"PA forum will be closing down"

[superdav95]

If we could set up a running list of those here willing to “put their money where their mouth is” in either the form of a subscription fee or donations whatever is needed to make it all work then let’s just be proactive and start a list.  Let’s not just wait till after it officially closes.  I’m will like I said already and I know a few others have in this thread.  Let’s get a running list going!  What was done was done and we shouldn’t let it be the end.  We do have a way to keep this great thing going.   

[Ruddy Darter]

I'd be happy to pay an annual subscription/donation for the forum.

 R.D.

[Mafort]

ive learned alot from this forum. i never had a subscription to the magazine but the amount of guys on here both deep into the art and just starting offer such a unique perspective. id easily pay $10 a month to keep this forum running. i still have alot to learn and now that i have a son i hope he takes up the art too. its rewarding to work with your hands and learning another persons way of working a problem is invaluable. just let me know when and if we are going to proceed with this.

[Doug509]

Count me in!  Instead of lurking I'll pony up to support this platform of knowledge and community.
Doug

There is always this if it gets archived.
https://help.archive.org/help/using-the-wayback-machine/

[bentstick54]

I would be willing to pay a reasonable yearly subscription rate to keep website going.

[Selfbowman]

I’m in for $200 annually. Does this mean the bow trades are closed???  Sad

[pierce_schmeichel]

100% I'd pay....this library is worth a lot and to see it go would be heartbreaking.

[Selfbowman]

It would probably take an investment in re working the site but for $4 a month you can get a mechanic to help you work through working on your car giving you the info you need to complete your repairs or how to fix. I hate new apps and such but if I could send a check I’m in.

[GlisGlis]

just to have an idea ...
The hosting cost for a site like PA  (php + mysql shared hosting) should be in the 100-200$ per year range. Where the difference is due to the size of disk to store the site (images, various media, db space..) and various other less important features offered by the host.
The price for the domain name (primitivearcher.com) should not exceed 20$ per year

The professional costs for migrating and managing the site could be quite higher tough

More than that all the cost and site responsibilities need to be charged to a specific person or organization

A full backup should be a priority (site + db) . It would be nice to know how much space this site occupy.
The backup procedure may be long but usually is not that complex. It need to be done by an administrator with access to the hosting login details.
Here is manual page of "simple machine forum" for complete backup

Previously I pointed out that tradgang use the same forum software as PA.
Migrating at least part of the forum as Tradgang subforum (even migrating user logins data to retain original posts ownership) is technically doable even if i cant say how easy it would be.
I understand that business is business but maybe some type of deal is possible

[willie]

A full backup should be a priority

a look at the bottom of the page indicates the software has not been updated since the 2013 version and a backup, if made today, would be of the older version and include the advertising trash.

so a plan of action would be similar to something like.....

1. contact the owner and aquire the domain   (maybe a few emails?)
2. aquire admin privileges or locate current admins in order to make a backup (a few more emails and some research)
3. set up a local machine to cleanup the site before updating ($$, time, expertise)
4. install to a new online hosting provider (the couple of hundred $ mentioned above
5. do maintence and pay bills going forward




right now, the domain is registered....
Expires On 2027-10-04
Registered On 1999-10-04
Updated On 2024-08-05

so there is time to work with the owners, before all is lost.


@glisglis   do you see a better course of action?

[GlisGlis]

a look at the bottom of the page indicates the software has not been updated since the 2013 version and a backup, if made today, would be of the older version and include the advertising trash

The ads should be an option that can be turned on and off.
The database backup should not have any trace of them.
We simply have slots in our forum pages that can or cannot be filled by ads sent by an external advertising server.
I'm 99% positive that the banners are not hard coded into the pages
 
Once the backup is made we can consider software updates.
A backup of the site as it is now is mandatory before any other action because updating such an old version could be difficult and lead to failures

I'd pin this thread on top of the page

[Pappy]

This is interesting and I for one would be willing to put up a few $ to save the site, I just wished some of you guys that know about this stuff would check with Monroe and see if he is willing to let someone take it over, not sure if it would be a big money maker but feel sure a man could at least pay for it, some other sites seem to do ok like leather wall and Trad gang. I would do it myself but am just really lost when it comes to this kind of stuff.
 Pappy

[GlisGlis]

Someone that personally knows Monroe should speak to him and check:

1- the actual terms of hosting (cost/y , hosting features).
       This could let us check if there are better solutions and if we are ready to cover the price (this seems already set).
      I'd add to the costs another 100$ one-off to buy an external disk dedicated to the backups

2- if he could be interested in maintaining the ownership of this site if the members guarantee to cover all expenses
3- if he would be interested in giving away the ownership of the site and at what terms

I'm not familiar with "simple machine software" but it should be ok and I have all the skills needed to do the backups, migration and eventually updates.
Actually my biggest problem is time.
My heart is telling me do it but I know that I'm really overworked and stressed.
More than that I reside in Europe so there could be minor problems of time or country zones.
Any member with enough internet skills should chime in so we can lay a plan


reading again i see that the domain is payed untill 2027 and that is good BUT
we need to know the expires date of the hosting !!!
if it expires we loose database and sites even if the domain exist !

[Muskyman]

I have zero tech skills but would also contribute to the cost of saving and maintaining this site. Really hope it can be worked out.

[Stoker]

This is interesting and I for one would be willing to put up a few $ to save the site, I just wished some of you guys that know about this stuff would check with Monroe and see if he is willing to let someone take it over, not sure if it would be a big money maker but feel sure a man could at least pay for it, some other sites seem to do ok like leather wall and Trad gang. I would do it myself but am just really lost when it comes to this kind of stuff.
 Pappy

I'm the same as Pappy. Very a non tech guy. This site is very close to Castbollits. It runs on donations. but a subscription could work.