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    #1

    Site Upkeep, Status, Future?

    Hi folks...

    GMN has some faults, of varying importance, ranging from vBulletin being out of date, some clunky navigation, visual issues and the occasional weird PHP error that finds its way out into the open. And surely other things I've forgotten or just gotten in the habit of ignoring.

    Is there much of a roadmap for maintaining, repairing or upgrading GMN? If there's anything I can do to assist, I'd like to offer that...I have some familiarity with forum admin though it was a while ago, and a better than typical (nothing crazy, but working knowledge) understanding of web servers in general. At the very least, in my perfect forum world, I'd like to see some cleanup of that whole header business down through the POTM. There are ways to clean some of it up visually (and perhaps functionally too).

    Another board I'm on migrated to SMF in response to vBulletin licensing costs and the neverending security holes that people were wiggling through. It's a thought I'll throw out there. The UI grew on me rather quickly.

    Thoughts? Dreams? Discuss...
    Last edited by kishy; 10-16-2017, 01:19 PM.

    Panthers: 83 GM 2dr | 84 TC | 85 CS | 88 TC | 91 GM
    Not Panthers: 85 Ranger | Ranger trailer | 91 Acclaim | 92 Jaaag | 05 Focus
    Gone: 97 CV | 83 TC | 04 Focus | 86 GM    ​ |​ Junkyards
    Tags: None
    #2
    Another board I frequent is stangnet.com. They transitioned to a forum by XenForo a few years back that has a lot of nice features. Most of the other Mustang forums I used to frequent languished on vBulletin forever and then ended up switching to newer sites with very unfamiliar configurations or selling out to business concerns which moved them to really ad heavy platforms (corral.net is probably the worst example).

    Stangnet is still owned by the original founder who keeps it up fairly regularly and obviously cares about it. I think the XenForo is worth a look.

    I have no experience actually moderating or anything like that, but that's my two cents.
    —John

    1985 Ford F-150 XLT Lariat
    1990 Mercury Grand Marquis LS (POTM March 2017 & May 2019 - gone, but not forgotten)
    1995 Mustang SVT Cobra coupe (cream puff)
    1966 Mustang coupe (restoration in-progress)

    Comment

      #3
      Ironically this is one of the best-running forums i'm on. Corral is miserable although I still brave it occasionally to snag parts.

      Comment

        #4
        GMN's core forum functionality is perfectly usable. But there's a lot of messy stuff going on here. The "What's New" page has no content. There's a dedicated POTM page that hasn't been updated since...2011? The Gallery is broken. The Chat is broken. There are links that should be menu buttons. POTM banner could be better displayed and linked to the relevant thread. The site could use a somewhat modernized/cleaned up logo relocated to the traditional logo spot in the vbulletin header.

        And what's with the PHP errors during post edits? Makes me suspect a vbulletin plugin is broken. And I'm really not a fan of mobile vbulletin, which is not a GMN problem so much as a vbulletin problem. I'm sure I can't be alone in feeling how I do...

        I think there are investments (of effort and time, not money necessarily) that can be made here which could fix up all the little cumulative issues that take away from the experience in one way or another. But I think we all know how hard it can be to get enough time together to move on a project like this, so don't think I'm unaware or unappreciative of that fact.

        Panthers: 83 GM 2dr | 84 TC | 85 CS | 88 TC | 91 GM
        Not Panthers: 85 Ranger | Ranger trailer | 91 Acclaim | 92 Jaaag | 05 Focus
        Gone: 97 CV | 83 TC | 04 Focus | 86 GM        ​ |​ Junkyards

        Comment

          #5
          some stuff only works on mobile and some stuff only works on desktop... and if you're an admin, you better be using desktop or you can delete stuff without trying.

          Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. -- Albert Einstein
          rides: 93 Crown Vic LX (The Red Velvet Cake), 2000 Crown Vic base model (Sandy), 2003 Expedition (the vacation beast)

          Originally posted by gadget73
          ... and it should all work like magic and unicorns and stuff.

          Originally posted by dmccaig
          Overhead, some poor bastards are flying in airplanes.

          Comment

            #6
            Another forum I'm on moved to Xenforo. I really like it.
            86 Lincoln Town Car (Galactica).
            5.0 HO, CompCams XE258,Scorpion 1.72 roller rockers, 3.55 K code rear, tow package, BHPerformance ported E7 heads, Tmoss Explorer intake, 65mm throttle body, Hedman 1 5/8" headers, 2.5" dual exhaust, ASP underdrive pulley

            91 Lincoln Mark VII LSC grandpa spec white and cranberry

            1984 Lincoln Continental TurboDiesel - rolls coal

            Originally posted by phayzer5
            I drive a Lincoln. I can't be bothered to shift like the peasants and rabble rousers

            Comment

              #7
              as to the glitchy stuff, frankly I don't know how to fix it. I'm not a programmer or web developer. Usually if I spend enough time fucking with it I can figure it out but it takes a specific mindset for me to be able to deal with it, and I haven't been there in a while.
              86 Lincoln Town Car (Galactica).
              5.0 HO, CompCams XE258,Scorpion 1.72 roller rockers, 3.55 K code rear, tow package, BHPerformance ported E7 heads, Tmoss Explorer intake, 65mm throttle body, Hedman 1 5/8" headers, 2.5" dual exhaust, ASP underdrive pulley

              91 Lincoln Mark VII LSC grandpa spec white and cranberry

              1984 Lincoln Continental TurboDiesel - rolls coal

              Originally posted by phayzer5
              I drive a Lincoln. I can't be bothered to shift like the peasants and rabble rousers

              Comment

                #8
                Originally posted by gadget73 View Post
                as to the glitchy stuff, frankly I don't know how to fix it. I'm not a programmer or web developer. Usually if I spend enough time fucking with it I can figure it out but it takes a specific mindset for me to be able to deal with it, and I haven't been there in a while.
                This! I still haven't been able to find the damn redirect whore that Google and Avast keep tripping on.

                Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. -- Albert Einstein
                rides: 93 Crown Vic LX (The Red Velvet Cake), 2000 Crown Vic base model (Sandy), 2003 Expedition (the vacation beast)

                Originally posted by gadget73
                ... and it should all work like magic and unicorns and stuff.

                Originally posted by dmccaig
                Overhead, some poor bastards are flying in airplanes.

                Comment

                  #9
                  I've found the search function to be helpful some of the time. Typically I use 'advance search' to find stuff, but it seems touchy in what it pulls. Sometime it'll get irrelevant threads.

                  Probably my only real concern.


                  My Cars:
                  -1964 Comet 202 (116K Miles) - Long Term Project
                  -1979 Ford LTD Landau (38K Miles) - New Cruiser                  ​
                  -1986 Dodge D-150 Royale SE (112K Miles) - Slowly Getting Put Back Together
                  -1987 Grand Marquis Colony Park LS (343K Miles) - April 2017 + September 2019 POTM Winner
                  -1997 Grand Marquis LS (244K Miles) - March 2015 + January 2019 POTM Winner - Sold (05/2011 - 07/2024)

                  Comment

                    #10
                    I've always found vbulletin search useless on every forum I've tried to use it on. Mainly because it tries to filter out common words and really short ones (off the top of my head I suspect "TFI", "ECT", "ACT" might all fail to search...but maybe I'm remembering wrong). I just tried a search for "TFI" and it finds no results. How many thousands of times has the string "TFI" been said on GMN?

                    I just always Google <search query "words I know will be in my results for sure" site:grandmarq.net> and that's how I get here from searches typically. But then you run into that bastard of a problem where only sometimes the link works and other times you end up on MyFileStore presumably due to some well-hidden-but-so-old-it's-dead exploit...

                    Panthers: 83 GM 2dr | 84 TC | 85 CS | 88 TC | 91 GM
                    Not Panthers: 85 Ranger | Ranger trailer | 91 Acclaim | 92 Jaaag | 05 Focus
                    Gone: 97 CV | 83 TC | 04 Focus | 86 GM                    ​ |​ Junkyards

                    Comment

                      #11
                      I tried to do a little research on the MyFileStore redirect mess and it looks like this exploit surfaced 5-6 years ago. If that in itself is not a compelling reason why action is needed here, I'm not sure what is. Was any hardening or updating done in response to that or just an effort to try to remove the problematic code/files?

                      Panthers: 83 GM 2dr | 84 TC | 85 CS | 88 TC | 91 GM
                      Not Panthers: 85 Ranger | Ranger trailer | 91 Acclaim | 92 Jaaag | 05 Focus
                      Gone: 97 CV | 83 TC | 04 Focus | 86 GM                      ​ |​ Junkyards

                      Comment

                        #12
                        when it initially happened I updated stuff, but frankly thats the limit of my understanding. I used to do server side crap for a living some years ago, my idea of "hardening" was to change the permissions on people's corrupted stuff to block all access.

                        Honestly I'd really like to consider a Xenforo migration. It has a lot of nice features and the search doesn't suck. VB has always been shitty in that regard, its not just here.
                        86 Lincoln Town Car (Galactica).
                        5.0 HO, CompCams XE258,Scorpion 1.72 roller rockers, 3.55 K code rear, tow package, BHPerformance ported E7 heads, Tmoss Explorer intake, 65mm throttle body, Hedman 1 5/8" headers, 2.5" dual exhaust, ASP underdrive pulley

                        91 Lincoln Mark VII LSC grandpa spec white and cranberry

                        1984 Lincoln Continental TurboDiesel - rolls coal

                        Originally posted by phayzer5
                        I drive a Lincoln. I can't be bothered to shift like the peasants and rabble rousers

                        Comment

                          #13
                          Originally posted by kishy View Post
                          Hi folks...

                          If there's anything I can do to assist, I'd like to offer that...I have some familiarity with forum admin though it was a while ago, and a better than typical (nothing crazy, but working knowledge) understanding of web servers in general.

                          Thoughts? Dreams? Discuss...
                          You seem to know things
                          If you're up to the task, you have my blessing. But you'll first have to verify your credentials and security clearances with Thain(Gadget), since he is our Obi Wan Kenobi as far as these things go.
                          If he approves, I'd even be glad to buy you vBulletin guides or other such resources that would be useful
                          Pete ::::>>> resident LED addict and CFI defector LED bulb replacements
                          'LTD HPP' 85 Vic (my rusty baby) '06 Honda Reflex 250cc 'Baileys' 91 Vic (faded cream puff) ClifFord 'ODB' 88 P72 (SOLD) '77 LTDII (RIP)
                          sigpic
                          85HPP's most noteworthy mods: CFI to SEFI conversion w/HO upperstuff headers & flowmasters P71 airbox Towncar seats LED dash light-show center console w/5 gauge package LED 3rd brake light 3G alternator mini starter washer/coolant bottle upgrade Towncar power trunk pull underhood fuse/relay box 16" HPP wheels - police swaybars w/poly rubbers - budget Alpine driven 10 speaker stereo

                          Comment

                            #14
                            Originally posted by 85crownHPP View Post
                            You seem to know things
                            If you're up to the task, you have my blessing. But you'll first have to verify your credentials and security clearances with Thain(Gadget), since he is our Obi Wan Kenobi as far as these things go.
                            If he approves, I'd even be glad to buy you vBulletin guides or other such resources that would be useful
                            Hey, cool. That works. My biggest hangup (and probably everyone else's) is available time, but as with anything the best way to make time seems to be just starting...

                            Shoot me a PM with the outcome of any such discussion and we'll go from there.

                            Panthers: 83 GM 2dr | 84 TC | 85 CS | 88 TC | 91 GM
                            Not Panthers: 85 Ranger | Ranger trailer | 91 Acclaim | 92 Jaaag | 05 Focus
                            Gone: 97 CV | 83 TC | 04 Focus | 86 GM                            ​ |​ Junkyards

                            Comment

                              #15
                              You'll have to sequester Thain yourself, I don't know enough about this stuff to be an effective middle-man, so just let him know what you can do, what you have done, and what you'd like to try to do to GMN, and he can give you the power

                              This will automatically earn you general moderator status as well (I don't even remember how to do that...), but just don't let the 'power' go to your head
                              Pete ::::>>> resident LED addict and CFI defector LED bulb replacements
                              'LTD HPP' 85 Vic (my rusty baby) '06 Honda Reflex 250cc 'Baileys' 91 Vic (faded cream puff) ClifFord 'ODB' 88 P72 (SOLD) '77 LTDII (RIP)
                              sigpic
                              85HPP's most noteworthy mods: CFI to SEFI conversion w/HO upperstuff headers & flowmasters P71 airbox Towncar seats LED dash light-show center console w/5 gauge package LED 3rd brake light 3G alternator mini starter washer/coolant bottle upgrade Towncar power trunk pull underhood fuse/relay box 16" HPP wheels - police swaybars w/poly rubbers - budget Alpine driven 10 speaker stereo

                              Comment

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