Resignation as UFOPaedia administrator

[Hobbes]

I'm resigning my position as administrator for the UFOPaedia - whomever is responsible for the wiki please remove my administrator status.

 

6 months ago I wanted to prepare the UFOPaedia for the upcoming XCOM 2 release, by getting its section up and ready with proper templates/categories/pages/etc, so that it would become a resource for players upon the game's release. Now, 1 month after XCOM 2 was released almost nothing has been done and the wiki has become nearly useless due to the continuous outages due to the increased traffic generated by the release of the new game. So instead of X-COM 2 becoming an asset to get new editors, etc. and keeping the wiki relevant and a reference for the different XCom communities (original series, OpenXCom, Long War, Enemy Unknown/XCOM2) the UFOPaedia has just turned into a half-dead zombie.

 

Since my motivation has gone to zero with all this, I just decided I got other things I want to spend my time and effort, good luck to this project and see ya all later.

[Pete]

Hi Hobbes

 

That's sad news.

 

I arranged with Ninex earlier today to move it off the current creaking server onto his dedicated server next weekend which would definitely help with the stability for the foreseeable, but the spam registrations issue would still be there and if visitor numbers only increased over time then the problems might come back eventually.

 

In short, I'm really not sure what the answer is but I do know that the technical side of it is better off under the care of someone who has time and resources for it. All I have time for at the moment is work, more work in the evenings, family and sleep so I've had zero time for anything around here for a long while sadly. I've not even had time to buy XCOM2 yet, which is just wrong.

 

I'm not going to ask you to reconsider - that's entirely your business - but it might be interesting at least to see how it responds to a move to much better resources next weekend.

 

Regards

 

Pete

[NoXTheRoXStaR]

That was a very deep and emotional resignation. I personally applaud you on it. Losing Hobbes is a huge blow towards this website. Hobbes has brought up several very good points. UFOPaedia was Hobbes and to a another extent Tycho's brain child.

In short, I'm really not sure what the answer is but I do know that the technical side of it is better off under the care of someone who has time and resources for it. All I have time for at the moment is work, more work in the evenings, family and sleep so I've had zero time for anything around here for a long while sadly. I've not even had time to buy XCOM2 yet, which is just wrong.

 

Pete.

 

You have to decide who runs Strategy Core. This site cannot and will not function when people as important like Hobbies resigns. If you want to step down, do it. Hand it over to someone who will make it relevant again. I've been an admin at 3 websites. I did the infrastructure for 2 of the 3 sites. NMA, GameBanshee, and my latest venture with MobyGames. I have the time and tech know-how to make StrategyCore.com relevant again. I do ask though, if you let go and step away. Please do so with a sharp wit, you can't intrust a fool or a Zombie-fied ghoul to invoke justification. Besides, if Strategy Core were to die, what does that say about you?

 

Just some questions and answers from the, Book of NoX.

 

-NoxTheRockStar

 

NoxTheRockStar endorses this post.

[Pete]

I think StratrgyCore has been on life support for years to be perfectly honest. Whenever I've found time to drop by its the same few faces here each time.

 

The problem is nobody has mentioned an interest in helping out at SC in terms of content and its all Thor's effort the last several years. If I step away from SC, which is practically zero maintenance, what does that achieve?

 

Passing over UFOPedia, which is on a different server and does require maintenance from a server administrator, makes sense to me. Without a plan, passing over SC makes no sense as it doesn't resolve the issue of very little content.

 

If you'd like to make suggestions for SC, open up a new topic and Thor, myself and the other admins will happily discuss, but we've simply had a lack of volunteers with time on their hands before which is step 1 I think.

 

They're two sites with very different issues.

[NoXTheRoXStaR]

Great. I have to talk to people who love me. Zombie...Thor....Leroy...and Silencer? I think he likes me. He sure does give attention.

 

-No Soup for You.

[silencer_pl]

If NoX becomes admin, we are all doomed.

[Ros]

For Christ sake! Could You people stop playing Your puny little wars (that's how it looks like for on outsider like me) and concentrate on solving a problem??

Yes? No? Maybe? Anyone?

[Hobbes]

UFOPaedia was Hobbes and to a another extent Tycho's brain child.

 

No, we were not, a lot of other people were behind it in the first place like Gazchap, Zombie, etc.. I was made an administrator a little by accident (IIRC no one actually asked me, they simply made me an admin but this was 10 years ago). I was one of the most active admins in the last years but this was never my site, although a lot of new people had that impression.

 

For Christ sake! Could You people stop playing Your puny little wars (that's how it looks like for on outsider like me) and concentrate on solving a problem??

Yes? No? Maybe? Anyone?

 

The ball is on Pete and NineX at the moment in getting the UFOPaedia back up and running, so just treat the rest as background noise. I agree those exchanges it might sound futile for an outsider, but they have their uses.

[Ros]

The ball is on Pete and NineX at the moment in getting the UFOPaedia back up and running, so just treat the rest as background noise. I agree those exchanges it might sound futile for an outsider, but they have their uses.

 

Actually, I wasn't referring to Your post ('cause I think I understand motives behind it) but to those which came after it.

[Hobbes]

Actually, I wasn't referring to Your post ('cause I think I understand motives behind it) but to those which came after it.

 

I knew that you weren't referring to my post, thanks anyway

[Hobbes]

I arranged with Ninex earlier today to move it off the current creaking server onto his dedicated server next weekend which would definitely help with the stability for the foreseeable, but the spam registrations issue would still be there and if visitor numbers only increased over time then the problems might come back eventually.

 

In short, I'm really not sure what the answer is but I do know that the technical side of it is better off under the care of someone who has time and resources for it. All I have time for at the moment is work, more work in the evenings, family and sleep so I've had zero time for anything around here for a long while sadly. I've not even had time to buy XCOM2 yet, which is just wrong.

 

Pete, just got this message from Jo5hua (he's the guy responsible for the site hosting the mods for OpenXCom):

 

Hi Hobbes!!! I just read the terrible news about ufopaedia. Who currently is running it? I run a hosting company and can definitely provide a dedicated server free of charge! I built openxcom modsite over the course of two months so I can be able to fix the spam issue that I read about. I'm a programmer, simple cake! I have websites that get 2-3 million hits so ufopaedia will never ever have a downtime issue due to load! Please let me know I would love to keep this online and can provide insanely fast servers for this. Lets keep it alive!!! I have infinite resources hosting wise.. I don't have a full time job, this IS my full time job.. I can keep strategycore alive if they need help also..

 

Tell me I'm eager to help.

[silencer_pl]

There is a special place in heaven for such people.

[Pete]

Hobbes - sounds like another interesting avenue.

 

I would value your opinion on which way it should go. Perhaps you could discuss with other UFOPedia staff and get back to me?

 

I can do the technical side with the transfer but I'd like you guys to have a discussion over where it moves to if you don't mind. It was a bit easier when there was one option but now there are two it's up to you

 

Since you guys have invested a lot of time into it it wouldn't be a bad idea to ensure you can get a site backup and database backup any time you need it if circumstances change in future.

 

As for SC, as I mentioned it's on a separate server and requires far less resources compared to MediaWiki which UFOPedia runs on (it's a massive resource hog and needs rewriting from scratch IMO - the codebase is pretty ancient in places). Olav and I have an agreement in place to share the lower hosting costs on SC so it doesn't need to go anywhere, but I will start up a discussion later on after we've sorted the immediate crisis calling for more contributors - the one thing SC needs no matter what if it is to be revived in terms of articles.

 

So yep, let's keep this topic about UFOPedia for now as that's priority one.

[NKF]

For what it's worth, having invested a good chunk of my life in it, I just want Ufopaedia.org to continue to exist. Go with what ever works best.

 

I have nil knowledge of how to host a server, otherwise I'd have jumped right in there.

 

- NKF

[Ros]

Pete, just got this message from Jo5hua (he's the guy responsible for the site hosting the mods for OpenXCom):

 

Hi Hobbes!!! I just read the terrible news about ufopaedia. Who currently is running it? I run a hosting company and can definitely provide a dedicated server free of charge! I built openxcom modsite over the course of two months so I can be able to fix the spam issue that I read about. I'm a programmer, simple cake! I have websites that get 2-3 million hits so ufopaedia will never ever have a downtime issue due to load! Please let me know I would love to keep this online and can provide insanely fast servers for this. Lets keep it alive!!! I have infinite resources hosting wise.. I don't have a full time job, this IS my full time job.. I can keep strategycore alive if they need help also..

 

Tell me I'm eager to help.

 

Oh man, it would be Super Cool! Guys, please do whatever it takes to make it happen!

[NoXTheRoXStaR]

If NoX becomes admin, we are all doomed.

 

Your head will be the first to come off!

[Hobbes]

Hobbes - sounds like another interesting avenue.

 

I would value your opinion on which way it should go. Perhaps you could discuss with other UFOPedia staff and get back to me?

 

I can do the technical side with the transfer but I'd like you guys to have a discussion over where it moves to if you don't mind. It was a bit easier when there was one option but now there are two it's up to you

 

Since you guys have invested a lot of time into it it wouldn't be a bad idea to ensure you can get a site backup and database backup any time you need it if circumstances change in future.

 

As for SC, as I mentioned it's on a separate server and requires far less resources compared to MediaWiki which UFOPedia runs on (it's a massive resource hog and needs rewriting from scratch IMO - the codebase is pretty ancient in places). Olav and I have an agreement in place to share the lower hosting costs on SC so it doesn't need to go anywhere, but I will start up a discussion later on after we've sorted the immediate crisis calling for more contributors - the one thing SC needs no matter what if it is to be revived in terms of articles.

 

So yep, let's keep this topic about UFOPedia for now as that's priority one.

 

In a short recap, there are currently 2 offers to host the UFOPaedia, from NineX and Jo5hua. NineX is currently hosting the OpenXCom website and IRC channel, while Jo5hua is responsible for the forums and modportal.

 

To me it's a coin toss at this moment between both, although I think that one important issue would be what Pete has said about rewriting the codebase, and keeping it updated. It wouldn't be a short term priority but something to implement later, once the UFOPaedia has moved into a new server.

[Zombie]

I'm going to vote for Jo5hua to host, as NineX wouldn't have the resources to maintain an aging software front end like MediaWiki (I assume). And if it's as bad as Pete mentioned, it's going to require someone to keep an eye on it and fix on a timely basis if the need arises. That's my thought with the information I have at the moment. Does anyone know if Jo5hua can handle patching up MediaWiki? If he can't, is there someone who could? Those are two questions I'd like answered before we push a move through. And I hope someone makes a backup before moving or patching, I don't want to see stuff go missing.

 

- Zombie

[IvanDogovich]

Yay! I can finally post now! (There was no way to automatically validate my account here, or maybe there is just a mult-day cool off period on posting for new members).

 

I'll just chime in that I'm fully on board with the move. Jo5hua first choice, Ninex is fine too.

 

As far as Hobbes stepping down, I can understand his frustration and reasons for doing so. I hope he might reconsider should the server become more stable and get the care and love that it could use. (Here I'll offer a huge thankyou in the first place to Pete for his vision and getting it going in the first place.

 

If there is a need for another Site Admin on Ufopedia.org, I'd be willing to pitch in. I currently keep an eye on the "Recent Changes" page so I'm seeing when bot accounts are created and could easily assist in that clean up. It would be great if Jo5hua could add measures that would prevent or minimize them altogether, but that is as it may be.

 

Anyway, Thanks again to all the team that has worked on this and is working on moving this forward! Kudos!

Cheers, Ivan

[Pete]

Thanks for the input guys. I can't take credit for getting UFOPaedia going though Ivan - it existed long before I offered to host it years ago.

 

At present the site is back up so I'd like to get my backups in place and get it moved before too much longer - when it crashes the database locks up and the tables need repairing so having it in a working state to take a backup is a good start.

 

@Zombie - I don't think anyone here could rewrite the code behind it. It's the same software that powers Wikipedia so that should give some idea as to how many man hours went into developing it, I just know it doesn't behave as quickly as it should or could given current technologies. I don't think there's anything to be done about that but at a bare minimum more resources would help, as would keeping it patched. There are caching options with the MediaWiki that are beyond what I can do on the hosting it's on so maybe that would help a lot.

 

Hobbes - can you PM me Joshua's contact details so I can have a chat? Infinite resources sounds the way to go

[Hobbes]

First, I just want to share that, after 10 months of contractor nightmare during the renovation of my apartment, I finally moved my stuff back today. There might be some sort of metaphysical connection here with the UFOPaedia but I'm too tired to consider it right now

 

Hobbes - can you PM me Joshua's contact details so I can have a chat? Infinite resources sounds the way to go

 

I've just msg Jo5hua asking for contact details, will PM you once I get them.

 

EDIT - I've just PM them to you

[silencer_pl]

I got to hand it to you Hobbes, you've sort of moved the mountain, or just gave it a push.

[Pete]

It's like when I'm fixing IT issues in my day job - proximity to someone's PC normally makes it spontaneously work. That and turning it off and on again

[Space Voyager]

I'm not into IT, but I use the same methods. I'm close to my PC and I turn it off and on.

[Pete]

Joshua seems willing to throw really fast hardware at this so I'm currently creating a backup with a view to getting this moved tonight/tomorrow.

 

Will this cause any issues? I'm not sure what the best way is to alert anyone over on the site so if someone has that power whilst I'm sorting out backups that would be appreciated.