Upgrade Forum to Current Version

D2Cat

Well-known member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
L305DT, B7100HST, TG1860, TG1860D, L4240
Mar 27, 2014
12,901
4,266
113
40 miles south of Kansas City
I know so little about technology I have a tough time getting my cell phone to work. So what version is usable or needing to upgrade is beyond my pay grade.

I do know the moderators are volunteers. The only pay they get is a "Thank You" once in a while. They also spend a lot of time keeping the threads under control.

I do not know how an internet forum generates revenue, how much revenue is needed to update, or even if the owner wishes to continue with improvements because cost may be prohibitive.

It was mentioned, this forum can be/or will become more difficult to get new folks to find it. All I know is if you go to Google and try to find a solution to a problem of just about any kind to a Kubota tractor you will get links to Orange Tractor Talks. And when you get here you usually get an answer to the question within hours, and the thread grows as needed. No BS, no name calling, just reasonable people having a discussion. Try to find that on other forums, very few I find are quite this civil. With those qualities I don't think this forum will go to non-existance because someone can not find it! People find it one time, and they stick around usually.

What I suggest is to have a fund set up that individuals could contribute to, if they so choose, that is directed to only this upgrade. It would only be appropriate to know the cost of the upgrade, so when someone contributed they would know what effect they made on the total, and by that, know how long it would be before the purchase could be made. and they'd see improvements.

Would be fantastic if the forum owners would come on and give us their opinion, and maybe work together for a common goal.

One of my concerns has been what would happen to this forum if the moderators just quit moderating. Would it soon become a name calling, peeing contest that would chase members away? They do more work then anyone gives them credit for. If I was building a house entirely by myself, or any other important project, I'd be hard pressed to put much time and energy to a forum that only took time and energy and no pay!
 

NHSleddog

Well-known member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
B2650
Dec 19, 2019
2,149
1,822
113
Southern, NH
... All I know is if you go to Google and try to find a solution to a problem of just about any kind to a Kubota tractor you will get links to Orange Tractor Talks. ...
And this is what you are all missing. With the technology changes coming (primarily related to security and how it interacts with the framework of the site) the site will no longer be reachable (no worries until at least 12/20). In the meantime links and rank (which equal revenue) will continue to decline due to not being mobile device friendly.

When the site no longer has any value to advertisers, they leave. When the advertisers leave, the site usually shuts down. This is the way it has been with every ad sponsored customer/site we have worked with through the years.

Sorry Tornado, I just couldn't - lol. This is like trying to explain to my father why he can't send pictures anymore with his old IPhone and him getting mad at me because the world keeps turning (I'm in my mid 50's).
 

Magicman

Well-known member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
M4900 Utility Special 4WD e/w FEL & 1530 John Deere "Traveling Man"
Oct 8, 2019
5,058
6,438
113
80
Brookhaven, MS
knotholesawmill.com
I only use a laptop and am newcomer, but two other forums that I regularly visit have upgraded within the past 3 months. It's just something that must be done to keep up with changing technology.
 

coachgeo

Well-known member

Equipment
L225 w/woods Few Mowers & Back Blade, D722 in Motorcycle (Triumph Tiger), LMTV
Nov 16, 2012
2,460
32
48
Southern OH
only value I see in upgrading is phone.... aka.... your on your tractor outside in the middle of the field with a tractor issue and your manual is .... over yonder 2000 muddy feet away....... that is when having access to here on a mobile device would really be helpful.

of course planning a head, and taking action "yourself".. aka...putting your manual pdf on your phone would be wise too.
 

SidecarFlip

Banned

Equipment
M9000HDCC3, M9000HD, Kubota GS850 Sidekick
Oct 28, 2018
7,197
546
83
USA
And this is what you are all missing. With the technology changes coming (primarily related to security and how it interacts with the framework of the site) the site will no longer be reachable (no worries until at least 12/20). In the meantime links and rank (which equal revenue) will continue to decline due to not being mobile device friendly.

I disagree with your premise. Unlike most sites this sit is privately held and isn't really dependent on advertising to pay the bills...

When the site no longer has any value to advertisers, they leave. When the advertisers leave, the site usually shuts down. This is the way it has been with every ad sponsored customer/site we have worked with through the years.

I disagree with that as well. I have no outside advertisers on my .com site and I don't want any and so long as I keep it current (parked), it's there and used and has been for over 10 years

Sorry Tornado, I just couldn't - lol. This is like trying to explain to my father why he can't send pictures anymore with his old IPhone and him getting mad at me because the world keeps turning (I'm in my mid 50's).
Best thing you can do in my view at least is be a poster of your issues and quit trying to run this site. One' it's not yours and two, everyone on here seems quite content with it. Like BAP stated, if you don't like the site, quit posting on it. My view is no one really cares bout your techno abilities. No one is twisting your arm to be here. In fact, I think I'll put you on ignore so I don't have to read your missives.:D
 

SidecarFlip

Banned

Equipment
M9000HDCC3, M9000HD, Kubota GS850 Sidekick
Oct 28, 2018
7,197
546
83
USA
only value I see in upgrading is phone.... aka.... your on your tractor outside in the middle of the field with a tractor issue and your manual is .... over yonder 2000 muddy feet away....... that is when having access to here on a mobile device would really be helpful.

of course planning a head, and taking action "yourself".. aka...putting your manual pdf on your phone would be wise too.
That covered it quite nicely coach.
 

North Idaho Wolfman

Moderator
Staff member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
L3450DT-GST, Woods FEL, B7100 HSD, FEL, 60" SB, 743 Bobcat with V2203, and more
Jun 9, 2013
28,286
4,853
113
Sandpoint, ID
Everyone keep it civil and positive!
This froum and this thread is about site suggestions not bashing someone for making a suggestion!

NHSleddog, has been very good in presenting quite a few good reasons for an upgrade!
Way more knowledge than I have.

Have a Kubota tractor issues, blindfolded standing on my head in the dark spin around like a top... I got it covered

Have a PHP, MySQL, server, Vbulletin, website, issue and I'm swimming the backstroke in shark infested waters wearing tuna undies!

As a moderator and member I can tell you that there would be some real positive things that will come out of an upgrade!
I don't get paid or compensated for my time in any way shape or form.
It does take up quite a bit of my time, yea some of the time it's good some of the time it feels like a thankless slap in the face.
I don't get any preferential treatment for being a moderator so I'm pretty much in the same boat as everyone else here.

I feel that the forum needs upgraded so that parts of the forum like posting pictures could be done easier and simpler than they are now.
I would like to see some other options and opportunities open up.

The forum growth has gone stagnant, and in fact has been declining for a few years, that's not a good thing.

I would like to be able to get better, bigger businesses to get on here, Messick's, coleman's, I would love it if we could get Kubota on board with some interaction with new equipment announcements, rep help for problems, and a host of other things.

All this can't happen unless there are changes / Upgrades to the forum!

Heck we have a main page that is so out of date, that that probably runs off half of the new possible members.

Change / evolution is required or we will go the way of the doodo!

And I will not go to TBN and try to help that nutty bunch out, well that is unless it's a paying gig even then it's probably not worth it!!
 

torch

Well-known member

Equipment
B7100HSD, B2789, B2550, B4672, 48" cultivator, homemade FEL and Cab
Jun 10, 2016
2,583
831
113
Muskoka, Ont.
Currently, the forum is running on vBulletin 3.8.11, which implies that the underlying PHP is probably 5.6.x. The PHP engine is provided by the hosting service, which appears to be Inmotion.com. PHP 5.6 end of life was about 3 years ago and is no longer supported.

The current version of PHP is 7.2, but it looks like Inmotion only offers 7.0 at this time.Sooner or later, Inmotion is going to upgrade their PHP and when that happens, this forum will quit functioning. vBulletin 3.8.11, 4.2.5 or 5.3.0+ will work with PHP 7.0, so I STRONGLY recommend upgrading the PHP to 7.0 now, then upgrading the vBulletin version if you want any hope of saving the archived data that is stored within this site without massive manual intervention.

Just my 2¢. But I have had some experience upgrading website software over the years...
 

NHSleddog

Well-known member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
B2650
Dec 19, 2019
2,149
1,822
113
Southern, NH
...Sooner or later, Inmotion is going to upgrade their PHP and when that happens, this forum will quit functioning....
And having been in IT for 25 years now I can assure you it will be done without notice, in the middle of the night, on a Sunday. ;) That is the law in the DC and I think it was written by a guy named Murphy.
 

Lil Foot

Well-known member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
1979 B7100DT Gear, Nissan Hanix N150-2 Excavator
May 19, 2011
7,259
2,203
113
Peoria, AZ
My only caution would be that the new software (if we get an upgrade) isn't radically different from the current setup.
I belonged to a TW200 forum years ago that touted a new software package upgrade- faster, better, more intuitive, easier pic posting , etc, etc, etc.
When they changed over, the font was almost impossible to read, and nearly the same color as the background. Pic posting went from a three step process to a twenty step process, on the rare occasion it worked at all. Editing posts was eliminated, so anything you fat fingered became written in stone. You could not change font sizes, layouts, color, or anything else. It turned out to be WAY slower, people hated it, and began dropping out, until the forum went away & died.

If the forum doesn't change radically, I see absolutely no downside to an upgrade.
 

Magicman

Well-known member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
M4900 Utility Special 4WD e/w FEL & 1530 John Deere "Traveling Man"
Oct 8, 2019
5,058
6,438
113
80
Brookhaven, MS
knotholesawmill.com
I am a user and not an IT, but upgrading/updating is not an issue that needs to be ignored. In this age of quickly advancing technology, it's either keep up or be left behind in the dust.
 

NHSleddog

Well-known member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
B2650
Dec 19, 2019
2,149
1,822
113
Southern, NH
Wolfman, have you heard anything back from the owners?

I will donate the cost of a license to the cause if that is holding up their decision.
 

North Idaho Wolfman

Moderator
Staff member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
L3450DT-GST, Woods FEL, B7100 HSD, FEL, 60" SB, 743 Bobcat with V2203, and more
Jun 9, 2013
28,286
4,853
113
Sandpoint, ID
Wolfman, have you heard anything back from the owners?

I will donate the cost of a license to the cause if that is holding up their decision.
I heard that they got my messages, but that's as far as I've gotten. :(
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user

motionclone

Well-known member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
L345DT with Lp mower, forks and grapple thumb, Bobcat 337 Midi Ex
May 4, 2018
1,398
992
113
Maine
Thanks Mr. K for making it happen and thank NH Sled dog and others for making the suggestion to upgrade.