paradise
01-12-2005, 12:55 PM
Hey everyone,
Well, here it is. The last 4 weeks of work are now in front of you. Jay and I, with the help of the rest of the mod team, have put this together so that you can enjoy a better place to hang out.
The Old APF had problems. It was written on an unstable platform that was vulnerable to online viruses (worms) and constant hacker attacks. It was difficult to manage, and was not very flexible or upgradable without constant code writing. One after one, we kept getting all kinds of problems. The decision to change was a difficult one, as we all got used to the look and feel of the old forum. But in the long term, it will prove to be a great decision.
This NEW APF is not complete yet. It's a work in progress, still. But it's functioning. It's a lot faster, on a better server, with better features, more flexibility and almost unlimited potential. I hope you take the time to learn the new features and make this your new home.
I would like to mention a few things that you may find NEW To the APF2.0:
1. A much more flexible post writing system. in addition to the regular "IMG" and "URL" tags, the VB system offers a graphical way to fill those tags in, requiring you to write NO code, plus many additional tags that you can learn about as you go along. Add to that color and font management and it's NICE!!!
2. DHTML Menus. On the top right of every Forum, Section, Thread or Post, you will find a menu that lets you perform many things, such as Subscribing to the whole forum, Marking all posts Read, and many other VERY useful options.
3. Navigational Bar - at the top of each screen there is a Nav. Bar that has all the commonly used features of APF at your fingertips. From Articles to Chat to Quick Links to Mod profiles, everything is right there.
4. A highly intuitive and advanced Search system. Click on search on the Nav. Bar, and you can do a Quick Search, but click on the Advanced Search link, and the possibilities of your search become Endless.
5. VB Chat - a fully integrated Chat room, with private, password-protected rooms, for instant (aim-like) communication right on APF. At the bottom of the main page, you can tell who is currently in the chat room and join them there.
There are many other features that I may have totally forgotten. But you will easily find them yourself, I am sure. There are a few other things we are working on, in the next few weeks, like a full Gallery system that will let you upload your pics directly to our server, and a Tiered Contributor program that activates many EXCLUSIVE and IMPORTANT Features for those members who choose to help APF be a stronger place by supporting us through donation. Those features will include Custom Titles, Image Attachement Ability and many more.
A few things are not working as they should, as a result of a very difficult Database transfer from the old system to the new one. You may find images missing, red x's showing. Take a look at your own RECENT posts, and please fix the IMG tags for your own pictures. The MOD team will be doing it as we watch the threads, but PLEASE help us out. The problems stemmed out of the OLD APF's Image Shrinking MODification, that edited those tags. A few other things may not seem right, so PLEASE post in the "TROUBLESHOOT NEW APF" Thread I have just started HERE (http://72.9.227.2/~aquatic/forum/showthread.php?p=15101#post15101).
Also, the URL for the new APF will not look like http://aquatic-photography.com that you are used to, as the domain takes several days to re-direct to the new location. In the meanwhile, you can use the link you see above you, or just type it the old way and you will be redirected here.
Thank you all for the last year. It was wonderful sharing it with you, my new friends, and I hope this new year will bring more fun Contests, Events, and just people helping people (the reason we are here, right?)
Glad to have you here,
Edward (Owner and Co-Administrator of APF 2.0)
Well, here it is. The last 4 weeks of work are now in front of you. Jay and I, with the help of the rest of the mod team, have put this together so that you can enjoy a better place to hang out.
The Old APF had problems. It was written on an unstable platform that was vulnerable to online viruses (worms) and constant hacker attacks. It was difficult to manage, and was not very flexible or upgradable without constant code writing. One after one, we kept getting all kinds of problems. The decision to change was a difficult one, as we all got used to the look and feel of the old forum. But in the long term, it will prove to be a great decision.
This NEW APF is not complete yet. It's a work in progress, still. But it's functioning. It's a lot faster, on a better server, with better features, more flexibility and almost unlimited potential. I hope you take the time to learn the new features and make this your new home.
I would like to mention a few things that you may find NEW To the APF2.0:
1. A much more flexible post writing system. in addition to the regular "IMG" and "URL" tags, the VB system offers a graphical way to fill those tags in, requiring you to write NO code, plus many additional tags that you can learn about as you go along. Add to that color and font management and it's NICE!!!
2. DHTML Menus. On the top right of every Forum, Section, Thread or Post, you will find a menu that lets you perform many things, such as Subscribing to the whole forum, Marking all posts Read, and many other VERY useful options.
3. Navigational Bar - at the top of each screen there is a Nav. Bar that has all the commonly used features of APF at your fingertips. From Articles to Chat to Quick Links to Mod profiles, everything is right there.
4. A highly intuitive and advanced Search system. Click on search on the Nav. Bar, and you can do a Quick Search, but click on the Advanced Search link, and the possibilities of your search become Endless.
5. VB Chat - a fully integrated Chat room, with private, password-protected rooms, for instant (aim-like) communication right on APF. At the bottom of the main page, you can tell who is currently in the chat room and join them there.
There are many other features that I may have totally forgotten. But you will easily find them yourself, I am sure. There are a few other things we are working on, in the next few weeks, like a full Gallery system that will let you upload your pics directly to our server, and a Tiered Contributor program that activates many EXCLUSIVE and IMPORTANT Features for those members who choose to help APF be a stronger place by supporting us through donation. Those features will include Custom Titles, Image Attachement Ability and many more.
A few things are not working as they should, as a result of a very difficult Database transfer from the old system to the new one. You may find images missing, red x's showing. Take a look at your own RECENT posts, and please fix the IMG tags for your own pictures. The MOD team will be doing it as we watch the threads, but PLEASE help us out. The problems stemmed out of the OLD APF's Image Shrinking MODification, that edited those tags. A few other things may not seem right, so PLEASE post in the "TROUBLESHOOT NEW APF" Thread I have just started HERE (http://72.9.227.2/~aquatic/forum/showthread.php?p=15101#post15101).
Also, the URL for the new APF will not look like http://aquatic-photography.com that you are used to, as the domain takes several days to re-direct to the new location. In the meanwhile, you can use the link you see above you, or just type it the old way and you will be redirected here.
Thank you all for the last year. It was wonderful sharing it with you, my new friends, and I hope this new year will bring more fun Contests, Events, and just people helping people (the reason we are here, right?)
Glad to have you here,
Edward (Owner and Co-Administrator of APF 2.0)