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 Post subject: The Aliens Legacy: It's an Update mission - you'll love it!
PostPosted: Sat Jul 09, 2022 11:49 pm 
Mobile Mayhem
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Over the last 15+ years, The Aliens Legacy has been a unique capsule of information and research gathered and shared among fans, collectors, and enthusiasts - all in the name of preservation and community for the Alien franchise.

As some of you regular (or perhaps new) visitors have noticed, our forum is showing its age and lacks certain security features and has a few technical limitations regarding attachment sizes and thread management, among other things. It is time we address this and update the platform our forum is hosted on.

With the rise of social media groups and pages for the Alien franchise, it is important to keep places like the Aliens Legacy operational. We are not bound by algorithms and can easily distinguish fiction from reality and maintain a safe, welcoming environment for all. Social media is where you can get fast-paced, bite-sized information and engagement, but it also has the high risk of being taken down by bots, whereas forums like ours are where you can find more rich content and community with “staying power” which is monitored by actual people.

The current AL Administration team has discussed this, and we have decided to stick with the same forum platform (“phpBB”) but update it to the newer, more feature-rich version. Some of these features include enhanced security measures, more attachment options such as embedded videos, extensions, custom themes, better mobile compatibility and much more. You can view a list of the features the “phpBB” platform offers at this link: https://www.phpbb.com/about/features/

We are also against introducing paid memberships and having ads. We wish to keep the AL free for everyone, but we may consider adding a donations link for those inclined to help keep the forum operating.

Updating the forum will not be without issues. But hopefully staying on the same platform will reduce any problems regarding preserving all the information and posts we currently have here.

Opening this up to the forum, what features would you like to see us update and expand with? Post your ideas below and we will do our best to include as many as we can.


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PostPosted: Sun Jul 10, 2022 2:36 am 

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The forum itself is fine. The only real big concern at this point is end to end SSL encryption.

Bots are fun to stop, but how hard do we need to make registration and how many levels of verification do we all want?

The really only other one is larger photo file size support.

Supporting the larger file sizes means that storage is going to start getting costly.

The other question is do we continue to have hosting or do we get our own hardware and have that hosted? That also costs.

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PostPosted: Sun Jul 10, 2022 8:49 am 
Mercenary
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U want update an forum where max 10-15 people write something?
U read always the same names who write some stuff..

Keep it like it is! Never change an running system…
Don’t waste money and time…

Just my opinion…


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 Post subject: Re:
PostPosted: Sun Jul 10, 2022 6:09 pm 
Mobile Mayhem
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Corp Hicks wrote:
U want update an forum where max 10-15 people write something?
U read always the same names who write some stuff..

Keep it like it is! Never change an running system…
Don’t waste money and time…

Just my opinion…


Yes, we do.

I've seen the AL at it's peak and I believe it can reach that again, maybe even surpass it.

In my opinion, we should be grateful to those who stick around. They are keeping the wheels turning.

We cannot keep it as it is, because the people currently minding the forum are very tired. This is part of the reason why we haven't expanded features or have adequate security measures. The current system is barely running. There are members in the AL who are willing to pitch in their time, commitment, passion and money to see the AL grow.

It's not a waste of money or time. But again, that's only my opinion :delta:

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 Post subject: Re: Re:
PostPosted: Sun Jul 10, 2022 7:57 pm 

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Moosh89 wrote:
Corp Hicks wrote:
U want update an forum where max 10-15 people write something?
U read always the same names who write some stuff..

Keep it like it is! Never change an running system…
Don’t waste money and time…

Just my opinion…


Yes, we do.

I've seen the AL at it's peak and I believe it can reach that again, maybe even surpass it.

In my opinion, we should be grateful to those who stick around. They are keeping the wheels turning.

We cannot keep it as it is, because the people currently minding the forum are very tired. This is part of the reason why we haven't expanded features or have adequate security measures. The current system is barely running. There are members in the AL who are willing to pitch in their time, commitment, passion and money to see the AL grow.

It's not a waste of money or time. But again, that's only my opinion :delta:


What was it at its peak? What goal are we trying to surpass?

And I totally get the energy. We need to ensure we can tap that cult following, again.

Also worth noting here is that we are seeing the decline of social media platforms. Forums are becoming king again. We have a truely unique generational opportunity here. We must take advantage of this. So I completely get your point in all of this.

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 Post subject: Re: The Aliens Legacy: It's an Update mission - you'll love
PostPosted: Mon Jul 11, 2022 12:35 am 
Expendable
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mostly we need to update things because i believe the last update was 2010. There are new functions that phpBB would be beneficial, mostly increased image hosting.

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PostPosted: Wed Jul 13, 2022 8:57 pm 

Country: United States
I would definitely like to be able to contribute money for the update, and to ensure the forum remains open to everyone.

I'm a late arrival to the forum, but I found it incredibly valuable while working on my Pulse Rifle build. It would be a real loss if it went away, or behind a paywall.


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PostPosted: Thu Jul 14, 2022 8:36 am 
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It took me around 10-12 years to complete my Colonial Marine kit. It was this forum that inspired me to do it and it was with people on the forum who helped me… and of course the people on here who made things (thin gas I could not do) made it possible. The people here also provided information to ensure that I made it right first time. They answered my questions. Guided me. As my knowledge grew, and my attention to detail was honed, I in time was able to contribute and discuss detail. There’s some awesome people on this forum and I have friends across the globe as a result. I’ll go with the recommendations of MOOSH.

I’d be happy to pay a subscription.

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 Post subject: Re: The Aliens Legacy: It's an Update mission - you'll love
PostPosted: Thu Jul 14, 2022 1:18 pm 
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Moosh

Is there an option to have an easier way to upload images into a post ? The one at the moment can be a little long winded.


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 Post subject: Re: The Aliens Legacy: It's an Update mission - you'll love
PostPosted: Thu Jul 14, 2022 3:26 pm 

Service Number: A05/TQ2.0.32141E1
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Osmotic wrote:
Moosh

Is there an option to have an easier way to upload images into a post ? The one at the moment can be a little long winded.


That is part of the upgrade desire I believe.

They are really looking for a full timer to do a proper update and revamp to the site to keep things lively. Not a hobbyist.

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 Post subject: Re: The Aliens Legacy: It's an Update mission - you'll love
PostPosted: Thu Jul 14, 2022 3:48 pm 
Mobile Mayhem
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Location: Rapid View, Saskatchewan
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Osmotic wrote:
Moosh

Is there an option to have an easier way to upload images into a post ? The one at the moment can be a little long winded.


"That's the plan... you have my word"

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Read the AL Charter Rules & Regulations: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1i3gd9QUyIqI_6rfk8kpxspbKU-JT4MBAjLPxfCkvGJ8


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 Post subject: Re: The Aliens Legacy: It's an Update mission - you'll love
PostPosted: Fri Jul 15, 2022 9:33 pm 

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Moosh89 wrote:
Osmotic wrote:
Moosh

Is there an option to have an easier way to upload images into a post ? The one at the moment can be a little long winded.


"That's the plan... you have my word"


WooHoo!!!!!

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 Post subject: Re: The Aliens Legacy: It's an Update mission - you'll love
PostPosted: Mon Jul 18, 2022 2:42 pm 
Expendable
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Progress update. I believe I've changed the image uploaded so now you can upload an image of any size.

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 Post subject: Re: The Aliens Legacy: It's an Update mission - you'll love
PostPosted: Mon Jul 18, 2022 3:58 pm 

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hunterkiller86 wrote:
Progress update. I believe I've changed the image uploaded so now you can upload an image of any size.


sweet. The only other quick tweak is to add a toolbar or add on to share stuff more easily on social media.

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PostPosted: Sat Jul 23, 2022 2:54 pm 
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My 2 cents is to not change a thing, It's not broken. I don't want to get with the times, the times are terrible.
to me it's like adding cgi to the star wars trilogy, I like this place because of what it is. There's nothing I feel it needs, this is our underground club for the most hardcore fans, everyone else has a thousand public toilet apps to suck them into their stupid phone all day long. This can be the everlasting heyday of the ALIENS core group. it'll be sad when were all using waybackmachine to reminisce about this place before it changed. I've dug up a dozen Aliens pages that came and went. I want something that feels familiar, everything with history is being "updated" to hell, every franchise, every resturaunt, every website. I guess if it looks the same but with more features I could dig it, but Id like to se no connection to social media, theres plenty of that elsewhere. just my thoughts. Obviously if moosh is on the job, it'll turn out good. Whatever the decision is, I'll get behind it.
I'd donate anytime.


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 Post subject: Re: The Aliens Legacy: It's an Update mission - you'll love
PostPosted: Sat Jul 23, 2022 5:57 pm 

Location: Chicago
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I guess if it looks the same but with more features I could dig it, but Id like to see no connection to social media, there's plenty of that elsewhere.


Same thoughts as this.


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PostPosted: Tue Aug 02, 2022 1:49 am 
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I was here when we upgraded in 2007.. will we have to register again?

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 Post subject: Re:
PostPosted: Tue Aug 02, 2022 2:10 am 

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metalalien wrote:
I was here when we upgraded in 2007.. will we have to register again?


When paul did the initial site and septic? did the upgrade, Paul had done tons of freeform updates to get the desired look, before css and other options were out there. The database re-registration was most likely due to a failed database linkage or transfer.

But the other thing is that we have a ton of inactive accounts so it may occur again if that is part of a clean up process, however, database and bulletin board software updates are a boat load easier and smoother/stream lined than they were in decades past. But I am thinking possibly not unless our database structure is such that it can not be upgraded properly due to excessive customizations that are either deprecated/retired or it is just completely unsupported table wise and we have no success engaging a good Database admin (DBA) that can tweak things without breaking them.

Odds are not likely if we are too far off dejure standards.

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PostPosted: Tue Aug 02, 2022 4:51 am 
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ok just checking

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PostPosted: Sat Aug 06, 2022 11:17 am 

Location: Lincolnshire, UK
Country: United Kingdom
I think the site does need an update as it dosent seem to work well on modern technology. There dosent seem to be a "mobile" friendly version of the site, so when I'm viewing it on a mobile device I'm constantly having to punch and zoom to navigate the site. The screenshot below shows how this very topic appears on a mobile device, with individual posts have different widths.

The SSL certificate issue would also turn potential users away as a security concern like that would turn alot of users away.

The registration confirmation email also has a fully in it. The URL you are required to register with us provided as a HTTPS URL, but I had to change it to a HTTP address to allow my account to be activated. This could also turn users away if they are unable to access the site.

Change is always difficult and not everyone likes it, but the forum seems to be several years behind other forums at this point in time.

Screenshot_20220806-111009.png
Screenshot_20220806-111009.png [ 558.73 KiB | Viewed 8531 times ]

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 Post subject: Re:
PostPosted: Sat Aug 06, 2022 9:18 pm 

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Original_Hicks wrote:
I think the site does need an update as it dosent seem to work well on modern technology. There dosent seem to be a "mobile" friendly version of the site, so when I'm viewing it on a mobile device I'm constantly having to punch and zoom to navigate the site. The screenshot below shows how this very topic appears on a mobile device, with individual posts have different widths.

The SSL certificate issue would also turn potential users away as a security concern like that would turn alot of users away.

The registration confirmation email also has a fully in it. The URL you are required to register with us provided as a HTTPS URL, but I had to change it to a HTTP address to allow my account to be activated. This could also turn users away if they are unable to access the site.

Change is always difficult and not everyone likes it, but the forum seems to be several years behind other forums at this point in time.


The upgrade to phpbb will address some of this. Part of it may also require a database update as well. The problem is that paul did stuff before there were standards and to keep the look is a little on the fun side of things to make it stay looking the same. All modern bulletin board software plays nicer with mobile platforms.

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 Post subject: Re: Re:
PostPosted: Sun Aug 07, 2022 1:25 am 
Expendable
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knoxvilles_joker wrote:
Original_Hicks wrote:
I think the site does need an update as it dosent seem to work well on modern technology. There dosent seem to be a "mobile" friendly version of the site, so when I'm viewing it on a mobile device I'm constantly having to punch and zoom to navigate the site. The screenshot below shows how this very topic appears on a mobile device, with individual posts have different widths.

The SSL certificate issue would also turn potential users away as a security concern like that would turn alot of users away.

The registration confirmation email also has a fully in it. The URL you are required to register with us provided as a HTTPS URL, but I had to change it to a HTTP address to allow my account to be activated. This could also turn users away if they are unable to access the site.

Change is always difficult and not everyone likes it, but the forum seems to be several years behind other forums at this point in time.


The upgrade to phpbb will address some of this. Part of it may also require a database update as well. The problem is that paul did stuff before there were standards and to keep the look is a little on the fun side of things to make it stay looking the same. All modern bulletin board software plays nicer with mobile platforms.

First off, Paul had nothing to do with the forum construction or maintenance. He just paid the server bills. People who built the forum have long since retired, hence the reason we need someone to upgrade/ update the forum. Paul did nothing wrong here.

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 Post subject: Re: Re:
PostPosted: Sun Aug 07, 2022 11:34 pm 

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hunterkiller86 wrote:
knoxvilles_joker wrote:
Original_Hicks wrote:
I think the site does need an update as it dosent seem to work well on modern technology. There dosent seem to be a "mobile" friendly version of the site, so when I'm viewing it on a mobile device I'm constantly having to punch and zoom to navigate the site. The screenshot below shows how this very topic appears on a mobile device, with individual posts have different widths.

The SSL certificate issue would also turn potential users away as a security concern like that would turn alot of users away.

The registration confirmation email also has a fully in it. The URL you are required to register with us provided as a HTTPS URL, but I had to change it to a HTTP address to allow my account to be activated. This could also turn users away if they are unable to access the site.

Change is always difficult and not everyone likes it, but the forum seems to be several years behind other forums at this point in time.


The upgrade to phpbb will address some of this. Part of it may also require a database update as well. The problem is that paul did stuff before there were standards and to keep the look is a little on the fun side of things to make it stay looking the same. All modern bulletin board software plays nicer with mobile platforms.

First off, Paul had nothing to do with the forum construction or maintenance. He just paid the server bills. People who built the forum have long since retired, hence the reason we need someone to upgrade/ update the forum. Paul did nothing wrong here.


Nothing he did was wrong in this regards. I had worked on the blog wordpress setup he had and the customizations on that were, fun.

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