The Old Board Info Copied to CD?

mikeruth · 06-01-2003, 01:58 PM

I would like to have this on CD. It would save
much time. I am going through looking for items
that I missed or want to keep and it is taking a
lot of time. My wife is starting to get mad at me
(honest honey, I don't love the computer THAT
much).

I realize that it may be more trouble than you
are willing to put up with. I would gladly help
pay you for your time. Maybe other members would
like a copy.

Edward Tinker · 06-01-2003, 02:40 PM

On another forum, gunboards, this was brought up, and there is a lot more than jsut copying info. If it is just text, it is fairly easy, but any postings with photos, the photos must be copied and then the posting has to "point" to where the photo is.

This is an extremly time consuming tast and unless you want to pay $45 an hour, (and that is a cheap rate for a computer guy), and expect it to take at least 120 - 160 hours, it is not worth the time and trouble.

Not to sound like a know-it-all but I volunteered to scan in some newsletters and didn't realize the time involved, 29 pages (one month) take a total of 35-40 minutes to scan in, then another 10 minutes to place into publisher, then another 10 minutes to make them into html, it is a long process, not to count mistakes, screw ups etc. There are 12 issues a year times 11 years of newsletters, if I was charging these collectors, I would charge them probably $5,000 for my time alone.

Ed

John Sabato · 06-02-2003, 08:26 AM

Sorry Mikeruth, but Ed is so right. This data from the old board is in a format that is really only readable using the old forum software... it would not be an easy task to transform this data into something you could easily search. That is why the data was left available on line along with the means to search it... otherwise it would have been a very easy task to transpose this data into the new forum software when we made the transition to our current setup. It just isn't feasible.

Another major issue is the matter of privacy. Many entries of the old forum contain privacy information like email addresses and phone numbers... by moving it to CD, it would make it too easy for someone to harvest that information. Even your current email address is private here unless you post it publicly... Since the terms and conditions that applied to the old board didn't state that anything posted became the property of the forum... it wouldn't be right to distribute that data in such a way.

The photographs that were associated with many of the old posts are no longer available in most cases... but the text will be available as long as this forum is on the Internet and I intend for that to be as long as I am breathing...

John D. · 06-02-2003, 06:24 PM

Well, since my servers, systems and software actually are the ones that sit about 10 feet from where I'm writing this, and that's where all the messages are stored - let me add my $0.00002... <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="wink.gif" />

The messages are in UUENCODED TEXT files - and threads are a single TEXT message, with header information.... There are approximately 59,000 of these held within 20 subdirectories. The "software" does little more then render the text files as a message/thread - and then the Message Index holds the "search words". Another small database holds the message ID and location, so the SEARCH knows where to find it....

Furthermore - it is possible to "import/export" these archives in a global import scheme/program - including stripping e-mail addresses and IP addresses (they are the only "personal info contained to the messages) - but frankly - I don't have time to do it.

And moreover - the "contents" of the individual posts belong to the actual person who made the "post", and the overall archives (as the compendium of posts, much like a "magazine"), belong the the site. Which raises some logistical issues, in so far as getting folks permission to copy/use their posts in another media (archive vs. CD).

So - unfortunately - the answer is still "probably not" - but not exactly for the reasons cited...

HTH.....

mikeruth · 06-07-2003, 10:14 PM

Thanks all for answering this one.

06-01-2003, 01:58 PM	#1
mikeruth User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Indiana Posts: 27 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	The Old Board Info Copied to CD? I would like to have this on CD. It would save much time. I am going through looking for items that I missed or want to keep and it is taking a lot of time. My wife is starting to get mad at me (honest honey, I don't love the computer THAT much). I realize that it may be more trouble than you are willing to put up with. I would gladly help pay you for your time. Maybe other members would like a copy. __________________ Mike

06-01-2003, 02:40 PM	#2
Edward Tinker Super Moderator Eternal Lifer LugerForum Patron Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: North of Spokane, WA Posts: 15,909 Thanks: 1,986 Thanked 4,500 Times in 2,076 Posts	On another forum, gunboards, this was brought up, and there is a lot more than jsut copying info. If it is just text, it is fairly easy, but any postings with photos, the photos must be copied and then the posting has to "point" to where the photo is. This is an extremly time consuming tast and unless you want to pay $45 an hour, (and that is a cheap rate for a computer guy), and expect it to take at least 120 - 160 hours, it is not worth the time and trouble. Not to sound like a know-it-all but I volunteered to scan in some newsletters and didn't realize the time involved, 29 pages (one month) take a total of 35-40 minutes to scan in, then another 10 minutes to place into publisher, then another 10 minutes to make them into html, it is a long process, not to count mistakes, screw ups etc. There are 12 issues a year times 11 years of newsletters, if I was charging these collectors, I would charge them probably $5,000 for my time alone. Ed __________________ Edward Tinker ************ Co-Author of Police Lugers - Co-Author of Simson Lugers Author of Veteran Bring Backs Vol I, Vol II, Vol III and Vol IV

06-02-2003, 08:26 AM	#3
John Sabato Lifer Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: The Capital of the Free World Posts: 10,150 Thanks: 3,003 Thanked 2,304 Times in 1,096 Posts	Sorry Mikeruth, but Ed is so right. This data from the old board is in a format that is really only readable using the old forum software... it would not be an easy task to transform this data into something you could easily search. That is why the data was left available on line along with the means to search it... otherwise it would have been a very easy task to transpose this data into the new forum software when we made the transition to our current setup. It just isn't feasible. Another major issue is the matter of privacy. Many entries of the old forum contain privacy information like email addresses and phone numbers... by moving it to CD, it would make it too easy for someone to harvest that information. Even your current email address is private here unless you post it publicly... Since the terms and conditions that applied to the old board didn't state that anything posted became the property of the forum... it wouldn't be right to distribute that data in such a way. The photographs that were associated with many of the old posts are no longer available in most cases... but the text will be available as long as this forum is on the Internet and I intend for that to be as long as I am breathing... __________________ regards, -John S "...We hold these truths to be self-evident that ALL men are created EQUAL *and are endowed by their Creator* with certain UNALIENABLE* rights, and among these are life, LIBERTY, and the pursuit of happiness..."*

06-07-2003, 10:14 PM	#5
mikeruth User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Indiana Posts: 27 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Thanks all for answering this one. __________________ Mike

06-02-2003, 06:24 PM	#4
John D. Administrator & Site Owner LugerForum Patron Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: A Little NE of Somewhere... Posts: 2,651 Thanks: 471 Thanked 513 Times in 127 Posts	Well, since my servers, systems and software actually are the ones that sit about 10 feet from where I'm writing this, and that's where all the messages are stored - let me add my $0.00002... <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="wink.gif" /> The messages are in UUENCODED TEXT files - and threads are a single TEXT message, with header information.... There are approximately 59,000 of these held within 20 subdirectories. The "software" does little more then render the text files as a message/thread - and then the Message Index holds the "search words". Another small database holds the message ID and location, so the SEARCH knows where to find it.... Furthermore - it is possible to "import/export" these archives in a global import scheme/program - including stripping e-mail addresses and IP addresses (they are the only "personal info contained to the messages) - but frankly - I don't have time to do it. And moreover - the "contents" of the individual posts belong to the actual person who made the "post", and the overall archives (as the compendium of posts, much like a "magazine"), belong the the site. Which raises some logistical issues, in so far as getting folks permission to copy/use their posts in another media (archive vs. CD). So - unfortunately - the answer is still "probably not" - but not exactly for the reasons cited... HTH.....