As I mentioned before, if I could get an AI to rewrite the forum into our existing Khooseller platform I would do it.
Well I opened a dev branch onto an AI session to do just this the other day.
it's crazy tech as I can keep 3 coding projects on the go at once and just about burn all my daily allowance doing that. C4P is just one of those projects.
Here is the current state of play - after a day or so with it.
We have the backend written and it is just starting on a new front end.
I am going for a more click to view replies at that level plus click to see those below a post or open another level deep as per Twitter/X way of viewing things. This promotes flatter replies rather than endless deep ones. You will still get to the deeper posts, but they need clicking down to, so most replies tend to sit at higher levels. Ajax loading should stop the endless scrolling etc. We shall see what it looks like and how it feels.
Does anyone use threaded view anyway? For me it looks like more thread is on the screen than post and there is a lot of redirection needed to click on the thread view and see the post. Not always very helpful IMHO anyway.
Flat view has the issue of working out who is replying to who anyway.
So hopefully the new look will sort this out.
Signup will use our existing user registration and validation
Instead of car, make model etc, we will use Tags organised into hierarchies. Basically the same effect but generic
Next thing is that I will introduce a basic editor so bold, headings etc can be entered. Rather than an HTML editor we will use Markdown - rather like Wikipedia or Github and convert to view. We will also allow image upload.
There is a question of moderation, but apparently there are some free AI tools by Google, Open AI that allow this sort of checking - nudity, profanity etc. which should keep the place clean.
I'm going to give it a break for a couple of weeks whilst on holiday, but this is just a heads up as to where we are going.
This will probably upset a load of people, but change is inevitable and the existing code is really really old and has to run on a server running older OS etc.
This will pull it up to speed and allow us to add any other stuff we like easily like News, etc. because that stuff is all part of our larger CMS. The forum is just another module within the system.
I am sure you will want to add your 2c
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I'd comment if I could understand a word of that.
I'm sure it will be ok though.
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I think it means things are gonna change.
:o}
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>> I'd comment if I could understand a word of that.
Pretty much what he said.
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I'm just happy that you are prepared to keep us going - thanks.
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Thanks for your kind words.
AI is amazing though - since I wrote the post it has written most of the front end. Looks very different so not convinced myself, but considering it worked out the look and feel itself it isn't bad.
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>> Thanks for your kind words.
>>
>> AI is amazing though....
>>
but can we be sure that it's really you making these posts, Stephen? ;-)
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Claude here ... Stephen has been replaced
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This is just an attempt to deflect blame if it goes U U.
(udders upwards)
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Will it mean it'll be optimised for phone?
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>> deflect blame
I’ve been rumbled. Zero ahead of the game
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I don't understand 98% of the first post by car4play.
Does it mean the layout will be different?
Does it mean that the posts will appear in chronological order?
Does it mean that we will be able to edit our posts for an unlimited period?
If it does then I think it will be a good thing - otherwise we go back to my first three words.
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I think one of Stephen's/Claude's points is that it will be easier to see who is replying to who.
I have been using Claude AI (from Anthropic) for academic research quite a lot recently as I get to grips with my PhD thesis. Some of his... sorry, its... results are pretty impressive.
Last edited by: James Loveless on Tue 10 Mar 26 at 10:05
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One of my main concerns is that I have made a few changes that will not work well with the way the forum currently works, but I believe will be much better going forward.
- I am getting rid of subjects on posts. These are only on threads to encourage users to stay on topic. The new interface doesn't show them on posts anyway
- The new view will favour posts under the OP rather than long threaded ones.
So the first view you get on say one like Panic Buying will be the OP followed by the ones at the top level. Everything else is not initially visible. You have to click onto a post to see its replies - and in this particular case the threaded view here shows it is nearly 10 levels deep!
This new view discourages this kind of thing because it's a bit tedious to drill down, but I can see people complaining as to where all the posts have gone. I am hoping as new threads get started they stay more at the top level.
In fact some forums don't have a threaded view (mums net etc.) and all posts are just chronological after the OP which someone mentioned here they liked anyway.
I'm on hols tomorrow so not much to show until the end of the month. I'll put up an old import on a test domain and let you all have a play.
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Have you resisted the urge to get it to write your thesis for you? ;-)
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Another vote of thanks for all the work behind the scenes to keep the forum going. Have a good holiday.
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"Have you resisted the urge to get it to write your thesis for you? ;-)"
To take this seriously for a moment:
University students face big problems with suspected plagiarism and AI has widened the scope for such suspicion. I have had training about the use of AI in research and it is clear that using text generated by AI is no-go, and may be dodgy anyway, in that AI can make mistakes.
What will always catch students out is the point in their (face-to-face) exam when they have to discuss and defend what they have written.
This is how I use Claude. I ask general questions on a topic, then follow that with specific questions about what has been written on a specific point, then look up the actual source and read it myself. In academic writing the sources of one's ideas always have to be attributed - i.e. shown in footnotes etc.
In my case, my PhD is so-called "practice-based", something which exists in arts rather than maths or science, in which the student writes/creates something (in my case a portfolio of musical compositions), then writes a thesis both drawing on the theoretical aspects of what I composed and linking that with received ideas that have already been published.
At present I don't think AI would be able to read scores and write a thesis like that.
The usefulness of it is that it saves hours of trawling through possible sources, either online or physically in a library, in the hope of finding a useful point. And occasionally it throws up something you haven't even considered.
Last edited by: James Loveless on Tue 10 Mar 26 at 12:59
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My son has a sports based degree. He got a 1st. He now marks assignments of current students on the same course.
It's not a particularly academic degree so when a student uses words or terminology he knows they wouldn't know or use, it's obvious what they're up to. He can then speak to them and ask them to explain what they mean. They know they've been rumbled and have been served a warning.
Last year he was marking an essay which he thought looked familiar. It was his own essay which had been put up by the uni as a model answer for that assignment.
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Claude has been beavering away on the new version, and while final implementation is still at least many weeks away, it now well advanced. I've had a modest verbal insight into some of the features and while it will be different, the changes sound pretty interesting to me.
The new back end seems almost infinitely flexible, which means there is potentially a lot of added functionality, some of which we'll see from day 1, some we will never see, and some we can turn on if we want.
As an for instance we could add the ability to add images to a post. Personally I'm not sure I really want that but it's an available feature which could be enabled - and which we may well open a discussion about, once the new system is in and settled. (No discussion yet please!)
However, while we're in a period of change, one option is to have a different site name from car4play, if someone had a good alternative (obv polite and relevant - and the domain is available!).
Any thoughts on that?
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I'd say don't change the name, unless there's a link (and obvious 'nod') to the old name.
I like the idea of enabling images - a picture's worth a thousand words and all that.
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>> I'd say don't change the name, unless there's a link (and obvious 'nod') to the
>> old name.
>>
I can't see any gain from changing the name unless by some magic doing so would increase readership.
Adding pictures is good I think. Current set up where users link to a hosting site is a massive anachronism.
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>> However, while we're in a period of change, one option is to have a different
>> site name from car4play, if someone had a good alternative (obv polite and relevant -
>> and the domain is available!).
>>
>> Any thoughts on that?
>>
With the help of AI (Perplexity), here are some suggestions (after I had sifted out many from the list):
Driveline, Drive Chat, WheelWorks, Auto Chat, RevvUP, The Motor Room.
I'm sure you'll be able to provide better and more punchier alternatives.
Last edited by: De Sisti on Thu 9 Apr 26 at 16:23
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Thanks Smokie.
The main issue with images - apart from storage - is moderating.
Car porn is fine. Real porn isn't !
Chatting to Smokie, I have implemented an AI moderator helps with general moderation, but am not sure if it also works with images. My hunch is it does, but this will need checking.
Basically, the swear filter is gone. Make a post and the AI will score the content and at a certain threshold will hide the post and sent the mods an email so they can manually check.
Should make their work a lot easier.
The other thing is that it will now be a module within our Khooseller platform, so on the new site it will have the ability to have extra content like general pages, news, directories, product sales etc. not that we have anything to sell.
I will put it up as a subdomain on there for you all to play with using an older copy of this forum data. I'll let the mods play first to see how they freak out before all you lot do.
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>> Thanks Smokie.
>>
>> The main issue with images - apart from storage - is moderating.
>>
A potential resolution for the former is to allow embedding images hosted elsewhere via the img tag.
Saves on server space (and may provide a bit of moderating on the linked source).
Once mastered, it's relatively easy for an end-user to deliver images.
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Images speak a thousand words. But they can also be a pain in the neck. We may need some sort of guidance on when and when not to use them.
Handy to be able to use when you are asking does anyone know what this thing is called or here’s my new car.
Can be a pain in the neck when someone goes to a car show and here are the 78 photos I took at it.
And not a great fan of signatures and avatars either…
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I think Bobby has covered some of my concerns with pics. Also we could get inundated with "witty" Trump cartoons, or recipes of the day, or other slop to wade through - not always unentirely interesting but certainly timewasting and likely to bring drift
I don't know how one would "police" pics, I can imagine some guidelines along the line of relevant to topic, max of 2 per user per day, or 10 per week or something. Or maybe I;m being over cautious.
AIUI moving into the Khooseller platform could potentially bring us some new blood, and will also provide other places for you to spend your time, and is a Good Thing, or at least neutral rather than negative.
Any other ideas for a new name?
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Handy to be able to use when you are asking does anyone know what this
>> thing is called or here’s my new car.
>> Can be a pain in the neck when someone goes to a car show and
>> here are the 78 photos I took at it.
>>
>>
And then several people requote them all and write 'nice pics'. Might send some on here over the edge.
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Just don't let BBD post any pictures ;-)
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The current title suggests it is a forum aimed at motorists. with a gentle bit of innuendo and who amongst us hasn't in a car...
As a refugee from what was (in my humble opinion) a fairly decent site...
( others may have different opinions) I find this one somewhat parochial at times.
I shall wait and see before passing judgement on any future variation, but if i don't like the format aka facebook etc, I'll be off.
I don't do ANY social media sites at all.
Apologies to those who differ.
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>> I find this one somewhat parochial at times
Not surprising really as we've been a 'church' for 16 years.
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This is the second post of yours which I've been a bit uncomfortable with Orb. Maybe you missed my response to your first, which I eventually hid as I thought you'd have had time to read it, but I considered your post somewhat disruptive to the flow of the thread at that time, as well as not being particularly kind about posts others had made.
You are, of course, entitled to your views but to be fair, it's a site most of us use for pleasure and a bit of a laugh sometimes, and I'm not sure any of us will be holding our breath waiting for your judgment on whether you stay or go. So on that ground alone I feel your post is somewhat unnecessary, if not disruptive..
Also - parochial - really? It doesn't call for discussion here, and I'll likely actively prevent it, but I think that is unfair to our long standing membership, and to our host. This site effectively was born as a refuge for many who were less than satisfied with and/or were displaced from the HJ site for one reason or another, and we actively decided not to be a clone, as although in it's time the HJ site was a good site, we felt a more relaxed attitude was needed. Most people have been here for years so "know" each other well so I'm not surprised that a newcomer may not immediately understand relationships, in-jokes or the more relaxed environment but that would normally come with time and patience.
Recently when we heard HJ was closing we made a very conscious effort to welcome and bring in those any wanted to continue on a motoring forum. There is no financial or other incentive for us to do so, just a desire to keep the ball rolling. As well as the redevelopment of the site, we have had to put in a quite considerable amount of effort behind he scenes to ensure the site became and continues to be compliant with the new Online Safety Act.
We are (nearly) all refugees from the site you mention. I don't remember your name from the days when I was a moderator there so maybe you were one of the newer members. Whatever, please just accept that this site is a different site from that one, with a different clientele and ambience, and has been going in this format for some time now, with a core of regular members. I consider it a Good Thing that we are evolving rather than closing down.
If you are not comfortable here, we won't think bad of you if you leave. I don't think we need to see your workings out!! :-) Happy to discuss further if you like but ideally not in this thread - just use the Report Message button to contact the mods, or mail me directly on smokie_mod@car4play.com.
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Looking forward to seeing how the re-write looks.
My tuppence worth: can the interface be as simple as possible please so it works on all hardware / low power devices and members who may struggle with change.
Thank you for your continued support of the forum C4P and thanks to mods for their time and efforts spent moderating!
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This is the second post of yours which I've been a bit uncomfortable with Orb.
Oh dearie me !
I make no apologies for my comments, I had the impression that comments were welcomed, either way. but I still have not got the foggiest (probably like some others) of wht it'll look like ??
Perhaps if you wish it any future comments of mine to any future other threads should be sent to you to be checked ( Censored ? ) before posted.
At the last vague off the cuff look, not many of the initial refugees seem to have stayed after the shutdown of HJ last year.
Whatever, please just accept that this site is a different site from that one, with a different clientele and ambience, and has been going in this format for some time
I may or may not be the only one to have a change of opinion when the " New Format " kicks in.
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Edit.
I did spell out in CAPITAL LETTERS with spaces the name of this site on the HJ forum in a thread just before closure to assist any potential refugees.
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Why does it feel like you're deliberately trying to provoke? I was trying to be reasonable in my response, and explain some background. If it came across as something else I apologise.
Of course people have a choice of whether they come here or not, and they can change their mind whenever they want. And I don't want to check or edit anyone's post before they make them, not least as I am a volunteer and I don't have the inclination or time to do that.
I said earlier that most members here are HJ refugees at some time or another. I think as a site we've done our best to try to offer somewhere for the recent HJ refugees to move on to but really, if it doesn't suit anyone, it isn't obligatory.
I doubt many here enjoy seeing discussions like this in threads - I know I don't - so this interlude will be gone before long. That's housekeeping and moderating, not censorship.
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Just a final question then
Who asked for a Forum rewrite? Was there a discussion amongst Mods and/or Friends.
So the change will be take it or leave (it)
But if you are unhappy with my comments please feel free to deregister me as there is no facility to do so on the site and if i change my email address to a random one it would still have to be validated to remove the other.
While you are at it remove any other comments, threads and posts you feel like, if not all of them or just spam me..
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Oh dear, ORB is off again! Think he left the hj site at least 3 times? Personally I've no opinion on a forum re write, doesn't really bother me, I'm just pleased I found another motoring forum after the hj shutdown, yes it is different here but again it doesn't bother me, if a subject pops up that I feel.able to contribute to then I will....
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I think you are re-arranging the deckchairs on the Titanic.
Couple of fundamental points -
1. New posts go at the bottom of the thread and when one logs on to a thread, it should automatically go to new, unread posts.
2. Get rid of the "editing only possible within five minutes of posting" restriction.
But the main thing is that you (we?) need about a million times more contributors. How many times have I thought - I will have a look at C4P, only to find that there haven't been any new posts for a couple of hours!
Good luck!
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>> 2. Get rid of the "editing only possible within five minutes of posting" restriction.
>>
I think five minutes is probably a bit short but I'd be wary of an open ended edit facility.
Another site I use has that and people change comments after well over an hour, sometimes quite signicantly.
It also creates problems with the quote function.
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>> Oh dear, ORB is off again! Think he left the hj site at least 3
>> times? Personally I've no opinion on a forum re write, doesn't really bother me, I'm
>> just pleased I found another motoring forum after the hj shutdown, yes it is different
>> here but again it doesn't bother me, if a subject pops up that I feel.able
>> to contribute to then I will....
>>
Paul, my offer above is for the Mods to remove me if they want. You and I agree on some things and not on others. You like Suxuki, I don't, but I refuse to denigrate your choices or those of others...
I find it amusing that to infer that someone from East Anglia/The fens might have web feet as an "in joke" but questioning what the forum will become is taboo.
Duncan in my humble opinion has just about summed it up.
Rearranging deckchairs sounds about right and there is ZERO information on if the forum will be readable on anything like a mobile phone?
I think Slo76 doesn't contribute as it is far too difficult from a handheld device. Haven't seen anything from him for a long long time.
I have a 6.9" mobile but it's not optimised for phones as we know.
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Hmm strange, works fine on my ancient Samsung, I do have to turn it sideways though! Not the end of the world.
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"I think Slo76 doesn't contribute as it is far too difficult from a handheld device. Haven't seen anything from him for a long long time."
Him and a few others e.g. Badbusdriver, Elekie and one or two others rely on a fresh supply of new visitors seeking advice. Elekie is here, but when does anyone here ask for technical (motoring) help. This site doesn't get new visitors very often, perhaps because the site name sounds more porn than motoring.
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This site doesn't get new visitors very often, perhaps because the site name sounds more porn than motoring.
Point well made.
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I think in the first place the site name was intended to be a bit light hearted, appreciated by those with a sense of humour maybe, but surely that it may have outlived it's life is acknowledged by the question above about suggestions for a new name. (Mind you a personal view is it would lose some value if it were just populated by the po-faced easily offended).
No-one asked for a rewrite, it wasn't discussed with mods or friends, though I have now had a verbal insight into how it might look. The people who own, run, support and finance the site reached the position where the software was so dated it was severely lacking in major functionality and needed considerable overhead to maintain so needed complete revision, and chose a direction to go in which would be reasonably low cost impact, and futureproof it to some degree.
Wasn't it suggested the other day that a dummy site would be probably made available in advance of going live? Which presumably would offer the opportunity for feedback or comment at that time. When did Facebook or Twitter or the BBC or any other site ever canvas their members as to whether an upgrade was required or not, and if so how to approach it?
If you want to be removed please say so in black and white, either here or in an email to the address I previously provided, or use the Report button. I'd prefer it that way rather than you coming back (or going elsewhere) to bad mouth the site for removing you against your will. You're obviously not happy here, which is fine, but continual bickering and nit picking will likely spoil it for others, putting aside any entertainment value.
I'm sure your suggestion to include a de-register option on the new site is being/will be considered. However again, I can't think of any other sites which do that. Sites which I once used but no longer do I just don't visit any more. I have better things to do with my time than go back just to pass opinions about the site and it's community, which wouldn't be of much interest to them anyway if the truth be known.
Last edited by: smokie on Sat 11 Apr 26 at 09:46
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Building on some of the preceding comments, and expanding on Smokie's.
No-one has asked for a forum rewrite, but most of the motivation is covered in the first post from Stephen.
Some may see it as "re-arranging the deckchairs on the Titanic", but Stephen owns this particular Titanic, and pays for the fuel and docking. We "passengers" get to travel free, and I suspect that (virtually) all of us are grateful for that privilege, and most of us at least. enjoy the interplay.
I can live with the software as it is, but lets be clear, this forum is really it's members*, not the software/platform on which it exists. If any rewrite doesn't deplete that population or destroy the interaction, I shall remain an enthusiastic member.
(*yes, as with any congregation, that may result in it seeming somewhat "parochial", but it's always been my experience that joining an established group involves at least an element of FIFO, though I sincerely hope ORB doesn't take the latter half of that as a hint!).
As far as ORB 's comments go, hey, this is the internet so one should really expect anything. A small amount does seem mildly abrasive - I'd let it pass (at least for now) but I'm not a moderator (and they are always right ;-) . Frankly, the light-touch moderation on here is generally excellent) I'd prefer not to lose a member (especially a relatively new one) so maybe a little more effort at "fitting in" might not go amiss and could be rewarding (and robust discussion that doesn't involve overt criticism of the forum would generally be entirely welcome).
I'm happy for Smokie to delete my comments as and when he does any tidy-up.
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On HJ (back to that) Avant was an excellent Mod and Xileno and myself tried to be light touch too, so I am aware of how hard the mods job is.
It was interesting to see more about the origins of the site ( Car4Play ) Is there a bit more detail.?
And thanks to the one(s) who fund(s) it.
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>> It was interesting to see more about the origins of the site ( Car4Play )
>> Is there a bit more detail.?
It's actually quite simple.
Until c2010 HJ's site ran on the same Khoosys platform we're using now.
At that time the HJ site was re-written, I think with a different provider. They seemed to make a Horlicks of it and the site was down for ages.
At that point somebody, presumably Stephen, set this place up. There must have been what we'd now call a GDPR breach as a lot of HJ regulars received emails pointing them to this site.
I regard most forums as like a pub or cafe where I come for a chat and maybe a laugh.
As well as here and HJ I use/used a couple of cycling forums and PPrUNE.
I use Mumsnet too, but mostly to respond to stuff about benefits etc rather than for social chat.
I've also been on French Car/Citroen sites and am a member of Briskoda but I' mostly use them to seek information.
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Yes please for a temporary dummy site, (or for the mods) a possibility to "tweak " afterwards.
Please understand that I have never badmouthed any other site I have been on and have no intention of ever doing that. That is final and definitive. I hope sincerely that you are not thinking for one moment I would do that.
I'll add this now, in that at one point I had considered asking if the volunteers would have liked some financial support in updating/optimising the site to make it legible on smaller portable devices/smartphones, but now I see it being done, so no need.
Sometimes comment is taken for criticism
But thank you for letting this be debated up till now.
Have a nice weekend all.
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>> Who asked for a Forum rewrite? Was there a discussion amongst Mods and/or Friends.
>> So the change will be take it or leave (it)
I suspect a rewrite is needed as the current architecture dates back to a rewrite of HJ aeons ago. We've seen problems with it being gummed up by what may or may not have been malicious action.
If I were in Stephens shoes and had a modern common platform for other sites I'd want to get outlier stuff on there too.
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Another tuppence worth...
I'm grateful for the forum. There are some knowledgeable and helpful people for all things cars - whether buying, selling, maintaining or trouble shooting.
But lets be honest, cars are very reliable nowadays so constant fettling is no longer required and we tend not to change cars monthly so the motoring side of the site is not as active as it might be given the membership numbers.
I also enjoy the non-motoring sections, there's a range of views (from those on the left to those on the right of the political spectrum) and knowledge of lots of other areas including IT, utilities, big new stories etc. This is the busier section of the forum.
I guess, what I am trying to say is, the forum is what we make it. It's a good place to be - a bit like a "men's shed".
And a final thought: "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth"!!!!
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"Don't look a gift horse in the mouth"!!!!
On the various forums I have frequented even with my own experience in cars I have learned plenty of interesting tips and also a lot about the foibles of cars since tech became more common.
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"there's a range of views (from those on the left to those on the right of the political spectrum)"
I have a hunch that Brexit created a toxic culture here (one former member in particular springs to mind) which put a lot of members off. And it's never recovered. Politics never became a hot topic on HJ, possibly because it was primarily a motoring forum, not a "men's shed". There should be room for both and something in-between.
Last edited by: ChrisM on Sat 11 Apr 26 at 13:48
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>> I have a hunch that Brexit created a toxic culture here.
It did.
A number left and started a third site using generic forum software.
That eventually ran out of steam late last year.
Mark from Chile, RBLS or wherever was incredibly well informed on any number of subjects but almost certainly chose to pick fights even pretending to hold views contrary to what he actually though to further his bullying.
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There are two bits of this forum dedicated to motoring, then this one which is specifically non-motoring then the computer related.
My recollection is that this design arose as a result of the rather more strict HJ motoring-only discussion area where threads would be subverted by drift into non-motoring subjects.
The BRXIT comment is fair, as is Bromps summary of it. While it may have not recovered in numbers I believe those of us still here are quite happy with the way it is
Last edited by: smokie on Sat 11 Apr 26 at 14:44
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I'm another HJ refugee; it looks as though 'smokie' is a key bod here. Please don't be too hard on 'ORB', aka 'oldroverboy' on the HJ of yore; he was a much respected moderator there.
One of the attractions of this (hopefully) light-hearted and tolerant forum is the occasional cut and thrust of the sort of debate one might have in the pub bar amongst similar, but not necessarily like minded attendees. Long may this establishment survive, although there's not much new input these days, especially in the 'tech' section.
Incidentally, how do you guard against ...'nudity'.... on this site?!
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>>
>> Incidentally, how do you guard against ...'nudity'.... on this site?!
>>
Asking for a friend?
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>> >>
>> >> Incidentally, how do you guard against ...'nudity'.... on this site?!
>> >>
>> Asking for a friend?
>>
Reminds me of this old joke....
Did you know some places have strange rules; for example, running naked in Iceland will get you arrested.
Apparently it's the same in Sainsburys too!
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You know Currys will catch you one day sitting naked in their shops posting here... :-)
You and Orb (pre being a mod) probably existed on HJ when I was a (hopefully respected) mod there, which I did for maybe 8 or 10 years. Unfortunately HJ and his new team at the time didn't show us much respect and after many years of loyal service abruptly booted us out in about early 2010, IIRC. I still don't really understand why but that's life, and I'm well over it now :-).
Here there are three of us who moderate, all recognisable by the wand by our name, all ex-HJ and all kicked out in the same way. Myself, (always smokie), VxFan (you would have known him as Dynamic Dave) and R.P. (who I think was Rob for most of the time there). car4play is our esteemed leader who owns, hosts, runs, writes, maintains and pays for the site (and at one time did the same for HJ, hence the similarity in forum layout I suppose).
We are equal in status but I'm probably the most active moderator as I happen to be at my PC for a fair bit of many days for one reason or another, so I might just seem the loudest atm!
Here I am on HJ. Earliest post seems to be 2002. www.honestjohn.co.uk/Forum/Search?author=&days=0&f=&model=&q=smokie&subject=
So nudity along with bullying, terrorism and a host of other safeguarding things, are some of the things we have had to write policy and formal declarations about, thanks to the new Online Safety Act which came in earlier this year. You can read all about it in the links in this thread, which is sticky in non-motoring www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?f=5&t=945 . There are a few other sticky posts there worth reading.
As we don't currently allow pics to be posted inline the moderation is not so tricky.
Links are more difficult to police manually so at the moment we rely mainly on the mods reading each post and clicking each link and moderating as necessary.
We do also depend on the members to use the Report button at the bottom of each post if there is something which needs a look. This sends us an email so while it wouldn't necessarily be an immediate response hopefully it wouldn't take too long.
Given we are such a small community who "know" each other quite well the standards are pretty well respected by all and there is little else for the mods to do. I don't think you'll find us in a search engine which was a deliberate decision at the time and accounts for why we don't get may strangers or new members...
I'm not sure how the team at HJ (which no longer included HJ at the end I think) presented the site closure to y'all but it was probably caused by some combo of the software being old and unmaintainable and the overhead which the new legislation brought to even the smallest of hobby forums, both as a massive effort to write the required documentation and ongoing to maintain that and be scrupulous about logging issues, moderator training etc. I suspect quite a few sites just closed due to those requirements whereas others might be winging it and hoping no-on ever checks.
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PPS I don't think I've been too hard on Orb. If anyone new came along to this site and within a short time described it as puerile and doubled down by calling it parochial and then rather self importantly announcing he would wit and see before passing judgement on us, I feel the need to be somewhat defensive of our little space on the web.
Still I'm sure Orb is a lovely man once you get to know him, which hopefully we will over time... :-)
Last edited by: smokie on Sat 11 Apr 26 at 18:09
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>> PPS I don't think I've been too hard on Orb.
Actually, I think you have, and I was quite surprised you found anything worthy of a rebuke.
So there.
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>> Actually, I think you have, and I was quite surprised you found anything worthy of
>> a rebuke.
I thought ORB's posts reasonable enough too.
Discussion was invited and comments sought.
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>> >> Actually, I think you have, and I was quite surprised you found anything worthy
>> of
>> >> a rebuke.
>>
>> I thought ORB's posts reasonable enough too.
>>
>> Discussion was invited and comments sought.
>>
We both said our piece and Let us all await the changes that will arrive one day or t'other..
Never forget..
lesson number One. Mods Rule.
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>>
>>
>> Never forget..
>>
>> lesson number One. Mods Rule.
>>
But rockers are cool.
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One of the things I DO like on C4P is that I don't wake up buried in Spam for kitchens, exam writing sites or escorts in wherever.
Well done for that !!!
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I'm sure it can be arranged :-)
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All of the foregoing is very interesting, particularly about individuals whom I had forgotten.
But - are there any plans, or proposals to get more, a lot more, posters on here? Or am I a lone voice?
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>> All of the foregoing is very interesting, particularly about individuals whom I had forgotten.
I loved the link to Smokie's HJ days. I saw many forgotten names and particularly enjoyed a couple of posts about the Phillipines by the late THEGrowler. Always amusing and much missed.
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Nothing wrong with an Escort. :)
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Thanks for the update and info, smokie. I've sometimes wondered what happened to Dynamic Dave! I've always been John F, and I see my first question on HJ was 13 Dec 2002, about the windscreen wipers on Mrs F's second Passat Estate, our 'family car'. I used to have many mostly enjoyable debates on HJ......and was once accused of being a troll! But I never took umbrage and left. Much appreciate your and other mods' commitment - keep up the good work!
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Jeez, just had a look at my old threads on HJ - its true what they say about once on the interweb, its always there!
Mar 2003 seems to be my first post querying the mpg from my dci diesel Scenic against my earlier turbo diesel Scenic!
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>> Mar 2003 seems to be my first post querying the mpg from my dci diesel
>> Scenic against my earlier turbo diesel Scenic!
2003? Think I had moved from my 1.6 petrol Scenic to my 1.9dci Laguna. Damn that was a fine engine.
Last edited by: Zero on Mon 13 Apr 26 at 13:44
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>> 2003? Think I had moved from my 1.6 petrol Scenic to my 1.9dci Laguna. Damn
>> that was a fine engine.
Were you Renault Family?
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I preferred the initial turbo diesel Scenic, 1999, but the 2001 dci I got (in 2002) was less powerful and lower mpg. I then changed this for a 2004 Scenic dci but IIRC there had been big improvements in the engine in between (105bhp to 130bhp I think?)
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>> I preferred the initial turbo diesel Scenic, 1999, but the 2001 dci I got (in
>> 2002) was less powerful and lower mpg. I then changed this for a 2004 Scenic
>> dci but IIRC there had been big improvements in the engine in between (105bhp to
>> 130bhp I think?)
I had the 130hp. Refined, frugal, seamless in power delivery, Streets ahead of any of its contemporary oil burners.
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>> I had the 130hp. Refined, frugal, seamless in power delivery, Streets ahead of any of
>> its contemporary oil burners.
Would it's PSA contemporary have been HDi by then?
My Xantia was HDi/110 and amply quick while having incredibly good handling for a Mondeo sized estate.
BX and first 'lingo were non turbo and, in latter's case technically effectively, XUD. You were not going to burn rubber or be fastest off the lights but 30-50 and 50-70 were, in the BX faster than the 1.6 petrol.
And if you were OK stirring the gears a bit you could go ('lingo) over the edge of the Alps to (IIRC) something like 6,000 feet fully laden without trouble.
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>>Would it's PSA contemporary have been HDi by then?
Think it would have been - were these common rail engines brought in for catalysts maybe?
I remember having a 205 1.9 XUD diesel engine and as you say the third gear torque on it was fabulous.
I also had a Citroen Saxo 1.5 diesel (old style 1997) that could regularly turn in very late 60s mpg
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>> I remember having a 205 1.9 XUD diesel engine and as you say the third
>> gear torque on it was fabulous.
>>
I had the 1.7 version in poverty trim as a second/station car from 1997-2000. As you say, the torque was fantastic. Torque band wasn't wide but as long as you used the gears to stay in it you were fine.
Remember chucking it down the old line of B4525 from the M40 to the A5 and while the GTi probably had tweaks the GRD stuck to the bends like glue.
Last edited by: Bromptonaut on Mon 13 Apr 26 at 16:21
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I had a 405 with the 1.9 Xud non turbo. Frugal it was, lots of torques, but it was a roundabout strander. Ie you stuck your toe down and it floundered slowly into the stream of traffic leaving you stranded like a whale on the beach, till the revs got to about 2.5k then it hauled its self off.. I have no doubts it could have pulled the titanic, but was not enjoyable to drive in cut and thrust traffic, and was a noisy rough old beast.
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>> Jeez, just had a look at my old threads on HJ - its true what
>> they say about once on the interweb, its always there!
Going back to HJ ver1 it's interesting to note how many people used forename and surname rather than the 'usernames' that became pretty much universal.
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Dynamic Dave used to work for us but he left a few years ago. Now does software for insurance. Doubt whether he has ever visited this place since those days
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Re why the rewrite?
Essentially the problem is that if you just leave software where it is, the ground underneath you moves and you end up with nowhere to go.
One of my clients has web software based on php5, which has now been end of life and unsupported for a while now. Apart from issues with lack of software maintenance patches they now find themselves in the place that no current Linux version supports this version, so any cloud hosting is now not an option. They did eventually find somewhere they could host an old Linux just to get their old PHP to run.
Now the C4P software isn't that bad as a little while back I updated it to run on PHP 7.4, but the whole architecture is very dated and is a bit of nightmare to work with. It was enough of a pain just to get emails to work via an Amazon relay, and this is a case in point as to why old stuff has an issue.` Previously emails could get delivered just find from the server, but then Microsoft, Yahoo, Google and the like started putting more and more checks in to prevent spammers, and this basically censors emails sent through the server despite SPF records and the like. The only real solution is to use a relay and that means some recoding.
This site therefore sits on an older Linux version with not much else on it. It was much better to simply rewrite it as a module within our own current KhooSeller CMS because then we get all the goodies of a modern site - mobile and tablet usage, other modules like news, pages, directories, and ecommerce if we want it, so there is the potential to finally expand it if we want to, and to make it available to any of our other clients, although there isn't much demand for forums now TBH.
I said I would only rewrite it too if I didn't actually do the work, but got an AI to do it for me, and this is exactly what it has done.
It has taken a while of prompting it to do this, but it has something I have been able to do on the back burner as it were, just in one of the few AI windows I have open.
So if you don't like it I can always blame my "friend" - as we colloquially refer to AI.
What is astonishing though is how it can also write the front end look. It's not perfect, but good enough IMHO.
The biggest change that I am sure many will complain about is that the threaded and flat views have gone. There is just one post view, with all the replies to that post below it and the breadcrumb posts before that one on a scroll above it so you can see the context.
it means that any legacy posts are possibly harder to read because they encourage replies to replies to replies. Just see the threaded view for example as to why this goes bonkers.
Rather I hope it will help to keep replies to the original post flatter, with replies to replies more a as a side discussion.
I will now ask my friend about uploading and moderating images. I am sure he can come up with something.
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Quick update.
Basically the code has been finished a few weeks now, but I can't give you anything to have a look at until we move to a later release of our khooseller platform.
Because no one is using the forum module, I used it to test out new features and stuff and these cannot be incorporated until we release the branch the forum is based on. AI has changed so many things and it isn't easy even to make the dev external server look like this release without a shed load of patches.
I did add image upload though, a lightbox gallery to view them, auto moderation of images and posts.
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Looking forward to seeing in the flesh...
" auto moderation of images and posts."
Ooooo - 16 years redundancy payments at 1.5 weeks salary per year!!!
That'll be 16.5 x 1.5 x 0 = £0 :-)
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Forum rewrite - Robin O'Reliant
