Official message boards down?

[Dunenewt]

It isn't just me who can't get on the official message boards is it?

[Egeides]

message_die() was called multiple times. This isn't supposed to happen. Was message_die() used in page_tail.php?

[Hypatia]

It's been down all day, so we're not missing anything anyone else isn't.

[SandChigger]

Not a lot is being missed even when it's up. 8)

[Dunenewt]

It has been down for a couple of day now...something must be wrong...*looks at Sandchigger* :P

[Hypatia]

Yep, somebody broke it.

[Dunenewt]

Any word on Bryon about it on any of the other Dune sites?  The only one I know he visits is Jacurutu, although I can't understand why he visits there considering what they say about him.

[Hypatia]

I can only guess Byron's reasons might be partially why I visit there, as they say some pretty awful things about me as well.

You can't defend yourself if you can't reply.

[SandChigger]

It has been down for a couple of day now...something must be wrong...*looks at Sandchigger* :P

Yeah, I wish I was that good!  :P

As I've said over on Jacurutu, when I try to access the site from home, I get the same ole "you've been banned" reply from the board as always, because Byron banned my IP address. Last week, though, I was able to read the board normally. (I registered as SandChigger again, knowing that Byron would delete it as soon as he saw it, just to mess with him.) The fact that I could do that tells me that they were working on the board. I think I even saw where Byron posted something about them having done an update.

The fact that I get the banned message shows that the board is still working to a certain degree and that parts of the database (the banned IP table) are still intact. This is probably not a cracker attack, but an error in the updated software. (Google parts of the error message you see on DN and a lot of phpBB sites come up now. And it's being discussed on their forums.)

And the reason that it's taking so long to get to board back up is probably because webmaster Mike Anderson, Kevin's uncle, didn't keep a backup copy of the database before the boardware update. If the update included modification of the database, re-uploading the old, pre-update version of the boardware might not do any good because the new database structure might no longer be compatible.

Such at least is my surmise.

As for why Byron is on Jacurutu, that's fairly obvious, isn't it? He's there to spread the New Gospel of Dumbed Down Dune. And to discuss beer and politics when asked questions he doesn't want to answer. ::)

But, yes, it is difficult to understand why someone would join a board where they know they're not wanted.

[TMA_1]

yeah, I remember byron threatening me for making somewhat rude remarks about his dad's ability to write a science fiction book. he is an admin tyrant.

[Egeides]

His dad? Why, is that Brian H.?!

I can only guess Byron's reasons might be partially why I visit there, as they say some pretty awful things about me as well.

Since a month or around, there seem to be a migration of a bunch of you to other forums, including FED2k. Not that I'm complaining :)

It seems quite sudden. Is all that since the Spanish movie episode?

[TMA_1]

or maybe it's his nephew, forgot which it was.

[SandChigger]

Come on, get it right. ::)

;)

Byron is Brian's nephew. Or half-nephew, if you want to split heirs: Byron's mother, Penny, is Frank Herbert's daughter by his first wife, Flora Parkinson, and Brian's half-sister. (Brian is Frank's son by Beverly, his second wife. There was a younger brother, Bruce, but he died in 1993.)

The Spanish movie "episode" is old news already. The only recent big move, really, was around the beginning of this year when Arrakeen died.

[Hypatia]

His dad? Why, is that Brian H.?!

Since a month or around, there seem to be a migration of a bunch of you to other forums, including FED2k. Not that I'm complaining :)

It seems quite sudden. Is all that since the Spanish movie episode?

It's a long story... and not one I want to get into here and now. Suffice to say, it's the second migration of people to other Dune forums within a year, for reasons I don't mind explaining via PM or email, but to do so on the boards would not be a good idea.

[Omphalos]

Don't forget about The Sietch and Gholaforum.  Those both went down within the last year, and more minor scatterings happened then.  The new DoD too.  So if DN is gone, that's five dead Dune forums within the last twelve months.  Ill bet that there is a pretty cool sociological study in there somewhere. 

[TMA_1]

Actually, that would be interesting to hear why, hypathia, dont see why you couldnt spill it here.

[SandChigger]

Yeah, it would be REAL interesting to hear the latest version of the spiel! :D

But, seriously, don't encourage it.

The reason for not "spilling it" in public is easy: unless the content is reposted by the recepient for confirmation or discussion, in PMs and emails you have only the POV of the sender.

[TMA_1]

err, alright?

I could care less about any new film, book, really anything new that comes out concerning the world of Frank Herbert's Dune. It really was the original six (and even then not all of them in my opinion) that contain the real gold.

[Spectral Paladin]

It's a long story... and not one I want to get into here and now. Suffice to say, it's the second migration of people to other Dune forums within a year, for reasons I don't mind explaining via PM or email, but to do so on the boards would not be a good idea.

Spill the beans girl.

[Omphalos]

Yes!  What a wonderful idea!  I don't think I have all the details down yet.  Why don't you recount so we can compare notes? 

[gunner154]

Byron seems like he's the star in some soap opera.

[Hypatia]

Yeah, it would be REAL interesting to hear the latest version of the spiel! :D

But, seriously, don't encourage it.

The reason for not "spilling it" in public is easy: unless the content is reposted by the recepient for confirmation or discussion, in PMs and emails you have only the POV of the sender.

You also have only the POV of the sender(s) when others are not permitted to reply with their own information and opinions.

Folks, if Dunenewt says it's okay to discuss this on the boards, I will. If he says not to, I will only discuss it in private. There is a very real possibility of a flamewar erupting from this, and not because I want one to.

[Vanguard3000]

If that's the case, I'd recommend that you leave it be.  I'm this close to locking the thread already.

[SandChigger]

Lock it then.

I'm not interested in a flame war here.

(Sorry, folks, but there is a story behind all this, albeit not a terribly "long one". With me, pretty much what you see is what you get. That's not true of everyone, remember.)

[Hypatia]

@Vanguard the Faceless: Fair enough. I didn't come to this forum to participate in anything but fun and interesting discussions. As I said, anybody wanting to know the story behind the interforum migrations may either PM or email me.

I will only say this about DN: It appears to be some kind of technical glitchup that took it offline, and the only thing we can do is be patient. Posting disrespectful things about Byron won't help; I'm sure he would like the forum to be up and running ASAP. But we don't know everything that's happening from his end, so waiting is really the only thing we can do.

So lock the topic if you feel that's the best thing to do; I assume that it can always be unlocked later if the staff decides to allow more public discussion.