A new beginning, what happened to everything else?

[rlb2]

Do space.com sudden loosing all that valuable information claim proprietary rights to it. Some people on this board had some very good thoughts that suddenly disappeared. I have been on this board since it started and I dislike the idea of suddenly without warning space.com shuts it down and looses all that recorded data. I’m not worried about my information that I left behind I backed it up. What about all those people who were counting on all that data they imputed here.<br /><br /><font color="yellow">If this new beginning ends up being the new message board, I will no longer post here……<br /></font> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Ron Bennett </div>

 

[spacehappy]

I have seen everything now. They didn't only burn the books they burned the library. All these fine people on here who trusted space.com now are left out in the cold. Some of these ideas that were posted before on this board will show up in some science magazine or patent office in the name of the thief’s that took them. This is George W Bush answer to the freedom of information act. Let’s just delete it off the face of the Earth. We will retain the knowledge and claim it as our own.<br /><br />rlb you should leave there are no intelligent life forms left on this planet just a bunch of idea thieves. .

 

[silylene old]

rlb2: all my wonderful hypotheses were as ephemeral as the binary bits by which they were once recorded. ~sigh~<br /><br /><br /><img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature" align="center"><em><font color="#0000ff">- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -</font></em> </div><div class="Discussion_UserSignature" align="center"><font color="#0000ff"><em>I really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function.</em></font> </div> </div>

 

[alokmohan]

Why should we be so uncharitable as because we dont know what really happened.

 

[CalliArcale]

SPACE.com had no more warning of the server crash than any of you did. If they had, they would have taken steps to prevent it.<br /><br />Rest assured, it has nothing to do with the US government's executive branch. <img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" /><br /><br />SPACE.com isn't going to claim any of the past posts as their own. They don't even have any record of those past posts any longer, so how could they? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><font color="#666699"><em>"People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly . . . timey wimey . . . stuff."</em>  -- The Tenth Doctor, "Blink"</font></p> </div>

 

[mrmorris]

<font color="yellow">"Rest assured, it has nothing to do with the US government's executive branch."</font><br /><br />Of course not. It was the <b>aliens</b> that did it. It's all the fault of those durn SETI posters. They were getting uncomfortably close to the truth so the ETs shut the board down to eliminate the evidence.<br />

 

[centsworth_II]

I find posting on SDC a very satisfying way to sort out and solidify my thoughts. Putting your thoughts into words, so others can understand, is the best way of assuring that you yourself have a firm grasp on them.<br /><br />It would be nice to be able to refer to past comments (and images!) as the dialog continues, but several interesting dicussions have already started and SDC life as we knew it is rapidly returning.<br /><br />rlb2, now that the significance of your past image postings can be reinterpreted with hindsight, you might consider a series of "best of" postings (or this could wait until the MER missions end when I'm sure we'll all be feeling very nostalgic). I have a feeling that where MER images are concerned, the best is yet to come.<br /><br /> <br /><br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[Testing]

OK, who didn't pay thier dues? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[quasar2]

i for one went thru changes during blackout. my life has revolved around this place for awhile. sometimes i remember some of the old posts. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[mrmorris]

<font color="yellow">"...my life has revolved around this place for awhile..."</font><br /><br />If this is the case -- you have bigger problems than a system crash. Perhaps you need more hobbies.<br />

 

[pyrohydra]

What the hell? So all of the previous posts are gone for good? And the databases weren't even being backed up to tape? Shame, but oh well. Looks like everyone is more or less on equal footing in regards to post count (for at least a little while). That may be a good thing.

 

[drwayne]

Some folks did not lose their post totals, and I am happy for them....<br /><br />Me, I am hoping to climb back up to "Rock" soon...though I do not see a paper or scissors yet.<br /><br /><img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" /><br /><br />Wayne <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>"1) Give no quarter; 2) Take no prisoners; 3) Sink everything."  Admiral Jackie Fisher</p> </div>

 

[a_lost_packet_]

All of those good threads.. gone. All of those great mission pics.. gone. All of the classic "woo woo" posts... gone.<br /><br /><img src="/images/icons/frown.gif" /><br /><br />I really don't understand why a simple, automated backup isn't being kept. The board has crashed before right? Wasn't a "Lessons Learned" conducted after that? <br /><br />I'm no systems analyst. However, for less than $500 a tape drive with backup software and custom configurations could be installed that could handle the load. At the very least, the user lists could be maintained. I'm sure it could be configured to do selective backups and not backup images and such. What gives?<br /><br />I really like this board. It's definitely an operations asset to SDC. However, the content is created by the membership. Discourage the membership and you discourage participation. Loose your participation and the resulting loss of content just puts the board on the "also was's" list. That would reflect poorly on the quality of the SDC site as a whole.<br /><br /><br />a_lost_packet_<br /><br /><b><font color="yellow">STAR ++</font>/b><br /><br />P.S. You too can have this nifty and fully customizeable "Crashproof Title." Mail your $1.50 to me and I will guarrantee that you can always be assured of having a title.. any title.. * Limited quantities available. Certain conditions exist. May not be valid in all areas. Venusian residents must pay an extra 4.23 quibbles sales and license tax.</b> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font size="1">I put on my robe and wizard hat...</font> </div>

 

[CalliArcale]

Actually, it was backed up. They do have some of the board still. But it was in a terribly corrupted state. I don't know the technical details, but suffice to say, they decided that it would be best to make a clean break and get it back quickly (we are an addicted bunch after all, aren't we? <img src="/images/icons/crazy.gif" /> ) than to bring back what they could and have only bits of it back, and not neccessarily entirely functional. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><font color="#666699"><em>"People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly . . . timey wimey . . . stuff."</em>  -- The Tenth Doctor, "Blink"</font></p> </div>

 

[najab]

><i>Actually, it was backed up. They do have some of the board still. But it was in a terribly corrupted state.</i><p>Sounds like they were taking incremental backups and forgot that you need to do a complete one every now and then. Trying to rebuild from an old complete backup and a years-worth of increments would, by definition, suck.</p>

 

[canadian_joe]

I agree, it does suck that all of the interesting posts are gone. But it does appear that life in getting back to normal. I know I'm doing my best to create a new "Since this is free space...." in the free space forum. <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /><br /><br />Still though it would have been nice for them to have managed to still have a complete user list from before the crash. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[rlb2]

<font color="orange">rlb you should leave there are no intelligent life forms left on this planet just a bunch of idea thieves. . <font color="white"><br /><br />Although I do feel your anguish, I will be still posting here at a vastly reduced amount. I will be checking other boards out and this time asking systems question. I’m luckier than most because I learned a long time ago, to backup the backup. It’s the very first thing they teach you in most beginning computer classes.<br /></font></font> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Ron Bennett </div>

 

[rlb2]

<font color="orange">rlb2: all my wonderful hypotheses were as ephemeral as the binary bits by which they were once recorded. ~sigh~<font color="white"><br /><br />I enjoyed our little discussions, there are no longer any SPC documented proof on this board to direct people to, to support ones logic, therefore someone would believe you just made it up.<br /><br /></font></font> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Ron Bennett </div>

 

[rlb2]

<font color="orange">rlb2, now that the significance of your past image postings can be reinterpreted with hindsight, you might consider a series of "best of" postings (or this could wait until the MER missions end when I'm sure we'll all be feeling very nostalgic). I have a feeling that where MER images are concerned, the best is yet to come. <font color="white"><br /><br />I have all the images I have ever posted here and text that I have posted here. I may re-post some of the controversial ones again as the rovers hibernate. In hindsight, I should have backed up SPC message board system for them. <br /> <br /></font></font> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Ron Bennett </div>

 

[rlb2]

Well put. <br /><br />I'm sure there will be a lot less post now and people seeking other places to get relief. If you spend several years on this board then see it crash like this most people can't help from feeling let down. There were several of us that spent a lot of time to render those images that were erased. Just think of all that archived information on Mars etc., Alex left behind that we cant reference. <br /><br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Ron Bennett </div>

 

[a_lost_packet_]

rlb2-<br /><br />I understand how you feel. I just wanted to say that all of those great pics you posted, even though they are no longer here, were not in vain. Many peeps appreciated them. I always took a look everytime one of your pic-threads was updated. You've probably contributed a few gigs of content that was appreciated and applauded by many members. Thanks again for all of your excellent work. If you ever get a chance to host it off-site, drop by and give us all a link. <br /><br />a_lost_packet_ <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font size="1">I put on my robe and wizard hat...</font> </div>

 

[rlb2]

Thanks, I did loose a lot of images here for people to see. I personally backed them all up and have them on a disk for reference. <br /><br />I have developed a page to Saturn and Mars images at my web site at arrow-space-innovations.com I can’t express my opinions as much there as I can here because there are more than one person responsible for that site.<br /><br />I just updated some raw images, 5 of them, of Phoebe that weren’t viewed before at the Saturn image thread. A more direct route would be here like the image shown below.<br /><br />http://www.arrow-space-innovations.com/_wsn/page5.html<br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Ron Bennett </div>

 

[serak_the_preparer]

<i>Well put.<br /><br />I'm sure there will be a lot less post now and people seeking other places to get relief. If you spend several years on this board then see it crash like this most people can't help from feeling let down. There were several of us that spent a lot of time to render those images that were erased. Just think of all that archived information on Mars etc., Alex left behind that we cant reference.</i><br /><br />The above does a good job describing my own feelings, as well.<br /><br />The issue is not - nor has it ever been - whether we pay for access to these forums or not (though, in a way, we do by providing traffic for the advertising). The relationship between the members and the site was built on trust. We've been entrusted with using the forums responsibly, creatively, socially, in order to establish an electronic community for the discussion of any and all topics, including space and science. And we trust those maintaining these forums to look after the community we've helped to build.<br /><br />The first time Space.com decided to delete older posts left me unhappy - not because it was done, but because of the way it was done. For awhile, it made it difficult for me to trust these forums. But I've always been one to bump up old threads, revive old discussions and dig through the old stuff, mainly because I like to see information on a given topic gathered in just one or two places, easy to find, easy to add to - like Alex's Mars material. A perfect example, since what happens is that it isn't just Alex contributing, but everyone stepping up with links, ideas, comments, building a very interesting and useful resource on Mars.<br /><br />But the bumps also kept what I judged to be interesting and worthwhile threads near the top, so if Space.com ever decided to undertake another purge without telling us, the good stuff would still be there. I see now that I didn't go far enough. After being burned once, I should have begun archiving the better