vonallentx wrote:
Is anyone who has responded to this topic a programmer for this site? Is there a programmer? Are programmer identities kept secret? I don’t want to breach protocol. But I think this fix would benefit everyone.
Unfortunately, the C&F board uses readily-available, public software. The program is supplied by these folks
https://www.phpbb.com/ and is open source and free. It's installed in a particular configuration on this site (C&F), and has required member assistance when offered to support & migrate it to new hosts. I don't think the actual phpbb programmers are available to bail us out.
The correspondence here has been with the C&F Forums volunteer Moderators, who I don't think have the knowledge or time to do other than operate it, and have some moderator-level tools to administer it, such as to lock threads, throw members off, and use their communication skills to try to keep the forums helpful and humming along at a lower stress level than some other venues.
I myself am not even a moderator, just a long-time member. However, I am a former programmer of business and database software, also with experience supporting animation & video systems for games, engineering & aerospace visualization, movies, & special effects. So I know how to screw 'em up, and how others have done so.
I kinda wish C&F could use the vBulletin board software that is used by the Acoustic Guitar Forum at
https://www.acousticguitarforum.com/forums/index.php (where I am also a member). It's a similar commercial (not free) product, but has a bit more modern feel to it. While not horribly expensive, it may be beyond the means of the funding of the C&F board and may or may not be compatible with its host servers. Regardless, someone would have to purchase & migrate to it, and offset any continuing costs.
_________________
International Traditional Music Society, Inc.
A non-profit 501c3 charity/educational public benefit corporation
Wooden Flute Obsession CDs (3 volumes, 6 discs, 7 hours, 120 players/tracks)
http://www.worldtrad.org