Forums online, news to follow


Recommended Posts

A suggestion?

Until the main page is ready, perhaps it would be a good idea to put up a more useful maintenance message on neowin.net? Maybe something along the lines of:

Neowin has just transitioned to new servers and we're currently working on getting an improved version of our news system online. In the meantime, the forums are already open.

The current maintenance message is rather vague and doesn't inform anyone that the forums are at least open.

A suggestion?

Until the main page is ready, perhaps it would be a good idea to put up a more useful maintenance message on neowin.net? Maybe something along the lines of:

The current maintenance message is rather vague and doesn't inform anyone that the forums are at least open.

i second that

A suggestion?

Until the main page is ready, perhaps it would be a good idea to put up a more useful maintenance message on neowin.net? Maybe something along the lines of:

The current maintenance message is rather vague and doesn't inform anyone that the forums are at least open.

:yes:s:

I agree completely.

I agree that you guys should let people know that the forums are open on the maintence page. Some people might be seeing that not knowing exactly what's going on.

But for the people who are complaining about how it's taking the coders too long have no patience at all. I see that by loading the RSS feed you still can see the news. That's what I've been doing until the frontpage is back up: http://feeds.feedburner.com/neowin-main

You people need to be patient. It's not easy switching over a site like this. You're going to hit snags no matter what. Some of you act like it's the end of the world. I mean calm down, the forums are up and running great.

What did you think we did? Bugs happen and were working on getting them fixed. We expected the complete transfer to occur on the 29th, however some things poped up that blocked us from releasing the main page to the public.

I can see the main page and its making good progress. It's not like its going to be down for months. :rollyes:

We are working on the issue and hope to get it resolved very soon...

you had the whole thing already running on the new servers and tested completly with test data? I'm sorry but I've been working in the web business for years now and rarely see problems like this happen when its done properly... the most you should of had to do is switch DNS entries to point to the new servers and sync changes in the database.. there are applications that do that all for you so you dont have to spend 10+ hours doing database replications too

you had the whole thing already running on the new servers and tested completly with test data? I'm sorry but I've been working in the web business for years now and rarely see problems like this happen when its done properly... the most you should of had to do is switch DNS entries to point to the new servers and sync changes in the database.. there are applications that do that all for you so you dont have to spend 10+ hours doing database replications too

Have a chat with the admins then... I'm sure they would love any advice you have to give them.

you had the whole thing already running on the new servers and tested completly with test data? I'm sorry but I've been working in the web business for years now and rarely see problems like this happen when its done properly... the most you should of had to do is switch DNS entries to point to the new servers and sync changes in the database.. there are applications that do that all for you so you dont have to spend 10+ hours doing database replications too

We do not have a entire department of paid staff at our disposal. Some people forget that. This isn't a Fortune 500 company. We do what we can as best as we can. The front page will be available shortly. I'm sorry but you will just need to bear with us.

A suggestion?

Until the main page is ready, perhaps it would be a good idea to put up a more useful maintenance message on neowin.net? Maybe something along the lines of:

The current maintenance message is rather vague and doesn't inform anyone that the forums are at least open.

Exactly what I was thinking. At least a link to the forums should be there.

We do not have a entire department of paid staff at our disposal. Some people forget that. This isn't a Fortune 500 company. We do what we can as best as we can. The front page will be available shortly. I'm sorry but you will just need to bear with us.

yes, I understand that but next time you guys do a transisition here is something you might want to look into.

* Completely mirror the site and database at current state to the 2nd server host, test it completely by using the IP addresses only with no DNS names required

* Once that is running exactly how it should be, update anywhere an ip is specifically mentioned to the DNS domain name

* Use a nifty program when you are ready to take it live that will mirror the current live data into the old data you are testing with.. this will make an exact mirrored copy of the live server to the old server and only copy changes, not the entire database... this saves a LOT of time some examples of this are Redgate's SQL Data compare... that is for SQL server, but there are people who make freeware MySQL ones and such also so you spent a lot of time replicating before anyone ever knew you where doing it... the only time wasted maybe an hour or so merging new data from the live system and having the program remove anything that isnt on the live system. this has saved us littearly days with website transitions before with huge amounts of data (in the TB's of data) took a 2 day process down to about 3 hours of merging and mirroring

* update DNS records

* new site live with seamless transition

I do not believe we had to enough spare bandwidth to do a live mirroring. Performance was getting pretty bad on the old server as it was and we were starting to get hit with large bandwidth charges. Our old servers would have had the strain of normal use plus the strain of live mirroring. That may have been asking too much.

But...the coders and administrators may read your message and get some ideas for next time. I was not directly involved in any of this so I cannot make a definitive or official statement.

Man I was like what it's been down for three days! Then I was was inspired to type in /forums who would have knowen

Same here.

I don't think critcising how the Admins do their work will make the Main Page become Done Any faster Than they are currently doing, and there's no point rushing it so let them do their thang. :D

Edit: Woah Im slow at posting. Like the Quick Edit Though. It Rules!

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • Dude, im talking about simply disable it from settings app. Because of the eu regulation, you could disable it here for years.
    • One big question about Mars was answered thanks to Einstein's 100 year old theory by Sayan Sen Image via DepositPhotos Scientists at the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have calculated how time passes on Mars compared with Earth, adding detail to how timekeeping would need to work beyond Earth’s orbit. The study, published in The Astronomical Journal, found that clocks on Mars run an average of 477 microseconds, or millionths of a second, faster per day than clocks on Earth. A microsecond is one millionth of a second, a very small unit used in precise scientific timing systems such as atomic clocks, which measure time using consistent atomic behavior. This difference is not constant. Because Mars moves around the Sun in a non-circular path (an eccentric orbit, meaning its distance from the Sun changes over time instead of staying fixed) and is affected by gravity from other bodies, the daily difference can vary by as much as 226 microseconds over a Martian year. The study also identifies smaller repeating changes of about 40 microseconds per day linked to synodic cycles (repeating periods that describe how planets line up with each other as they orbit the Sun from different positions). These longer patterns affect how time differences slowly rise and fall. To make these estimates, researchers compared Mars with Earth and the Moon. The work looks at relativistic proper time (the time actually measured by a clock depending on its speed and the strength of gravity where it is located, as described in Einstein’s relativity). This shows that each world has its own slightly different “rate” of time. This becomes more important as space missions expand into cislunar space (the region between Earth and the Moon) and toward Mars. On Earth, time systems rely on atomic clocks and satellites, which stay closely synchronized for navigation and communication. The study is based on Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity, which shows that time is affected by gravity and motion. Stronger gravity makes clocks run slower, while weaker gravity makes them run faster. “The time is just right for the Moon and Mars,” said NIST physicist Bijunath Patla. “This is the closest we have been to realizing the science fiction vision of expanding across the solar system.” A day on Mars is about 40 minutes longer than on Earth, and a Martian year lasts 687 Earth days. But the main question is not just about days and years, but how fast time itself passes. An atomic clock placed on Mars would function normally, but compared with one on Earth, the two would slowly drift apart due to differences in gravity and motion. This requires careful calculation of what is similar to a time-zone difference across planets. Researchers modeled Mars using a reference surface and included gravitational effects from the Sun, Earth, the Moon, and other planets. This includes a multi-body gravitational system (often described as a three-body or four-body problem, where predicting motion becomes difficult because multiple large objects all pull on each other at the same time through gravity). Mars also follows a Keplerian orbit (an idealized elliptical orbit based on simple gravitational laws that assume smooth motion, before adding real-world disturbances from other bodies). In addition, the researchers accounted for solar tides (small changes in gravitational force caused by the Sun that slightly distort planetary motion and timing, especially in systems involving Earth and the Moon). These combined effects are described as relativistic proper-time offsets (small but measurable differences in elapsed time between locations caused by gravity and motion), which must be included when comparing clocks across planets. “But for Mars, that’s not the case. Its distance from the Sun and its eccentric orbit make the variations in time larger. A three-body problem is extremely complicated. Now we’re dealing with four: the Sun, Earth, the Moon and Mars,” Patla explained. “The heavy lifting was more challenging than I initially thought.” Although the differences are extremely small, they matter for navigation and communication systems that depend on precise timing. Even modern networks on Earth, such as mobile systems, rely on timing accuracy at very small fractions of a second. Communication between Earth and Mars currently takes about four to 24 minutes or more depending on planetary positions, meaning signals are not real-time. A shared and accurate time system could help future missions reduce confusion in navigation and data exchange. “If you get synchronization, it will be almost like real-time communication without any loss of information. You don’t have to wait to see what happens,” Patla said. Researchers note that fully developed interplanetary communication networks are still far in the future. However, understanding how time behaves across planets helps prepare for those systems. “It may be decades before the surface of Mars is covered by the tracks of wandering rovers, but it is useful now to study the issues involved in establishing navigation systems on other planets and moons,” said Neil Ashby. “Like current global navigation systems like GPS, these systems will depend on accurate clocks, and the effects on clock rates can be analyzed with the help of Einstein’s general theory of relativity.” Patla added that the results also help improve understanding of time itself under relativity. “It's good to know for the first time what is happening on Mars timewise. Nobody knew that before. It improves our knowledge of the theory itself, the theory of how clocks tick and relativity,” he said. Source: NIST, IOPscience This article was generated with some help from AI and reviewed by an editor. Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, this material is used for the purpose of news reporting. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing.
    • TeraCopy 4.0 Build 26 by Razvan Serea TeraCopy is a compact program designed to copy and move files at the maximum possible speed, also providing you with a lot of features. Copy files faster. TeraCopy uses dynamically adjusted buffers to reduce seek times. Asynchronous copy speeds up file transfer between two physical hard drives. Pause and resume transfers. Pause copy process at any time to free up system resources and continue with a single click. Error recovery. In case of copy error, TeraCopy will try several times and in the worse case just skips the file, not terminating the entire transfer. Interactive file list. TeraCopy shows failed file transfers and lets you fix the problem and recopy only problem files. Shell integration. TeraCopy can completely replace Explorer copy and move functions, allowing you work with files as usual. TeraCopy is free for non-commercial use only. For commercial use you need to buy a license. The paid version of the program includes the following features: Copy/move to your favorite folders. Save reports as HTML and CSV files. Select files with the same extension/folder. Remove the selected files from the copy queue. TeraCopy 4.0 Build 26 changelog: Added support for receiving files via the LocalSend protocol. Improved exception handling and automated bug report upload. Fixed several minor bugs and small memory leaks. Build 26 (June 24) Fixed a rare exception when a transfer completed. Features added since version 3.17: Enhanced speed graph. New multi-threaded copy engine. Support for copying to multiple targets. Queue system for managing multiple copy operations. Support for receiving files via the LocalSend protocol. TeraCopy entry in the modern Windows Explorer context menu. Integrated toolbar in the title bar. Why receive LocalSend transfers with TeraCopy? Handle file conflicts: Skip, overwrite, or rename files when a file with the same name already exists. LocalSend always creates another copy, which can waste time and disk space, especially when resuming an interrupted transfer. Filter unwanted files: Apply ignore lists or remove files manually before accepting a transfer, so unnecessary files are not downloaded. Better performance on fast networks: In tests over a 10 Gbps connection, TeraCopy received files several times faster than the standard LocalSend app on Windows. Download: TeraCopy 4.0 Build 26 | 14.5 MB (Freeware, paid upgrade available) View: TeraCopy Website | Screenshot Get alerted to all of our Software updates on Twitter at @NeowinSoftware
    • Briefly used Turbo Pascal (and Turbo C++) in 97 and soon after that I bought PC magazine that included a full version of Delphi 2. I still use Delphi today, some 29 years later.
    • Age of Empires Mobile comes to PC, here's how to carry over progress from your phone by Ivan Jenic Image: YouTube/Microsoft Microsoft just released Age of Empires Mobile for PC. The game, officially called Age of Empires Mobile: PC Edition, is available for free on Steam and Microsoft Store, almost two years after its initial release for handheld devices. Age of Empires is one of those franchises that entire generations grew up with. The original came out in 1997, and immediately got people hooked to building civilizations and crushing their enemies on the battlefield. However, the franchise today is a far cry from its roots, as Age of Empires Mobile is, well, a game optimized for handheld devices, and not a classic RTS title we’ve all loved for years. And, of course, it includes in-game purchases. The PC version is still a mobile game at its core, but it’s been optimized for desktop play. There’s mouse control, full keyboard compatibility, and a refined UI. Microsoft also refreshed the visuals with some 4k textures, so the game should look better on larger screens. The game supports Crossplay, so you can switch between your phone, tablet, and PC without losing anything. But linked progress doesn’t come out of the box, as you have to enable it first. Here’s how to link your progress: On your mobile device, open Age of Empires Mobile. Go to Settings (Gear icon) > Account. Select Bind Account and choose a sign-in option. Once you enable account binding, sign in on PC using the same method, and your progress will be accessible across all your devices. Xbox Game Pass subscribers also get a bonus reward pack on PC, which includes: 1 Monthly Pass Token 1 Custom Resource Chest 10 Universal 60-Minute Speed-Ups 1,000 Empire Coins Exclusive Player Portrait Frame You can find more info about Age of Empires Mobile: PC Edition, as well as download links, on the Age of Empires official website.
  • Recent Achievements

    • One Year In
      Philsl earned a badge
      One Year In
    • Dedicated
      Scoobystu earned a badge
      Dedicated
    • First Post
      Tom Schmidt earned a badge
      First Post
    • One Month Later
      D0nn13 earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Rookie
      +ChiefOfNeo went up a rank
      Rookie
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      458
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      177
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      124
    4. 4
      Michael Scrip
      79
    5. 5
      Xenon
      76
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!