When Colin started the 4specs forum many years ago, the software he chose was state of the art. Now the software maker no longer exists and the system is unsupported. To ensure the forum continuity with technical support, 4specs will move to a new software system.
I investigated several top-rated forum solutions and settled on Discourse to host the forum. Discourse hosts thousands of communities and helps promote each one. A primary diver in the decision is the email notices the system will send to keep the conversations going, just like 4specs does now. Several staunch 4specs forum contributors experimented with the new software and provided feedback. You can try a free sandbox if you wish at try.discourse.org to check the interface and features.
Discourse is confirming how to complete the migration and retain all the existing valuable content and entire user base. The migration will not start until Discourse completes its investigation.
I look forward to bringing you a great new experience with the new software. I hope to enhance what you have come to expect from 4specs by expanding the user base and increasing participation.
More to come as it is available. All Questions are welcome.
Some things like reputation and industry goodwill are far more valuable than subscription fees in the long run. If we build a vibrant community, manufacturers will want to post listings. I’m sure that was part of Colin’s original business model. That’s how 2 sided marketplaces work.
I’m glad to see not everyone is as short sighted and greedy as CSI/ CIN / whatever they call themselves these days…
You may have seen emails from 4specs forum show up with a flag saying the sender could not be verified and the message may not be safe. These emails may have landed in your junk folder. I made some corrections to the domain name servers that should correct the issue causing the flags. If you continue to see these notices, please tell me.
@David - how is 4Specs impacted by lack of support from the original software developer? I ask, because the plain text beauty and simplicity of 4Specs is something I cherish and value. I don’t want this to be like a modern forum. Its good to have a migration strategy when needed, but if its not broken, I would advocate not to change. I think the majority of us is like it as is.
Status update: Discourse completed their initial data review. The migration to the new software will require some custom coding to complete the migration. I am waiting for more information from the Discourse team to start the process. Meanwhile, continue to post here. I will alert you when the migration begins.
@Nathan, The software provider for the current forum is out of business, so there is no potential support. I appreciate the sentiments about 4specs forum familiarity and understand it has been running quite well for years.
I may be paranoid about redundancy and backups. Having that capability has saved me more than once. It is a much better feeling for me knowing there is a safety net when things go wrong (as we all know does happen).
Ultimately, I believe moving to a modern software will be beneficial for everyone to ensure the longevity of 4specs and to expand its reach into the community.
@david, given the likelihood of CSi ceasing to exist in its current state for much longer, perhaps 4Specs will net the increase of traffic to make such a change prudent.
Status Update: I am negotiating the details of the migration to Discourse now. There will be a testing phase to ensure the data is properly handled during the migration. During the testing phase this existing forum will remain operational. When the final migration begins, this existing forum will become read only. The final migration is expected to be completed within 24 hours of starting.
Hi David Stutzman, for the past month all of the email notifications I receive from 4Specs land in my junk mail filter. The reason given is “DMARC”. I have tried whitelisting the emails and your email address, but to no avail. Any advice?
Thank you for the note about the email going to the junk folder. I am aware and am attempting to correct this. DMARC is enabled for the 4specs site. I am searching for another setting that may be causing the issue. The migration to the Discourse platform will ultimately correct this issue.
The first trial migration to the new Discourse platform is complete. I am checking the results. First pass looks good. The categories and topics are preserved and all the posts seem to be in tact. Support staff noted there are still issues they are working out to complete the migration.
The effort is taking longer than initially expected. I do not have a timetable for completing the migration yet.
David: Thanks for the efforts to maintain this forum. It is a very valuable resource and i know you have the “know how” to keep it functional for all of us. I appreciate it!
I appreciate all the comments and encouragement. Thank you. The new platform is not available to the public, yet. Please be patient. It will be in about one week.
Last step in the migration is nearly here. The final test is complete. All content came into the new platform in the existing topics. Nothing will be lost. Even names of folks that left comments with without logging in will be preserved.
The final migration will happen on or about Jul 8. I am waiting for confirmation from the Discourse team. Here is the plan.
The evening of Jul 7, I will disable new posts on this forum and download all current content for the migration. The full migration will take less than 24 hours.
When the migration is complete, the current 4specs forum domain will be redirected to the new Discourse platform. Existing users with valid email addresses and user names will be imported and will have accounts on Discourse. You will be asked to create a password on first login - those cannot be migrated.
If you have any difficulty accessing the site after the migration, write to me at dstutzman@conspectusinc.com. I will be happy to help you.
I am excited to have you see and use the new platform to continue the legacy of the 4specs forum. I am also excited about features available on Discourse that will enhance our community. Basics first. New adventures, later.
@David Very grateful for this resource. Many thanks for continuing the conversations here. This is a tremendous historical repository and will now be one for the future.
Wait a minute, pennies are not available any more. Free sounds good to me. The more participation, the better.