The Garage Journal V3

[BFBOB]

My problem with "improvements" in anything having to do with computers is they have ALWAYS caused something to quit working. Always. That is why I have resisted "upgrading" my office computer from XP. But, it's to the point now that some things I do online no longer work. Though it's not yet mission-critical, I can see the writing on the wall. I'm ordering a new Win 10 box custom configured to keep at least some of my "legacy" programs working, but even the gurus can't tell me for sure which. Will my CorelDraw x4 still work? How about Excel 2000? Access 2000? Word I'm pretty sure of.
Will my thousands of saved emails still be viewable? Functional?

All that is the reason I dread the switchover for Garage Journal.

I have greatly enjoyed being a member; I've gotten a lot of good information, tried to reciprocate, and just had a lot of fun. I hope it will continue.

 

[Old Man Roger]

My problem with "improvements" in anything having to do with computers is they have ALWAYS caused something to quit working. Always.

Exactly! And it always irritates me when people dismiss it as ''Fear of change'' The reality, is we're just experienced..lol

 

[Augus7us]

but even the gurus can't tell me for sure which. Will my CorelDraw x4 still work? How about Excel 2000? Access 2000?

As an IT professional of over 20 years I can tell you what your problem is. Its you...

No disrespect intended but you are are essentially complaining your 20 year old tube tv doesn't get an hd signal... Not even microsoft will help you here, office 2000 ended support 17 years ago. Keep your software up to date and you will not have these problems. If the software goes end of life without an update, find a replacement.

I have old applications and use them without issue on Win10, but I understand compatibility mode, shell environments and running a vm with the right OS and security risks. How to do this is like asking how to cut out a piston on a CNC machine. Takes learning and experience.

 

[Snapped-off]

I guess this is a good time to reup the old Alliance membership. This site has been invaluable over the years. Thanks again.

 

[mike93lx]

My problem with "improvements" in anything having to do with computers is they have ALWAYS caused something to quit working. Always. That is why I have resisted "upgrading" my office computer from XP. But, it's to the point now that some things I do online no longer work. Though it's not yet mission-critical, I can see the writing on the wall. I'm ordering a new Win 10 box custom configured to keep at least some of my "legacy" programs working, but even the gurus can't tell me for sure which. Will my CorelDraw x4 still work? How about Excel 2000? Access 2000? Word I'm pretty sure of.
Will my thousands of saved emails still be viewable? Functional?

All that is the reason I dread the switchover for Garage Journal.

I have greatly enjoyed being a member; I've gotten a lot of good information, tried to reciprocate, and just had a lot of fun. I hope it will continue.

If you are worried about xp and office 2000, you are on your own, 100%. No one is supporting any of that ancient stuff anymore

 

[walrus]

I'm on another busy site that had to upgrade for the same reasons, they were on a older version of VBulletin and had to go to the new version. Absolutely ruined the site and traffic has dropped off dramatically. Hopefully that won't happen here. Good luck with the changeover.

 

[rharman]

I'm on another busy site that had to upgrade for the same reasons, they were on a older version of VBulletin and had to go to the new version. Absolutely ruined the site and traffic has dropped off dramatically. Hopefully that won't happen here. Good luck with the changeover.

It won't happen if we don't let it happen. It's a necessary upgrade. Quit being curmudgeons, approach it with an open mind, and work through the inevitable hiccups.

We'll all come out the other side OK.

 

[bbmach]

German Kaiser Wilhelm II (somewhere around 1886): “I do believe in the horse. The automobile is no more than a transitory phenomenon.”


You can choose to remain in yesteryear, or move forward. It's OK to wax poetically about the past, but that's where it is.

Thank you Ryan and the Mods. It can't be easy but it's worth it. This board is a wealth of diverse knowledge like no other I know of. Helping (or at least not fighting) to keep it up-to-date should be everyone's priority.

 

[Miss the Pontiacs]

Thanks Ryan for all your efforts. GJ is the only forum I spend anytime on. I’m not into FB and some other specialized sites only when I need detailed info. I find GJ kind of all encompassing and well rounded. You have mentioned Free Parking as kind of an enigma. For most of us here to tell you the truth is wher we spend a good percentage of our time.

When I first joined probably for similar reasons as most of the rest of us. We wanted to know some particular detail on garage outfitting or tools. It took awhile to figure out quotes or using the multi quote function or the way of accessing your last post on a particular thread. Or what the green dot meant, it goes on and on.

We eventually got to used to the features at our disposal. So we will likely be able to learn what V3 has to offer. Now if I could only learn how these guys put on the videos that say click for more content!

One question why do the smiles change from time to time. Sometimes the lol or the scared are in the more area and not to the right of the typing area?

Oh ya will we still have the personal photo album area? If not I’m going to have to learn how to post pics all over again.

 

[Dh3256]

If you are worried about xp and office 2000, you are on your own, 100%. No one is supporting any of that ancient stuff anymore

Fun fact, Microsoft still supports XPe - the embedded version of XP. It is a way to still get and use XP and get support, if one is so inclined.

They continue support for later embedded versions as well. IIRC they promise support for 20 years.

For those not familiar, the embedded versions are like the standard version but give you the option to include or exclude each option and feature when you build and install the OS.

 

[andersen24]

I for one am looking forward to the change! Sorry, but it does get old hearing all the negativity - if anything i've learned from being on this site, is Ryan won't let it fail. Even if the change is annoying and there are things I may not like, the information on this site is priceless - so update the site and lets thin the herd (joking/not joking)

 

[PCMusicGuy]

I know this change has been a long time coming. I'm looking forward to it but share the same concerns many have. In my opinion, the HAMB forum is currently worse than the garagejournal forum in every meaningful way when browsing with a desktop computer.

 

[detritusmaximus]

I've been a part of two other forum transitions from Vbulletin to XenForo

www.impalassforum.com - owned by Vertical Scope
Poorly managed, zero communication ahead of time, minimal communication from anyone who can do anything about issues (and that was just for the first couple weeks). Any remaining issues - tough poopie, deal with it.

That has been our experience on opelgt.com, also now owned by VS. They fixed some stuff, but have basically said, "You're not worth it." The XenForo seems like it is designed to emulate social media and is optimized for mobile usage as that is how things are going, not old style forums (that have information and archives that people reference frequently). Only old people living in the last century have desktops...with our nice 'EasyRead' monitors. The problem is that the forum works okay on a desktop, but many features and sub-forums are unavailable on an Android, so that eliminates one of the whole points to it..a smartphone emphasis but you can't use it on half the smartphones. It's not the fault of XenForo, it's the owner admin VS that is screwing people over. The big concern is that all the specialized knowledge that is archived on that forum will disappear one day because VS won't support a forum they bought and want to collect ad revenue from and that lack of support drives down usage. It's a downward spiral. More members are moving to the FaceBook groups because of the interaction activity, yet complain at the same time that the information content is lacking or too hard to find.

Over on 7173Mustangs.com, it's better, but the user shift to FB is hitting it as well. People like the ease of FB because they are already on it, but a lack of real info, just lots of yacking. So I hear, I don't do FB.

Having just recently begun posting here on GJ, I hope this goes well. I have greater faith in a privately owned forum than something like VS.

 

[Old Man Roger]

I know this change has been a long time coming. I'm looking forward to it but share the same concerns many have. In my opinion, the HAMB forum is currently worse than the garagejournal forum in every meaningful way when browsing with a desktop computer.

Glad it's not just me..lol Like I said though, I spend so much time on this site, I'll likely get used to it. That doesn't mean I'm happy about it though

 

[jeffmoss26]

good luck, sure don't miss the days of IT project cutovers!

 

[rmalkow2]

Ryan,
Thanks for all the effort you put into making this a great site and protecting our privacy as well. Change is not always fun but we’ll figure it out. It sounds like good quality improvements to GJ.

Bob

 

[Stooge]

I dont know how it would be quantifiable, but for the posts about forums changing format and as a result becoming less populated, i wonder how much of that is that forums in general are becoming less popular with people moving to other social medias. I know i go on yellowbullet alot less after they changed formats, but the now defunct c10forum where i had 4000+ posts, just became less and less frequented until there was basically just a few dozen posters and eventually the renewal seemed to just lapse.

 

[Wrench97]

I dont know how it would be quantifiable, but for the posts about forums changing format and as a result becoming less populated, i wonder how much of that is that forums in general are becoming less popular with people moving to other social medias. I know i go on yellowbullet alot less after they changed formats, but the now defunct c10forum where i had 4000+ posts, just became less and less frequented until there was basically just a few dozen posters and eventually the renewal seemed to just lapse.

Yes forums in general have seen declines and lost popularity, but format change has been a variable since AOL and Netscape and even Prodigy formats came and went Vbulletin was a decent software package for a long time but now has many issues with security and functionality so the eventual change to a new package is a no brainer

 

[nicholam77]

I don't know this definitively... but does Tapatalk support XenForo? I know one other forum I'm on (GolfMk7) switched to XenForo and I don't think it works with Tapatalk.

Also, Ryan, thanks for all you do. This is an awesome site and whatever form it takes I am highly appreciative of it!

 

[kbuhagiar]

good luck, sure don't miss the days of IT project cutovers!

Me neither...too much stress, coffee and all-nighters.

 

[Wrench97]

I don't know this definitively... but does Tapatalk support XenForo? I know one other forum I'm on (GolfMk7) switched to XenForo and I don't think it works with Tapatalk.

Also, Ryan, thanks for all you do. This is an awesome site and whatever form it takes I am highly appreciative of it!

I don't/can't speak for Ryan but the mobile capabilities of XenForo are very very good some of the tech forums I was involved with moved to XenForo dropped TapTalk and have little to no issues.
TapTalk is not a great piece of software from a forum owners standpoint.

 

[Bad Eye Bill]

TapTalk is not a great piece of software from a forum owners standpoint.

That is an understatement of epic proportions.

 

[Old Man Roger]

I don't/can't speak for Ryan but the mobile capabilities of XenForo are very very good some of the tech forums I was involved with moved to XenForo dropped TapTalk and have little to no issues.
TapTalk is not a great piece of software from a forum owners standpoint.

I hardly ever use my phone on forums, but when I do I just use the normal desktop version. Whats the advantage of taptalk? I don't really even understand the concept of taptalk..lol

 

[slodat]

Biggest advantage of Tapatalk to me is effortless photo upload/hosting.

 

[mmb617]

I'm not at all familiar with forum software and what it can or can't do but I've been a member of various online forums for a long time. Change is of course inevitable but it doesn't have to be a bad thing.

As one example I'll use Yellow Bullet since I was a member there through the transition to I believe the same format we're going to be using here. It's been a while since the change and some members are still moaning about it. Not me.

While there was a learning curve the first couple days I think the new format is much, much better than the previous one. I can only hope the change here is similar.

I can only speak of how it works on my desktop since I never cruise the forums on a mobile device. But in my opinion on the desktop the current YB format is excellent. No comment on the content there, that's a whole different story.

 

[Wrench97]

Biggest advantage of Tapatalk to me is effortless photo upload/hosting.

Image upload will be a nice added feature you will see in the xenForo plugins Ryan uses.

 

[Stuart in MN]

If it will be the same configuration as the HAMB, it will be fine by me. I got used to it quickly, and it's easier to upload photos.

 

[rharman]

Looking forward to it but...

 

[bdymnjm]

I bet it will be an improvement. I am browsing on a laptop, Microsoft edge, and I keep locking up and having to reboot.

 

[Old Man Roger]

I bet it will be an improvement. I am browsing on a laptop, Microsoft edge, and I keep locking up and having to reboot.

Might be a problem on your end? Tried resetting your network?

 

[Wrench97]

Try blowing out the vents, dust bunnies cause heat build up and over heating can lead to lock ups and restarts.

 

[Woody1320]

Ryan, you have our best interests in mind with this change over. That is greatly appreciated. I'll adapt and keep on reading (and feeding my growing tool addiction LOL) the various posts on here. I haven't been a member all that long, but I have thoroughly enjoyed it.

 

[bbmach]

via GIPHY
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[bdymnjm]

Might be a problem on your end? Tried resetting your network?

PC crashed yesterday, had to restore windows and it is great now.

 

[Monza Harry]

I'll take this opportunity to Thank You also Ryan! I will B!+c# and Moan, but "Change is Life and Life is Change" I am not fond of change [understatement I know] but this is one of two forums I frequent http://forums.h-body.org/ and here! I have joined a couple of others but these two have minimal drama, SpeedTalk has some of the most knowledgeable engine builders in the world, but they sometimes pull out the winkies to see who is smaller, A real bummer! I was a member for 6 posts on Home Shop Machinist and that place is all "mine is bigger than yours kind of insecurities, I on the other hand know enough to know that all of mankind's knowledge amounts to ... Here and H-Body is mostly good natured fun and an impressive knowledge base! Thank You for keeping us in the loop and Most Importantly having us and your forum! Harry
P.S. I am a desktop user between "mobile versions and my fat low capacitance fingers typing on my phone is just IRRITATING Thanx for listening to my venting/rant!

 

[atch]

Ryan,

Will our pm's still be here? (Or do we need to copy them to somewhere?)

 

[Ryan]

Sorry guys... Delayed given I live in Texas... and we don't have power.

 

[Snapped-off]

Great opportunity for a write up on a new backup generator.

 

[bbmach]

Sorry guys... Delayed given I live in Texas... and we don't have power.

Damn. Hope you’re staying safe and warm.

 

[metlmunchr]

Took a week or two to get used to the software when Ryan change the HAMB to it, but IMO, once you're over that minor hump, it makes for a much easier to navigate forum.

I think this is an older version of VBulletin in use here. And the sad truth is VB has gotten progressively worse over time with each update. Everyone should be glad Ryan has chosen Xenforo rather than going to a " modernized" version of VB.