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dingus
Jan 12, 2005, 4:42 PM
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Registered: Dec 16, 2002
Posts: 17398
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Nicely done gentlepersons. Thank you very much, specially Tim. While all is not perfect in paradise, your efforts are appreciated. Later DMT
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zozo
Jan 12, 2005, 5:51 PM
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Registered: Feb 3, 2004
Posts: 3431
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This is not a comlpaint, I repeat this is not a complaint. Im glad I can get online today but Im still having some major issues. Just thought I would let the powers that be know, that's all, but Im sure they are aware. So if some of you are still having problems your not the only one :)
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tim
Jan 12, 2005, 6:01 PM
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Registered: Apr 4, 2002
Posts: 4861
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The webserver program on one of the machines is acting funny. It's an unusual failure mode, but until it is cleaned up -- until it starts acting normal again -- there will continue to be instability on the site. I will post an announcement when I believe the site actually has re-stabilized. There's a reason I haven't done so yet ;-) update: the webserver has stopped flaking out and now I'm working on the version-control server. I'll hit the webmail interface last of all; there is an upgraded version of our email server program which will vastly speed it up, and I'd like to add that fix as well, while I am at it. non-update: I'm still not confident that everything is stable. If it plays along this nicely for a few more hours, though, I will reconsider my position that it's "all fucked up".
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asandh
Jan 12, 2005, 6:36 PM
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Registered: Nov 13, 2002
Posts: 788
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:idea:
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tim
Jan 12, 2005, 6:55 PM
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Registered: Apr 4, 2002
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In reply to: I think I'm ready to fork over a nickle a month to help move these "well meaning" guys out of the garage and into the "Real World" of web site management. :D You mean the one where sites sell out to vulture capitalists and screw their customer base for every single last dollar as they get greedy? Because it dawns on them that many of the most vocal users are, in fact, leeches? Be careful what you wish for. This is not my day job -- the site does not generate enough revenue to be my day job -- I make more as a fucking graduate student. It's not Trevor's job -- he's got an 80-hour-a-week gig. It isn't Eric's day job either. If you're capable of running a better site that can actually innovate instead of just slapping up a bulletin board and watching cliques form that run everyone interesting out of town, do it. If you can do a better job of it, you will not have to put up with this site any more. We run on shitty hardware and much of our code dates back 5-10 years. You'd have an easier time starting from scratch, and if you're not getting a ton of traffic, you can easily host it on a shared webserver. Then, if you're lucky, you'll have to go through the same exact growing pains rc.com began experiencing about 3 years ago, when it went from 100,000 pageviews a month, to today's numbers (6-7 million a month). I'm not happy about this either. I liked some of what I saw when a route setter at my gym in DC pointed me to the site in 2001 or thereabouts. Some things infuriated me. The same type of motivations brought Eric and Mike on board. We are not a mature business, and we don't charge for service, nor do we offer an SLA. I have purchased more capable hardware to upgrade the weaker of our 2 servers; Eric has spent some time tuning the nastiest of the slow queries that cripple the site. Obviously, without users, we are not going to bring in any revenue. But even *with* users, at the current revenue levels, we can't really afford to both pay someone full-time and sustain our growth and redesign plans. Basically, you are correct that your eyeballs have a nonzero revenue value; but you enormously overvalue them when it comes to demanding some sort of an implicit service agreement. If you do not want to purchase a Supporting Partnership, then please, don't. You will be annoyed that your expectations are not always met, if they're as high as you state. This is a hobby site. Until our revenue is based on something other than banner ads, a hobby site it will remain. The banner ads are nice, but all of the hardware upgrades (along with the geographic partner search and the gratuity that I am going to pay Eric for his help during this episode) were bankrolled by donations. Repeat -- my entire budget comes from voluntary donations. All of it. None of my 'slush' comes from ad revenue. So when you think that ads pay for the hardware and software upgrades -- think again. Other users choose to. If you wish, you can do so as well.
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baja_java
Jan 12, 2005, 7:08 PM
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Registered: Oct 8, 2003
Posts: 680
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many of you might not believe this, but yesterday, while driving through that northern part of LA, came across this torrent of water raging down this flooded street. people were caught in it of course, as well as a computer on a desk floating along with a guy still typing away. yes, it was TIM!! in mortal danger and still doing everything he can to get the website back online, and pulling babies out of the water onto his desk. i wanted to jump in and help save lives too, but i just bought these nice approach shoes that i was wearing. they're gore-tex, but still, i didn't want to get them all muddy. so i rolled up the window and drove on
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jammer
Jan 12, 2005, 7:54 PM
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Registered: Jun 25, 2002
Posts: 3472
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Thank God Tim ... I was Jonesin real bad for the past couple of days. Man, I need my fix daily ... no more of that shit now, you hear? :wink: Seriously, thanks for the hard work and continous dedication. Alan
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