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Doc
Keeper of the Scrolls
2010 Posts
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11/09/2010
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20:18
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My initial thoughts back in March 2004 when I set up the OGFB website for the first time was to give the Barnoldswick community its own website, the other offerings available at the time for the town were sparse to say the least. I had been experimenting with various software Content Management Systems (CMS) and settled on a CMS developed by MaxWebPortal (Which later became SkyPortal). I taught myself to program in Classic ASP Script and got involved in the future development of the SkyPortal CMS software suite and ended up with what you see here today.
Earlier this year, the webmaster that hosted SkyPortal.net went AWOL never to be heard of again and the continuing development of the software package subsequently ceased and so did the rest of the Skyportal community. This meant that the future development of our own site was limited to my own skills as a programmer taking on the development of the entire package which due to the technicalities of the Skyportal software licencing agreement would not be possible.
Therefore in light of the above I now need an alternative route to safegaurd the future of the OGFB website and its community. For the last six months I have been investigating other offerings from CMS software providers and trying to decide which package would be the most suitable to transfer the existing data into. I have looked at Joomla, DotNetNuke, Drupal amongst many others and have recently come into contact with other webmasters who were/are running the Skyportal CMS system and are in the same predicament as ourselves. The general concensus of the webmasters is that Drupal offers the most flexibility in what we are looking for, to this end we (the webmasters) have created another website dedicated to this issue in migrating a SkyPortal website over to another more flexible and future proof system. The Drupal membership covers many thousands of webmasters throughout the world and has a lot stronger development team.
The main aims of this transition project are: - To migrate the current OGFB website off the dedicated MS server (Currently costing £70 a month) which runs IIS, ASP and MSSQL onto a lower cost Linux server running PHP and MySQL
- To safegaurd the majority if not all of the exsiting OGFB data and Images, a conciderable technically difficult task in itself.
- To have the flexibility to allow us to customise and manage our own individual websites
- To conform to the recognised industry standards for websites.
- To ensure that the future of the OGFB website will be secured.
Talking of the future, my own priorities have changed these last few years and my wife and I are now planning on selling our farmhouse, buying a smaller terrace house together with a capable sailboat and over the next few years circumnavigating the planet Earth and enjoying all that she has to offer - while we still can.
But before that happens I want to ensure that all the technicalities of the website migration have been completed and that the site is up and running succesfully before I hand over the administrative reigns as webmaster to Stephen Taylforth better known as our exsisting OGFB member - Pluggy. I expect the transition will take some time before all the migration issues have been resolved, but in the meantime the current OGFB website will not change and will remain available until the big day comes to switch them over. I will be getting Pluggy more involved in the website administration once we have something to administer on the new server setup, until then watch this space for updates and news on the project.
May I take this opportunity to thank everyone for their continued support and contributions over the last six years.
Best regards
Doc - (Current) Webmaster - OneGuyFromBarlick
TTFN - Doc
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belle
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Posted - 11/09/2010 : 23:54
Hi doc, first let me say I hope your health continues to improve, the fact that you are contemplating sailing the globe implies that you are feeling stronger, and ready to tackle the challenges of life. Sorry that you are jumping ship when you have been such a good captain, thanks for all you do and thanks too to pluggy, for stepping in.
Hope you will post up where yuo are and what you're doing...OG goes global! would be a good title for the blog. No doubt we wil see a bit more of you before the off, but hope the house sells easily and you find the boat of your dreams. B
Life is what you make it |
marilyn
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Posted - 12/09/2010 : 03:09
Blimey....you think BIG don't you?! No tin tent and heading for the countryside for you guys....you are taking on the high seas!
Not something everyone would consider doing (personally I would not make a good sailor...though I could come in handy as ballast), and I can't say I would be thrilled if my husband were to suggest such an adventure. Mind you, he cannot swim, so chances are he wouldn't!)
The best of luck to you.
If you find yourself in our parts, come and say Hello.
Hey!....We could 'track' you like the Osprey...Beam down on your GPS and find out where you are. What a good idea Belle.
Just think...No more frozen pipes in the winter or running out of water in the summer. Just gales, freak waves, pirates, BeriBeri and broken masts to contend with. Should be a doddle. (so long as you keep out of shipping lanes)
I bet you are excited Pluggy. Something to keep you busy...
get your people to phone my people and we will do lunch...MAZ |
Stanley
Local Historian & Old Fart
36804 Posts
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Posted - 12/09/2010 : 06:01
Belle, sorry to disagree but Doc isn't 'jumping ship'. He's taking steps to make sure that OneGuy moves forward techically and in admin terms as well. Being responsible for a site of this size and importance is far too much for one person and we are lucky to have Steve Taylforth taking an interest. We shouldn't forget that Doc had a nudge from mortality and was lucky to survive, things like this tend to make you think about the future of whatever is important to you. He called in yesterday and we had a good talk (he also tried to insert images on FMII but couldn't make it work so he's going to look into it)
The new system will be running initially on the old Flying Machine, Doc's put it onto Ubuntu and the old war horse is coping well!
This is a good development and the best thing about it is that it is organic, it sprang from the site itself. I wonder if Maz has read the posts on the Ubuntu topic and realised that it was her query about accessing the site from her IPad that sparked off the discussion which led to where we are now? That's right Maz, if it all goes wrong we have a scapegoat lined up already! (I think you'd better go and have a read...)
All we have to do now is cheer Doc on, make sure he isn't subsidising the site out of his own pocket and carry on as usual. He is also pursuing the suggestion that we enter the site in the major archiving affort being pursued elsewhere to safeguard the most important local history sites. We have some eminent academics supporting this.
Stanley Challenger Graham
Barlick View
stanley at barnoldswick.freeserve.co.uk |
Cathy
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Posted - 12/09/2010 : 11:24
My goodness, this is a lot to take in. I feel like we are on the edge.
Good Luck and Thanks to you all - Doc, Cathy and Steven. All sounds very exciting.
All thru the fields and meadows gay .... Enjoy
Take Care...Cathy |
Tizer
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Posted - 12/09/2010 : 11:28
I'm sure Belle didn't mean `jumping ship' in any negative sense, she simply got carried away with her metaphors! It's all good news except of course for eventually losing Doc to his global odyssey but then we get Stephen (Pluggy) who will do a good job for us.
Thanks Doc for the great work you did to get OGFB going and to keep it in service all these years. Janet and I wish you and your wife many happy hours of fun sailing the world when the time arrives. As SCG would say, upwards and onwards!
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Another
Traycle Mine Overseer
6250 Posts
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Posted - 12/09/2010 : 11:57
Good luck Doc and I'm sure that One Guy will continue to do you proud. Nolic
" I'm a self made man who worships his creator"  |
belle
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Posted - 12/09/2010 : 12:41
Tizer, how well you know me! Stanley sorry i never meant anything negative at all! Doc, I hope you didn't take it that way, it was just the idea of you springing aboard a yacht and sailing off. i certainly did not mean to imply you were abandoning your responsibilities...no one could have done a better job. ooo dear I better get the scolds bridle back on i am obviously not fit to be left alone in charge of a mouth!
Life is what you make it |
moh
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Posted - 12/09/2010 : 13:11
I knew what you meant Belle - good luck Doc whenever it happens.
Say only a little but say it well |
Doc
Keeper of the Scrolls
2010 Posts
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Posted - 12/09/2010 : 15:54
Thanks Guys
After the heart by-pass earlier this year I now feel better than I have done for the last 5 years and getting fitter by the day. The sailing adventure is not a new idea of mine, I have been planning it in detail since 2005, I have my Commercial Yachtmaster Offshore Skippers Certificate, My route is almost finalised and things are in motion to proceed. My wife use to say that I never took her anywhere, now she doesn't complain quiet so much.
I don't know how long the migration of the OGFB site will take, but I will be working steadily until I am happy with the results. I will keep everyone informed of the progress, although it might be of a technical nature in the reports. The final outcome should be a user freindly website which will grew in the future thereby securing all the important knowledge that the site contains.
Once done, I will still be in the background beavering away, I might be able to set up a forum that will allow you all to follow our progress on the high seas. I will always be around on the OGFB site one way or another.
Just need to sell the house now.
TTFN - Doc
Due to the current economic climate, the light at the end of the tunnel has now been switched off.
Click here to make a donation and help support this site and keep it advert free
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handlamp
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Posted - 12/09/2010 : 16:10
Doc, thank you for all you've done on one Guy (what a great achievement in itself) and all the very best as you cruise round the world. After that you can truly dispense with `swinging the lamp'.
Ted |
Gloria
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Posted - 12/09/2010 : 16:20
Many, many thanks Doc for this site. I haven't been on since it began, but in the short time I have I have come to realise just how much work you have put in---donkey work springs to mind 
Please keep in touch when you are on the high seas, you have my utmost respect doing that-----I'd be sick 
Enjoy.
Gloria
I'd be dangerous with a brain!!!!!
www.briercliffesociety.co.uk |
panbiker
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Posted - 12/09/2010 : 17:06
I echo all of the comments and sentiments above and good luck in your adventure when you get there. If you are as efficient a navigator as you have been steering the OG site you should have no problems getting round the world. If you keep going long enough you are bound to end up somewhere near where you set off. Joking apart, all the best Doc.
Ian |
pluggy
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Posted - 12/09/2010 : 17:25
Docs right - the biggest and most difficult job is getting the existing data out of OGFB and transposed to a new system. If that bit is going to be done before the reigns are handed over, I'm all for it.
I'd better start brushing up on Drupal. I've played with it in the past and is a well regarded content management system. Probaby ideal to migrate OGFB to, a lot more flexible than the bulletin board software 'SMF' I was considering. It stands a good chance of working properly on an iPad too.........
Need computer work ?
"http://www.stsr.co.uk" 
Pluggy's Household Monitor |
Sue
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Posted - 12/09/2010 : 19:50
Thank you Doc and thank you Pluggy. Good luck to both of you. I don't fancy the sailing though Doc
If you keep searching you'll find it |
Callunna
Revolving Grey Blob
3044 Posts
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Posted - 12/09/2010 : 21:24
Go for it, Doc!
We have the same attitude to life.
And thanks for setting up OG. |
Future Road Map For The OGFB Website
