ASF migration to new software platform Q&A

[Joe Blow]

Good afternoon everyone.

I thought I'd start this thread in advance of ASF migrating to a new software platform next month. The migration is tentatively scheduled for either Friday, 9 December or Friday, 16 December. I usually do these kind of large scale changes on a Friday evening as it minimises disruption and gives me the weekend to iron out any bugs or issues, of which there are usually many.

So, what will ASF be like after we migrate to the new software platform? Well, the differences that most people notice will be mostly cosmetic. The forums will retain a similar design, but the underlying software will be entirely new so there will be some differences when it comes to layout and functionality. The new menus and website navigation will take some getting used to. That is a given. I am doing my best to ensure that the vast majority of features that currently exist will be available on the new software platform, but some may be missing. The reason for this is because those particular features are not supported by the new software. The good news is that the new software has a lot of new features that the current software does not and will never have. The new software will also be much faster. The experience on mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones will be much better.

Why is ASF moving to a new software platform? The short answer is that the current software is no longer being actively developed and has no real future to speak of. There is much better software out there that does the same job but is being actively developed and supported. If ASF is to have a future, this change of software needs to happen and I would like to begin 2017 with that change firmly in place. December is traditionally the slowest month of the year so it seems to me to be the perfect month to implement this kind of large scale change.

This thread will serve as a Q&A platform for any questions or queries related to the software migration, either before or after it occurs. If anyone has any questions before the software migration I am more than happy to answer them. Just fire away. I know there will be many questions after it occurs due to the scale of the changes, so I will do my best to make the transition as easy as possible after it happens by explaining new features and updating everyone on how to find or access old ones.

A new day for ASF is about to dawn. Thank you all for your continued support.

 

[qldfrog]

Good afternoon everyone.

I thought I'd start this thread in advance of ASF migrating to a new software platform next month. The migration is tentatively scheduled for either Friday, 9 December or Friday, 16 December. I usually do these kind of large scale changes on a Friday evening as it minimises disruption and gives me the weekend to iron out any bugs or issues, of which there are usually many.

So, what will ASF be like after we migrate to the new software platform? Well, the differences that most people notice will be mostly cosmetic. The forums will retain a similar design, but the underlying software will be entirely new so there will be some differences when it comes to layout and functionality. The new menus and website navigation will take some getting used to. That is a given. I am doing my best to ensure that the vast majority of features that currently exist will be available on the new software platform, but some may be missing. The reason for this is because those particular features are not supported by the new software. The good news is that the new software has a lot of new features that the current software does not and will never have. The new software will also be much faster. The experience on mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones will be much better.

Why is ASF moving to a new software platform? The short answer is that the current software is no longer being actively developed and has no real future to speak of. There is much better software out there that does the same job but is being actively developed and supported. If ASF is to have a future, this change of software needs to happen and I would like to begin 2017 with that change firmly in place. December is traditionally the slowest month of the year so it seems to me to be the perfect month to implement this kind of large scale change.

This thread will serve as a Q&A platform for any questions or queries related to the software migration, either before or after it occurs. If anyone has any questions before the software migration I am more than happy to answer them. Just fire away. I know there will be many questions after it occurs due to the scale of the changes, so I will do my best to make the transition as easy as possible after it happens by explaining new features and updating everyone on how to find or access old ones.

A new day for ASF is about to dawn. Thank you all for your continued support.

Thanks Joe, your efforts much appreciated.Hope it will go smoothly

 

[pixel]

Hi Joe,
we're very much looking forward to the "new, improved" ASF.
I know the transfer itself is a one man job. But if you'd like some help with Beta-testing after the initial move, you know where I am.
A couple of days early warning will be enough, plus maybe a prioritised list of functions and features that you think may need particularly intensive testing, and I'll try to plan around it.
I'm sure there will be more volunteers, if it helps.

 

[VSntchr]

I'm sure there will be more volunteers, if it helps.

+1. Happy to help if I can

 

[qldfrog]

+1 same here

 

[galumay]

Yep, same here. As a Forum Admin & web developer elsewhere, happy to lend a hand anywhere its needed.

 

[Joe Blow]

Thank you for the support and offer of assistance guys.

At the moment I am still trying to get the new design tidied up and finalised. It's been a bit of an arduous process that has been far more complicated and expensive than I had anticipated, but hopefully it will be worth it in the end.

I will contact you via PM a couple of weeks before I plan to go live to do some beta testing and offer last minute feedback on the test install before I go ahead with the final migration.

 

[Joe Blow]

Just a reminder that this software migration will be going ahead next week, probably on the evening of the 22nd. At the time of the migration everyone will be logged out and will need to log back in once it is complete, so if you cannot remember your password or need assistance in changing it please contact me.

If anyone would like a preview of the new ASF (as a work in progress) please feel free to PM me and I will give you a link.

 

[Joe Blow]

The software migration is going ahead as scheduled this Thursday evening December 22nd. ASF will be down for a number of hours as all forum data is migrated across. At this stage it is difficult to predict how long ASF will be down. I will do my best to ensure that the transition is as smooth as possible.

After the migration process is complete ASF will look quite different and many of the features you are used to may not be located in the same place. ASF is moving to a completely different software platform so it will take some time to get used to the new layout and functionality. I will be conducting a Q&A in this thread to assist everyone in finding their way around the new software.

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask them in this thread.

 

[CanOz]

Good luck Joe.....!!!

 

[Joe Blow]

ASF will be going offline tonight around 10pm as we make the move to new forum software. I will endeavour to make the transition as quick and as smooth as possible but am unable to make any accurate prediction about how long the downtime will be.

The blogs and the groups features are going for good. Neither were ever really used much and the blogs in particular became a bit of a magnet for spam. The blogs content (blog entries and comments) is being imported as threads and I will be going through them one by one and restoring those which contain useful or interesting content and discarding those that do not.

Boardroom Radio is also going, at least temporarily, as I look at new ways of potentially re-integrating their content.

ASF will be returning to what it began as, an Australian stock market forum community. Initially it will be a bit more bare bones as a number of rarely used features are shed. However, I can assure you that the improved forum functionality will more than make up for the features that are being discarded. It is time for ASF to be renewed after six years in its current form. I intend to seek suggestions for new ways I can make ASF relevant and useful to you, the ASF community. In the past, I have been limited by the forum software, as I have been reluctant to build for the future on software that was slowly going out-of-date. It seemed like a bit of a self-defeating exercise. The new forum software will provide a solid foundation for future development.

After the migration takes place tonight there will be a lot of cleaning up to do. Settings will need to be adjusted and there will be a lot that needs to be fixed up. This is what I will be spending most of my time between tomorrow and new year doing. By new year I should hopefully have everything sorted out. Some issues will need to be pointed out to me, so please post in this thread and let me know if there is something that you come across that needs adjustment or modification. I will be here and will respond as quickly as possible.

All I ask is that everyone gives themselves a little time to adjust to the new software. When changes on this scale are introduced, it is usually a little disorienting and can initially come as a bit of a shock. However, I hope that in this particular instance it will be like changing from an old Datsun 180B to a new BMW.

With that said, it's almost time for a new chapter in ASF's 12 and a half year history to begin. I hope you'll all stick around and help me create it.

 

[Modest]

Good luck with the migration Joe, looking forward to the new look ASF.

 

[galumay]

Thanks for all the hard work Joe, I am sure the members will be impressed by the new forum software, it looks really slick.

 

[barney]

I hope that in this particular instance it will be like changing from an old Datsun 180B to a new BMW.

I love old Datsuns .... but I'm more than happy to drive a new BMW .... good luck with the transition Joe!

 

[ThingyMajiggy]

Forcing lots of users with grey hair to go through a big change, there's probably going to be buttons in different places and everything!

May the force be with you Joe

 

[Joe Blow]

Thanks for the support everyone, although I must admit to being very nervous. This change is the most profound in ASF's history.

I can say with certainty that there will be things that people like and things that they don't like. I can say this for me also. However, we can keep the things that people seem to like and work to improve the things they don't. It's a bit of a blank canvas in a way, a starting point to make the new ASF even better.

Just a last minute reminder: everyone will need to log in again after the migration, so please be prepared for that. When you do log in, check the box that says, "Stay logged in".

 

[smallwolf]

good luck Joe.... may the force be with you

 

[VSntchr]

With that said, it's almost time for a new chapter in ASF's 12 and a half year history to begin. I hope you'll all stick around and help me create it.

Thanks Joe. ASF played an integral role in moving me from market novice to full time trader and I hope that the new site allows more like me to experience the benefits of ASF and its knowledgeable posters.
Merry XMAS :xmastree

 

[Joe Blow]

OK folks, we're back but experiencing some issues. Please bear with me.

 

[Joe Blow]

There's still a mountain of issues to work through but they will have to wait until I wake up. This was a much more difficult process than I anticipated. If you have any questions or feedback please fire away. If anyone has any issues logging in then please contact me via the Contact Us link below.