Feedback on Scubaboard since new version came online

[TSandM]

There are some funny bugs that annoy me, and at work the other day I got the jumping to the top of a reply behavior that Bob complained about a while back. I can't get directly to the forums any more, and the "new posts" link always disappears right as I click on it, and I have to bring it back and do it a second time. And ScubaBoard is the only forum that will crash my work computer. But I keep coming back anyway . . .

 

[Mopar]

HowardE could you add this to the list. Every time I leave Scubaboard and come back I go to my subscribed threads. When I do it shows that a new post has been made to that thread even when their has not.

 

[vladimir]

I have a pretty fat pipeline at work--multiple leased lines--so websites generally load instantly, with the glaring exception of ScubaBoard. I use IE at work, but maybe I'll switch to Firefox. I am reluctant to suppress the ads--this might be the only site that I actually have an interest in them--but perhaps that's what's necessary.

Speaking of the ads, does anybody have an idea what the Nautilus Lifeline costs? That looks pretty cool.

 

[annasea]

I guess I'm another of the fortunate ones (for a change ) that has no real problem with the new board. The only feature I dearly miss is the ability to block certain subforums as in the past. Hopefully, someone will one day build whatever is needed to allow this again.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Yanno ... Scubaboard staff really knows, sometimes, how to piss a guy off.

PLEASE REMOVE THE FIRST POST IN THIS THREAD ... ... if I'd intended my comments to start a new thread, I would've started it myself. By taking my words out of the flow of the thread it was in, you make them come across in a whole different light and purpose than was intended.

You could've at least had the integrity to ask before putting me in that spot ... but I think there are staff members here who clearly want to "punish" anyone who has anything less than rosy to say about this situation. Howard's choice of the term "opposition" is a clear example ... and frankly Howard, your snarky comments to my previous attempts at feedback are the reason why I stopped bothering a few weeks ago.

But to clarify the situation, and respond to your continued snarkiness, I am not opposed to change ... I'm opposed to change that makes the board's performance suck ... and right now, the board's performance sucks.

Rationalize it however you like ... that's the reality.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[mrjimboalaska]

Your feedback is noted...

However. There is no turning back. We are on this version of the software, and the only direction to go from here is forward.

While a few of the longer time members are somewhat disappointed by progress (at least in my mind its progress) There are some inherent drawbacks.

1) The software is like any software... never completed. vBulletin is still working on bugs and fixes and patches to the core software, and new releases are coming out all the time. Actually, tomorrow I will try to install a patch to correct over 50 bugs from this version. Some of them are small and not noticeable even.

2) With progress comes increased site traffic, which means increased server loads. Currently our site traffic is up more than 15% since the software update, and this increase has impacted our overall performance. We are currently looking at adding another server to the mix to improve performance. (At the same time... I am now in a 3rd world country {ranked 155th in internet connection speed} using a cell phone for connection to the internet, and my page load time is pretty quick)

Yes, the site is different, but at the same time, we now have a fully featured article section, and user blog area. While these areas have not been fully developed yet, they are growing, and article submissions from professional authors are coming our way. This improvement makes ScubaBoard a more diverse site, and makes us "not just a forum."

There will always be opposition to change, and the few complaints about it don't mirror the increased traffic, and improved statistical rankings of ScubaBoard on the web as a whole. As far as all of the complaints about the software go, don't think that they go ignored... I correspond with the developers of this software, and read other people's complaints and bug reports. Ironically, many of the "clunky" features that people complain about are on their list of things to fix with subsequent updates.

Thanks for your patience and continued use through this period of change on the site...

Translated......go suck an egg, so what the site is slower than it has ever been, change is always good...............geez, makes it hard for those whom have contributed $$ in the past to do so again when we are greeted with wonderful responses

 

[HowardE]

Translated......go suck an egg, so what the site is slower than it has ever been, change is always good...............geez, makes it hard for those whom have contributed $$ in the past to do so again when we are greeted with wonderful responses

I'm sorry you think the site is slower than it's ever been. Seeing as how you've only been a member since 2006, you really don't remember when it was truly the slowest site in the world with daily crashes.

Quite literally, our page loads are less than 3.5 seconds on average. Considering that we can't cache our pages because every page draw is a query of a database, there's not much more to improve the speed that we can actually accomplish. We've tried quite a bit.

Now... if you'd like to blame the upgrade, by all means go ahead, but again... 1 or 2 complaints out of 20,000 plus users daily makes it hard to swallow that we're the slowest site on the planet. Those of us who try to make ScubaBoard a pleasant user experience spend a lot of time optimizing the site as best we can. If you want a forum that loads really quickly, maybe a less busy forum with less people, posts, and threads is the one for you?

Thanks for your comments though,and know that we're trying as hard as we can to make ScubaBoard a really great user experience for all.

 

[ScubaSteve]

For the ****storm you face over this and other issues, I say Bravo on your patience and tact. Every post you make will be twisted around and purposefully misinterpereted as was just witnessed yet you you respond in a polite manner.

I'm sorry you think the site is slower than it's ever been. Seeing as how you've only been a member since 2006, you really don't remember when it was truly the slowest site in the world with daily crashes.

Quite literally, our page loads are less than 3.5 seconds on average. Considering that we can't cache our pages because every page draw is a query of a database, there's not much more to improve the speed that we can actually accomplish. We've tried quite a bit.

Now... if you'd like to blame the upgrade, by all means go ahead, but again... 1 or 2 complaints out of 20,000 plus users daily makes it hard to swallow that we're the slowest site on the planet. Those of us who try to make ScubaBoard a pleasant user experience spend a lot of time optimizing the site as best we can. If you want a forum that loads really quickly, maybe a less busy forum with less people, posts, and threads is the one for you?

Thanks for your comments though,and know that we're trying as hard as we can to make ScubaBoard a really great user experience for all.

 

[Heath Sapp]

I have never had any issues with the scubaboard site new or old.