*sigh* 1 more week?
#52
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Ken
#54
We are lucky on one thing here. Internet Brands (our parent company) actually owns and is the developer for vBulletin. So nobody is better suited to getting all of these bugs worked out. The issues they are having is because of the sheer size of RCU, they are running into issues getting all the other (non-discussion forums) parts of RCU to work well with the discussion forums. But we'll get there.
Ken
Ken
#56
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Really? I could have sworn it was just a year or 2 ago that there was another forum upgrade just like this, only you guys made the new system look and act just like the old one. Its already that out of date again? I was upset when I first saw that change, but it turned out for the best. This one is not going well at all. I will probably still be coming back here for specific things.... But my desire to just browse through the site is fairly well gone. aside from having to sign in every few pages, the loss of the old picture interface makes browsing a lot less fun
#58
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I remember hearing the same thing then though.... that the old software was out of date, and had to be upgraded to the new software. It looked horrible at first, but someone (I cant remember who) posted to just be patient, that the people who made RCU the awesome site it had been were still running things and it was gonna be good again. Very shortly it was back to running better and looking almost just like it had before.
This looks horribly different. Like someone else said it looks like facebook, and RC Groups, and any number of other generic forums. If you cant go back to the old software how about at least editing this to the point that it feels like the old RCU? (especially the awesome Picture Interface!!)
This looks horribly different. Like someone else said it looks like facebook, and RC Groups, and any number of other generic forums. If you cant go back to the old software how about at least editing this to the point that it feels like the old RCU? (especially the awesome Picture Interface!!)
#59
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It's been nothing but trouble since the roll-out. I can't even get my foot in the door using AOL even after trying everything that we were told to do, clearing our cache and cookies. I'm using Google Chrome right now to be here posting. Some places show me as being signed in then not. The drop-down menu is a PITA as when using it, it goes right back up to the top of the forum list instead of like the older one where you could move up or down from where you are. When you have to wrestle to get in here then maneuver around it makes you want to hit other forum sites instead.
#60
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I would like to share the idea I posted in another thread. We should take up a collection to offer to Pay for better forum software. It seems we are going with this software because its owned by RCU's parent company. That must mean we are dealing with this terrible new format because its their cheaper option. If we are paying for it we can demand better.
#61
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I would like to share the idea I posted in another thread. We should take up a collection to offer to Pay for better forum software. It seems we are going with this software because its owned by RCU's parent company. That must mean we are dealing with this terrible new format because its their cheaper option. If we are paying for it we can demand better.
and someone else says 'I'm paying for this site TOO and I want it to look like THAT '
am I the only one here who remembers everyone complaining about how unstable the site was?
about how you couldn't upload pictures??
THE (OLD) SITE WAS DOWN FOR 4 DAYS DURING THE TOLEDO EXPO
RCU was previously using very outdated forum software (because it was the cheapest option) which was custom modified (by RCU's then current owner)
and no one on the planet (except the former owner) had ANY idea what modifications were made, how to revert them or how to make the doggone thing work if something went awry.
are there still issues to be worked out? absolutely there are.
is RCU's software more stable and predictable? I sure think so
is the site now better equipped to keep up with more current technology and upgrades? again, I sure think so.
for me, the fact that the site looks a bit different isn't a big deal. That's only my opinion and of course everyone is entitled to their own.
it just seems to me this upgrade was a no-brainer, it is still a work in progress but IMHO, RCU is far better off now than it was two weeks ago.
<end rant>
#62
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GREAT idea... but what do we do when someone says 'I'm paying for this site and I want it to look like THIS'
and someone else says 'I'm paying for this site TOO and I want it to look like THAT '
am I the only one here who remembers everyone complaining about how unstable the site was?
<end rant>
and someone else says 'I'm paying for this site TOO and I want it to look like THAT '
am I the only one here who remembers everyone complaining about how unstable the site was?
<end rant>
Well you have a point there I'll admit. I was thinking of a one time sort of thing to get back to what we had, but really it was just an idea I was throwing out there because this change bothers me a lot.
Yeah, My impression is that it was better and more stable before, and it also looked way better before. There is nothing that I have seen yet in this new version that is even as good as the old version, much less better.
Your answer is illuminating. I hadn't realized until this morning that RCU had been sold out and the people who made the site how it was were no longer around. (speaking only of the site developers here, not the moderators and forum members)
I wonder though, how many of those people who complained are happy with this? Given the talk I have seen, my guess is that if you had offered the choice between dealing with the old bugs, and dealing with this.... almost no one would have picked this.
Last edited by BadSplice; 08-14-2013 at 03:24 PM.
#63
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Internet Brands also owns RC Tech (.net) which is a little slow loading for us still on DSL but runs a whole lot better than here. That site also has its shortcomings yet less frustrating.
I hope that you're sitting down as I finally got in here using Almost OnLine and not my Google Chrome. Boy, was I shocked!
I hope that you're sitting down as I finally got in here using Almost OnLine and not my Google Chrome. Boy, was I shocked!
#64
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another day..... nothing improved.
Please at least go back to the old good site till you have the crap worked out of this one....
Yes, good. Whatever instability you thought the old site had it was nowhere NEAR as awful as this. Without having the exact count I would guess that only 1 out of 10 people is happy with what youve done to the site. The other 9 are frustrated and dissapointed with you.
RCU made a promise to us during the last upgrade that they would keep RCU the great site it had been. Then they sold us out to a large operation for what I have to assume was a large paycheck... and broke their promise to us. My faith in and loyalty to RCU has been broken by this.
You people pay lip service to listening to us, and trying to make the site what we want.... but then you ignore the many many calls for our old site back. If you cared about what we wanted, you would have started this process by first making this software as exact a match for the old RCU as humanly possible, and going from there, instead of dumping this half finished pile of crap on us.
Some of you will say I am overreacting to this change.... maybe so but I am SO sick of having this happen. Losing something thats a part of my life cause someone else feels theyd rather change around something that exists instead of making something new for them. So I just lose.
Please at least go back to the old good site till you have the crap worked out of this one....
Yes, good. Whatever instability you thought the old site had it was nowhere NEAR as awful as this. Without having the exact count I would guess that only 1 out of 10 people is happy with what youve done to the site. The other 9 are frustrated and dissapointed with you.
RCU made a promise to us during the last upgrade that they would keep RCU the great site it had been. Then they sold us out to a large operation for what I have to assume was a large paycheck... and broke their promise to us. My faith in and loyalty to RCU has been broken by this.
You people pay lip service to listening to us, and trying to make the site what we want.... but then you ignore the many many calls for our old site back. If you cared about what we wanted, you would have started this process by first making this software as exact a match for the old RCU as humanly possible, and going from there, instead of dumping this half finished pile of crap on us.
Some of you will say I am overreacting to this change.... maybe so but I am SO sick of having this happen. Losing something thats a part of my life cause someone else feels theyd rather change around something that exists instead of making something new for them. So I just lose.
Last edited by BadSplice; 08-15-2013 at 06:43 AM.
#66
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RCU made a promise to us during the last upgrade that they would keep RCU the great site it had been. Then they sold us out to a large operation for what I have to assume was a large paycheck... and broke their promise to us. My faith in and loyalty to RCU has been broken by this.
Some of you will say I am overreacting to this change.... maybe so but I am SO sick of having this happen. Losing something thats a part of my life cause someone else feels theyd rather change around something that exists instead of making something new for them. So I just lose.
Some of you will say I am overreacting to this change.... maybe so but I am SO sick of having this happen. Losing something thats a part of my life cause someone else feels theyd rather change around something that exists instead of making something new for them. So I just lose.
that being said, here are a couple of details you are probably not aware of:
I've been a member of RCU for better than a decade, even though most of my contributions and interests have been on the magazine side of RCU, I've been here since 2002.
The last upgrade that occurred was pretty much a disaster, however at that point in time RCU had ALREADY been sold to Internet Brands.
ONLY My Opinion: IB was not prepared for that upgrade. However with THIS upgrade, they really brought out the big guns, did their due diligence and managed to get 12 years worth of Articles, images, posts, etc converted to their new platform with (again, my opinion) minimum downtime and minimum negative impact on the membership at large.
The old system was highly modified (but never documented) by the original owner of RCU, the system was (ALMOST Literally) held together with bailing wire, bubble gum and a little spit.
The old software was developed by a company that went out of business (and stopped supporting their software) in ~2008 or so. Upgrading or even keeping the forums stable became impossible.
My Brother Mike (AKA MinnFlyer) who passed away last year at the ripe old age of 58 was more than a fixture here, he created nearly half of all the content that is still available in the magazine section.
it both pains me and makes my happy that I still see his photo here in the 'Mike Buzzeo takes a closer look' section.
(it does make me feel good to see his picture on the same page as two of My Reviews!)
When I see what RCUniverse is today, I see a work still in progress yes. but at the very least now I can see that there is still something to work WITH
literally three weeks ago I was petrified that the content here would be lost forever.
RCU is certainly a LARGE part of MY life too, I can tell you from first hand knowledge that NO ONE wants this site (including the forums, marketplace and magazine) to Succeed more than I do.
(even the guys who are actually getting a paycheck for it ) if RCU were to fail, they can find another job.
I don't think I'll find another Brother, or another group of RC people so willing to pitch in and lend a hand, give an opinion (even when theirs doesn't agree with mine ), advise, HUMOR or just moral support.
I truly hope that RCU will quickly live up to your expectations, and the expectations of the entire membership.
and if I have anything to say about it, it will
#67
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I am very sorry for your loss. MinnFlyer was a major fixture on this site, and I cant imagine that there's anyone here who isn't saddened by his passing.
I don't know a good way to say this, so I have to just spit it out and go from there.
The content of this site is not an issue that Im concerned about in this change.
Theres good content to be found all over the place. The internet is full of places where people post valuable information. If this site continues to exist, there will be good info here.
So for me, the FORMAT by which that information can be accessed is very important. If coming here isn't comfortable anymore because the look and feel of the site is so totally different, then its not worth coming here. RCU had a unique and different look and feel that I now wish I had screenshots of so I could compare and contrast. It now looks generic and crappy. At this point I feel no joy in just browsing through this site.
Its been weeks since this process started to affect everybody, and its not getting noticeably better. Almost no one likes the new look and feel. There are major login issues that as the owner of the software, you should have had no problem solving. As one of your own mods said in another thread... if the first thing you have to do when coming to this site (login) is a pain in the butt, then plenty of people will go elsewhere right then, and not even see what you have wasted all that work on.
I will keep coming back for a while in the hopes that it will go back to being the good site that it was, and to try to nudge it along to being that. But every time I come here now I feel angry and dissapointed, instead of feeling like Im at home.
I don't know a good way to say this, so I have to just spit it out and go from there.
The content of this site is not an issue that Im concerned about in this change.
Theres good content to be found all over the place. The internet is full of places where people post valuable information. If this site continues to exist, there will be good info here.
So for me, the FORMAT by which that information can be accessed is very important. If coming here isn't comfortable anymore because the look and feel of the site is so totally different, then its not worth coming here. RCU had a unique and different look and feel that I now wish I had screenshots of so I could compare and contrast. It now looks generic and crappy. At this point I feel no joy in just browsing through this site.
Its been weeks since this process started to affect everybody, and its not getting noticeably better. Almost no one likes the new look and feel. There are major login issues that as the owner of the software, you should have had no problem solving. As one of your own mods said in another thread... if the first thing you have to do when coming to this site (login) is a pain in the butt, then plenty of people will go elsewhere right then, and not even see what you have wasted all that work on.
I will keep coming back for a while in the hopes that it will go back to being the good site that it was, and to try to nudge it along to being that. But every time I come here now I feel angry and dissapointed, instead of feeling like Im at home.
#68
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Well, I certainly can't argue that the site does indeed look different, and that there are still some major bugs and issues to be worked out.
(heck, I had to 're-log in' to write this post... and of course I'm not even really logging in, just going to my login page and hitting refresh )
I for one greatly appreciate that you're able to just spit it out, I can't agree more that sometimes there are things that must be said.
all I can say at this point is that I also want the forums to look more like they did, to function more like they did, and not to look like just every other cartoon type forum.
I don't have any answers in concrete, I'm certainly not a vBulletin expert, but I do know the folks at IB are working furiously to get the bugs fixed,
get the formatting back to something more usable for the entire membership and keep the ship afloat
I do NOT see these comments as just complaints.... if everyone were silent on the matter we wouldn't have any idea that there's still much work to do
(heck, I had to 're-log in' to write this post... and of course I'm not even really logging in, just going to my login page and hitting refresh )
I for one greatly appreciate that you're able to just spit it out, I can't agree more that sometimes there are things that must be said.
all I can say at this point is that I also want the forums to look more like they did, to function more like they did, and not to look like just every other cartoon type forum.
I don't have any answers in concrete, I'm certainly not a vBulletin expert, but I do know the folks at IB are working furiously to get the bugs fixed,
get the formatting back to something more usable for the entire membership and keep the ship afloat
I do NOT see these comments as just complaints.... if everyone were silent on the matter we wouldn't have any idea that there's still much work to do
#71
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and by you guys I want to make it clear I meant the mods and content contributors.... I have no thanks for the techs that have done this. This is like watching someone tear up a carefully cultivated garden to put in more parking for a strip mall.
#73
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Mash may have given way to Big Bang Theory, as people on the forums now discuss 50+cc models and electrics more than the merits of bellcranks vs dubro goldn rods...
But the basic interface of using the controller to browse through the channels hasnt changed much in decades... because theres no need for that to change.
#75
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There is no technical reason the site can not be made to look more like it was before. They have not made a single concession to that. Moving on may indeed be necessary but it wont mean staying here to deal with this. Obviously I cant speak for others but I am willing to accept this much change because I wanted something new and different, I am not willing to accept it when dumped on me by someone else.
Some people may get things they wanted out of this, but there is absolutely NOTHING the old site was lacking for me, so there is absolutely NO gain for me in this. So I have no incentive to take the time to get used to it.
Some people may get things they wanted out of this, but there is absolutely NOTHING the old site was lacking for me, so there is absolutely NO gain for me in this. So I have no incentive to take the time to get used to it.