The database only contains part of the site, most is just plain html files. Every forum content page exists as an hamlet file. The database contains user info and a partial index of all the posts. There is a search database that contains only the words and post identifiers.
Maybe Frank can elaborate.
The thing is already broken in parts. I'm unable to use the built-in "appearance editor" as of four or five years ago. Not a big deal. Can edit files directly via FTW access. Apparently one of the pearl/cgifiles got corrupted, and though I was sure I had backups of all the coded files, I was unable to locate them. The author of Discus won't return calls or emails. I'd offered to pay for his help. Maybe I'll try again.
Calling Kevin Paulise!
Frank (Froggy) has suggested a forum that already has a Discus translator for it. I have the email.
We can use the https address for any page, but it craters when you try to post.
I do know that our server runs Linux. I used to know a lot more. LOl. Even hand-edited the thing a time or two. Haven't worked on it like that in near a decade.
If it were up to me, I'd even consider just getting someone to upgrade the existing scheme to work fully with https and implement a few other upgrades is all. There was actually a newer version of Discus that we just never installed, and it allowed getting rid of the archaic page archiving scheme displayed atop the page, going to the now typical numeric indexing scheme instead.
I have a good friend that knows Discus really well. He is one of the coders that worked on our site: thebestcasescenario.com. He did most of the transition to our new software and works for beer (or money). Great guy too.
I'll reach out to see if he is interested in helping with any issues or updates.
I'll also commit to helping financially with the update.
OK, I may not be able to help then. If Airbozo can get someone to help, then that may be the best way forward. I was thinking it ran like most of the modern forums where pretty much everything important is in the DB.
Froggy let me know what you found, maybe we can run in demo mode and see about translating to this other software on a local server to work out the bugs. I have a few low power computers sitting around that could be used for testing. Also have some old servers at work that I could use, but can't ship those due to inventory control.
And yes I'm in for a chunk of cash even if I can't find the tech help to get this changed. I strongly feel that if we want this information to continue to exist, we as a group need to move it forward to a platform that can be sustained. Since this site is now community funded, it's up to us to fund this important upgrade.
Given it was like 10 years ago when I last looked into it, I'm not even sure anymore. I assume it was Vbulletin as that is what I've been a fan of. And even then it was whatever I read, as I didn't have access to the database to see how it worked.
For the portion I've mentioned, Google is using its browser market share to force the industry to higher security standards. Standards which forum software from the 90s doesn't support (or at least doesn't completely work). It will work up until one day Chrome users won't be able to browse this website, forcing everyone to another browser, and naturally the rest of them will do the same in time.
I suppose we could require everyone to use Internet Explorer to browse here like some kind of Korean bank.
As for various back end issues Blake mentioned, I can't comment. This forum is likely the largest forum to ever use Discuss, and it wouldn't surprise me if there are issues related to the various databases not being able to handle that capacity. Heck, the search can easily bomb out (and just return a blank page) if you search too many posts so you need to limit each query to so many days and specific sub forums.
Kunena may have an import plugin, but I couldn't find a solid answer. I did find two companies that claim they can migrate Discus to Joomla/Kunena and that they will quote the job after they have access (FTP) to the site and that nothing will be touched here until they are ready. Then flip the switch and go live on the new software.
Bubble mailers showed up a day late, thank you USPS. I now have the inlaws visiting from California, so there's a slight delay in getting things out in the mail. It's coming... everybody should get whatever it is I'm mailing well before Christmas.
I came home last night to find we have a 12 foot tree in my foyer... here shown with my suddenly much happier wife Gretchen and father-in-law Ed.
edit: it's supposed to be 12 feet, but it's actually right at 14 feet... sheesh.
Ive said before, I'd welcome a more modern and easier to use forum,and will donate funds to help in that, as long as the decades of knowledge arent lost in the move.