UBB.threads PHP Forum Software Community Forums UBB.threads 6 Version 6 Support Has anyone ever managed a downgrade?

Serious question <img src="https://www.ubbcentral.com/boards/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> <img src="https://www.ubbcentral.com/boards/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

I am getting so many complaints, and loosing members due to a) people getting logged out (not so major) b) new posts not being tracked (very major) that this is really starting to get me down. <img src="https://www.ubbcentral.com/boards/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

I am trying to fend off the complaints, but when it starts getting mentioned on other 'competitor' forums, you know you have a problem.

I have a database that is now a week old (and growing in age) that I could go back to - but this will probably cause even more complaints, with missing posts etc.

All I can see to do is to reverse the various sql updates.

Maybe people will start to return if and when the problem is sorted - but I am starting to have my doubts - reason being that the site is built around various small UK clubs having their forums as part of my site - and some of those clubs are considering jumping ship - so taking many members with them.

I have already reduced my forums down from 120 to 65, but I can't trim them anymore. We have 350,000 posts, which is still small compared to many, so I do not know what else to do.

So hence my only answer to downgrade.

I know that 6.5.1 MAY contain some bug fixes, but that could be some time away before releasing, and I can't really take another seven days like the last. <img src="https://www.ubbcentral.com/boards/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

This is a *do at your own risk* procedure. I can't say for sure that this will work flawlessly, so you probably want to do this on a backup of your current db on a test install.

Your categories may be out of order after doing this and you'll also lose all of your banned users, but everything else should be ok.

Setup 6.4.4 pointing at the backup of your database (like I said, don't do this on your live site). Then run these queries:

ALTER TABLE w3t_Users ADD U_TempRead text, ADD U_Sort INT(4), ADD U_ActiveThread INT(4)

ALTER TABLE w3t_Banned ADD B_Uid INT(9), B_Reason VARCHAR(255)

Then go ahead and test the 6.4.4 install and see if things work ok.

Instead of downgrading have you had a thought of switching to sessions?

Thanks guys - I thought that sessions was even worse? I am sure I saw a post with a similar issue under sessions, and the client was advised to switch to cookies.

This is getting so depressing that I will try anything <img src="https://www.ubbcentral.com/boards/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

Sessions will require your users to log in every time they come to the board, but it should solve the problem of trying to put too much posts read data into a cookie. It will go into a file stored on the server, where there is no size limit.

This also solves the post count tracking issues then - as to be honest this is more problematic than the logging out?

Actually it appears there is an issue with the session post tracking as well that slipped through the beta testing period since hardly anyone uses sessions.

<img src="https://www.ubbcentral.com/boards/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

I hope we see 6.5.1 in the next few days. <img src="https://www.ubbcentral.com/boards/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

[]ALTER TABLE w3t_Users ADD U_TempRead text, ADD U_Sort INT(4), ADD U_ActiveThread INT(4)

ALTER TABLE w3t_Banned ADD B_Uid INT(9), ADD B_Reason VARCHAR(255)
[/]

I've been experimenting with that this morning and it works. Except for the adjustment to the MySQL command highlighted above. Just add an "ADD" and it works.

Categeory orders are fine and you do lose all banned users.

Any issues jetc?

As I am reaching the end of my sanity with this version - it is not much fun to have every single day several posts relating to the problems. So much so, that I have seriously considering closing the site. <img src="https://www.ubbcentral.com/boards/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

Of course every day, you also live in hope that 6.5.1 will be out, and all the problems will be over. But the problem is tomorrow never comes...

All I can say I hope the next generation version will be given to many people to run a proper beta test - the public betas here do not allow serious testing, as several revisions are kept away from the public - you can't expect people to jump from b1 to b4 then b6 etc., over a span of a few months, and seriously test the product.

"All I can say I hope the next generation version will be given to many people to run a proper beta test - the public betas here do not allow serious testing, as several revisions are kept away from the public - you can't expect people to jump from b1 to b4 then b6 etc., over a span of a few months, and seriously test the product. "

Why not? That's the most dissapointing statement I've read on these forums in all the years I've been the Product Manager. Honestly. <img src="https://www.ubbcentral.com/boards/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

I'm wondering, do you think we need to put people through the minutea of updating every day over typos in the control panel as I do my closed beta test group? We put out the beta version in the Member Area when there are significant and real changes to be tested or demonstrated. Not to test or track typos. Not to test or track HTML code changes. Not to test or track color scheme changes.

We spent an amount of time at one point in the cycle changing from the old blue look I posted in my screen shots thread, to the current earthy colors. Did we need to put out another public beta release for that?

How many testers will we keep, and how much of their attention are we going to hold, if we issue a beta release for every change like that?

The specific change which is causing you the largest amount of trouble was in ALL of the public beta versions. All of them.

Please Ian, if you're going to take your shots at me and my decision making, make them legitimate. Missing a release because I didn't think a color change, or some other minor change, warranted a public release is not, in my mind, a reasonable complaint.

You've been around a long time. Do I wish that more people would download and run the betas (I have the numbers)? Sure. Of course I do. Do I wish more people that download it would find or report problems? Yes.

Do I think people don't run the betas because I didn't issue a b5 between b4 and b6?

Absolutely not.

Ian, you've been around a long time. I find value in your opinion. but this time, I can't disagree more.

David,

I understand where you are coming from - but put yourself in my shoes.

I would have loved to have run the beta properly - but didn't for two main reasons.

1) The betas seems to run on for several months now, far long than they ever used to (whether that is fact or I am getting older is debatable <img src="https://www.ubbcentral.com/boards/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> )

2) B1 is released to us public - great we all think new features let's test it - well the best we can do is run some minor tests - we can't do a full public test like the beat testers do, because b2 and b3 which contain bug fixes to some showstoppers are not released. This was the case for 6.4 as well - so people having had their fingers burnt with 6.4 betas are going to leave 6.5 betas alone. You highlighted b5 - but I reckon b5 was far more minor than b2 & b3. When people ask for a fix to a showstopper from b1, they are simply told 'You shouldn't run this in a live environment' - not exactly helpful to encourage others. <img src="https://www.ubbcentral.com/boards/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

So anyway version 6.5 is released, with what seems like a lot of bugs - some companies would release a 6.5.1, 6.5.2, 6.5.3 (or maybe a 6.5 build 1, 6.5 build 2 in a regular sequence to help those having problems - but we seem to have to wait for an extended period of time for one large bundled release, which frustrates people.

Yes, I have been around a long time - and I try to give a balanced view of things and help others where I can - but if you were to get threads started on a daily basis from fed-up users, you too would get depressed by the situation.

Let's face it David, one slight moan on here and you are having a dig back at a customer <img src="https://www.ubbcentral.com/boards/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> I get the moans and complaints daily - do I criticise back? NO! They are my users, my lifeblood without them there would be no forum.

All I can say is that I am trying to find a fix for the major errors that they are getting, and apologise time after time - and believe me knowing which posts you have read, and which you haven't is very major to many people. Would you rather me post your email address and direct all the moans to you? Because right now, I do not know how much more I can take - when you dread clicking on the flashing envolope to read the contents of another PM, then things are getting bad <img src="https://www.ubbcentral.com/boards/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

I honestly cannot take much more of it. <img src="https://www.ubbcentral.com/boards/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

I must disagree with one point I was NOT having a pot at you - in fact your name didn't even come to my mind - and nor did Rick's - it was a general feeling felt not only by myself but by several others. (I am not even sure who makes the decisions at Infopop - maybe it is you, maybe not - please don't assume we all know who works at Infopop - there is only one person's name I can remember and that is Rick's and that is simply because of the wwwthreads days)

My posts have dwindled since 6.5 - the complaints have rocketed - so much so that people even approach me at football games to have a moan - not much fun.

I am sorry you disagree - and maybe others also disagree -maybe I am the only one who thinks like this - you wish more people would take part in betas but there has to be a reason why they don't.

This morning I have to make a decision do I a) Downgrade to 6.4 , b) Ignore the complaints and patiently wait for a fix or c) close shop and give up on several years of hard work?

All we ask for is honesty - tell us the fixes will not be out until next month - or tell us it is due this week - the problem is that we never know when anything is likely to appear - maybe others can live like that, but I find it frustrating.

I can see the stop sign at the crossroads ahead - which way do I turn? because the current road is far too narrow.

<img src="https://www.ubbcentral.com/boards/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

[]Any issues jetc?
[/]

Zip, zero, nada.

You WILL lose your banner users/ip's but before you make the downgrade, print a copy of whatever users/ip's you have banned.

What I did was re-installed by backup files, changed the directory name of the 6.5 install, made a copy of the MySQL database and pointed the 6.4 install to the copied database and ran the commands listed previous in this thread. So that way, if I screwed it up, I could quickly change the 6.5 directory name and get back into business.

Not that I'm taking any sides in this debate, but one of my boards is extraordinarily active and I'd hear LOADS of complaints if something wasn't right with the upgrade. And yes, it was an enormous pain in the butt and I took an enormous hit in traffic temporarily because the new post tracking wasn't working correctly.

So I figure whenever 6.5.1 comes out, I'll probably give it a month to see what the top complaints are, if any, before upgrading on the busier boards.

I think boards with technically-oriented people can work around some of the upgrade hassles, but when a large percentage of your board is of the demographic that wants to hold up a page to the screen to fax it or wants to talk to the mouse like "Scotty" from Star Trek, small errors like new post tracking create a apocalyptic situation -- especially when you're competing with other similar boards for traffic.

But to answer your question, if you backed up all of the files before upgrading to 6.5, I'd STRONGLY suggest downgrading. it's been nothing but wine and roses again since the downgrade. I think they're planning a parade...