link to that post. You can link to any post if you know the number.

It has been two years since I've been 'new' to a forum. It feels quite weird. Look at my post count. So low. So sad. This must be rectified, and seems like a fantastic excuse to put off doing chores and homework.

Coincidentally, since each thread gets a unique number when made, even if the thread is moved or the title changes, you can still link to that thread as long as the link has the thread number which always stays the same. And moving doesn't affect linking a post, either.

That.
Is a pretty slick setup!
And thanks for the info, it's actually awesome to know I can quote from locked threads. Now the real question is how can I use this information to further my evil plans for the good of humanity.
:P
But seriously thank you, that is really cool.

[fivexthethird]

Will you be changing the 100 pages thing?

I just noticed this never got an answer.
I'm probably not the only one that wants the answer to this.

[tynic]

Short answer: nope.
Long answer: nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooope.

[fivexthethird]

Short answer: nope.
Long answer: nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooope.

...why?

[ashdenej]

I think it's something to do with vBulliten itself? How it has difficulty supporting 140+ pages, if I recall correctly.

[Michael]

Also, for what reasons would 500-1000 page megathreads be beneficial?

Off the top of my head reasons I oppose them: They are intimidating to non-regulars, are more likely to foster a clubhouse, never sustain a fluid conversation for more than a few pages anyways, instate permanent OP authors, and put all of a topic's eggs in one basket (what if a thread became corrupted or accidentally deleted?).

[Niall]

I can't say I disagree with the changes here. This is more of a "Well, while you're fixing that showerhead, could you fix the leaky tap in the sink too please?" post.

It's often struck me as odd that we don't have seperate sub-forums for the different Nerdcrap topics (Games, Music, Movies, Books), or even just a seperate sub-forum for Video Games. Every time I visit the Nerdcrap thread, it feels inundated with threads on Video Games. My problem isn't that the vast majority of the threads on the sub-forum are Games threads, but that it makes navigation cumbersome. I'll feel like seeing what other forumites recommend in music, books or webcomics and instead walk into "Computer Games You're Not Enjoying: The Forum".

Sure, I can recognise that this is "probably not a huge issue right now" or "there aren't that many threads on that forum" and perhaps won't be considered necessary, but I'd like to suggest that a sub-forum within the Nerdcrap forum be created so that the other threads have more room to breathe. It would be, y'know, nice.

Thanks,
~Niall

[Varkarrus]

so I've given up. Doesn't mean I can't be depressed about it.

[NotASenator]

I think it's something to do with vBulliten itself? How it has difficulty supporting 140+ pages, if I recall correctly.

Nah, the thread size is an abstract concept. The thread table contains a value to indicate the size of the thread and determines pages based on how many posts per page you are displaying. When you view a particular page, the forum only grabs the posts to be displayed there.

Imagine if you were collecting baseball cards and you stored them all in boxes. Next to the boxes, you had lists to show where all the cards were so you could get to them easily. Assuming you'd never lose your place, it doesn't really matter if the list is one really long page or a bunch of pages, the size of the boxes and cards don't change and the time spent searching the list for the cards you want is the same.

That's sort of how it works on the forum, so theoretically you could have every single post in just one thread. That would actually be more space efficient because the thread table would be smaller.

As to why we have the 100-page limit? What Michael says certainly applies, but there's also just tradition. That's what we've always done, that's what people are used to, not enough reason to change it.

[ashdenej]

Ah, right. Then I misremembered.

I am perfectly happy with the system! It's jolly nice, what?

Also, having read through a bit of Serious Business, I don't think it's the worst loss in the world.

[OrangeAipom]

Serious Business is a really shitty name for a forum, I agree.

I don't see anything in the first post about Hidden Level. o_O I don't get it.

[CaptainZaven]

it's a secret place.

[OrangeAipom]

it's a secret place.

But it should still be mentioned.

[Solaris]

it is a forum that is unafilliated with the MSPA Forums but run by people who met on them, specifically in the general chat forums

it is not a part of these forums which is why there is not a mention of it

EDIT: i wonder how many others exist

[Triangle Man]

From the rumours I've heard, at least one other one?

And if you really want to see it, OA, than you can find links to it in some of the other forum users signatures.

So yeah...

[CaptainZaven]

i know for a fact that there is (at least) one other one, but i'm not going to link to it for i am not a member there and i don't wish to disrespect them!

[simon.clarkstone]

And thanks for the info, it's actually awesome to know I can quote from locked threads. Now the real question is how can I use this information to further my evil plans for the good of humanity.
:P
But seriously thank you, that is really cool.

Well technically you are only attributing a quote to locked threads there. If you want to quote the actual BBcode as written in a post in a locked thread (e.g. if it is an OP you want to copy because it has a million fiddly formatting tags in it), then you can abuse the multi-quote system to do so.

• You use multi-quote to select some random post,
• find the multi-quote cookie and edit it to point at the post you actually want to quote,
• then reply to the thread you want to post in, and the multi-post system should offer to include a quote of the post from the locked thread in the post you are writing.

This would be way less fiddly if the multi-quote buttons in locked threads worked (and I don't see any reason why they shouldn't be allowed to).

it is a forum that is unafilliated with the MSPA Forums but run by people who met on them, specifically in the general chat forums

I think I was the person who first mentioned HL.ca in this thread. A while back I saw it in someone's sig and PMed them to ask what it was. I don't know of any others. Unlike IRC you can't find such places by waiting for people to mistype /join commands. :-P

YANI / Request: an official place to discuss the unofficial offshoot boards of MSPA? Just a thread tucked away somewhere and linked to from rules posts in a section about "places that you can discuss things that you can't discuss on these forums".