Hi Everyone...

[TrappedinCalifornia]

I did read the post you quoted, and it does give us hope. There are MANY of us long term Calgunners that have been supporting the site with our paid memberships since early on, and will continue to do so. I will also reach out to Corbin Dallas to see if some cash can help as I have no technical ability to offer.

Don't miss construe my posts about the technical decline of Calguns as anything other than just that. It doesn't work reliably. You can argue "It sort of works" all day long but I think we can all agree, it needs to be fixed and made stable if we are to continue to attract contributing members and have a platform for cordial discussions. I really do hope for that.

Like Davidj mentioned above, I want Calguns 2.0 not only to be a new stable site even if that means a whole new forum hosting service and the lose of historical posts and iTrader. My hope is the revamped site can continue to be a place that defends the assault on our rights here in California. I thoroughly respect and enjoyed the way Kes' ran/runs this site. Stern but fair, unlike many of the other forums I belong to where the powers that be wield their power indiscriminately.

Don't misconstrue what I'm saying either.

A Calguns 2.0, as you refer to it, is the 'last' resort for many, including Kestryll (or so it would appear from his previous posts). What we're looking for is a restoration of Calguns; perhaps using different software or, at least, the new iteration of the current one. (Kestryll has already posted that he's looking into new software.) The idea is to preserve and make available the repository of knowledge which has been collected on this site over the last couple of decades.

I'm not arguing 'it sorta works' as though this is an acceptable and final product. What I'm arguing is that 'it sorta works' as opposed to the constant, inaccurate kvetching that it 'doesn't work.' (The latter, as we used to joke, being belied by the fact that they were posting that the site didn't work.) As others have posted, when it is up, it 'mostly' works, bearing in mind the caveats which have come as a result of the software upgrade he was forced into by the old host going out-of-business and the new host demanding the new iteration. Remember, we were warned, for years, that such an 'upgrade' would result in the loss of things, including iTrader, and that is the reason he held on to the older iteration for so long.

Ultimately, we do agree that as fix still needs to happen, not only for the sake of the members, but as you say, to continue being attractive to sponsors, draw various contributions (which aren't simply monetary) from members, and be more readily available so as to allow members access more at their convenience than at the software's or the host's. More than that, Calguns has been a place active in 'getting the word out' in defending the 2nd Amendment and associated rights. It's certainly a better conduit that many other sites in that the membership is more attuned to the key to those rights vis a vis a traditional and realistic view of them as opposed to whatever it is other sites pretend to proffer as an 'acceptable'... uh... what they call 'reality.'

[SWalt]

Let's not start this again.

Did anyone even note the link I included in my post above?

See... DBA’s unite! - Let’s get CGN stable!



Yes. That post too was on 11/4. However, it's indicative of the idea that Kestryll is working on things.

We went through this before, with numerous members bellowing all is lost, Kestryll has abandoned us, nobody is doing anything, etc., so forth, and such like. Yet, even when we get evidence or evidence is presented that work is in progress, an hue and cry goes up where members say if he doesn't post to 'me' or post in some form, he's absent, he's not doing anything, the site is suddenly going to go dark...

Gimme a break.

You know, there's an old rule of thumb. When the belly aching stops and things go quiet, that's when you actually need to worry. Things haven't exactly gone quiet in that we can see that Kestryll is still checking in on his profile page and that he's contacting people for help. In that sense, crying for Kestryll to come pat us on the poopoo or all is doomed simply gets old. Personally, I'd rather see work actually being done than 'constant' posts declaring "Nothing new to report, still working on it... Feel better now?"

I posted in response to that thread not to expect 'instant' results. To do what we all or, at least, most of us want is going to take time and serious, dedicated effort. Yep. Sufficient time has elapsed, but I don't think it could be said that 'serious, dedicated effort' has been a constant priority. I think Kestryll did a fine job, but he has and has admitted to his technical limitations.

As we've seen, many members don't simply want him to throw the gates open to just 'anyone' in terms of help. As a result, more time is going to be added to whatever it's going to take in that those individuals brought in are going to have to be judiciously selected. Ultimately, we may discover that things are sufficiently messed up so as to preclude the 'fix' we desire. I hope not. Likewise, personally, I'd rather see EVERY effort expended before the towel is thrown in and a 'new site' created. After all, there actually is a 'new site' that was created and we all know how we feel about that site.

It's not simply about wailing that 'my favorite sandbox to play in isn't as available as I'd like.' It's about making the honest attempt to keep that favored sandbox the favored sandbox so that play can continue and, as discussed above, play is continuing, despite all the sturm und drang. It's just that the hours of play are more limited, for now, than they used to be.

You seem to miss this part from Corbin.......

For the record. I don’t have the keys to this site.

I asked Kes if he needed help, Kes reached out and I’ve provided SQL queries to run and logs to gather.

Where this goes is really up to Kes, the logs, and potentially a group of engineers working together.

Kes allowed him to send Kes some tools., that was it. Whether the tools helped or have been used at all is anyones guess. And where is Dr whats his name? It seems he is out of the picture. I'm guessing you have to have someone who is fully versed in vB, that knows it inside and out, not just someone tinkering with it. You get into the nuts and bolts of any complicated program or machine you have to have the skills and experience or you just create more problems.

[Kyle1886]

Well, as long as my 1941 heart keeps pumping and my 2011 PC keeps humming, I'll be here, working or "sort of" working.

Thanks each and every one on this site for making it so important.

Kyle

[TrappedinCalifornia]

You seem to miss this part from Corbin.......




Kes allowed him to send Kes some tools., that was it. Whether the tools helped or have been used at all is anyones guess. And where is Dr whats his name? It seems he is out of the picture. I'm guessing you have to have someone who is fully versed in vB, that knows it inside and out, not just someone tinkering with it. You get into the nuts and bolts of any complicated program or machine you have to have the skills and experience or you just create more problems.

I didn't miss it. What I was doing was pointing out, not that Corbin Dallas was 'working on it,' but that Kestryll was reaching out so that HE could work on it; i.e., the claim being that Kestryll was no where to be found and nobody knew if he was doing anything at all for the site. Obviously, he is. How much actual work CD was, is, or will be 'allowed' to contribute is unknown, even to CD. At least it appears that way.

The rest is just more speculation. It's likely true that the other guy, DrJonesUSA, is out of the picture in that the last thing I saw posted from him was an 'update' on the other site, but not on this one. (Which is something, as I've commented before, seemingly a bit 'off' in that this site is the one he was ostensibly going to work on, so why not update this site?)

However, if you wish to speculate, what I'd suspect is that Kestryll is attempting to narrow down where the logjam is so as the provide whomever (remember, Kestryll posted that the 'fix' is beyond his technical abilities) a place to focus upon; potentially cutting down on time and expense. Failing that, were he to move things to a new software, something he's stipulated as a conversion from vBulletin to Xenforo or SMF, then it would potentially help whoever handles the conversion. You see, it's not just about being technically familiar with a software package. It's about being familiar with multiple software packages and being able to deal with the issues creating the current problems; which is why in the post I just linked to, Kestryll noted the need for both a DB analyst/admin who can sort out the database AND someone who can handle the conversion.

The bottom line is that, again, I didn't miss the subsequent post you point out. What I was speaking to was something different than what you inferred from my post. I take it as a positive, meaning that Kestryll is attempting to do something and I'm under no illusions that the 'fix' is going to be 'immediate.'

[Sgt Raven]

Don't miss construe my posts about the technical decline of Calguns as anything other than just that. It doesn't work reliably. You can argue "It sort of works" all day long but I think we can all agree, it needs to be fixed and made stable if we are to continue to attract contributing members and have a platform for cordial discussions. I really do hope for that.

Like Davidj mentioned above, I want Calguns 2.0 not only to be a new stable site even if that means a whole new forum hosting service and the lose of historical posts and iTrader. My hope is the revamped site can continue to be a place that defends the assault on our rights here in California. I thoroughly respect and enjoyed the way Kes' ran/runs this site. Stern but fair, unlike many of the other forums I belong to where the powers that be wield their power indiscriminately.

iTrader is gone and not coming back. In fact it was keeping iTrader that got us in this mess.