[tweake]

This weeks episode is about us, I mean the WTT forum, it posted as of today so give a listen if you don't already.

its a good episode. interesting to hear how it all started.
good to see some of the early members still here. many thanks to them, the mods and jody for keeping it going all these years.

forums have changed a bit over the years. facebook has eaten up a lot of forums these days, but i still find forums still a lot easier and better to ask questions on, and get decent answers.

[TraditionalToolworks]

This weeks episode is about us, I mean the WTT forum, it posted as of today so give a listen if you don't already.

I listened to it today, I'm a bit slow...

I do agree with Jonathan that this is a good forum, but there's several annoyances with the web interface that I think prevent more people from using the forums. I wouldn't say it's the best as he does, not with the problems it exhibits. I would say that WeldingWeb is the premier welding forum, despite it being a fairly hostile environment. Because of that I rarely use it.

The biggest problem I have here is that I continually get logged out with an error when I post a message. The next annoyance is that the forum rarely remembers my login even when checking the box. Those minor annoyances will prevent people from using the site regularly.

I don't want it to sound as if I'm ungrateful, just that I'v been in high tech for 30+ years and those types of annoyances stand out to people like me. If Jody would invest just a tad in the website, he could clean up those issues, put some banners to steer people to the weldmonger website and probably sell a bit of product to people passing through here just as he does on his YT and Instagram feed.

For various reasons, forums are still popular, although YT and Instagram have taken over as far as presenting newer media for folks to collaborate with each other. Forums still hold a place for conversations to take place. YT and Instagram are not well suited for dozens of people to collaborate on a topic together as easily, yet more people are drawn to those newer forums of media. I use Instagram more than YT as YT videos take a lot to put together, where Instagram is a place more centered around the phone where you can post pictures easily. However I do watch YT quite a bit as I don't watch TV. I use Instagram in my browser much of the time, but it's not really designed for that in mind but many people do as using your phone is a PITA. It is easy to post pictures from your phone, but not from your browser.

That said, I still use several forums on the web and have been involved in online collaboration since days before the www was around. I enjoy having conversations and collaborating with a number of people on various topics.

Cheers,
Alan

[noddybrian]

While the forum had a glitch a while back which affected many members I've not experienced any problem since it was fixed - never have any errors or problem staying logged in - I respectfully suggest unless anyone chimes in with similar problems it's most likely the device your using - I can't vouch for trying to use a phone or doing pictures as I don't own anything that new to have a digital camera - my phone makes calls & texts - it seems like the newer stuff just has problems all the time anyway - probably to " encourage ! " you to keep buying the latest.

[LtBadd]

No login problems but occasionally I do get bumped out to an error page after clicking the submit button to post, however I do get right back in and the post was successful.

I'm using the chrome browser on a desktop, never post or read from my phone.

Several years ago I suggested updating the forum software but to no avail. the admin doesn't want the hassle and some members don't like change, so that's that.

I'm on IG and frequently YT, hard (impossible) to have a conversation on YT and IG is mostly (but not all) businesses selling, and people posting photos, and there's nothing wrong with that (IMO), just realize the boundaries and accept it.

The forum is great for learning even with the barrier of trying to communicate just through the written word.

[TraditionalToolworks]

I respectfully suggest unless anyone chimes in with similar problems it's most likely the device your using

I'm using Firefox, which is certainly one of the most used browsers.

No login problems but occasionally I do get bumped out to an error page after clicking the submit button to post, however I do get right back in and the post was successful.

I'm using the chrome browser on a desktop, never post or read from my phone.

I have it toss an error on most posts, but I don't resubmit it as I have learned the post is there. I log in as you do and all is well. As a software engineer I call that a bug. Long ago I mentioned it to Mike but to no avail...and then some bible loving holy roller destroyed one of my threads and I didn't use this forum for a number of months.

Several years ago I suggested updating the forum software but to no avail. the admin doesn't want the hassle and some members don't like change, so that's that.

I don't think it has too much to do with upgrading the software, it's small changes like fixing some of the problems. I can assure you that I'm not the only one seeing those issues. There is a huge interest in welding, WeldingWeb shows that. There is a lot more traffic over there. I don't think it's the hostile environment that attracts them.

The forum is great for learning even with the barrier of trying to communicate just through the written word.

There has long been a problem with tradespeople having a difficult time with computers. These people take exception to hobbyists like myself who have an interest in the trades, and often feel offended because they believe we speak like know-it-alls. This great divide will most likely not change anytime soon, although the gap is closing as tradespeople are getting more proficient with computers. This is not meant to dis anyone, just to point out that professionals in the trades have the most information to share, but have the hardest time doing so due to the technology divide.

I didn't mean to lead anyone to believe I'm using my phone on this site. I was referring to the phone in regard to Instagram. If you don't agree with that, we could discuss that in another thread. I can't remember using my phone on this site and not sure I have even access this site on my phone.

Cheers,
Alan

[TraditionalToolworks]

Here's the error, it would seem fairly easy to fix, but what do I know. I have notified the admins in the past to no avail.

There are two things that might be an issue.

1) the dot in front of /styles is incorrect and it really needs to pull the file from the root, i.e., /styles

2) the file is missing from the location.

-------------------------------------- Error when posting a message ----------------------------
General Error
The file ./styles/modestus/template/bbcode.html is missing.

Please notify the board administrator or webmaster: weldforum_team@forum.weldingtipsandtricks.com
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I have also sent this to weldforum_team@forum.weldingtipsandtricks.com

Cheers,
Alan

EDIT: when I posted this message I didn't get the error and didn't get logged out.

[tweake]

i get the same errors when posting.
tho log in is fine.

the problem with forums is it costs the owner time and money to maintain and run it. for that i thank jody and team.
its is a bit busier here now, with welding web having its issues.

[tweake]

a small suggestion.
the podcast should have its own section on the forum. jody or Jonathan can post to it when a new podcast is out and it gives people a place to discuss it.

[LtBadd]

I didn't mean to lead anyone to believe I'm using my phone on this site. I can't remember using my phone on this site and not sure I have even access this site on my phone.
Cheers,
Alan

The only reason I brought this up is I wanted to be clear that I only access thru my desktop, didn't want anyone to think the issue could be due to the platform (android).

Appreciate your insights Alan.

[LtBadd]

a small suggestion.
the podcast should have its own section on the forum. jody or Jonathan can post to it when a new podcast is out and it gives people a place to discuss it.

There used to be posts made when a new YT video went up, could have been Jody or his son, the user was admin, so no way to know.

[TraditionalToolworks]

The only reason I brought this up is I wanted to be clear that I only access thru my desktop, didn't want anyone to think the issue could be due to the platform (android).

Actually I was actually responding to noddybrian, he seemed to imply that whatever device I was using was at fault, but I'm using the Firefox browser...granted on Linux, but that has no bearing on HTML. The browser renders HTML.

I certainly enjoy you messages and have learned quit a bit from reading them.

I don't want to be negative or ungrateful to the forums, I use them even given the problems. I just wanted to point out that a small bit of cleaning those problems up would go a long way to attract more members.

Case in point is WeldingWeb, I think since they upgraded their software the forums pages look a lot worse, they're just plain jane, but they still get a lot of traffic, possibly the most in the welding community. That should be Jody's site, he's the most followed on YT and Instagram for welding. You would think that would be true of these forums.

Alan

[noddybrian]

@ TraditionalToolworks - I have little clue about modern tech stuff & no interest but my take on this is if the fault you experience is as you believe a problem with the forum pages then it would affect every member which it clearly does'nt & likely if every member was mentioning it then the PTB would do something to correct it - I also use Firefox but not on Linux - I find that no Browser installed on different operating systems or even the same system on different machines behaves the same - I don't know why - I live between 2 locations & have 2 very old laptops retrieved from a dumpster ! one is on Windows 2000 the other on XP - they both exhibit quirks on some Web pages but will both happily do HTML on most sites - yet each will refuse to display certain things on certain pages & usually not the same ! my partner has a really new laptop bought when Windows 8 launched despite advise against ! it has more issues & glitches than either of mine & I have never worked out how to do a thing with it ! I have not tried to use anything Linux in years - I liked the idea of being free from Microsoft but the reality seems you needed to be a nerd to do anything with it - only use I had was a couple of programs like " Off Crack " / " BackTrack " that I had to find router passwords for internet access - never installed Linux as they will run from a memory stick on a Windows computer if your quick enough to stop it loading & load from the stick - as to the amount of traffic on the forum I think it only works & stays the way it was intended because of the relatively low numbers - members come & go - very few familiar names left I remember even in the short space of time I been here but most regular posters here get to know each other & interact well as far as it's possible when you never meet & only have a perception of who anyone maybe in real life based on a made up user name.

[TraditionalToolworks]

@ TraditionalToolworks - I have little clue about modern tech stuff & no interest but my take on this is if the fault you experience is as you believe a problem with the forum pages then it would affect every member which it clearly does'nt & likely if every member was mentioning it then the PTB would do something to correct it

Brian,

Other people have confirmed in this thread that they see the same error when posting that I eluded to. I do have some clue about computer software as I have been writing it for over 30 years. While I don't currently work on web sites, I have worked on several for large companies. I have setup and run forums for large organizations and have even setup forums running PHP BBS on my own servers, although I don't have one running at this time. I did upgrade and reconfigure the forums that are used for the USA Table Tennis as well, although I did that on a volunteer basis.

Trust me when I tell you the error that is displayed to at least several people is not a fluke that I mention to confuse the admins here, it is something that I believe can be fixed fairly easy. It is something that has been an annoyance to several people, not just me.

Look, I only tried to help them by providing the error as it occurs. The error happens on the server side, not the client, so the device or software being used doesn't have too much to do with it. However to give some credit to what you suggest, YES, something browsers act differently on different platforms. I don't think that pertains here, but I could be wrong.

I also use Firefox but not on Linux

Trust me when I tell you that this is basic functionality of the browser and really has nothing to do with the platform it runs on.

I seriously doubt that others seeing this problem are running Linux, most likely they are running Windows just like you because Windows is the most widely used client.

That said, there's an option at the bottom of the forum page which I just clicked on to "Reset Settings" as well as "Delete all board cookies", maybe that will have something to do with the problem. However, I'm not the only one seeing this issue, read back through this thread to see that both tweake and Richard have said they see this problem. My gut tells me they are most likely using Windows, one of the worst operating systems on the planet. If you go back up and read, Richard is using the Chrome browser.

EDIT: No, Resting Setting and Delete all board cookies didn't fix the problem, I just got logged out when submitting my reply.

No worries I know how to work around it, but if it was me running the forums I would have fixed the problem long ago.

EDIT2: that time worked, it might have something to do with Preview, I didn't Preview that time. Nope, I Previewed that time but it didn't toss that error. It's an intermittent problem.

[noddybrian]

Well you clearly are far more knowledgeable than me in computer matters - I just figured more people would be affected if it's a problem with the forum - never doubted your word or thought you were " creating " something to complain about - I hope it's gets sorted out as I do understand how frustrating computers are when they don't do what you want - it's the main reason I never get newer tech if I can avoid it - I would like to NOT use Windows for many reasons but nothing I've seen is around that replaces it that is easy enough for how much time I'm prepared to spend learning for how little I use a computer & take the easy option - yes it's lame ! if more people made a stand against the big tech companies it should be possible for alternatives to gain ground but we all settle for something that for the most part works - if slowly / badly etc - that way we don't spend 1/2 a day trying to connect our new printer etc .

[TraditionalToolworks]

Well you clearly are far more knowledgeable than me in computer matters - I just figured more people would be affected if it's a problem with the forum - never doubted your word or thought you were " creating " something to complain about - I hope it's gets sorted out as I do understand how frustrating computers are when they don't do what you want - it's the main reason I never get newer tech if I can avoid it - I would like to NOT use Windows for many reasons but nothing I've seen is around that replaces it that is easy enough for how much time I'm prepared to spend learning for how little I use a computer & take the easy option - yes it's lame ! if more people made a stand against the big tech companies it should be possible for alternatives to gain ground but we all settle for something that for the most part works - if slowly / badly etc - that way we don't spend 1/2 a day trying to connect our new printer etc .

Brian,

I would say about 50% of my posts give me that error and log me out, I just go back and log back into the site.

I have a very long history with Microsoft, way back in the late 80s I created one of the largest user groups with Microsoft in Los Angeles, it was called the Los Angeles Microsoft Languages User Group (LAMLUG), we had over 300 members. When Microsoft and IBM had their big falling out, I went the IBM way and programmed on OS/2 which I supported my family on for about 10 years. About mid-90s I thought I would have to use Windows NT, but around '95/'96 a colleague gave me a copy of Linux...it was really hard to install, and complicated to use. Nowadays with Ubuntu it's much easier to install, but when there is a problem it's still can be difficult to fix, although many things can be fixed from GUIs.

Some of those old machines you picked up out of the dumpster could run Linux better as it's much smaller and faster. Most people really only need to use email and a browser, so Ubuntu makes it easier for them to use. I know people that have set it up for their parents and it works fine. This is not to say it's for everyone.

I have done a lot of embedded programming, and Linux turned the embedded market on it's ear as there are no royalties. After the dot-bomb people were flocking to it like crazy. It's become a pretty stable platform with so many people working on it.

I would be the first to admit, it's not for everyone, and I work in a complex environment working on a robotic surgery product and many of the people we've tried to hire struggle in the environment...As the Debian folks have always said, "This ain't your Grandmother's OS".

If you have an extra laptop, you might try installing it, as I said, Ubuntu makes it really easy to install and use and Firefox is a part of the OS.

[Burning Filler Rod]

Hey all,

'Jody' make my head explode like the Martians in the movie "Mars Attacks". And his store?? I get 'stuff' from Amazon in 2 days.

But, the info is good I will say. Actually, I'd rather be in the shop burning up consumables, just me. I must be in the 0.001% as all the posts in site indicates that the 'herd' really likes the pod cast.

Me?? Give me 'This Old Tony' informative, interesting, and I don't have to look at his 'mug'. Or suffer through a used car sales pitch.

[TraditionalToolworks]

I get 'stuff' from Amazon in 2 days.

Well, I get stuff from weldmonger in the same time, they ship really fast and they have the right stuff that I can find without having to do a lot of research. The prices aren't bad. I rather like to support Jody, and I like his videos.

I can only watch TOT for a bit before I start getting slightly irritated...I mean, *EVERYTHING* doesn't have to be a sarcastic joke all the time...it's a bit distracting after a while...

[TraditionalToolworks]

While the forum had a glitch a while back which affected many members I've not experienced any problem since it was fixed - never have any errors or problem staying logged in - I respectfully suggest unless anyone chimes in with similar problems it's most likely the device your using - I can't vouch for trying to use a phone or doing pictures as I don't own anything that new to have a digital camera - my phone makes calls & texts - it seems like the newer stuff just has problems all the time anyway - probably to " encourage ! " you to keep buying the latest.

Brian,

I believe problem solved. Per a comment I saw today by Oscar, we should use the secure link for the site (i.e., https://forum.weldingtipsandtricks.com/) and this seems to work perfectly and keep me logged in.

Doesn't fix the posting bug which I posted above, but it does keep me logged in between visits to the site. However when you click to return to the site from the posting bug, you are still logged in on the secure URL so you don't need to login again.

This is the best any of us can do until the file is fixed and/or code fixed to point to the proper location of the file, but until then I suggest everyone uses the secure URL.

[noddybrian]

@ TraditionalToolworks.

I'd almost forgotten about that - I have 2 old computers and use Firefox on both - one is on Windows 2000 the other Xp - I had to do as you mentioned maybe a year back for the same reasons . no problem since staying logged in or posting.

[TraditionalToolworks]

@ TraditionalToolworks.

I'd almost forgotten about that - I have 2 old computers and use Firefox on both - one is on Windows 2000 the other Xp - I had to do as you mentioned maybe a year back for the same reasons . no problem since staying logged in or posting.

It's working perfectly for me, even after I get that posting error, when I clink the "return to index page" link I'm still logged in.

Much thanks to Oscar for mentioning that.

Here's the odd thing. On the non-secure page (i.e. http) the links for the forms and topics seem to have non-secure links, so you always go to a non-secured page.

On the secure page (i.e., https), it seems those links also go to a secure page, so it makes sense you always stay logged in.

My suggestion to the admins, redirect the non-secure page (http://forum.weldingtipsandtricks.com) to the secure page (https://forum.weldingtricksandtips.com) to eliminate anyone going to the non-secure page to begin with.

[VA-Sawyer]

This weeks podcast brought back a lot of old memories. I worked in the aviation world for about 25 years. Multiple times was told to sign off an airplane as Airworthy, when it wasn't. Told to sign, or I didn't have a job anymore. My response every time..... "Let me pack up my toolbox". They were always shocked by that. They hadn't heard such an answer before. I would bend as far as I could, but there is a line that I would not cross. I still think it is shameful that my co-workers would bend under the pressure. They were willing to put lives at risk, to keep their jobs. I never understood that.

[William Payne]

I hope the guys are doing ok. Been a while since an episode. Definitely one of my favourite podcasts.

[Superiorwelding]

Well, not the easiest post to make but we need to make it. The Welding Tips and Tricks Podcast has come to a end. We have enjoyed the 6 years of episodes and all the support we have received from the welding community. Like many things in life our lives have changed and priorities have changed to where a few things we care about had to be put on hold. The podcast is one of those. The episodes will be live for years to come hopefully as they have become a great resource for the community as a whole.

Will it ever come back? Guess we will see in the future.

[tweake]

Its bit of a shame to hear its ended but life always changes.
However a big thank you for letting us know.