The Town of Odyssey

I'm sad to announce that we are going to be facing some dark days here on the Town of Odyssey. The word on the street says the ToO is going to break on the 17th (or around there) of this month (September) due to the server or phpbb updating (Eugene can explain it better) and leaving the ToO too outdated to be compatible. Therefore, unless the ToO is updated it will be nonfunctional until further notice. 

Unfortunately, no matter how you look at it, the ToO will go down, because it would be impossible to update by the 17th. But as for how long it will be down, is uncertain. Updating this board was something Eugene and Reddo had in mind to do (or start doing) by the end of this year, but of course, the process would be no easy nor quick task. The ToO has a LOT of information and history stored on it that all needs to be carefully handled. Plus, the ToO is so outdated, the updating process will have to go in rounds, which will be a tedious process in itself. Again, Eugene can explain all this way better than me. Also, Reddo isn't readily available at this time due to his current job. =\ AND Eugene isn't too keen in investing in a project that will not bring him any kind of return.

Soooo, there is just no telling how long the ToO will be down.  However, a couple of us discussed the idea of setting up some kind of donation pool (for Eugene) so ToO'ers who are willing can donate to make it worth Eugene's efforts. (This can be discussed further below)

Slightly off topic, but I also want to say, I'm sorry Da Power Paws have been so quiet this past month (and then some), I'm sorry I didn't get to do all that I/we wanted to do. A lot of it was due to lack of activity, and part of our plans kinda hinged on the ToO being updated in order to fully complete. And of course, personal things arose that took my motivation and attention away from online activities. Aside from that though, it's been fun, and I just want to thank you all for supporting the DA PAWS!

This was not news I was expecting to hear today. I'm really sad But I completely understand the situation and support everyone involved in the upkeep of this site. I think starting a donation pool for Eugene would be a really great idea. It sounds like an absolutely daunting task to update the board. I think many of us would be willing to chip into such a cause.

Yup yupp, this is sad new indeed. We (Shadowpaw, Reddo, and myself) found out at the end of August that our host would be updating the server software after already delaying the upgrade earlier this summer. As snubs said, the forum needs a lot of work to be made compatible with the changes, so it almost definitely won't be online for a few weeks at least starting September 17th. I've kinda put together a plan of attack to update phpBB and migrate the data safely, but I didn't realise that we were going to have a deadline to meet. It's kinda bleh, but it is what it is. Really these updates are looooong overdue anyway. But it's such a big task, so it makes sense why it wasn't addressed before now.

Basically the technical details are that we are running an old, unsupported version of PHP on the server. PHP is the system that runs phpBB, the actual forum software. Our host is updating PHP for security reasons, but since we're running an older version of phpBB that isn't compatible with the newer version of PHP, everything will break. So we'll have to update phpBB, which usually wouldn't be that big of a deal... except we're on such an old version of phpBB that it requires a complete rewrite of our main style, all new extensions to replace some of the functionality that we've added over the years, and a lot of careful data management to keep our rich history safe. It's a big task. I've done this kind of update already for the Soda Shop, but that forum is waaaaaay simpler than the ToO. Reddo and I already ran some tests to update the ToO and they failed. So we had to reevaluate the process and we figured out that it requires several rounds of updating to make sure things don't get corrupted.

I would really like to be able to work on this project--even without financial assistance. The ToO means a lot to me and I've invested a lot of time and energy here. But things are quite tough for me these days, and I only have so much energy to go around. Also, not to get too personal, but with my disability, mental health challenges, and limited income, I have to apply the 'no factor' to more things than I'd like, including the ToO (at this point). Anyway... those are the main reasons why I haven't been able to focus on the update as much. It means a lot to me that some people have expressed interest in donating some money to help me out and ensure the continuation of the ToO. So thank you.

Honestly, I don't know what else to say because I feel all awkies now, heh.

Thanks for sharing an explanation of what the challenges are, Eugene and snubs. It's totally fair to have to limit some projects for the sake of your health. Wanting to do something isn't the same as being able to do them at a certain time. I like the suggestion snubs made to provide at least some financial compensation for the hard work ahead.

There has been plenty of fun this term - thanks to those who have contributed in many different ways to make the last few months a good time!

I've known this was coming for a little bit, but that doesn't make it easier to hear. This site has been part of my life for 12 years. So, seeing it go for an undetermined amount of time is kind of sad.

That said, I would be willing to help compensate Eugene for his efforts. I would suggest a link to his PayPal be made available and those who can afford it, send whatever they feel led to send. Some might be able to do more than one donation. If we keep our totals to ourselves, it would keep others from feeling bad that they can't live up to others based on their financial situation.

I had a feeling something like this would happen eventually, but it's still hard to see this place go down, however temporary it may be. I'd love to be support the update in any way I can, I'd be happy to donate to compensate the devs for their time, and/or contribute some of my own (I have some experience with PHP and PHPbb specifically). Eugene, I'll PM you my contact info in case you'd like the help, if you don't log in in time to see it, snubs and Doll should both have methods of contacting me outside the ToO.

I remember when about the same thing happened to the SS . I definitely understand that y'all need to keep this site updated and running well, so I would gladly donate!

Hey you guys have been amazing! Go to my website KatieLeigh.com for updates regarding the new Bonus Edition of Adventures in Oddity by me and Will Ryan. We are producing a Videobook! Lots of fun and something good to look forward to!

Wow! It’s amazing to have Katie Leigh talking on here! And I definitely will check out your website!

I'm sorry - I just want to be clear.

Is this announcement a joke or part of some type of team event? I would like to know how seriously I should take this news.

It just seems odd that the biggest announcement in the history of the ToO is coming from someone other than Catspaw/Shadowpaw, with a criptic headline, a specially-made banner, and nostalgic background music.

I found all those things odd as well AE, and I am additionally confused as to why the reaction to this development if it is genuine would be to accept going dark for an indeterminate amount of time rather than utilize options for keeping the forum online (temporarily changing hosts to one who still supports the older installation, setting up a custom server that runs the version we need, etc) while the Dreamhost maintenance is done on a less frantic timetable. The upgrades will still need to be done eventually as at some point there really will be a time when there are no other options for functional support of the outdated code, but at present there are definitely ways to buy ourselves more time than mid-September.

I can confirm that this is very real since I have been privy to discussions between Reddo, Shadowpaw, and Eugene.

Firstly, thank you so much for all of the offers of support! Whatever that form of support takes. I'm sure that if we put together a small team to work on this project, we'll have the ToO running better than ever!

Secondly, yes, Bren is correct; this news is true and correct. I understand that it might've been better coming from Shadowpaw, but he's not involved with the ToO these days (besides paying for the server/hosting). Unfortunately, the news about the September 17 upgrade deadline was not realized until the last week of August, so there's been little time to think about the implications for the upgrade project. I thought that we weren't operating with a deadline at all for the upgrades, so it wasn't a huge priority until now. But oh well...

I do understand everyone's concern about us "going dark" instead of temporarily moving to another hosting provider while we work on rebuilding the ToO. I don't like it either. But frankly, the increasingly low activity level of the ToO makes the whole process of moving to another server (on top of performing the updates/upgrades) a seemingly wasteful use of time when there could be a bunch of work necessary to make it functional in a new server environment. (Not to mention the additional costs.) Especially when there are other options for continuing to remain in contact with each other (like on The Soda Shop or other social media channels).

However, with that being said, if there is a strong desire to maintain regular operations of the ToO, I'm sure that an accommodation could be reached. I'm continuing to converse with Shadowpaw and Reddo about what options we have open to us. Maybe we can setup another server or incorporate the other ideas that have been presented. Just know that we haven't made any final decision yet. snubs and I thought everyone ought to know about the upcoming changes that we find ourselves facing so we can all have a say and devise a reasonable plan moving forward. After all, we're all in this together!!

So for now, please don't panic... I'd like to give a BIG thanks for your understanding, patience, and feedback! Please continue to share your thoughts so we can have a good discussion about this. I'll reach out to those who have volunteered to help with the updates in the coming week and bring everyone's feedback to Shadowpaw and Reddo for consideration. Please remember that everyone working on the ToO is doing so voluntarily in their spare time. We all want to do as much as we can because we care about this place and everyone in it, but the realities of life and other responsibilities often hinder even the best laid plans or intentions.

Thank you so much for your dedication Eugene. It is greatly appreciated. I know you have to limit the cooks in the kitchen. But, for those who wish to support your efforts financially, how do they do that?

Eugene wrote:the increasingly low activity level of the ToO makes the whole process of moving to another server (on top of performing the updates/upgrades) a seemingly wasteful use of time when there could be a bunch of work necessary to make it functional in a new server environment. (Not to mention the additional costs.)

This is fair, and I wouldn't encourage such actions if things plan to be back up and running in relatively short order. It was a suggestion of how to extend the window we have to work with past the extremely short response time we currently have in the event the outage is going to drag on for months. The announcement didn't make it sound like work was going to be actively undertaken to get things back online in the near future.

Thank you for the further information, Eugene, and thank you to all who are (or may soon be) involved in this project.

Katievoice2 wrote:Hey you guys have been amazing! Go to my website KatieLeigh.com for updates regarding the new Bonus Edition of Adventures in Oddity by me and Will Ryan. We are producing a Videobook! Lots of fun and something good to look forward to!

Thanks for the heads up, Katie! I look forward to when it comes out!

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American Eagle wrote:I'm sorry - I just want to be clear.

Is this announcement a joke or part of some type of team event? I would like to know how seriously I should take this news.

It just seems odd that the biggest announcement in the history of the ToO is coming from someone other than Catspaw/Shadowpaw, with a criptic headline, a specially-made banner, and nostalgic background music.

It's real. I guess I didn't take the weight of this news as seriously as I should have, but that's only because I knew the ToO would be going "dark" sooner or later because I knew the project of updating was in the near future, so I was already comfortable with the prospect. However, the news of the PHP being updated beyond what the ToO could handle was not something we were prepared for, and didn't realize we were actually on a timetable. But if anything, this forces us to get the ball rolling with updating this board.

bookworm wrote:The announcement didn't make it sound like work was going to be actively undertaken to get things back online in the near future.

Because at the time of posting, and up until then, everything seemed up in the air and uncertain, and it really did look like work on upgrading wasn't at the forefront of anyone's available schedules. But with the recent interest from other members it makes the task at hand a bit more motivating and promising. And hopefully that means the ToO won't be down longer than necessary.

My one suggestion would be: Could we setup a mailing list for when it comes back up?

While not ideal, we can all just hang out at a stinky free forum while we wait for the ToO to return from the dead.


https://townhallrevenge.proboards.com/

I would've signed up for it, but the registration requires you to 'read and agree to the terms of service', and it's overlong.