Forum Changes

[dudeinanigloo]

Okay, there are two things that have been annoying me for a long time.

First, the private message inbox size of 70 maximum is stupid. I've had to go in there and selectively delete PMs far too often, and I'm tired of it. PM inbox space should not be an issue - I'm registered on several forums that let you have more than twice that is allowed here, and they don't even have a big main website to pull in money for them. Three of those forums are listed below:

http://www.orangedefense.net/forums/index.php?act=idx (lets you store 2500 PMs!!)

http://z15.invisionfree.com/Cyber_Nations/index.php? (lets you store 500)

http://www.saxontheweb.net/vbulletin/private.php (lets you store 150)

Second, the character limit on PMs is not enough. Sometimes you need to send long messages to other members, and the fact that you can't do it all at once is annoying. As in the first point, the first website that I mentioned above lets you send PMs of 5000 characters or more, unlike the measly 1000 allowed here.

There is no reason this can't be changed. Money isn't an issue for this forum, and server space shouldn't be either. EBaum, make this happen.

[DarcSystems]

Those bigger websites allow more messages because they don't have a gigantic SQL database like this one does. Every message in every PM box is 1 more entry in the database. It's not about money, it's about the speed of the forum. If everyone on this forum could have 500 messages in their PM box, then this forum would be slower than dog shit...It's already slow enough with the colossal database it has now. The forum has to look through all that information while you're browsing around. The more it has to look through, the longer it takes.

Why do you have 70 messages saved anyway? Ever hear of instant messaging?

[Stoink]

It won't make any difference to the performance of the forum. It takes a fraction of a second to query a SQL database, its not a matter of how much is stored in the database, it’s a matter of how many people are querying the database at any one time and how fast the server can handle it.

If you think about it, allowing more PM's will only use up more space on the server, but there will still be the same load on the server so it will still perform the same!

[catgarvin]

Premium gets you a larger PM box.

I think if you need to write such long PMs, you should get an email address and communicate that way or get on aim or something.

[dudeinanigloo]

Those bigger websites allow more messages because they don't have a gigantic SQL database like this one does. Every message in every PM box is 1 more entry in the database. It's not about money, it's about the speed of the forum. If everyone on this forum could have 500 messages in their PM box, then this forum would be slower than dog shit...It's already slow enough with the colossal database it has now. The forum has to look through all that information while you're browsing around. The more it has to look through, the longer it takes.
Do you even know what you're talking about? We have threads here going back to 2002, and they are all accessible if you know where to look. That's a lot of stuff in the database, and I don't see the forum's performance getting slowed down by all the stuff in the archives.

And since I know you're going to ask, yes, people on the forums I listed above, especially the admins, get tons of PMs. One guy I talked to (on the first site) said he got around 500 last month. And that's an IPB forum, which costs a shitload of money to buy and maintain. We rely on donations from members to keep the site going, and do you think having a 2500 message PM inbox affects the database in a big way? Not really.

I think if you need to write such long PMs, you should get an email address and communicate that way or get on aim or something.
That was rude and highly condescending. I'm not computer illiterate - I have two different email addresses, one for school, and one for personal stuff. However, I don't like giving that information out to people I don't know, so communicating through PMs is a much more comfortable option on forums.

I wasn't asking for any admins to bend over backwards to accommodate me, I just wanted an honest, informed opinion. Maybe EBaum the Almighty himself could show his face every now and then and personally address these requests. After all, it is HIS website.

[catgarvin]

That was rude and highly condescending. I'm not computer illiterate - I have two different email addresses, one for school, and one for personal stuff. However, I don't like giving that information out to people I don't know, so communicating through PMs is a much more comfortable option on forums.

I wasn't trying to be either, I was just trying to suggest solutions to your problem. Why don't you get an email address just for this kind of thing? You're not computer illiterate so you know how easy that is to do.

Maybe EBaum the Almighty himself could show his face every now and then and personally address these requests. After all, it is HIS website.

:lol: How cute.

[jeffrok]

Do you even know what you're talking about? We have threads here going back to 2002, and they are all accessible if you know where to look. That's a lot of stuff in the database, and I don't see the forum's performance getting slowed down by all the stuff in the archives.

And since I know you're going to ask, yes, people on the forums I listed above, especially the admins, get tons of PMs. One guy I talked to (on the first site) said he got around 500 last month. And that's an IPB forum, which costs a shitload of money to buy and maintain. We rely on donations from members to keep the site going, and do you think having a 2500 message PM inbox affects the database in a big way? Not really.


If you're so worried about the amount of space you're allowed to keep on a FREE website, why don't you shell out the $25 for premium, and help keep this website going, and THEN start complaining about quotas and such? Really, higher capacties in your PM mailbox are not a right.

[OLIAX]

70...? didn't it used to only be 50 for non prem?

[Stoink]

We rely on donations from members to keep the site going.......
So the 10 million a year eBaumsworld makes isn't enough then?

[dudeinanigloo]

So the 10 million a year eBaumsworld makes isn't enough then?
Exactly my point. Finally someone sees the light.