I just wanted to post up a few plans for the next couple of months for this place. Nothing major, don't worry. ("We don't like change!")
Firstly, over time, with the forums here going through several upgrades and changes in a relatively short amount of time, and adding in the SG section/forum, and then integrating these boards with the main site, things have become both disjointed in terms of themes and colours, and a little messy behind the scenes. To add to this, the regular issues that we are having with access being a problem and errors in the site due to sheer numbers - a nice problem to have - means that the current server plan and hosting is really no longer meeting our needs. (As an aside, to all web site owners out there, just because a host advertises 'unlimited bandwidth, unlimited web space and 100's of database accounts', it doesn't mean that they have any intention of actually supporting the traffic that these claims assume.
)So, in general, the place needs a bit of attention, a tidy up and coat of paint. The current hosting plan runs until around June. My goal is to start transferring the site to a new host prior to this, ideally around May time, and setting up a new home for it. Then, when the current hosting plan expires, I should be able to backup the site, and reinstall it in the new location. This will mean that the site will be unavailable for a couple of days (hopefully!) while this happens.
I intend to rebuild the site and forums from the ground up in terms of mods and features - although they will not change in structure of setup. This means that all of those untidy pieces of code will be removed, and things should be easier from a maintenance and development side of things. (If I just backed up the entire lot and moved it all to a new home, it would carry the admin irritations with it.)
I will also take the opportunity to set the common theme throughout the site and boards, and work on the layout of the main pages. And, yes, the dark theme will stay, although it is likely to be more dark grey than the current black.
However, I am also making plans to move.... job, house and country! I won't say more at this point, as nothing is finalised yet, but it is likely to all kick off around Summer if I can get things sorted out. This may delay things!
I am only posting here to let you guys know that I continue to work on this place, and that the various errors and availability issues will hopefully be resolved shortly.
Thanks for your patience.
Iain
I can't guarantee that nothing will change, but there is a gradual evolution.