About the TMF

[Hogan]

I really liked the TMF! Until one day (years ago) I suddenly couldn't log in to the forum. First I thought it was a technical mishap - but after writing again and again to the moderator (at least 10 times over the years) and receiving no response whatsoever, I am more inclined to believe it is run by someone who erratically

excludes members for unknown reasons. I know I am one of many who can no longer participate - I will not name names , but some of the most knowledgeable people in the hobby can no longer participate. 

This, I find, is as big a problem as the loss of pictures and links. And I don't think it will be solved by donating - seeing as I myself was one of the donors -.

[phonogfp]

The decline of the TMF is a sad story in the history of our hobby.  

 

I was a very active contributor (as of this morning, 8367 posts) until the spring of 2020 when - after weeks of spotty performance - the site finally crashed and was out of service for several days.  It was at that point that this site - the APS Forum - was launched.  In an impressive display of technical expertise, the TMF admin resurrected the old site,,, but without the thousands of images and links which added so much to the old TMF.  There were promises of resurrecting the images too, but after six years, most of us have given up on that.  

 

Before the main crash in 2020, I often spent an hour or two pulling catalogs, taking pictures, and researching in order to provide comprehensive and accurate answers to questions posted on the TMF.  I no longer will devote that kind of time to a patched-up, marginally functional forum (sometimes it's so slow to load that I open additional windows to complete my online activities while waiting for each page of the TMF to open).  Based on the TMF's performance over the past few years, I don't expect significant improvement.  Perhaps the TMF simply cannot be fixed.  For whatever reason, it continues to malfunction on a regular basis.  I'm no longer waxing/detailing a vehicle that functions as if it's on its last legs. 

 

What truly puzzles me is why TMF members continue to put up with this when the APS Forum is here - consistently working properly with immediate admin responses, no pleas for monetary contributions, and long-term viability supported by a not-for-profit rather than a single disinterested admin.  I admit that I like the colors of the TMF pages better than those of the APS Forum (I've chosen the "Dark Theme" at the bottom of the screen).  But again, I'd rather invest my time/effort on this shiny, purring 6 year-old beige sedan than on a rusty, coughing, 17 year-old SUV.  

 

George P.

[RodPickett]

APS pays the license fees for:

 

Invision Community

 

a professionally developed and managed suite of Community Products.

 

We made the strategic decision to host on our expandable, Ubuntu Linux server-farm utilizing state-of-the-art SQL Server (Maria DB) as the Relational Database Manager (RLDB) of choice.

 

YES, we do maintain redundant and distributed backup and apply monthly vendor-supplied patches included in our licensing fees.

 

Planning for V5 is underway.

 

Upgrade to Invision Community 5:

Invision Community 4 will be discontinued on 31st December 2026, with security updates provided until then.

Plan your upgrade to Invision Community 5 today to take advantage of improved performance, a redesigned editor, and a more modern, flexible experience.

Create content faster with a redesigned Editor

Customize your community more easily with the new Theme Editor

Deliver a faster, smoother experience for your members

Enjoy a modern, responsive interface across all devices

 

 

 

[Valecnik]

 

1 hour ago, phonogfp said:

 

What truly puzzles me is why TMF members continue to put up with this when the APS Forum is here - consistently working properly with immediate admin responses, no pleas for monetary contributions, and long-term viability supported by a not-for-profit rather than a single disinterested admin. 

 

George P.

That puzzles me too.  My experience was similar, investing quite a lot of time over a period of years.  I'm quite happy  with the APS forum.  Response time should I have an issue is way better and there's a lot more resource dedicated to maintaining and growing it.