Update plan WG.com and Stars Guyver page

[Sully]

As writing and editing is taking it's time (more than I expected due to ummm... possibly rustyness of both James and myself and being fussier and older when it comes to the stories) I think it's time to look at updating other parts of the site and getting the look and feel of the site updated with more focus being given to Stars Guyver page over the next few Saturdays / Sunday mornings. Basic plan is to put a LOT more non fan-fiction stuff out there so the site isn't just fan-fiction and fan-art (though those will always be most likely the main of the site to those that know it so no we're not about to abadon that, just give better info)

WG.com

The main holding site will most likely get another face lift after I get a design I like working for Star's Guyver page. I'm not overall happy about the location of the archived websites so they will be getting a front page link. That alone willl change the design but I'll wait until later to do this. For those of you who can't find Leighs Drawing guides etc look in the Guyver Fan Archive of the site. Once this redisgn is done the Archive will be basically just for Fan Work while the Website Archive will be for that. Basically for people with nice small Guyver sites that should be kept up somewhere. GSF will also get a new icon.

Overall I'm happier with the new look of the portal to the rest of the site. But it needs some more work. But it gets the job done better than the old cluttered one that used to be there.

Stars Guyver Page

I'll be starting work on this Saturday the 24th onwards. That doesn't mean on that date there will be an update right away. But from that point on Stars will always be getting focus, attention and scans from my old books and info updated. Website redesigned and updates secheulded. There is A LOT of Guyver stuff that needs to be updated from the many different Guyver offical stories. This will take time, though no where near the amount of time that the fic will take so I expect to have updates week on week depending on what I'm up too hopefully before the end of the month.

This weekend for example I "should" have my new laptop. So will spend most fo Saturday moving stuff from my old laptop to my new and getting it working right.

WG-Fan-Fic

While the editing to the fan-fic itself is taking ages after I get the design for Star's working the way I want I'll use it's Template though modified for the WG Fic site. it will getting a redesign also on Saturdays with Star's so by the time the fic is ready waiting for me to redesign the site won't be an issue.

Guyver Message Board

There is a new update ready for the messageboard from PHPBB that needs to be applied ot the main messageboard. Once this is done I'll be working on a proper Guyver version of the messageboard and a WG version too (though both will share the same smiles pool etcs).

As you probably know the old messageboard has being disabled (mainly to stop the flow of spam it was sending each day with it's loads of bots trying to make a home there to spam porn posts.... Anyway part of Saturdays fortnights focus will be also to get this old version 2 messageboard converted. Updated and put in to a Version 3 messageboard like this one. Once that is done the page leading into the messageboard will be updated to show the archived board and this main one (merging the two isn't an option I can find). But once it's updated to the latest version of PBPBB like this board, it's much easier then to maintain. Has a LOT of old arhived chats are there, which strangely holds must of the ideas we decided on way back then that are only getting wrote into the fan-fic now, losing the old messageboard simply isn't an option. Though neither is leaving it open to constant attack and having it stay outdated.

Anyway that's the plan the site. If there is any delays or updates it will be added here and if there is new content into the Updates section of WG.com.

If you've any requests for stuff, info etc you want to see on the site. Best to post on this topic. It will be kept updated.

[Sully]

Working on an minor update for today.

So far Links section is being updated. My apologies to Cannibal for the huge slack in getthing this updated.

I'm also working on an update for the message boards (both old and new). Once that is updated the loading page before the messageboards will be updated and changed.

I'm still working on Stars and deciding what I want to do with the site.

[Sully]

this messageboard updated, not to get the old one working again.

This has shown a new problem in that the server database in use for the messageboard will be out of date soon ( we are on PHP4 which will be out of use by PHPBB the next time they release an update ). And by the looks of things I'm going to have to be the one to update it

After the second messageboard is updated then I'll look into this. The whole messageboard will have to be backed up in case this goes tits up though.

[Sully]

This is where I'm thankful about learning systems development in Uni....

Ran into a load of problems getting the old messageboard moved to the current version of PHPBB (basically so it's the same version has this board). We've also the above issue of the Database itself being out of date and also a lack of real private backups for the messageboard itself (the web provider has they own).

Sooo while finding a working metod to get around the server time outs (the old board is a little tooo big) I have managed to make a local version of the old messageboard. This now will be kept as a backup along with another few messageboards I run that are eating up database space this baord also uses. While checking that space I've found even though this board isn't the most popular messageboard out there, it does take up a decent bit of space. (30 megs, which dodn't sound a lot but is HUGE if you consider your max is 100). So given that the last time this site was popular, it was hacked to death, I think it's time I got a better backup system going and looking for the above converter has done that.

Anyway to figure out all the above tooook loads of time. Sooo no update for Star's this weekend, but at least now I better understand PHPBB and will have test versions of the MB to play with and convert without damaging this one our the backup messageboard.

[Sully]

Well this will teach me not to leave stuff out of date for soooooo long.

On the database I use for this messageboard there was also 3 other message boards in total sharing the same database. Given that even with this board being unpopular and has a rather low usage at the moment (compared to the past) and the state of the database I knew it was about time to clean up so that;

a) this messageboard keeps running.

b) other old messageboards that where spam bot infected like hell didn't fill the database up with crap.

Soooo after 4 days of work it's getting about right. I've started to remove all Messageboards from my database. The only one left on it when I'm done will be this messageboard. The webhost that has my database has an option for 2 databases, I've enabled that (as it's free ) and when the old messageboard comes back it will be be hosted there. Any other messageboards I ever play with in future will go there and leave the database this board is on alone.

This coming weekend I'll be updating the old database this board is on. Now this is where things get tricky as I've never updated a database before, so it might be very easy... it might wipe the board... We'll find out Saturday. If worse comes to worse and this board does go down the old messageboard will be available as a back up board and will be unlocked then.

I will be doing a full backup of this messageboard and transfering it to a backup server at home before I update the database so we shouldn't lose any data.

Anyway this Saturday will be interesting.

Note: While the above will take a lot of work. I know from oour past when I left the board go out of date... well it got hacked and pretty much near killed off the site. I'll not be repeating that mistake so the above work has being worth it and will be so we can keep the site bot free (one of the old messageboards I've now cleaned up and taken off line has 16,000 USERS! 70 of which where real people I'm not repeating that mistake).

[Sully]

It's back... again! Last night I finished work on clearning up the database. So the old messageboard is back, updated and converted to PHPBB3. Strangely it's more up to date now than this forum They both might look the same but behind this messageboard is a PHP4 database behind the rebuilt old Messageboard is a new shiney PHP5 database.

Sooo at some point in the next few days this board will go off-line and will be updated to PHP5. If all goes well you guys won't even notice. IF it goes tits up, you'll be on a forum 6 years old temporarely has a backup....

Once this database work is done I might if things go to plan have time to actually work on Star's page this weekend!

Note: Reading the old forum should come with a health warning.... Was way way to strick back then on what when on in the forum

[Sully]

Yuck, not going to be an easy Saturday. Everything I looked up so far about updating this boards database is on the lines of the following:

1. Backup messageboard.

2. Delete messageboard.

3. Delete Database.

4. Make new database.

5. install new messageboard.

6. Restore files from backup.

Looks like it'll be another boring data in front of MYSQL.

Edit: Yup confirmed this. The only way to get this board onto PHP5 (which is needed if I ever want to upgrade the messageboard again) is the above steps. Soo on Saturday morning GMT the messageboard will be turned off. Backed up and then restored onto a new database. It's a lot of work, but the last week has thought me anything is leaving a messageboard not updating is a bad thing. Only a matter of time before it's hacked / turned into s spam bot heaven that takes 2 to 3 full takes of deleting crap to sort out. Soo I'd rather skip all that and simply get us onto a proper V5 databse.

[Sully]

Not much free time at the moment, I've being getting a new kitchen installed in the house along with a LOAD of other house builds... Got a new back door to the house where one of the back windows used to be and were the old backdooor used to be is now bricked up!

So sufice so safe RL is keeping me busy.... Anyway.

I've not forgotten the webesite and will be adding a new section to the soon to be renamed "Hosted Websites" section of WG.com. Guyver 4 Anime page which was deleted a few months back with Geo Cities removing their free website section will be joining the WG.com. First through I've to do a LOT of converting of website copies I made a few years back after the last Geo Cities wobble. You might wonder "Why would you bother doing that Brian???" Simple answer is I loved the Guyver 4 Anime page 15 odd years ago (my god that makes me feel old!) and if not for it I'd have never thought to have made the Warrior Guyver fan-fiction. The idea of writing a fan-fiction of my own which has a Guyver 4 charater of my own based on Isis from Anita's fan-fiction being around and the orginal fiction dispearing into the delete bin of the internet didn't sit well with me. SOO I made a very big archive back then.

The problem is getting it all to work together on this website and removing the horrid averts from the HTML code of the website.

While it might be distracting as I've my own WG-Fic site still to finish, I'm working on both as it's just something I have to do.

Not sure on an ETA as the next 3 weeks are ****e for time, but simply put WG.com is not forgotten!!!

I also need to once again update the messageboard... Who... meh hate doing this as it's one of those times you really hate if it goes wrong. Need to remember to do full backups before I start!