Announcing Software Change, New Server

just a minor matter that is very trivial, but the beside my signature is not working as a smiley face. thanks for the update to all involved and have a good day.

 

Emoticons were discussed earlier in the thread - they are on the list of things to do, but not a priority.

 

In that same dropdown is a strike-through option which the old system didn't have.

I think Trump Putin is doing a good job running this Country.

Spoiler

There is also this.

 

Find "Watched Threads" near the top of any page (white letters on gray background)

 

It's really nice software and I like it a lot.

Isn't it just terrible that so many people have nothing better to do with what you say are really accomplished skill sets than to hack a site as truly harmless and even, (not in a bad way) insignificant as this one? Talk about wasted lives

 

PF is not an "insignificant forum" at all.

In fact it is the most highly rated of it's type on Alexa.

That can be attributed to the dedication of the staff, past and present, who do their utmost to remain as nonpartisan as possible when it comes to enforcing the rules of civil discourse. Having been on both unmoderated and partisan moderated boards it is a pleasure to post here knowing that both sides are treated fairly and equatibly.

Given how difficult it is to maintain a political forum like this I can see why hackers would want to disrupt it if they could. Hackers have their own political agendas and a voice of reason like this one is something that is anathema to their own goals. If they can shut this one down that means their own partisan voice becomes a little louder. Keeping them at bay is a necessary function and hopefully this new platform will make the task easier for the staff.

You are right about wasted lives but that is their loss, not ours.

 

If I could I'd give you an emoticon thumbs up!

 

Just an FYI but in another forum that did the exact same vBulletin to Xenforo conversion they were able to import all of the vBulletin emoticons in bulk from the old system to the new without any issues.

I know that it isn't a priority but I just thought that might save you some time when you did get around to it.

 

Looks good on my tablet, but I post from Tapatalk on my phone 90% of the time. Sorry to lose this forum on my feed.

 

I think xenforo has a better mobile application than Tapatalk or forumrunner anyway. It's far superior.

 

Hope so. Tablet version looks great.

 

Like this...



Or this...

 

If possible, I would like you to add a Preference setting that would allow users to turn off emoticons, especially the animated ones. And anything else that detracts from the textual messages.

It would also be nice to be able to turn off images in a thread. Sometimes an OP will post a couple of huge images. Then, others, responding to the first post, quote the OP's message, and needlessly add those same huge images to their own messages. At times one has to wade through a load of posts which all repeat the same large images. It's a waste of time and bandwidth — and the repeated images destroy the flow, if any, of the thread. The images can easily be removed from the responding messages but, it seems, many posters don't know how to remove them.

 

Much of this would be accomplished reactivating the expand quote function.

 

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Personally I prefer the expand quote function but it is up the admins to decide which is better for the forum as a whole.

I do agree that the large images can be a PITA to have scroll past countless times.

 

I said I didn't mean it in a bad way, I rather like being insignificant, but from what you say maybe I'm not, and I don't mind that either.

I agree with what you say about moderators, if people don't enforce nonpartisan civility a board becomes LESS interesting, not more, as the shriller voices very quickly drown out everything else

 

I wouldn't say it becomes less interesting. It does, however, make any kind of rational discussion pretty much impossible.

 

What you post here is far from insignificant!

On a couple of occasions I have made observations using very specific terminology only to have subsequently seen it quoted word for word by the media. That is evidence that this forum is monitored and pertinent points are extracted and passed along to those who are responsible for understanding what people are saying about current events. Odds are your posts are monitored, as are everyone else's, in a similar manner.

Social media is not just about FB. Political forums like this one are the "voice of the people" and serve a useful purpose, especially so if the voices are engaging in civil discourse rather than just venting which happens all too often on the partisan forums.

So please, continue to post your opinions and views because freedom of expression is part of how our society functions.

 

If ranting, insults and foul language are "interesting" then those forums exist to satisfy those "interests".

Personally I find them to be nothing more than a waste of time. I would far rather engage in good discussions of opposing viewpoints than have to deal with the screeds of bilious posts on other forums.

 

It's humorous and interesting sometimes! It would be a psychiatrist's playground!

 

A flame war that is nothing but profanity laced personal attacks is boring IMO. And that it pretty much all that is out there on partisan boards. If the mods get involved with the flame baiting then it becomes an exercise in futility when they abuse their powers. That has been my experience which is why I avoid those types of sites altogether.

But there can be another type of "flame war" which is highly entertaining. That is one where profanity is banned and everyone knows that the objective is to come up with the most creative ways to describe your opponent. Think of Winton Churchill and his ability to use the language to best his opponents without ever needing to resort to any kind of vulgarity.

It should not be allowed in the common fora but if it was done under humor it could be means to let off steam. I have little doubt whatsoever that there are more than a few posters here who would enjoy describing me as a pompous overinflated equine posterior. (Is it against the rules to insult oneself in order to make a point? ) Creativity goes a long way in taking the sting out of any personal disputes.

The mistake that I believe so many make is that they believe that everything, including profanity, is protected by the 1st Amendment. There is a legal definiton called "fighting words" that do not fall under the 1st Amendment. In essence they are anything that would cause another person to commit an act of violence. In PF terms the rule that covers "baiting and taunting" is essentially excluding "fighting words" that would antagonize another poster to the point where they would start hurling vulgarities and thus disrupt the civil discourse. Yes, making the call as to what does and doesn't meet the definition is a challenge and one that I applaud the staff for meeting on a daily basis.