"New forums software"

[K7MFC]

I've been seeing this mentioned for quite some time now in many different threads related to degrading site functionality...any official word on a site-wide update?

 

[DJ11DLN]

I personally have not noticed any "degrading site functionality." But that's just my experience here. I guess others are having problems or it wouldn't have been mentioned?

 

[K7MFC]

See these threads, and the all the links contained within:

https://forums.radioreference.com/forums-administration/376545-cant-see-all-posts.html

https://forums.radioreference.com/forums-administration/376280-new-posts-disappearing.html

https://forums.radioreference.com/forums-administration/375716-ohio-marcs-thread.html

It seems that many support requests are met with a response like "the site is switching from Vbulletin to Zenforo so your issue will not be resolved." I'm wondering if that is still in the plans for RadioReference.

 

[pb_lonny]

I am sure the boss will update us as he can.

 

[mikewazowski]

"New forums software"

Yes, the plan to switch forum software is still a go.

There is no set date but I would guess it will happen before the end of the year.

 

[Linkero]

A different "forum software" is really unneeded. An upgrade on the other hand is. The latest vBulletin is 5.4.3, and this forum is running 3.8.2. That was released nearly 9 years ago. Needless to say, but the issues we experience here will get cleared up with an upgrade. From my knowledge, this was a common issue back in the day for large websites and it was fixed sometime during vB4

Thankfully there is a quick fix for the issue, but the admin would have to take care of it. The problem threads can be rebuilt using an option within the admin control panel. It only takes a few moments to do and usually clears the issue right up.

As for a user-side "fix," log out and clear your cookies. Log back in and try again. For me, this tends to work pretty well but there are occasions it doesn't.

 

[krokus]

I personally have not noticed any "degrading site functionality." But that's just my experience here. I guess others are having problems or it wouldn't have been mentioned?

I did. I prefer using an older version of this app, as it has a much better UI, and a cleaner presentation, but it stopped displaying contents of the forums.

Sent using Tapatalk

 

[K7MFC]

A different "forum software" is really unneeded. An upgrade on the other hand is. The latest vBulletin is 5.4.3, and this forum is running 3.8.2. That was released nearly 9 years ago.

This is the most curious part to me - neglecting your website for 10 years is pretty much unheard of in the web dev world! Especially given all the known SQL injection vulnerabilities with vBulletin. I've worked on some big websites that have seen 2 or 3 major iterations in that same time.. For their own sake, I hope this site gets a facelift very soon. Like I mentioned in another thread, RR is at risk of losing their userbase should a competitor site show up offering a modern UX.

 

[Linkero]

This is the most curious part to me - neglecting your website for 10 years is pretty much unheard of in the web dev world! I've worked on some big websites that have seen 2 or 3 major iterations in that same time.. For their own sake, I hope this site gets a facelift very soon. Like I mentioned in another thread, RR is at risk of losing their userbase should a competitor site show up offering a modern UX.

The neglecting can very easily be explained, and is a bit more common than you may have seen. Most of my work has been overhauling older websites. Usually, someone has a passion, or notices a lack of a resource, and either builds the website themselves, or get someone they know to do it. Heck, they may even hire a team. In the end, it's built, it works, and the developer is no longer needed. At this point it can go 2 different ways, they either keep a developer on board for fixes, or enlist a community members' help. Regardless, this person turns into their go to guy. Since the website works, no reason to upgrade it....right? Time passes, everything still works. Once in a while there's an issue, but not often.

Given 5 years time, or in RR case 10, people change. The initial developer gets a new job, gets married, has a kid, etc. If it was a community member, their passion for web work may have died off. A whole bunch of new frameworks exist, and certain software had major improvements. The need to upgrade, or even overhaul(including new forum software), has come to mind. Well, with all the changes and time constraints it becomes a very difficult job. Especially if it's just one person. As you know what it's like being a developer, you know how long it can take. Database migration, integration, testing, and deploying. The time is even longer if the person doing it all has been out of the game for a while. Relearning can take some time!

Even a more modern website, whether custom or using frameworks, will take a while. So unless something has been in the works already, I doubt we will see a newer website popping up anytime soon. Seeing Mike's response earlier, it's much more likely RR will get it's overhaul before that happens! If we want it done right, we are going to have to accept that it'll "be done when it's done" Surely, we will have a form of advance warning before it goes live. Something to look forward to!

 

[mule1075]

RR is at risk of losing their userbase should a competitor site show up offering a modern UX.

Highly unlikely that will happen.

 

[K7MFC]

Highly unlikely that will happen.

Why is it highly unlikely? It happens all the time on the internet - the classic example being MySpace vs Facebook. No website is immune from a competitor that can offer a better UX, more features, a more secure site, etc.

 

[fxdscon]

. No website is immune from a competitor that can offer a better UX, more features, a more secure site, etc.

Can you name anyone or any other website that you believe could possibly over take Radio Reference? Surely with a claim like that you must have someone in mind.

.

 

[K7MFC]

fxdscon - that's not the claim I'm making - I don't currently believe there is another site out there that can usurp RadioReference. But if 5, 10 more years go by and RR still hasnt changed, still hasn't addressed security issies, still has no mobile experience, etc, those competitors will absolutely start to emerge. What's at the core of this site? A database, a data viewing portal, a data API, a forums front end, and a wiki front end. All of this - save for the data - is not inherently exclusive to RadioReference. It's fairly trivial to make a competitive site that offers all these features (and more) but in a modern package. The data is RadioReference's meat though, and that can't just be recreated easily. But really, all one would need is time and volunteers to curate the data. Given modern DB tools, a modern REST API, and a modern data portal for users, it's not entirely out of the realm of possibility to attract users away from this site to build up a radio frequency database that can rival this one. Don't get me wrong - I want RadioReference to be on top. We don't need competing and divergent databases. But this is just what is going to organically happen if this site doesn't get with the times. The fact that this site is running server software with long known security vulnerabilities is only going to expedite all that.

 

[fxdscon]

But if 5, 10 more years go by and RR still hasnt changed, still hasn't addressed security issies, still has no mobile experience, etc, those competitors will absolutely start to emerge.

5 or 10 years?

Yes, the plan to switch forum software is still a go.

There is no set date but I would guess it will happen before the end of the year.

 

[mtindor]

Highly unlikely that will happen.

Haha, I agree. The idea that some other site willl pop up with a better UI and overtake RR is pure baloney. Not gonna happen. That's just FUD.

Mike

 

[K7MFC]

lol no, it's not FUD - it's a discussion . And I agree, it's a very unlikely occurrence. But it's not an impossibility. I love RR and want to see this site grow and innovate along with the rest of the web, but it's been stagnant for a decade My hope is that it's not just a one and done for the next update with no updates and security patches for another 10 years.

 

[mtindor]

lol no, it's not FUD - it's a discussion . And I agree, it's a very unlikely occurrence. But it's not an impossibimty. I love RR and want to see this site grow and innovate along with the rest of the web, but it's been stagnant for a decade My hope is that it's not just a one and done for the next update with no updates and security patches for another 10 years.

The odd part about the stagnant UI that you reference is that I don't want it to change. Because of that fact alone, i'm sure it will (because nothing ever goes my way lol). But I'm old school - The navigation is just fine. I don't use RR on mobile devices and thus don't care about how it looks on mobile devices. I know, not realistic at all these days -- but I venture to say there are lots of old school folks here who feel the same way.

At any rate, I've used Zenforo on other forums (flightaware as an example). I cannot imagine the old school guys adjusting easily -- but I'm sure the younger generation will have no problem with the switch.

I'm not anti-switching because I think Zenforo is inferior. I'm anti-switching because I am very resistant to change. So if we get to keep VB for a few more months I'm happy.

Although if the fixing the MARCS-IP thread is as easy as you say, I sure wish it would be fixed before the migration to Zenforo.

Mike

 

[AK9R]

The entire RadioReference site, including Broadcastify, is a full-time job for Lindsay Blanton. The site has not been forgotten or neglected.

I am told that the version of vBulletin that is running the RadioReference forums is highly modified. Upgrading to the latest version of vBulletin is not a matter of just slip-streaming in the new code.

Some of us forum moderators have access to the new Zenforo version of the RadioReference forums. It appears to be ready for prime time, but that final decision is up to Lindsay. We ask that you be patient.

 

[blantonl]

The fact that this site is running server software with long known security vulnerabilities is only going to expedite all that.

The site is not running server software with long known security vulnerabilities. The current version of the forums software has been patched multiple times, and is also a custom implementation.

 

[blantonl]

lol no, it's not FUD - it's a discussion . And I agree, it's a very unlikely occurrence. But it's not an impossibility. I love RR and want to see this site grow and innovate along with the rest of the web, but it's been stagnant for a decade My hope is that it's not just a one and done for the next update with no updates and security patches for another 10 years.

Well, I respectfully disagree with your assertions. We're constantly working on a lot of innovative things, many are behind the scenes. The site isn't stagnant... and updating a style or logo every few years doesn't make it innovative and cutting edge.

For the most part, the services that we provide just work as intended.