[admin]

Sometime within the next day or two I plan to install a major upgrade to our forum software. Server software upgrades like that are nothing like the upgrades computer users are accustomed to where automatic upgrading can be enabled or where it is only necessary to click a link or a button and wait for an automatic installation process to complete. In contrast, upgrading customized forum software typically requires hours of tedious work with the constant risk of making tiny mistakes that can take many more hours or even days to find and correct.

Given that level of work and risk it would be reasonable to ask why upgrade where an old version is running well and meeting user needs? The answer, of course, is that hackers have discovered how to circumvent security measures in the old version and if it isn't upgraded they can gain full control, delete all the posts, or otherwise destroy what forum members have collectively created over recent years.

I am making this advance upgrade announcement so you won't be concerned that the forum may have been permanently discontinued if you are unable to access it over a period of several hours. Service won't have been discontinued. I will just be busy installing new software and then modifying it to provide a variety of custom capabilities like the "View today's posts" link most of us have become accustomed to using.

-Bob

[SamC]

Bob, Thanks for all time and expense you spent keeping this forum going and secure. Interested to hear about your other project and when it will be ready.

[admin]

The forum server software was upgraded this afternoon. Everything seems to be running normally since the upgrade. You probably won't notice any operational differences, but the backend system was substantially changed, so there is plenty of potential for problems. Let me know if you notice anything that doesn't seem right.

-Bob