Slowness of the forum

[andsome]

We all know that the forum can be extremely slow. I made a suggestion some time ago in another topic, but no one commented. I am OK operating a computer but know little about the workings of websites, so correct me if I am barking up the wrong tree. The forum has many thousands of listed members, most of whom never come here now. I have only been back for a few weeks, and already have two pages on notifications listed.  I seems to me that everything has to load as we navigate round. The one thing that is always quick, in fact almost instantaneous, is when we click to post. That post goes in quickly but clicking to go back to the topic takes ages.  In my ignorance I am asking the opinion of those who probably know better, but could things be speeded up with some pruning? Would it help to delete all members who have not visited the forum in the last twelve months, delete all notifications after a few days, and delete all topics more than two years old? Just a suggestion.

[Irene]

I am not experiencing the forum behaviour which you describe, although I don't deny there can be occasions when it does not appear to be on full power.  You are likely to find this towards the end of the week (see paragraph three below).

 

The notifications have no effect on the performance, but if you don't want to see them you can change it in the options of your account.  The volume of inactive 'members' will not affect the speed.  

 

WF is now run from a server by Craig at his home.  Each weekend, he operates a maintenance procedure.  By having the server at home, it avoids the significant cost of using another provider.  Presently we all have free membership, and I am personally grateful that WF is still on-line, whilst many others have 'withered on the vine'.  

 

Perhaps you could try checking what you having running in the background.  Also, software which we run to protect our computers can sometimes slow things down - perhaps this can be having some effect? 

[andsome]

Thanks for the reply. The only reason that I asked the question, is because all other sites run at good speed. I have notifications switched off, but this has only stopped e mail notifications. The others appear at the top of the screen inside the little image of the globe. When there are unopened ones there is a number.

[Irene]

The notifications are set to be removed after either one months automatically.  So your list should only cover those within the past month  or so.  

 

It it seems to me that you have a tick ✅ against the setting to automatically follow things.  You could remove those two checkpoints to see if it stops them, unless of course you wish to retain them as they are.  

[andsome]

I will have a look when I next go upstairs and fire up the computer. I am busy with cooking dead pig at present. That’s is what has happened to Morty, one of her shoulders is in the oven,the rest of her is in the freezer. 

[-pops-]

From what I remember elsewhere, deleting members of a forum requires administrative privileges (more than moderator) and each deletion has to be done individually. Considering the number of potential deletions here it will be very time-consuming - if, that is, anyone is willing to do it!

 

Maybe things are modernised now and there is a method of bulk deletion. That would obviously help a lot. I do agree, though, that there is a lot of redundant membership here.

[D4\/!d]

6 hours ago, andsome said:

... the forum can be extremely slow. 

Nevertheless, what andsome said is still true. This forum can be extremely slow.

[morty]

1 hour ago, andsome said:

I will have a look when I next go upstairs and fire up the computer. I am busy with cooking dead pig at present. That’s is what has happened to Morty, one of her shoulders is in the oven,the rest of her is in the freezer. 

Hee hee, you cheeky scamp .... I'm  only a little pig you know  .... I'm living in your microwave and scooting out when your back's turned.

[morty]

I wouldn't say the forum's slow though when I first click to come here it can take a bit for the index page to first land on my screen.

After that I manage to snuffle about okay.

 

I've been on plenty worse. The worst ones can lock up my computer for minutes on end.

[-pops-]

17 minutes ago, D4\/!d said:

Nevertheless, what andsome said is still true. This forum can be extremely slow.

Yes, I agree but, as Irene says, it does vary according to the time of day and day of the week.

[Irene]

Well, all I can say is that I hope you all can accommodate us and we will do our best to address the issues. 

 

Craig has a busy life with both a full time working life and young family, but still endeavours to maintain this facility for past, current and future members.  

[andsome]

Funny how things can vary. I have 100Mb broadband speed, and my i pad and computer struggle a bit on here. However,I am a real trooper and will battle bravely on regardless. I don’t know why this forum is slow for me and one or two others,and fine for the rest. I must pay my electricity bill.

[AlanHo]

I have quite a fast desktop computer running Windows 10 with an intel i5 3.50 Ghz processor, 12 GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 graphics card and a 240Gb SSD hard drive devoted to OS and programs with all Data stored on a separate 240 GB SSD. I don't play games so the beast is quite fast enough for my purposes.

I am connected to the internet by Virgin cable. Here is a speed test I ran 5 minutes ago

 

Hence I am satisfied with my equipment (no smutty laughs pleeeze)

 

I can open the forum via two desktop links.

*  One opens to the Home screen and normally takes 3 to 5 seconds to open.

*  The other opens to the last 2 days unread posts. This can take anything between 11 and 32 seconds to provide the list of the posts I have not yet read.

When I open to the unread posts and click on the first one in the list - It opens the post very quickly. Normally too fast to time accurately

However, when I click on the browser return key – irrespective of which browser I use – it can take anything between 10 and 30 seconds to open the unread list again.

Sometimes it is quicker to close the site and open it again with the unread posts link.

I am not providing this data to complain – but to point out that the slow elements of the site appear to be when it is carrying out a search of its data base to present you with your choice of information. Using the forum search facility can also take a long time.

Whist I would like the site to be as responsive and fast as some other forums – I recognise and appreciate that Craig is providing us with a great forum at no cost to the members.

A few of us have tried other forums and returned to the sanity of WF and escape from the way they are run or the abusive posts on others.

I s’pose it is like every other walk of life – you have to weigh up the advantages and disadvantages then tek yer pick.

 

I’m staying here – warts and all....

 

[Irene]

Thank you Alan.         ...Your support is appreciated.   

[andsome]

1 hour ago, AlanHo said:

I have quite a fast desktop computer running Windows 10 with an intel i5 3.50 Ghz processor, 12 GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 graphics card and a 240Gb SSD hard drive devoted to OS and programs with all Data stored on a separate 240 GB SSD. I don't play games so the beast is quite fast enough for my purposes.

I am connected to the internet by Virgin cable. Here is a speed test I ran 5 minutes ago

 

Hence I am satisfied with my equipment (no smutty laughs pleeeze)

 

I can open the forum via two desktop links.

*  One opens to the Home screen and normally takes 3 to 5 seconds to open.

*  The other opens to the last 2 days unread posts. This can take anything between 11 and 32 seconds to provide the list of the posts I have not yet read.

When I open to the unread posts and click on the first one in the list - It opens the post very quickly. Normally too fast to time accurately

However, when I click on the browser return key – irrespective of which browser I use – it can take anything between 10 and 30 seconds to open the unread list again.

Sometimes it is quicker to close the site and open it again with the unread posts link.

I am not providing this data to complain – but to point out that the slow elements of the site appear to be when it is carrying out a search of its data base to present you with your choice of information. Using the forum search facility can also take a long time.

Whist I would like the site to be as responsive and fast as some other forums – I recognise and appreciate that Craig is providing us with a great forum at no cost to the members.

A few of us have tried other forums and returned to the sanity of WF and escape from the way they are run or the abusive posts on others.

I s’pose it is like every other walk of life – you have to weigh up the advantages and disadvantages then tek yer pick.

 

I’m staying here – warts and all....

 

 

I didn’t know you had warts Rub them with a piece of raw meat then bury it in the garden. If you believe that you will believe anything.

[-pops-]

Anyone on Firefox?

 

I found the other day that it had updated itself to a new super-fast version.

 

Superfast????????????????? my eye. Most of the time it's about a quarter of the speed it was before the upgrade and if there is more than one site open, it loses its memory for where it was on the non-active site so that it has to reload the whole thing (it seems that way anyway from the time it takes to come to screen). Very disappointed.

 

I'm moving over to Opera for a while.

[AlanHo]

I use Firefox from time to time - but now normally use Edge.  I don't like either, but I have a problem with my favourite browser, IE11, because it keeps freezing and re-loading the page. I'm not on my own - Google it and your screen will be awash with folk trying to resolve the same problem. I have tried every possible solution I have found and none of them have worked - so I have reluctantly given it up.

 

A conspiracy theory is that Microsoft are picking on people like me who want to continue to use IE11 because they want me to use Edge - where they can more easily blitz me with adverts etc - thus creating revenue for them.

 

 

 

[andsome]

40 minutes ago, AlanHo said:

I use Firefox from time to time - but now normally use Edge.  I don't like either, but I have a problem with my favourite browser, IE11, because it keeps freezing and re-loading the page. I'm not on my own - Google it and your screen will be awash with folk trying to resolve the same problem. I have tried every possible solution I have found and none of them have worked - so I have reluctantly given it up.

 

A conspiracy theory is that Microsoft are picking on people like me who want to continue to use IE11 because they want me to use Edge - where they can more easily blitz me with adverts etc - thus creating revenue for them.

 

 

 

I have found tha I E will not run properly on Windows 10. I tried Edge and thought it was utter rubbish. I now use F F.

[catgate]

I would suggest to anyone with a "Windows" software problem has a look at "Mint".

I am not suggesting that you swap over, but I did, two years ago. from another Linux.

[Belatucadrus]

Anybody wanting another browser to try without trying Mint can have a look at Vivaldi & Cliqz

Vivaldi uses most chrome add ons but Cliqz is pretty much locked down, it has an ad blocker and Ghostery but that's your lot, the operating brief is high security and privacy and one of their methods is to lock out all add ons from third parties.

[andsome]

I had enough problems at first in mastering Windows

[morty]

5 hours ago, AlanHo said:

 

I’m staying here – warts and all....

 

You rang? Fellow wart reporting back in

[Belatucadrus]

1 hour ago, andsome said:

I had enough problems at first in mastering Windows

If you've mastered Windows and Mac interfaces, I doubt you'd have much problem with Mint. There is a learning curve but it's not steep.

I started using Mint some years ago on an Acer compact PC after my Windows desktop went to join the choir invisibule. It was only going to be a stopgap until I'd got the readies together for a new Windows machine but it does everything i want and I'm still using it.

[-pops-]

13 hours ago, AlanHo said:

 - where they can more easily blitz me with adverts etc - thus creating revenue for them.

 

 

 

 

A very good ad-Blocker is Adblock Plus https://adblockplus.org/

 

I never see any ads on any of the browsers I use (FF, Chrome or Opera). I've never used Edge.

[andsome]

Adblock plus is excellent.