Yet another update thread - New Forum and National Dinner

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Posted By: leon

I told ya'll I would make sure everyone knows what is going on through the new forum transition process so I am giving yet another update. The other thread had a lot of posts so I figure I will start a new one. This one can address the forum situation and I can give a brief update on the Net54 National Dinner. Believe me, I get asked questions about these things daily. Even with this thread I will get asked today again, but what's a guy to do?

1. The new forum- If anyone has gone over there lately you will see the tranferring of data is in process. There are 2 servers working on it continuously but there is a manual step in the process too, so it's taking a bit longer than we had hoped for at first. In conferring with a few folks we feel the way it's being done, with other obstacles involved behind the scenes, is the best way to do it. There was a hiccup in the MySQL database application (I know you appreciate knowing this Jim C) and it caused a hold up of maybe a half a day, or less. It's fixed and the process is continuing. We have already made a chatroom so it will be there from day one. Only registered users (your welcome) will be able to use it so there won't be any trolls causing havoc. Mike Masinick, Brian McQueen and Matt Wieder (for some consulting) have been invaluable in the process. I think we will be ready in 2-4 days but the progress can be seen over there, as it goes. I am still deciding on exactly how (procedurally) to shut this one down and start the other one. It will be done with no surprises and communicated well when we are doing it. This particular forum will still be up for at least several months if not for a year or more. I don't think it will go away before the end of the year but it will be read only. We'll see on that. My guess is once we have our bright, shiny, new forum no one will care much about this old one anymore, especially since the new one will have 100% of these files over there. Once we get over there we will start addressing layout and operational issues and changes....but on the first day(s) I see it being the same as this one.

2. The 2009 National Dinner will be on Thursday, July 30th, 2009 at the Sheraton Cleveland Airport Hotel, from 6pm until 12am. It is the closest hotel to the National and there are shuttles that run very frequently. We will do an RSVP as the time gets closer (maybe 3 weeks out)....And the only way to make sure you can get in is to RSVP, as there is some planning to do, and I have to have a good/fairly firm number guest count. I would like to try to keep it completely free again so if anyone knows of a good Hobby company that would like to help sponsor it, I am as Ross Perot says, all ears. (he really is all "ears", if you have ever seen him)

best regards