Save the Clock Tower

[The Barrow-Wight]

There are about 100 or so regular visitors to the Downs, and for their sake and the sake of the long history of the forum, I just can't let the barrow slip away without a fight.

I am going to try to figure this issue out.

I will be purchasing and installing an upgrade to the forum software, which should solve the problems. We've upgraded before with success, so we should be able to do so again.

Here are the factors involved in the upgrade:

- It costs $209. I'm paying for it, but if anyone cares to chip in, please PM me and we'll figure something out. Donations will be greatly appreciated, but they are completely voluntary.
- I've got two other projects taking a lot of my time this weekend, so it may take me several days to actually get things working correctly again.
- My web maintenance skills have deteriorated so much, I may not be able to figure our how to install the upgrade (unlikely)
- The upgrade might not fix the problem, or might make it worse (very unlikely)

Please reply to let me know if it's worth the time, money, and effort.

It is to me. The Barrow-Downs has been around in one form or another since 1998, and I enjoy it every day, even if my participation nowadays is kicking a handful of spammer accounts a day.

Let me know what you think by replying here, and PM me if you are interested in helping financially.

Thanks!
BW

[Inziladun]

This place has really become so much a part of my daily routine, its absence would make me feel like Frodo after the Ring's destruction.

'It is gone forever,' he said, 'and now all is dark and empty.'

After all, where else can I bad-mouth Peter Jackson, harp on Túrin, and gleefully kill hapless villagers in the Night in wolf-form? :D

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

After all, where else can I bad-mouth Peter Jackson, harp on Túrin, and gleefully kill hapless villagers in the Night in wolf-form? :D

Just so, just so :) And it already gave me so much, so there is no need to prove its worth to me.

[Bêthberry]

Great quote, Inzil!

The Downs has been too much a part of my life these last ten years for me to want to see it disappear this way. It has led me on to Oxonmoots, to the Tolkien Society and Return of the Ring, and perhaps more significantly to various moots with other Downers across three continents and several oceans. It has inspired one book--Music in Middle-earth--and there's quite possibly another forthcoming.

There's still enough wraiths floating around to make it habitable.

Count me in and see the PM.

[Kath]

I would be incredibly sad to see this site go. It has been and still is the source of a huge online group of friends and I don't think our connection would be the same without it.

[Morsul the Dark]

Hear Hear

We will not go quietly into the night!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gFN1t7Goyk

[Kitanna]

I'm not on here half as much as I would or half as much as it deserves, but goodness gracious this place is important to me. I will be celebrating 10 years on here in December. That is longer than I've cared for anything the internet has put out there. A PM is forthcoming

[Galadriel55]

After all, where else can I bad-mouth Peter Jackson, harp on Túrin, and gleefully kill hapless villagers in the Night in wolf-form? :D

And where else could I disagree so enjoyably on the issues of COH? ;) But, of course, the other two points are very applicable. :)

Off to send a PM.

[Rumil]

In a hole in t'internet there lived a Barrow-wight. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms, an oozy smell, flamers and trolls, nor yet a dry, bare sandy Leggie-fangurl-infested hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was the Barrow-Downs hole, and that means comfort.

[Aganzir]

The Downs is kind of a home to me. No matter where I've lived or stayed, and how cozy or unpleasant it's been, the Downs has been an extra room (or wing, actually) that I could enter.

[Mithalwen]

I love this place so much but I am totally broke at the moment until the house sells... but if it can weather this storm I will make sure I will have something put aside for the next one....

[Mister Underhill]

We have weathered some rocky transitions before. I'll help as much as possible with the upgrade/reconfig, but like you, my fu has atrophied considerably.

Or maybe it will be like riding a bike (unlikely).

[Nerwen]

I can probably help out.

[piosenniel]

~ BW ~

If you put in the time and effort, it's worth the money to me. :)
PM sent your way...

[Hookbill the Goomba]

This community has given me so much I really should give something back. I'll contribute what I can. PM arriving your way any time soon. :)

[satansaloser2005]

This place has really become so much a part of my daily routine, its absence would make me feel like Frodo after the Ring's destruction.

After all, where else can I bad-mouth Peter Jackson, harp on Túrin, and gleefully kill hapless villagers in the Night in wolf-form? :D

Well said, my furry friend!

Even for those of us who mainly hang out in Mirth, it would still be quite a blow to see our lovely site gone. This place has been so good to me, and I've "met" so many wonderful people through it, that I'd be a horrible person not to help in any way I can. A PM is headed your way, my dear sir.

[TheGreatElvenWarrior]

The Barrow-Downs has been a safe and fun place for the past five years for me. I don't have a lot of money, but I will help out any way I can to save the Downs. I have met so many wonderful people here who are now my friends, indeed, some of them are very good friends. If the Downs were to be lost, part of me would also be lost. Off to PM.

[wilwarin538]

Even though this is my first post in a while, and I don't come on here very often anymore, knowing that it's here whenever I want to show up or to look back on old threads, is comforting to me. This site means a lot to me, and I definitely don't want it to go away! (also PMing right now)

[The Barrow-Wight]

We have had a great response to my please for assistance. Thank you, everyone.

Master Thenamir has a potential fix that will require him to go deep into the subcellar of the barrow to kick some pipes and bricks. If he finds what's loose and sets it right, we may be able to un-depracate ourselves. If not, I'll be contacting everyone who is PMing me and let you know how you can help.

[The Squatter of Amon Rûdh]

I'm rarely here these days and have no idea what this deprecation nonsense is, but I'm willing to help out if I can. Give me a shout if you need a spare pair of hands (I have them in three sizes and all major species).

[The Barrow-Wight]

I've bought the upgrade software but can't figure out how to install it safely. But I thought I'd at least let you know i am really working on it.

[Inziladun]

Outstanding. I'll send techie-type harmonic vibes your way.

Please let us know how to help with the cost!

[Galadriel55]

Ditto. Just tell me where to mail the money. :)

[Boo Radley]

So where did everybody go? This place was quite lively a yer ago.

[Mithalwen]

You tell us... I haven't been anywhere...quieter yes due too various rl issues and not wanting to be the one who knocks the Pan Man orf his perch..but here...:Merisu:

[Inziladun]

So where did everybody go? This place was quite lively a yer ago.

In addition to what Mith said, I think there's a general "wait and see" stance from a lot of folks in anticipation of the forum upgrade.

[Bêthberry]

I check in every day but RL eats up much of my free time to post. I do have some ideas for threads that, once spring gardening season concludes, might bloom here.

Please let me know, BW, how I can contribute to the software.

*gently nudges, nay, even elbows, The Squatter of Amon Rûdh*

[Inziladun]

Aurë entuluva! :)

Back up and running, I see. And not deprecated! Well done, BW!

[Nogrod]

Kudos!

And thank you!

[Kath]

Well done tech wizards! And thank you. :)

[Formendacil]

Hoom, hom! We Huorns (and Hurons--I went to misspell them at first) add our gratitude to the active Ents for rescuing our forest.

[The Barrow-Wight]

After a month of staring into the abyss, I finally handed the tools to Thenamir, who promptly fixed the barrow in about 15 minutes. We are all in his debt, and all praise should be directed his way.

[Rumil]

I saw the whiteness and deprecation and thought

'Oh no! Is this it? Is it all suddenly gone?'

:eek:

Then checked back later and Thenamir's fixed everything :D

For he's a jolly good fellow,
and so say all of us

[Inziladun]

Three cheers to Thenamir!

[Galadriel55]

Long live Thenamir! Praise him with great praise!

Hurrah for the Barrow Downs! :D

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

Long li- er, death to the 'Downs and all who had their hands in saving it!

[Galadriel55]

Long li- er, death to the 'Downs and all who had their hands in saving it!

Haha! :D

Can everyone now see each other's avvies? I can see most, but some are still gone... And the :Merisu: smiley shows up as a box too.

[Aganzir]

I can see pretty much everything.

[Thenamir]

It was my pleasure and privilege to work for such a worthy cause...how could anyone let such jolly good fellowship die such an untimely death? No, wait, we're all dead here already...ummm...to resurrect such a wonderful...no, 'resurrect' means to bring back to life...ah heck, it's working again, and now we can all rest in peace. Glad I could help!

[Mithalwen]

Best deathday present ever after a couple of anxious days otherwise offline watching grids on my Kindle.... nine years dead is not long enough :D Heartfelt thanks to all concerned in restoring the barrow... now even contra-ing off my years dead against the years alive makes me a bit old for this but I'll act my shoesize not my age.

SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee ee.....


:D

[Guinevere]

Hurray, the Barrowdowns are back! I am very glad and grateful to the Barrow-Wight and Thenamir. Anar Kaluva Tielyanna!

[Snowdog]

Glad to see it back to its normal self around here!

[Luinëaglariel]

I was once Dinenziliel about 10-12 years ago here. For some reason, something happened and I was unable to return to my barrow. Having traveled to several other sites to find a substitute, I discovered that there is no place like "home." This was the first forum I ever joined, and it was the best. I tried off and on over the past few years to return and today, I succeeded! Had to get a new email account and name, and it took about 45 minutes, but it's worth it! I am so glad to see Barrow Wight is still here! How wonderful to know that this has been saved--and thanks for Thenamir as well!

There is no better place to find genuine affection and insightful discussion for Middle Earth than BD. Along with others who have posted their heartfelt gratitude, I also have many fond memories and treasure what BD gave me in the past. I am anxious to get back to my little burrow and enjoy it all anew!

I shall now go shopping for an avatar! What joy!

[Galadriel55]

Does anyone else keep getting notices that "resource limit is reached" every other time you open the Downs or a link on the Downs? Downsing is becoming rather difficult for me because I have to restart my computer for nearly every different thread I want to open.

[Mithalwen]

I do...but I dont have to restart just tfy again.

[Inziladun]

Does anyone else keep getting notices that "resource limit is reached" every other time you open the Downs or a link on the Downs? Downsing is becoming rather difficult for me because I have to restart my computer for nearly every different thread I want to open.

I've noticed an increased number of visitors the last couple of days, as in hundreds. Maybe that's a coincidence though, since historically there have been even more than that online at various times, with no apparent issues.

[Galadriel55]

I do...but I dont have to restart just tfy again.

I guess it's my bad connection kicking in too.

[Formendacil]

I've seen it too--USUALLY trying again (or clicking on an alternative link--like "most recent post" instead of "newest unread post") seems to work, though it didn't one time (this morning I think). It's not as bad as the last round of errors, but it definitely is a forum issue not a single user's computer.

[Guinevere]

I've had the same problem in the last few days. I had to try several times... and then sometimes ended up with triple posts to "Palantir of Fortune".

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

Happened to me two days ago or so, and it gave me a fright, but refreshing the page worked well enough. Okay, and now it seemingly happened again. But the workaround: before you submit your post, select and copy the whole text of it, and in case it shows you the error, just refresh it and paste your text and try again.

Still, it is slightly inconvenient, so I'm wondering what is the source of the problem and if anything can be done about it.

[Inziladun]

I blame Peter Jackson, because....well, just because. ;)

Seriously, could it be connected to the higher than usual number of visitors, coupled with the recent upgrade?

[Aganzir]

Never got it before, but it happened today. Refreshing the page was enough though.

[Inziladun]

I'm still seeing the message. Refreshing once or twice does allow you into the site, but it happens again when clicking on a thread, or when going to any other part of the forum. Vexing!

[Mithalwen]

Me to..and I have lost posts :(

[Bêthberry]

Me to..and I have lost posts :(

I almost did but thanks to Legate's reminder I had copied the post and so could simply paste it once I got the page back.

I remember back in the day I always copied posts because they would be so long and a pain to rewrite, particularly for rpgs.

[Mithalwen]

Posts can not be saved on a kindle

[Pervinca Took]

I'm chiming in late on the matter at the beginning of this thread, but I wanted to apologise for the fact that I cannot contribute at the moment, due to a pretty tough financial year.

I think the Downs is the best Tolkien forum on the net.

[Snowdog]

I don't know if its related, but, there has been an increase in both auto-bot & human-bot invasion & posts on a number of sites I frequent of late. The hits can be enormous. Most dont get far, but they can us up a fair amount of bandwidth.

[Nogrod]

I almost did but thanks to Legate's reminder I had copied the post and so could simply paste it once I got the page back.If you forget to copy the text before sending it and feel like having lost it, you still have one option: many browsers allow you to click a "go to the previous page" - and at least with my Firefox it goes back to where I have been writing aka. I can get the text back from there.

Although with any longer posts like more serious discussions, RPG's, longer Werewolf analysis, or Arda Cup reports I tend to write them with Word and then copy the stuff to the Downs when there is always the original saved on my computer even if the site plays some tricks.

[Bêthberry]

Posts can not be saved on a kindle

I hadn't realised that ereaders could do more than scroll text! I really must learn how to use this Kobo I was given.

[Inziladun]

If you forget to copy the text before sending it and feel like having lost it, you still have one option: many browsers allow you to click a "go to the previous page" - and at least with my Firefox it goes back to where I have been writing aka. I can get the text back from there.

Google Chrome hasn't given me any problems with losing posts here during the "resource limited" occurrences. Just to be safe though the last week or so I've been right-clicking and copying any longer posts. Then all you have to do is paste it.

[Mithalwen]

I hadn't realised that ereaders could do more than scroll text! I really must learn how to use this Kobo I was given.

Depends. My old style kindle keyboard 3g has a basic browser limited but useful at times.

[Galadriel55]

If the Downs reaches its resource limit when I'm posting, it usually still posts if I refresh the page enough times (good suggestion, the page refreshing! Thank you all for the idea!)

[satansaloser2005]

Is it just me, or is it better now? Did The Barrow-Wight wave his magical deathstick and make the problems go away?

[Galadriel55]

Is it just me, or is it better now? Did The Barrow-Wight wave his magical deathstick and make the problems go away?

You're reading my mind, sally. I was about to post that I'm not noticing any glitches anymore, but you beat me to it. :) Horray!!!

[Inziladun]

Is it just me, or is it better now? Did The Barrow-Wight wave his magical deathstick and make the problems go away?

For the past few days, I haven't seen the 200+ number of forum visitors either. Connection?

[Mithalwen]

I have had odd bits of deprecation though

[Inziladun]

I have had odd bits of deprecation though

One instance last night, but one refresh took care of it.

[Galadriel55]

Had a couple today, but refreshing seems to make it go away.

[Mithalwen]

I have had it happen most times I have loaded a page but while refreshing makes it go and it isn't as intrusive as before ...

[Kuruharan]

I just wanted to chime in that I have been having some deprecation problems as well. Nothing as bad as before though...although in a way its more visually disturbing because I'm getting an alarming looking red message when it happens. :eek:

And when I posted this message I got an alarming stack of deprecation error messages.

[Nerwen]

So has everybody, I think...:(

[Inziladun]

So has everybody, I think...:(

Ah, when will the evil Serverman be brought to heel? White Rider, where are you? ;)

[Inziladun]

I've noticed that the error messages seem to be most common when I'm actually replying to a thread, though it does occasionally happen at other times.

[Galadriel55]

I noticed a funny thing happen. The error messages pop up almost every time I post, but as soon as I start moving the mouse towards the refresh button, they get scared, the page refreshes on its own, and it's all good. I only had to refresh the page once in two weeks. :cool::D

[Mithalwen]

I am using a mini tablet on a dongle connection and I see thevmessages in a sort of hiatus beforvthe page loads my post properly. I don't have to do anything.

[Thenamir]

After several anxious days, I believe the forum is back up and running. Please reply if any remnant problems remain.

[Inziladun]

After several anxious days, I believe the forum is back up and running. Please reply if any remnant problems remain.

Nice work, Master Thenamir, and all others who contributed to getting this beloved place back up. I almost felt as if an old friend were in hospital in serious condition. What excellent news! :)

[Mithalwen]

Exactly. Quite lost without this place and I was comfort knitting....

[Bêthberry]

After several anxious days, I believe the forum is back up and running. Please reply if any remnant problems remain.

My initial response was to search for the like button but then I remembered we were back among the dead.

Thanks, Thenamir. Particularly appropriate for Canadian Thanksgiving.

[radagastly]

Thank Eru for Thenamir's web skills!! I accidentally watched The Hobbit movie on my brother's HBO last weekend and had no place to complain. Too bad the moment has passed. But I'm glad this is all back!

[Pervinca Took]

Thag you very buch, Thenamir.

[Galadriel55]

Indeed indeed! Three cheers for Thena!

[Thenamir]

<The ephemeral presence that is Thenamir nods humble acknowledgement to all the thanks and accolades, then fades back into the background again>

[Coppermirror]

Thank you for the work on the forums, Thenamir! I was worried for a while.