[AJ Quick]

Discourse is being a total pain in the ass to get up and running. But once we have a stable setup it should be very good and self updating. However according to my research the transferring of data may take a week to accomplish.

[timeware]

Stop me if you heard this before:

[Thatcrazysquidguy]

Definitely looking into a supporting membership. I recently left instagram due to the rapid decline in the quality of content, and I’ve really missed being more involved in the community. Looking forward to developments here, I’d love to post my builds.

[mrmichaelt]

Discourse is being a total pain in the ass to get up and running.

Well, that's just forum software for you. lol.

[prodestrian]

As someone who used to run a fan site for many years (Blues Brothers Central, if anyone remembers that ) I don't envy the amount of work AJ has ahead of him! But it's definitely a good call.

I left Facebook a few years ago and it was a huge help for my mental health, but I do have constant FOMO now that I no longer have access to the GB prop groups in there (specifically the Reference Library and Spengler's 1984 Workbench, I couldn't care less about all the slop and arguments posted in some of the other fan groups). And as we've seen in recent years, there's a strong chance that Meta could permanently delete those groups at any time with zero reason (usually because some AI moderation tool falsely assumed it was against the rules). Imagine how many builds, discoveries, and answers to important questions will be lost if/when that happens?

I made the decision that I would exclusively post all my GB builds and any prop research I do here on GBFans. I still have Instagram and I occasionally post prop builds on there, but I always link to a GBFans build thread when I do that. I visit the forum almost daily to see what's been posted (using the latest post boxes at the bottom of the page).

But as AJ said, it's not very mobile friendly, so most of the time if I want to reply I have to make time to switch on my laptop so I can post comfortably using a mouse/keyboard (which sometimes means I'll hold off for days before logging in and replying). I also seem to be logged out regularly even when I use the "Remember Me" checkbox, but with a password manager it's not a huge hassle to log back in each time I switch devices.

Super excited to see what's in store!

Edit: Just grabbed a basic Supporting Membership for the first time, it was painless!

[AJ Quick]

The great data migration is underway. ~6 days to go!

[Psycho Werekitsune]

Just thought of something; the "keep me logged in" option doesn't work at all as I'm always having to re-login after revisiting the page. I guess that's something that can be fixed/added.

[zeta otaku]

The great data migration is underway. ~6 days to go!

Will there be a period of down time between the mitigation or will it be a seamless integration?

[AJ Quick]

The great data migration is underway. ~6 days to go!

Will there be a period of down time between the mitigation or will it be a seamless integration?

If I do it correctly it can be seamless. I wrote the custom phpBB to Discourse importer, it actually can run continuously to keep the Discourse site up to date. Technically you could all use the Discourse right now and it would be fine... but that would break a lot of other things not currently set up.

Import is at 4% of posts in about 7 hours. At that rate that's 1 week just for posts not including private messages.

Edit: I just got an idea to set up multiple importers running at the same time, so we'll see if it works any faster!

[Kingpin]

Just thought of something; the "keep me logged in" option doesn't work at all as I'm always having to re-login after revisiting the page. I guess that's something that can be fixed/added.

That's odd, I have the same option checked and it usually does keep me logged in.
Do you regularly clear your computer cache/cookies?

This is an A.I.-generated summary of possible causes, so don't take these as automatic gospel, but possibly a nudge in the right direction:

Browser and Device Settings

•Cookies are deleted automatically: Websites use cookies to remember login information. If your browser settings are configured to clear cookies and site data when you close the browser or the computer restarts, you will be logged out each time.
•Incognito/Private Browsing Mode: Login information is not saved when using a private or incognito window, forcing you to sign in for each session.
•Browser extensions or third-party software: Certain browser extensions (like ad-blockers or privacy tools), or third-party programs such as antivirus software or system cleaners (e.g., CCleaner, Avast Cleaner), can automatically delete cookies and cached data.
•Corrupt browser profile or settings: A corrupted user profile in your browser can cause various issues, including not retaining login information. Resetting browser settings or creating a new profile often resolves this.
•Outdated browser version: Using an outdated browser can lead to compatibility issues with website security and session management features.
•Incorrect system time: Incorrect date and time settings on your computer can cause authentication issues, as website security certificates and session tokens rely on accurate timekeeping.

Website Security and Design

•Session time limits: For security reasons, websites, especially those dealing with sensitive information like banking or financial apps, are designed to log users out automatically after a short period of inactivity (e.g., 15 minutes) or after a certain time limit (e.g., two weeks for social media).
•"Remember me" option not working: Some websites have poorly implemented "remember me" functionality, meaning the option may do nothing in practice. As I mentioned above, this function appears to work for me, so I don't think it's a problem with GBFans.
•Security protocols: Websites may log you out if they detect a change in your "fingerprint" or IP address, or if your browser's security features don't align with the site's requirements.
•Server-side issues: The website's server might drop old sessions due to memory issues, or the site itself may be experiencing a temporary problem or configuration error.

External and Network Factors

•Public or shared computers: For security reasons, you should always log out of websites on shared or public devices to prevent unauthorized access.
•Changing IP address: If your public IP address changes frequently (which can happen with some internet service providers or when using certain VPNs), websites might not recognize the session and log you out.
•Network or DNS issues: Problems with your local network, DNS server settings, or the website's own network configuration can interfere with maintaining an active session.
•Malware or viruses: If your computer is compromised by malware or a virus (such as a keylogger or session stealer), the login credentials or session tokens could be targeted, leading to logout issues.

[AJ Quick]

I've never had a problem with 'Keep Me Logged In'. But I always use the same devices on the same networks and (usually) never close my browser.

[AJ Quick]

Edit: I just got an idea to set up multiple importers running at the same time, so we'll see if it works any faster!

So having 24 x faster throughput seems to be good!

I also was doing my calculations off of 5,000,000 posts. I have no idea where that number came from. It is closer to 600,000.

But. The good news for me at least is that the conversion process is now going to take far less time.

[AJ Quick]

Importing posts is done! Still to be done are PMs, Groups, Tags and the GBFans theme. It's about half way there.



Status on other things:

Shop is mostly done, but importing data will take a lot of verification. I have even started the initial steps of making a marketplace. I have not tested that at all though. (90% needs extensive testing)

Wiki is somewhat done. I need to go through the existing and figure out what is left worth extracting. (90% needs reformating)

Galleries are in progress now. All the screen caps and reference galleries will be imported along with very old fan props and fan art. Once that system is done I will start work on the ability to upload prop builds and fan art. (10% working on now)

News section is close to being done. Still need to import old news and then work on how the information is displayed. The main page of the site will take considerable effort to ensure it looks good from the start. It will be like a central hub where news, forum posts, information and content all stems from. (50% still layout and information to be done)

Community / Fan content section. This section is coming back where you have your own page that shows information about you but also has your prop builds, fan art, franchises, fan fiction etc. People that choose to opt in can find people that are near them to form franchises. It will be a little bit old school, social networking. (0% completed)

Finally a franchise area is in the works where franchises can promote themselves. It will include an interactive franchise map. It will also give franchises the ability to recruit new members. (0% completed)

Edit: And the searchable knowledge base will probably come after the site relaunches. I'm waiting to see exactly what the forum software is capable of.

Edit 2: And search! We'll have a really good search system that will be able to find the correct things people are looking for.

[AJ Quick]

Fun note about site architecture.

The site, forum and database will be running on separate servers, hosted by Google. There will always be 1 available 'instance' of the site and forum ready to go to handle ~50-100 users. If the site starts to become overloaded with too many visitors, Google will automatically deploy a second server to handle the new traffic and will split the traffic between them. Traffic on the site will not affect the traffic on the forum and vice versa. Similarly the database will scale up if traffic spikes. Oh and storage too, all files will be stored with Google. If the site is overly popular we can also distribute the servers across the US or the world so that they remain fast. IE: If we have 10,000 users in the Europe all checking on on the site, we can deploy a server in Europe to handle that traffic directly. There is also the ability to have content distribution networks (CDN) that serve files on servers closer to where people live.

It is my goal for every page to load in 1-2 seconds or faster.

The cost of all of this is of course $$$$. So please, consider becoming a Supporting Member today: https://www.gbfans.com/fans/supporting/

(This will also be the last time to buy a yearly Supporting Membership at these prices. After launch we will be switching to a monthly Supporting Membership subscription model similar to Patreon).

[prodestrian]

Fun note about site architecture.

Sounds great! Just have to make sure you add some upper scaling limits and billing threshold alerts. Worst thing is to get a hosting bill for $5000 just because some AI crawler decided to hammer the site with requests continuously for 24 hours (real world scenario)

Maybe running Cloudflare over the top might be a good idea too, so you can block malicious bots (and potentially add a caching layer for that extra performance boost).

[mrmichaelt]

Maybe running Cloudflare over the top might be a good idea too, so you can block malicious bots (and potentially add a caching layer for that extra performance boost).

Good idea. But, the one risk is when Cloudflare has a big outage, it's quite a hassle for a website especially if it's a whole region like it was for the US a few months ago.

[timeware]

Cant even imagine this site with 10,000 users. Even if we get a new movie announcement.

[mrmichaelt]

Cant even imagine this site with 10,000 users. Even if we get a new movie announcement.

You have to overshoot and keep the goal post at a sizeable distance. Not just an big influx of unregistered guests but logically you to anticipate unwanted activity like bots, DDoS, etc.

[AJ Quick]

Cant even imagine this site with 10,000 users. Even if we get a new movie announcement.

12486
Most Users Online

I think it was during a movie announcement. One other time was when a Wii Proton Pack mod went viral on reddit and elsewhere. We definitely hit 10,000 then.

[Psycho Werekitsune]

Just thought of something; the "keep me logged in" option doesn't work at all as I'm always having to re-login after revisiting the page. I guess that's something that can be fixed/added.

That's odd, I have the same option checked and it usually does keep me logged in.
Do you regularly clear your computer cache/cookies?

This is an A.I.-generated summary of possible causes, so don't take these as automatic gospel, but possibly a nudge in the right direction:

Browser and Device Settings

•Cookies are deleted automatically: Websites use cookies to remember login information. If your browser settings are configured to clear cookies and site data when you close the browser or the computer restarts, you will be logged out each time.
•Incognito/Private Browsing Mode: Login information is not saved when using a private or incognito window, forcing you to sign in for each session.
•Browser extensions or third-party software: Certain browser extensions (like ad-blockers or privacy tools), or third-party programs such as antivirus software or system cleaners (e.g., CCleaner, Avast Cleaner), can automatically delete cookies and cached data.
•Corrupt browser profile or settings: A corrupted user profile in your browser can cause various issues, including not retaining login information. Resetting browser settings or creating a new profile often resolves this.
•Outdated browser version: Using an outdated browser can lead to compatibility issues with website security and session management features.
•Incorrect system time: Incorrect date and time settings on your computer can cause authentication issues, as website security certificates and session tokens rely on accurate timekeeping.

Website Security and Design

•Session time limits: For security reasons, websites, especially those dealing with sensitive information like banking or financial apps, are designed to log users out automatically after a short period of inactivity (e.g., 15 minutes) or after a certain time limit (e.g., two weeks for social media).
•"Remember me" option not working: Some websites have poorly implemented "remember me" functionality, meaning the option may do nothing in practice. As I mentioned above, this function appears to work for me, so I don't think it's a problem with GBFans.
•Security protocols: Websites may log you out if they detect a change in your "fingerprint" or IP address, or if your browser's security features don't align with the site's requirements.
•Server-side issues: The website's server might drop old sessions due to memory issues, or the site itself may be experiencing a temporary problem or configuration error.

External and Network Factors

•Public or shared computers: For security reasons, you should always log out of websites on shared or public devices to prevent unauthorized access.
•Changing IP address: If your public IP address changes frequently (which can happen with some internet service providers or when using certain VPNs), websites might not recognize the session and log you out.
•Network or DNS issues: Problems with your local network, DNS server settings, or the website's own network configuration can interfere with maintaining an active session.
•Malware or viruses: If your computer is compromised by malware or a virus (such as a keylogger or session stealer), the login credentials or session tokens could be targeted, leading to logout issues.

None of those really apply to me. Only thing that might is whenever I switch on the VPN for a specific purpose before turning it off again, and I don't think I've ever browsed the site with it on. Reporting that it seems to be working fine now, of all things, so maybe the move fixed it?

[prodestrian]

For me it seems like if I login on my laptop, it's fine (I stay logged in). But if I then login on my mobile (on the same WiFi network and the same public IP address), then I'm logged out on my laptop. But it doesn't happen instantly, it seems to take up to a day for the laptop session to expire (which makes sense given that the login session is short but the Remember Me cookie has a longer expiration, so whenever the login session expires it should get regenerated/extended if there's a valid Remember Me cookie on the next visit). I logged in on my laptop a few days ago and it's now logged me out on my mobile, but I'm still logged in on my laptop.

I think there's something server-side tying the "Remember Me" session to the public IP address, and when it gets regenerated on one device it effectively invalidates that session on any other devices on that IP address. This would explain why if I add something to my shop cart on one device in Incognito Mode, it shows up in my cart on every device in my network, even if the device isn't signed in, even if that browser is in Incognito Mode. Basically every device on my IP address is treated as the same user, regardless of whether it's ever logged into GBFans. Even if it's a different browser (add to your cart in Chrome Incognito Mode on your phone, it'll show up in your cart in Firefox Private Browsing on your desktop/laptop).

[AJ Quick]

Even if it's a different browser (add to your cart in Chrome Incognito Mode on your phone, it'll show up in your cart in Firefox Private Browsing on your desktop/laptop).

That one is something different. The cart basically doesn't care if you are logged in or not, it will keep your cart between logged in sessions, logged out, different devices, incognito.. etc. It isn't ideal, but it saves cart data through your IP. Technically I could use your wifi add something to the cart and it would show up on your computer.


The new shopping system won't do that.

[AJ Quick]

I've begun the process of reindexing the image gallery. I have over 100,000 photos that are over 100GB in size. The resizing and new formats will be generated and currently it is said that it will take ~250 days.

Working on alternative solutions now.

EDIT: Got that down to 10 hours by renting a super computer. Yet another good reason to sign up for a Supporting Membership! https://www.gbfans.com/fans/supporting/

[AJ Quick]

Major improvements underway for the gallery, including prop gallery and fan art albums. The transfer process took 24+ hours and cost a decent amount of money to optimize images. I am trying to replace our current gallery in terms of functionality and it has been going well so far. Props will have a large degree of adaption. Previously you could select between a Proton Pack, Ghost Trap.. etc. Now you will select Proton Pack and then be asked for specific information such as:

- Is it 3D Printed? If so, what files did you use / what version.
- Is it a Spirit Halloween pack? If so did you modify it extensively? (same for Hasbro and others).
- What parts are you using.. etc.

So people will be able to have really fine grained control to say: Show me all Full Sized Spirit Halloween Proton Packs using XYZ's part.

The Franchise system is nearly done. Lots of really great features coming for that, it allows franchises to have a hub. They even have the ability to get their news and information out to the main page of the site. Working on something now where franchises can actually earn some money for their charity by being active on the site. There will be a map that shows all franchises all over the world with their logos, territories.. etc. Franchises will be able to recruit people near them and fans will be able to see franchises they can join. We'll also have expanded information about how to create a franchise, what it takes, what to do and how to do things well. We will also have resources for franchises on how to take things to the next level with non profit designations.


The Shop has continued to get extensive improvements behind the scenes. There will be a merchant system where a seller can sign up and sell their products directly through the GBFans Shop in exchange for a commission. There will be very fine grained controls given to facilitate that and I have just implemented a split arrangement where sellers can offer coupons and do promotion of the shop in exchange for reduced fees. The merchants get the same high tech features in regards to shipping and packaging that I get. The aim is to always have correctly calculated packaging sizes so customers never pay more than they are supposed to.

Data transfer to the new forum is still underway. We have about 20% of the PMs remaining to transfer. Then we will start backfilling data transfers and updates that have occurred since the initial migration so that nothing is lost in the meantime.

You may see a notice at the top of the site now about updating email addresses. This is very important. An updated email address will be required for sign in for the first time. You will no longer be able to login using your username alone. The reason is unfortunately many usernames will need to change as the new forum and login system do not allow usernames with spaces in them. You must make sure your email is up to date.

I will have a back up process in place where people may be able to login to their PHPBB username + password one last time as a backup but once the account is transferred it will be expected that you will login with your email.

[mrmichaelt]

You may see a notice at the top of the site now about updating email addresses. This is very important. An updated email address will be required for sign in for the first time. You will no longer be able to login using your username alone. The reason is unfortunately many usernames will need to change as the new forum and login system do not allow usernames with spaces in them. You must make sure your email is up to date.

I will have a back up process in place where people may be able to login to their PHPBB username + password one last time as a backup but once the account is transferred it will be expected that you will login with your email.

So if your email is up to date and your username has no spaces in it, nothing needs to be done by the user? Whereas those with spaces with have to do an extra step i.e. be prompted to change their username when they sign in?

[AJ Quick]

So if your email is up to date and your username has no spaces in it, nothing needs to be done by the user? Whereas those with spaces with have to do an extra step i.e. be prompted to change their username when they sign in?

Yes. You're good.

For everyone else, the username will be updated automatically. My username is now "AJ_Quick" for example.

I believe I will allow people to change their usernames for a short period of time after the new forum is up, I just need to make sure they can be synced easily.

[timeware]

Also note to check your inbox for an e-mail from GBFANS if you choose to update your e-mail address. You have to confirm the change.

[AJ Quick]

Much of today has been spent working on updating the email system. The system will be very robust with fully themed emails for notifications and importantly it finally checks if an email has bounced. It will help us because as many as half of the users have outdated emails. There are also very strict unsubscribe checks, if you unsubscribe, you will be unsubscribed for all but specific account emails. There will be a lot more opportunities to get notifications for certain things happening on the site as well as push notifications.

Other things worked on today include the dashboard (where you access all of your personal profile and stuff like franchises, props, art, notifications and more). The search engine is also coming along and is taking shape. You will have the ability to search all of our content, images and the shop. The forum will have a separate search function, but I am looking into ways to combine them into a unified search. Now if you want to find XYZ thing you will find XYZ thing.

[timeware]

Do these changes mean I can see if I have notifications when looking at the site on my phone?

[AJ Quick]

Do these changes mean I can see if I have notifications when looking at the site on my phone?

Yes. You will actually have the ability to "install" the site to your phone. On Android this is done as "Add to Home" on Chrome. I'm not sure what it is called on iPhone, but they have something similar in Safari.

You will actually be able to get push notifications to your phone. So if someone mentions you, sends you a chat message, a product on your wishlist comes back in stock or an order ships, you have the option to get a push notification. That's the type of notification that pops up on the notification bar natively on your phone along with texts, emails and other apps.