Thread: Problem with unread posts

This just cropped up after the 12 hour outage yesterday. When I first do a "Science Forum Forum Inde"x, it shows all the fora with unread posts. But as soon as I read any post, when I go back ( or do index again) it shows no unread posts, and if I look at a forum that I know had showed unread posts, all the threads show as having no unread posts.

This really makes it hard to keep track of the current state of conversations.

MW

Also, whenever I try to reply to a post, it takes me to the forum index. I have to clear cookies, and login again... just to reply... each time I reply. I just replied to another thread about 60 seconds ago, and had to repeat the process of deleting cookies and logging in yet again just to add this post here.

Originally Posted by inow

reply to a post, it takes me to the forum index. I have to clear cookies, and login again... just to reply... each time

Same here. Internet Explorer 8.

Yep, me too in firefox, IE, and chrome browser.

I changed the forum's timezone offset to GMT-4 to match EDT. It had been set to GMT-5 for EST so maybe that was the problem. How does it look now?

Better, thanks. :-D

EDIT: Maybe not. I just had to log out/in, post with cookies intact. Unsure how to replicate the problem.

Originally Posted by MeteorWayne

This just cropped up after the 12 hour outage yesterday. When I first do a "Science Forum Forum Index, it shows all the fora with unread posts. But as soon as I read any post, when I go back ( or do index again) it shows no unread posts, and if I look at a forum that I know had showed unread posts, all the threads show as having no unread posts.

the situation is still as reported by MW, and seems to have indeed started after the outage (which i assume was a move to a new server ?)

Everything seems fine here.

Still messed up for me. I am using IE9. How about you KALSTER?

Opera 11.11

Was fine, until I tried logging out and back in: same problem. Then once again log out/in fixed it. Same browser session, no cookie delete.

Maybe helpful: Forum indicates "logged in" but then "Sorry, but you can only edit your own posts." with "logged out" at the top of that page only.

I've noticed occasionally, it also goes into the opposite mode, where read posts are not cleared. Frustrating, but entertaining

Originally Posted by inow

Also, whenever I try to reply to a post, it takes me to the forum index. I have to clear cookies, and login again... just to reply... each time I reply. I just replied to another thread about 60 seconds ago, and had to repeat the process of deleting cookies and logging in yet again just to add this post here.

So, I know you guys are doing some sort of update. Can you share the ETA for completion? This having to clear cookies and login 12 times is sort of a pain in the ass.

Cookie clearing might aggravate it, inow. For me, the better workaround is to log out and back in, not closing the browser and not clearing cookies. From then, all's well until next session.

It appears that each log in (or out) toggles the buggy state. Anyway, for IE8 once OK it remains OK for the session.

Still happening here. Either it logs me out when I go into a forum, or it doesn't show unread posts. Makes it almost impossible to keep track of new/updated topics without checking all the dates and times.

The way that PHPBB2 handles time and timezones is exceptionally crude. I believe that this problem has to do with user's timezone setting.

You can verify if your account has the correct timezone by going to your profile and scrolling down to the "timezone" option. For reference, choose GMT+1 for London or GMT-4 for US Eastern time.

I can confirm that the above worked.

Strange, I live in London and never bothered to change my timezone here from GMT to GMT+1, but this problem did not arise until this week.

Originally Posted by inow

Originally Posted by inow

Also, whenever I try to reply to a post, it takes me to the forum index. I have to clear cookies, and login again... just to reply... each time I reply. I just replied to another thread about 60 seconds ago, and had to repeat the process of deleting cookies and logging in yet again just to add this post here.

So, I know you guys are doing some sort of update. Can you share the ETA for completion? This having to clear cookies and login 12 times is sort of a pain in the ass.

Hi there. I suppose it's possible this has been addressed somewhere and I missed it, but this part is still occurring, and is still a supreme pain in the ass. If a reply has not yet been offered, any chance someone will respond to my question one of these weeks? If a reply has been offered, can you please point me toward it?

Or, am I expected to believe that the time zone settings on my profile are what's causing me to get redirected to the forum index each time I click the reply or quote button?

Originally Posted by inow

If a reply has not yet been offered, any chance someone will respond to my question one of these weeks? If a reply has been offered, can you please point me toward it?

Originally Posted by Bunsen

...Next week we will migrate the entire forum to vBulletin 4.

We have plans of beginning the migration to the new platform sometime on Monday. Exact times have been a little sketchy as Bunsen is currently out of town. We apologize for the annoyances and aggravation that you have experienced and trust the new forum will knock your socks off.

Originally Posted by Beaker

Originally Posted by inow

If a reply has not yet been offered, any chance someone will respond to my question one of these weeks? If a reply has been offered, can you please point me toward it?

Originally Posted by Bunsen

...Next week we will migrate the entire forum to vBulletin 4.

We have plans of beginning the migration to the new platform sometime on Monday.

Fair enough. Thanks for getting back to me.


Your responses leave a lot to be desired, though. You're not talking to a four year olds here.

Originally Posted by Bunsen

[We] trust the new forum will knock your socks off.

Originally Posted by Bunsen

Everything will look better ... Look forward to good things.

Originally Posted by Beaker

Only positive things lie ahead.

Originally Posted by Beaker

Everything is going to be OK. I promise.

Originally Posted by Beaker

We know how to make websites better.

Originally Posted by Beaker

We promise things won't become too terribly unbearable for you.

Again, just my opinion. Do with it what you will. You seem to be making promises which are hard to keep, and you sound like used car salesmen who are full of shit. I remain open minded, though. I know your intentions are good, but your standard boilerplate responses and attempts to lipstick the pig have already grown tiresome.

Good luck.

i think the time offset is a red herring - i live in the UK and my setting says "All times are GMT + 1 Hour", so that should be ok, but the issue with all posts being marked as read on the 1st click (chrome) or logging me out (IE9) are still there

let's face it : something in the forum settings has gone to cock with the move to the new server (or otherwise there's an unrecognised mismatch between server and forum settings), so all we can hope for is that the move to vBulletin will solve the problem, otherwise this forum is toast

Or, am I expected to believe that the time zone settings on my profile are what's causing me to get redirected to the forum index each time I click the reply or quote button?

I am running Opera 11 on Windows 7 Ultimate x64 with time zone settings at GMT +2 and I am not having any problems. What are your particulars?

Having run this forum on many different servers over the years the only time we had this issue arise is when I was running it from a virtual platform. Once it was moved back to a real server with a real time clock the problems went away. I'm not sure if that is the case now. Just some food for thought. This had not been a problem outside the virtual environment.

IS

Originally Posted by inow

Again, just my opinion. Do with it what you will. You seem to be making promises which are hard to keep, and you sound like used car salesmen who are full of shit. I remain open minded, though. I know your intentions are good, but your standard boilerplate responses and attempts to lipstick the pig have already grown tiresome.

Good luck.

Thanks for your opinion and well wishes. We're not full of shit but we would, as the new Admins of the site, appreciate a little consideration and a few days to get things in order.

I just tested the site on IE7 and immediately started having problems. I guess I'll recommend the latest version of Opera then. Is anyone with Opera 11 experiencing problems?

Originally Posted by Beaker

We're not full of shit but we would, as the new Admins of the site, appreciate a little consideration and a few days to get things in order.

There are several members here who have devoted years to this forum. While each of them undoubtedly derives satisfaction from their commitment, in a variety of ways, it is their dedication to providing relevant information and informed discussion that ensures the forum vitality. So while they do this for their own motivations, one of those is assuredly a wish to encourage and develop and support an interest in science among less experienced members and lurkers.

I think those members deserve a little consideration also. Perhaps more than a little consideration and that does seem lacking so far. Is that a fair assessment? Consider this:
1) A delayed announcement as to the change in site ownership.
2) No mission statement of any kind.
3) Wooly 'feel good' responses that lack any substance.
4) Clear lack of preparation for the hand over evidenced by the ensuing technical problems.
5) Outright avoidance of declaring the motivation for acquiring the site.

Now it is entirely possible that all of these shortcomings can be explained by inexperience. (Just for the record, several readers are substituting the word incompetence at this point.) However, instead of platitudes most of us want to hear something concrete. I hope you can see your way clear to providing it, sooner rather than later.

I hope (and I rather expect) that in a week or a month all of these hiccups will be forgotten. I join the other members who have wished you good luck. But remember that we make our own luck and actions speak louder than words. (And cliches are sometimes a valid view of reality.)

For the moment I'll return to berating idiots with 'theories' and guiding neophytes.

O.

Originally Posted by Beaker

we would, as the new Admins of the site, appreciate a little consideration and a few days to get things in order.

Yes, of course. Anything less would be inappropriate. I hope, too, that in parallel you can appreciate the frustration so many of us are feeling right now as we continue to navigate ourselves through a broken setup and wait for even the most basic functionality and order to return to the community.

Originally Posted by Ophiolite

There are several members here who have devoted years to this forum. While each of them undoubtedly derives satisfaction from their commitment, in a variety of ways, it is their dedication to providing relevant information and informed discussion that ensures the forum vitality. So while they do this for their own motivations, one of those is assuredly a wish to encourage and develop and support an interest in science among less experienced members and lurkers.

I think those members deserve a little consideration also. Perhaps more than a little consideration and that does seem lacking so far. Is that a fair assessment? Consider this:
1) A delayed announcement as to the change in site ownership.
2) No mission statement of any kind.
3) Wooly 'feel good' responses that lack any substance.
4) Clear lack of preparation for the hand over evidenced by the ensuing technical problems.
5) Outright avoidance of declaring the motivation for acquiring the site.

Now it is entirely possible that all of these shortcomings can be explained by inexperience. (Just for the record, several readers are substituting the word incompetence at this point.) However, instead of platitudes most of us want to hear something concrete. I hope you can see your way clear to providing it, sooner rather than later.

I hope (and I rather expect) that in a week or a month all of these hiccups will be forgotten. I join the other members who have wished you good luck. But remember that we make our own luck and actions speak louder than words. (And cliches are sometimes a valid view of reality.)

For the moment I'll return to berating idiots with 'theories' and guiding neophytes.

O.

I understand your concerns. It is comforting to know that there are so many members like you who care about the site.

Originally Posted by Beaker

It is comforting to know that there are so many members like you who care about the site.

don't be too comforted - members who care this much can be a right pain in the arse, so you may have your work cut out

Originally Posted by Beaker

I understand your concerns. It is comforting to know that there are so many members like you who care about the site.

Since you understand my concerns, when will you address concern number 5) above. (Outright avoidance of declaring the motivation for acquiring the site.)

As site owners you have absolutely no obligation to explain to the membership why you have acquired it. But if you wish to enjoy the confidence of the membership then you should do so. Your motives may be aligned with those of the members, but if you remain silent on the issue then they will begin to doubt those motivations.

Many of the members here are active to a greater or less extent on other forums. To be blunt (because being tactful hasn't worked), we don't need you. Perhaps you don't need us. That depends on your motivation for acquiring the site.

So please, without the platitudes and generalities you've fobbed us off with to date, what are your objectives in acquiring the site? It's a simple question and if you had asked it when first asked we could have saved some considerable time and escalating doubts.

Originally Posted by Ophiolite

Originally Posted by Beaker

I understand your concerns. It is comforting to know that there are so many members like you who care about the site.

Since you understand my concerns, when will you address concern number 5) above. (Outright avoidance of declaring the motivation for acquiring the site.)

As site owners you have absolutely no obligation to explain to the membership why you have acquired it. But if you wish to enjoy the confidence of the membership then you should do so. Your motives may be aligned with those of the members, but if you remain silent on the issue then they will begin to doubt those motivations.

Many of the members here are active to a greater or less extent on other forums. To be blunt (because being tactful hasn't worked), we don't need you. Perhaps you don't need us. That depends on your motivation for acquiring the site.

So please, without the platitudes and generalities you've fobbed us off with to date, what are your objectives in acquiring the site? It's a simple question and if you had asked it when first asked we could have saved some considerable time and escalating doubts.

We purchased the site because we want an escape from the day to day dealings with everything else. This is a side project mainly for enjoyment and fun. We saw an opportunity to make the site better and that's what we want to do. There is no conspiracy.

I too am aware of the other science forums. This is what motivates me to make thescienceforum.com better.

OK. Thank you for that. I hope you are able to get as much fun out of it as I do.

Originally Posted by Beaker

We purchased the site because we want an escape from the day to day dealings with everything else. This is a side project mainly for enjoyment and fun. We saw an opportunity to make the site better and that's what we want to do. There is no conspiracy.

I too am aware of the other science forums. This is what motivates me to make thescienceforum.com better.

Hey - Thanks! It turns out that we actually have a lot in common, then. You purchased the site for pretty much the exact same reason that I participate with the site... As an escape from the day to day dealings with everything else. I think many others here do the same. Hell, I'm on a conference call right now as I type this. (shhh... don't tell anyone) :-)

Cheers!

Originally Posted by marnixR

i think the time offset is a red herring

Confirmed.

This issue has been fixed.