Major software upgrade planned to start next weekend

[Dave]

Members,

We have a major software upgrade planned to start sometime next weekend. I will post the exact time later in the week.
The upgrade process will take 3-4 days to complete as the database has to be converted to a new format and some technical junk from the past 20 years cleaned out.

All your data will be preserved - posts, attachments, PM's etc. They will appear on the new site as normal.

This current site will be still be available during the conversion process, but it will be in read-only mode. You will be able read and search as normal, but not post new messages.

We are also moving to a new server in the U.K. for a 50% increase in disk space and memory. Once the new software is set up, the new server location has to be distributed to other servers around the world. This can take anything from 5 minutes to 36 hours depending on where you are. For most people, that part will be pretty quick.

For this first stage, I didn't manage to get as much done on the new site as I hoped. But this important first step gets us on to the new platform. Then new things can be slowly added over time.

My focus now is on building a new User Guide so we can learn how to use the new features and adapt to the changes.

Some of the changes include: 
   - Attachments has had a major overhaul
      - Select or drag & drop multiple attachments into your post
      - Attach up to 10 files of up to 7MB to one post in one go
      - Attachments can be inserted amongst the text of your post
      - Generally it is a much more robust attachment system
   - The new forum will display much better on smaller screen sizes - phones, tablets and laptops.
   - Both forum posts and Private Messages can be written, then saved as a draft, then edited and posted later.
   - A new WYSIWYG editor available to format the text in your posts. (What You See Is What You Get)
   - Main Menu has been expanded with links to support, admin contact, fast new topic, additional unread posts options.
   - Real-time alerts are now available in addition to email notifications.
   - Quick Comments chat feature on the front page for short messages
   - The latest 'For Sale' and 'Wanted' adverts are now visible and accessible on the front page.
   - Ability to display normal web pages for new forms of Douglas content, user guide articles, videos, images and documents.
   - 'Likes' button to show others you appreciate their posts.
   - 'Mentions' can be included in your posts (using @name syntax) to draw your message to the attention of other members.

Will post back here when I have a firm start time for the conversion,

Dave, Admin

[cardan]

Good luck!

[eddie]

I'll echo Leon's comment - and also express my thanks for all you do on our behalf. We do appreciate your efforts, but don't say it often enough! This is by far the best Douglas website - and the safest for all it's users.

  Many thanks,
                       Eddie.

[Dave]

Thanks cardan and Eddie for your good wishes and kind words.
A little luck is definitely handy for these big conversions - one small hiccup can take a whole day to resolve.

Assuming no new issues arise over the weekend, the start time will be:

UTC, Time Zone - Tue, 21 May 2024 at 1:00 am

In local times...
London, U.K - Tue, 21 May 2024 at 2:00 am BST
Sydney, Aust. - Tue, 21 May 2024 at 11:00 am AEST
New York, USA - Mon, 20 May 2024 at 9:00 pm EDT
Los Angeles, USA - Mon, 20 May 2024 at 6:00 pm PDT
Hong Kong, H.K. - Tue, 21 May 2024 at 9:00 am HKT
Berlin, Germany - Tue, 21 May 2024 at 3:00 am CEST

Finish time is uncertain but approximately 3-4 days will hopefully cover it.
As mentioned above, the Forum will still be viewable, but in read-only mode during that time.
Once the new server destination registers with the domain name server used by your device, you will see the new site and can log in and post as normal.
Will post updates using the news line at the top of the page (appears in blue text).

Here's an image of a recent test site to give you an idea what it looks like.

[Roys rider]

Looking good.
Fingers crossed for you and a massive THANK YOU.
Peter

[Dave]

Welcome to the new site

This journey started two years ago and finally... here we are! The last few days has seen plenty of hiccups and hurdles while wrangling the nearly 38,000 posts and 14,000 images into their new home. But I think everything made it OK.

If I have missed a setting somewhere and something looks odd or doesn't perform as expected, please let me know via either the Contact page or Quick Comments box over there. ---->

There are a lot of changes from the old site, especially attachments, which has completely changed.

Getting Started
A good place to start is these two pages :
Quick Tour of the Front Page
Quick Tour of the new Attachments Process
It's the fastest way to get acquainted with the new layout and new attachment process.
Please see the User Guide for more in-depth videos on handling attachments.

Setting your Time Zone
There have been major changes to time zone handling in this new software. Because of these changes, everyone's time zone has been set to UTC - Co-ordinated Universal Time - the location of the new server.
For places that use daylight time in summer, there are now two choices of time zone - one that automatically switches between the standard and daylight times and a second that stays locked on the standard time. To set your local time zone, please follow the instructions in this guide - Setting Your Time Zone

Future Developments
As I mentioned in the top post, I ran out of time to build a lot of the planned features. So please consider this as a first stage. The main goal was to get us onto this new platform, settle in and then new stuff can be slowly added over time.

Requesting User Guide Topics
If there is anything you would like to see added to the User Guide ASAP, please see this list of Possible Topics for the User Guide for ideas and let me know.

Dave

[Roys rider]

Brilliant. Thank you Dave. 
Peter
PS When I read your posts you have an Northern English accent, it was interesting to hear the truth. 

[Dave.]

Congratulations Dave on a job well done, certainly a nice upgrade from tho old SMF software and so much easier to use on the mobile.