ADMIN: ILX may have to find somewhere else to live.

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I've received correspondence from the people who host the server that ILX runs on, and aparrently all the sponsorship deals are under review. They've asked me to provide an explanation as to what the machine does and how it is of benefit to the company. I have done this. I'm told I'll be informed "as soon as possible" as to their decision.

While I've gone to great lengths with them to explain how (through the use of some subtle branding/advertising) the site could be very useful for them, there is a very real possibility that they will decide to terminate the sponsorship. ILX would then have to find a new place to live, or cease to exist. (except in our hearts and minds, where ILX will live on forever in blazing glory)

If this happens, I'll hand over the ILX database to whoever can provide the hosting. If nobody can provide hosting for the live site, I'll render several thousand static html pages preserving ILX for prosterity and store them on another personal web account I maintain elsewhere.

Of course, I'll keep you all posted as soon as I know what their decision is. In the mean time, it might not be a bad idea to consider alternatives should their decision be in the negative.

― Andrew (enneff), Wednesday, 9 August 2006 05:22 (eighteen years ago) link

what about google text adverts?

so what if they'll all lead to lindsay lohan fansites...

― kingfish cyclopean ice cream (kingfish 2.0), Wednesday, 9 August 2006 05:27 (eighteen years ago) link

EX-ILX.

― John Dough (Dough Boy), Wednesday, 9 August 2006 05:27 (eighteen years ago) link

what are the hosting requirements?

― electric sound of jim [and why not] (electricsound), Wednesday, 9 August 2006 05:28 (eighteen years ago) link

all in favor of pulling the plug say aye

― Leave Brintey Alone (Jody Beth Rosen), Wednesday, 9 August 2006 05:29 (eighteen years ago) link

Nah.

Where was ILX hosted before Andrew took care of it?

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Wednesday, 9 August 2006 05:32 (eighteen years ago) link

what about google text adverts?

Google Adwords ain't goin' to pay for colocation costs. Not at the present datacentre anyway. I'm not going to relocate my server somewhere else, so if someone wanted to start that venture then they can be my guest.

what are the hosting requirements?

Any reasonably current processor. Fast hard drives. 2gb+ of ram. A 4gb MySQL database. Bandwidth usage isn't that huge, but I can't give exact figures.

― Andrew (enneff), Wednesday, 9 August 2006 05:34 (eighteen years ago) link

Where was ILX hosted before Andrew took care of it?

It was hosted by Phil Greenspun's LUSENET service. We moved because we were essentially killing his machine.

― Andrew (enneff), Wednesday, 9 August 2006 05:34 (eighteen years ago) link

Would another whip-round/small subscription fee help? Having to pay for use may limit some of the through-traffic and make it more manageable, size-wise, in the long run.

(I say nay as well. Some of my very favourite people in the world post here, and I've tried other places and keep coming back here. As well as the sheer quantity of quality around here, it's still the most user-friendly message board I've come across)

― ailsa (ailsa), Wednesday, 9 August 2006 05:35 (eighteen years ago) link

Would another whip-round/small subscription fee help?

There's no way I'm going to administrate such a thing. Somebody else can have a crack at that if they think it'll work, but obviously keeping it free would be ideal.

― Andrew (enneff), Wednesday, 9 August 2006 05:37 (eighteen years ago) link

I have no idea if it would work or not, I am teh stupid when it comes to techie stuff.

I just figure with the amount of money I spend on phone bills, broadband access and beer to stay in touch with my friends, the equivalent of the cost of a pint or two to stay in touch with others doesn't seem a hardship. Others' mileage may vary, obviously.

― ailsa (ailsa), Wednesday, 9 August 2006 05:42 (eighteen years ago) link

a ilx @ paypal.com account + a counter on the top of each page with "this month, we still need... to keep running" ?

do such things work? anyone have experience with this?

― StanM (StanM), Wednesday, 9 August 2006 05:45 (eighteen years ago) link

I've seen a few forums that do run with such a method - they seem like they'd need a fair bit of work to run tho, coding and maintenance and keeping the coffers is a job a bunch of nominated admins would have to keep on top of, constantly. Like a mini-NFP business, I guess.

― Trayce (trayce), Wednesday, 9 August 2006 05:49 (eighteen years ago) link

Fancy A Wake?

― The future of Rodney got a -- (R. J. Greene), Wednesday, 9 August 2006 05:50 (eighteen years ago) link

Well, how much money are we talking about? If we knew that, we could figure out a good way to raise it.

― accentmonkey (accentmonkey), Wednesday, 9 August 2006 06:04 (eighteen years ago) link

Isnt it a matter of ongoing money, not an amount?

― Trayce (trayce), Wednesday, 9 August 2006 06:10 (eighteen years ago) link

It is not an issue of an amount of money that needs to be raised. It is that:

- The free hosting might be cancelled.
- I do not have the spare time or inclination to raise money regularly and (in effect) operate a not-for-profit messageboard.
therefore
- Other options need to be examined.

― Andrew (enneff), Wednesday, 9 August 2006 06:18 (eighteen years ago) link

like waht

― Dan I. (Dan I.), Wednesday, 9 August 2006 06:24 (eighteen years ago) link

Like the ones I mentioned upthread jesus fuck can people read please.

― Andrew (enneff), Wednesday, 9 August 2006 06:25 (eighteen years ago) link

I can read, i do it excellently

― Dan I. (Dan I.), Wednesday, 9 August 2006 06:26 (eighteen years ago) link

I didn't say you couldn't, I was just asking you (and everyone else) to read this thread!

― Andrew (enneff), Wednesday, 9 August 2006 06:27 (eighteen years ago) link

How much would it cost? What's the amount of visitors/transfer we have? I'm asking if we/I would find a provider (like Aletia.com) or is that impossible?

― Nathalie (stevie nixed), Wednesday, 9 August 2006 06:27 (eighteen years ago) link

Sorry, I'm dumb, so I can't figure it out but would love to help out. Sorry, Andrew.

― Nathalie (stevie nixed), Wednesday, 9 August 2006 06:28 (eighteen years ago) link

This is pretty much exactly what we have now (although we have a little more ram), and costs $199/month.

― Andrew (enneff), Wednesday, 9 August 2006 06:29 (eighteen years ago) link

(Not knowing anything about servers and internet things doesn't make you dumb.)

― Andrew (enneff), Wednesday, 9 August 2006 06:29 (eighteen years ago) link

http://www.jaguarpc.com/services/hosting/

-> Would something like this be able to help us out? I can't afford 199 dollars for my addiction, but I'd be willing to contribute some money. :-)

― Nathalie (stevie nixed), Wednesday, 9 August 2006 06:36 (eighteen years ago) link

(andrew edit: let's not post images in this thread)

― timmy tannin (pompous), Wednesday, 9 August 2006 06:36 (eighteen years ago) link

For a user-pays system to work, we would need:

- a dedicated host like the one I linked to above,
- enough people willing to front the money regularly enough to keep it running,
- somebody to administrate the whole thing (NOT ME).

― Andrew (enneff), Wednesday, 9 August 2006 06:38 (eighteen years ago) link

By administration do you mean computer guy stuff, or just taking care of raising enough money to keep the server hosting service happy every month?

― Dan I. (Dan I.), Wednesday, 9 August 2006 06:48 (eighteen years ago) link

I imagine he means the latter, and I dont blame him, I wouldnt want that hassle myself either.

― Trayce (trayce), Wednesday, 9 August 2006 06:49 (eighteen years ago) link

waht a bummer, been that kind of year.

― kephm (kephm), Wednesday, 9 August 2006 06:50 (eighteen years ago) link

this web 2.0 application could be of use:

ChipIn
https://www.chipin.com/

ChipIn empowers individuals to connect with people in their social network to collect money for a personal cause, to purchase a gift, or for community fundraising. We make this social ecommerceSM process of connecting and collecting fun, easy and secure. We believe that positive change will result from enabling groups to harness the power of giving. That’s our mission.

― DJ Martian (djmartian), Wednesday, 9 August 2006 06:56 (eighteen years ago) link

About Chip In
http://blog.chipin.com/about

― DJ Martian (djmartian), Wednesday, 9 August 2006 06:57 (eighteen years ago) link

It doesn't seem to be as fancy, but there's also:
http://www.dropcash.com/

― Dan I. (Dan I.), Wednesday, 9 August 2006 06:58 (eighteen years ago) link

there is a very real possibility that they will decide to terminate the sponsorship. ILX would then have to find a new place to live, or cease to exist.

I'm afraid I still don't quite get it. They're a hosting company, right? So why can't it just stay where it is, but from now on, it isn't sponsored anymore and we pay? Or are they expensive/stopping the hosting business?

― StanM (StanM), Wednesday, 9 August 2006 07:09 (eighteen years ago) link

END OF THE REICH HAW HAW HAW

― Domenico Buttez (ESTEBAN BUTTEZ~!!!), Wednesday, 9 August 2006 07:10 (eighteen years ago) link

Perhaps someone should ask Fopp for a sponsorship, as they get enough free publicity on ILM.

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Wednesday, 9 August 2006 07:17 (eighteen years ago) link

how long we got?

― wrist of oak (bulbs), Wednesday, 9 August 2006 07:21 (eighteen years ago) link

hoew long is :as soon as possible?" andrew - -any idea? from prev. dealings?

― wrist of oak (bulbs), Wednesday, 9 August 2006 07:22 (eighteen years ago) link

It's not the end of the world if it does go, provided the archive can be saved. I'm sure the core of the community would still exist and could be relocated elsewhere, possibly something different rather than ILX Mark II (or Mark III). There are a few things I'd be happy to see the back of and maybe it's run its course.

I don't have any real practical advice to impart, sorry. I wouldn't be willing to pay regularly for this and would be uncomfortable with a situation where anyone felt like they HAD to donate a certain amount to keep this afloat.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Wednesday, 9 August 2006 07:27 (eighteen years ago) link

possibly something different rather than ILX Mark II

What would this be?

I'd be more than willing to contribute to ILX, in the same way as I contribute to Flickr or subscribe to newspapers. I have no idea what kind of money we're talking about here, but for it to be manageable, I guess the fund-raising shouldn't happen more than once a year.

― Das Spiel ist aus für Baaderonixx (baaderonixx), Wednesday, 9 August 2006 07:39 (eighteen years ago) link

I'd contribute if no alternative could be found. Sorry I've no practical suggestions. Thing is, a subs-based ilx wouldn't be much like the ilx we'd like to preserve, I imagine.

― beanz (beanz), Wednesday, 9 August 2006 07:47 (eighteen years ago) link

Oh dear :(

― C J (C J), Wednesday, 9 August 2006 07:51 (eighteen years ago) link

So is this connected or not connected with ILX being largely fucked these days?

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Wednesday, 9 August 2006 07:52 (eighteen years ago) link

Also - everyone over to LiveJournal now, kthx.

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Wednesday, 9 August 2006 07:54 (eighteen years ago) link

pfffhahah yeah right

― electric sound of jim [and why not] (electricsound), Wednesday, 9 August 2006 07:55 (eighteen years ago) link

the sponsors have looked at it and gone what a bunch of tossers, no way. it used to be so much better.

― wrist of oak (bulbs), Wednesday, 9 August 2006 07:55 (eighteen years ago) link

LJ wouldn't work as a straightforward alternative to ILX at all Andrew. It's not user-friendly enough and favours smallish communities rather than big sprawling ones like this. And the interface isn't exactly good for work.

There's an argument for setting up an entirely new message board somewhere else, and letting people drift over from here and elsewhere as they will, rather than attempting to recreate ILX elsewhere.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Wednesday, 9 August 2006 07:59 (eighteen years ago) link

There are already lots of messageboards which ilx people already post on. But ilx continues to thrive (whatever you might think of the content). I'm not particularly conservative, but wouldn't the ideal be if ilx could be moved to another server? Maybe we should concentrate on finding ways for ilx to continue rather than looking for alternative messageboards?

― beanz (beanz), Wednesday, 9 August 2006 08:04 (eighteen years ago) link

it's no use

pete's going to have to lure out the mystery benefactor again

― rtccc (mwah), Wednesday, 9 August 2006 08:09 (eighteen years ago) link

Skipping 572 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

Too true.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 6 September 2006 23:03 (eighteen years ago) link

OK, I'll be the project manager.

― Euai Kapaui (tracerhand), Wednesday, 6 September 2006 23:05 (eighteen years ago) link

"I'm posting to you from Brazil..."

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 6 September 2006 23:05 (eighteen years ago) link

I mean, if we can ramp up on our milestones moving forward I expect some pretty rockin' ROI. The specs write themselves, really, so if you can, uh, work out estimates for each phase and get back to me, I'll be back on the Jitney sometime next week and we can touch base.

― Euai Kapaui (tracerhand), Wednesday, 6 September 2006 23:08 (eighteen years ago) link

be back on the Jitney

There is almost no word that makes me laugh like 'jitney.'

I think a country is in order. In order to subsidize, I suggest we sell these door-to-door:
http://www.ably.co.jp/ilx/img/ilx.jpg

― trees (treesessplode), Wednesday, 6 September 2006 23:16 (eighteen years ago) link

let's pay our code-wranglers proper cash

Let the coders split it after it's done and working :) Also, can we bribe them to put in "special features"?

― Jaq (Jaq), Thursday, 7 September 2006 00:04 (eighteen years ago) link

I hate to sound disloyal, but just in case ILX dies, what are the alternatives? are there
any other general discussion boards around that have a fast, convenient interface and a large userbase?

― Squirrel_Police (Squirrel_Police), Thursday, 7 September 2006 00:34 (eighteen years ago) link

http://www.thesquirrelboard.com/

― A Giant Mechanical Ant (The Giant Mechanical Ant), Thursday, 7 September 2006 01:11 (eighteen years ago) link

http://board.crewcial.org/

― mr. brojangles (sanskrit), Thursday, 7 September 2006 01:46 (eighteen years ago) link

http://furries.meetup.com/boards/

― mr. brojangles (sanskrit), Thursday, 7 September 2006 01:47 (eighteen years ago) link

http://www.quicktopic.com/25/H/nskx3ycbGs2

― mr. brojangles (sanskrit), Thursday, 7 September 2006 01:47 (eighteen years ago) link

www.ilx.thehold.net

― Mädchen (Madchen), Thursday, 7 September 2006 08:39 (eighteen years ago) link

lose the 'w's!

― Onimo (GerryNemo), Thursday, 7 September 2006 08:43 (eighteen years ago) link

What's wrong with the 'w's?

― Mädchen (Madchen), Thursday, 7 September 2006 08:44 (eighteen years ago) link

You don't need 'em

http://ilx.thehold.net

― Onimo (GerryNemo), Thursday, 7 September 2006 08:45 (eighteen years ago) link

But you can have them if you want! I'm all for inclusivity.

― Mädchen (Madchen), Thursday, 7 September 2006 08:50 (eighteen years ago) link

I don't mind them, but I hate saying URLs out loud as it takes about 10 syllables to say "www." and saying things like "all the double-yous" is just awful.

― Onimo (GerryNemo), Thursday, 7 September 2006 09:02 (eighteen years ago) link

dub dub dub

― Ed (dali), Thursday, 7 September 2006 09:03 (eighteen years ago) link

lame lame lame

― Onimo (GerryNemo), Thursday, 7 September 2006 09:03 (eighteen years ago) link

wubba wubba wubba

― Marmot (marmotwolof), Thursday, 7 September 2006 09:04 (eighteen years ago) link

dubbleyoun-dubbleyoun-doubleyoun

― Ste (Fuzzy), Thursday, 7 September 2006 09:05 (eighteen years ago) link

WubWubWub...

― Angel In Love With Her Own Pedals (kate), Thursday, 7 September 2006 09:05 (eighteen years ago) link

http://www.earthanimal.com/acatalog/WubbaWubba.jpg

― Onimo (GerryNemo), Thursday, 7 September 2006 09:06 (eighteen years ago) link

Saw a monster in the mirror
When I woke up today,
A monster in my mirror
But I did not run away.
I did not shed a tear or hide beneath my bed,
Though the monster looked at me
And this is what he said:

Chorus:
Wubba wubba wubba wubba
Woo woo woo,
Wubba wubba wubba
And a doodly-do.

He sang wubba wubba wubba
So I sang it too.
Do not wubba me
Or l will wubba you!
Do not wubba me
Or l will wubba you!

Told the monster in the mirror,
"No, I am not scared!"
Then I smiled at him and thanked him for
The song that we had shared.
Well, the monster thanked me too, me too,
He smiled right back and then
The monster in the mirror sang his song again.
(Repeat chorus. )

He went wubba wubba wubba
And I sang along.
Yes, wubba wubba wubba
Is a monster song!

If your mirror has a monster in it, do not shout;
This kind of situation does not call for freaking out
And do nothing that you would not like to see him do,
'Cause that monster in the mirror
He just might be you.
(Repeat chorus. )

Wubba wubba wubba
You can join in too...

Yes, if you wubba me
Then I will wubba you!
Going wubba wubba wubba
Is the thing to do!

Every time you wubba us
We'll wubba you!

― Onimo (GerryNemo), Thursday, 7 September 2006 09:06 (eighteen years ago) link

There should be a new letter for www, Tripleyou or something.

― StanM (StanM), Thursday, 7 September 2006 09:07 (eighteen years ago) link

Hexayou.

― StanM (StanM), Thursday, 7 September 2006 09:08 (eighteen years ago) link

I swear I thought I just invented this, but: http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=hexayou

― StanM (StanM), Thursday, 7 September 2006 09:10 (eighteen years ago) link

Stan, there's a vast amount of unconscious knowledge you possess. Tap it!

― Nathalie (stevie nixed), Thursday, 7 September 2006 09:17 (eighteen years ago) link

Nobody says doubleyoudoubleyoudoubleyoudot any more, not even on BBC Radio 4!

― Mädchen (Madchen), Thursday, 7 September 2006 09:26 (eighteen years ago) link

So what do they say on Radio 4?

I used to love watching Dimbleby squirm with technofear as he read out the Question Time address but he seems to have come to terms with it.

― Onimo (GerryNemo), Thursday, 7 September 2006 09:29 (eighteen years ago) link

doubloon doubloon doubloon

― Zora (Zora), Thursday, 7 September 2006 09:33 (eighteen years ago) link

They say "go to bbc.co.uk slash radio4 and follow the links from there to the Woman's Hour pages" or whatever.

― Mädchen (Madchen), Thursday, 7 September 2006 09:35 (eighteen years ago) link

doublevee doublevee etc...

― Ste (Fuzzy), Thursday, 7 September 2006 09:36 (eighteen years ago) link

wehwehweh, as they say around here...

― Baaderonixx: the lost ILX years (baaderonixx), Thursday, 7 September 2006 09:37 (eighteen years ago) link

they should just say 'type 'radio4' into your browser address bar and ress return'. OK, that does take longer to say, but it's quicker to type.

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Thursday, 7 September 2006 09:39 (eighteen years ago) link

for the bbc the www is not necessary but for other places it unfortunately is (remember the day of people saying (haitch-tee-tee-pee colon forward slash forwards slash double-you double-you- double you dot')

― Ed (dali), Thursday, 7 September 2006 09:39 (eighteen years ago) link

they should just say 'type 'radio4' into your browser address bar and ress return'. OK, that does take longer to say, but it's quicker to type.

i didn't know that would work! thanks.

― toby (tsg20), Thursday, 7 September 2006 09:45 (eighteen years ago) link

They stopped after that Fatboy Slim record. Funny, that.

― mark grout (mark grout), Thursday, 7 September 2006 09:45 (eighteen years ago) link

i didn't know that would work! thanks.

it works for 'ilxor' too, most sites in fact. in the initial example somehow it knows not to just jump to radio4.com - not sure quite how that works.

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Thursday, 7 September 2006 09:48 (eighteen years ago) link

http://www.wombradio.co.uk/audio/HULAclip.m3u

― Koogy Yonderboy (koogs), Thursday, 7 September 2006 09:52 (eighteen years ago) link

we say "wuboowuboowuboo".
spread the love.

― it's teh_kit! (g-kit), Thursday, 7 September 2006 09:53 (eighteen years ago) link

blogspots have no 'www' so it must be cool

― Ste (Fuzzy), Thursday, 7 September 2006 09:53 (eighteen years ago) link

Firefox does a google I'm feeling lucky search for single-word terms, which is weird when you're looking for it to add www. and .com

― stet (stet), Thursday, 7 September 2006 10:10 (eighteen years ago) link

Any news from the Eftel bods?

― Billy Dods (Billy Dods), Tuesday, 12 September 2006 17:20 (eighteen years ago) link

I stole "wuh wuh wuh" from Phil-two, bless his little organic, long fiber cotton socks.

― Laurel (Laurel), Tuesday, 12 September 2006 17:31 (eighteen years ago) link

Where did Phil-two go?

― Kv_nol (Kv_nol), Wednesday, 13 September 2006 07:46 (eighteen years ago) link

We should declare ourselves a country. Like Andorra.
-- Ned Raggett (ned...

Some groundwork has already been done!

If ILX were a country, what would be its...

― The Vintner's Lipogram (OleM), Wednesday, 13 September 2006 11:11 (eighteen years ago) link

Phil popped up on another thread yesterday. He is a busy boy!

― suzy (suzy), Wednesday, 13 September 2006 12:03 (eighteen years ago) link

Should ILX die, I propose we conduct a hostile takeover of Herbert's "virtual country" (read: a messageboard) www.countryx.org. Their army of skinny dancing house fans should be easy to defeat and the citizens will greet us as liberators, not occupiers. We will shower them with The Knife mp3's and they will throw roses at our feet.

― like murderinging (modestmickey), Wednesday, 13 September 2006 15:10 (eighteen years ago) link

I hope you've paid for those 'The Knife' mp3s.

― S- (sgh), Thursday, 14 September 2006 01:45 (eighteen years ago) link

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