Possible end to SHP

[Collector]

Advanced warning. I might have to give up on the site.

[Collector]

I take it that the lack of replies means there is little interest in SHP anymore. That makes me less likely to spend the money required to keep it alive.

[goatmeal]

I take it that the lack of replies means there is little interest in SHP anymore. That makes me less likely to spend the money required to keep it alive.

That was my question when you just posted the second message.

Just curious: is it a funding issue (to keep the site running), or more of a effort/benefit issue (beyond what you have time for or interest in)?

I am truly grateful to be a part of the community here, and we might be able to help/contribute where we can.

Is there anything we can help with?

[Tawmis]

I take it that the lack of replies means there is little interest in SHP anymore. That makes me less likely to spend the money required to keep it alive.

Oi, I have been knee deep in reviews/appraisal week at work - and didn't see this until now.

You know I enjoy SHP and the forums.

But that said, I also get it when you're pouring money into something, and not really getting a lot back out of it (and getting no money back out of it).

I know we discussed this before, but you could consider doing a patreon for SHP, to see if that helps.

Admittedly, on the forum, we're down to... what?... four? five? regulars?

So I completely get it. I'd be sad, because SHP forums is one of my places to visit when I need a break from life.

Way back in... 2022... during COVID when I was using Discord for everything... I created a SHP Discord sever, but never did anything with it...

We could move people there. I'd be more than happy to make you an Admin on there if you're interested.

[notbobsmith]

I take it that the lack of replies means there is little interest in SHP anymore. That makes me less likely to spend the money required to keep it alive.

I just saw the post myself. I'd hate to see the forums go. It's one of the last places where people can interact without having to go through social media. But I completely understand your decision.

I take it that the lack of replies means there is little interest in SHP anymore. That makes me less likely to spend the money required to keep it alive.

Oi, I have been knee deep in reviews/appraisal week at work - and didn't see this until now.

You know I enjoy SHP and the forums.

But that said, I also get it when you're pouring money into something, and not really getting a lot back out of it (and getting no money back out of it).

I know we discussed this before, but you could consider doing a patreon for SHP, to see if that helps.

Admittedly, on the forum, we're down to... what?... four? five? regulars?

So I completely get it. I'd be sad, because SHP forums is one of my places to visit when I need a break from life.

Way back in... 2022... during COVID when I was using Discord for everything... I created a SHP Discord sever, but never did anything with it...

We could move people there. I'd be more than happy to make you an Admin on there if you're interested.

I'd have no objections to migrating to Discord. I haven't really used it much, but I guess I can figure it out.

Should the forums go down, is there some way to archive everything? It would be a shame for everything to just vanish.

[Qbix]

I saw the message last night, but it was rather brief and wanted to ask more about it today.

As "I might have to give up on the site", sounded like you suddenly had a bad thing happen (like job loss, big health issue or provider giving you a hard time).
So anything we can do to help ?

[Rath Darkblade]

Oh, no. I didn't see this message last night (it was Sunday night for me), and I didn't see it this morning (I was at work!). So I only just got a chance to see it now.

Qbix is right: It sounds very sudden and abrupt. Has something happened? Can we help (either financially or in other ways)? Please let us know how we can help.

To speak candidly, and from the heart: I personally love this place. It's one of the last places I know where I can hang out with fellow Sierra gamers from the old days (like me), and I would hate to see it go down. I'm sure many other people feel the same.

But having said that, I completely understand that it's your forum, and I appreciate you letting us be here. Thank you, Collector.

[BBP]

I didn't see the message last night either... I'm really sorry to hear that you feel this way. SHP has been a very pleasant place to me and I am very grateful to have been given a place to unwind, to learn about upcoming and older games and to meet likeminded persons.

From your posts I gather there are financial issues with keeping the forum afloat - I would gladly contribute to keeping SHP up.

[Collector]

The financial issues are that Arvixe, the current provider decided that unlimited disk space now means under 30 GB and the only solution they gave me was to setup a very expensive dedicated server. Their service and support have gotten really crappy. I was in the process of backing up the site and deleting what I could when they deleted things on their own. I am still not sure what is irretrievable, and won't until I can start restoring what I had removed. This was the last straw. The new service had a promo deal that was only twice what I had been paying. I'll have to see what they want after the year. I can't do 4x what I have been paying. It at least gives me a year to find other solutions.

[Tawmis]

I can confirm the above (since I was the one who told Collector about Arvixe). For my tawmis.com site - they also came after me, but thankfully, on there I had a ton of stuff I'd uploaded over the years, that was just really clutter. So I was able to clear out space. I am very surprised, however, they've not come after my Neverending Nights site, as that has gigs of files in the form of videos.

EDIT - Heh, googled Arvixe reviews and...

Arvixe, once a highly regarded web hosting company, has seen a major decline in its service quality and support following its 2014 acquisition by Endurance International Group (now Newfold Digital). While some historical reviews highlight positive aspects, recent customer feedback is overwhelmingly negative, citing frequent downtime, poor customer support, and billing issues.

Here is a breakdown of the key positive and negative reviews for Arvixe:
Negative reviews

- Poor customer support: One of the most common complaints is the dramatic deterioration of customer support. Reviewers frequently mention long wait times for "live chat," lack of phone support, and unhelpful or non-existent responses to support tickets.
Billing problems and difficult cancellations: Many customers report being charged for services they canceled years ago or having difficulty obtaining refunds, even when their service was inadequate. Arvixe reportedly auto-renews accounts well in advance of the expiration date, making refunds hard to obtain.

- Frequent downtime and poor performance: Testing and user reviews reveal very low uptime rates and slow loading speeds. This can lead to lost traffic, lower search engine rankings, and lost revenue.

- Website migration issues: Some users have described nightmare scenarios with migrations that caused extended periods of their website and email being offline.

- Outdated infrastructure: The company's official website has not been updated since 2016 and features outdated technology.

Positive reviews

Once well-regarded: In the past, Arvixe was recognized by publications like PC Magazine, which awarded it the "Editor's Choice" in 2015. Back then, it was known for its decent support and affordability.

Long-time users: Some users, particularly those with long-standing accounts who have not experienced the same issues, report satisfactory service.
Security features: Reviews from a few years ago highlighted strong security features, such as brute-force attack detection and firewalls, as a plus for the service.

Verdict

While Arvixe once enjoyed a good reputation, its quality has significantly deteriorated since its acquisition. The overwhelmingly negative recent reviews regarding poor customer service, frequent downtime, and billing issues make it a poor choice for new customers. Most independent reviewers and former customers strongly advise against using Arvixe for web hosting today.

[Rath Darkblade]

Sigh. It is really too bad of Arvixe. I wish I could wave a magic wand and tell you all what other host there is, but I don't know.

In the past, there were message-board systems called "Ezboard" (which became "Yuku"). Have you heard of those? Maybe we can host the SHP on one of those. Perhaps the "Sierrahelp" domain might disappear, but all the installers etc. could be hosted separately, and the SHP forums themselves would be hosted on an old-fashioned "message-board" system like EzBoard.

I know it might sound horrendous, but short of giving in to Arvixe's blackmail (and that's what it sounds like, frankly!), I've no idea what to suggest. Sorry!

[Collector]

The new account has been setup,but SHP has not yet been transferred. Usual cautions, don't post anything that you can't risk losing or don't mind reposting again after the migration.

[Tawmis]

Sigh. It is really too bad of Arvixe. I wish I could wave a magic wand and tell you all what other host there is, but I don't know.

In the past, there were message-board systems called "Ezboard" (which became "Yuku"). Have you heard of those? Maybe we can host the SHP on one of those. Perhaps the "Sierrahelp" domain might disappear, but all the installers etc. could be hosted separately, and the SHP forums themselves would be hosted on an old-fashioned "message-board" system like EzBoard.

I know it might sound horrendous, but short of giving in to Arvixe's blackmail (and that's what it sounds like, frankly!), I've no idea what to suggest. Sorry!

Using another (proper forum) like EzBoards or whatever they're called these days, would probably be easier than Discord, for sure because it'd follow a similar theme. The downside (which, whatever, pop/ad blockers could help with) - is the free ads and pop ups that are usually a part of such forums. But yes, that would be more ... representative of the forum here.

[Rath Darkblade]

The new account has been setup,but SHP has not yet been transferred. Usual cautions, don't post anything that you can't risk losing or don't mind reposting again after the migration.

Sorry, set-up? Transferred? I'm confused - where are we moving to?

Sigh. It is really too bad of Arvixe. I wish I could wave a magic wand and tell you all what other host there is, but I don't know.

In the past, there were message-board systems called "Ezboard" (which became "Yuku"). Have you heard of those? Maybe we can host the SHP on one of those. Perhaps the "Sierrahelp" domain might disappear, but all the installers etc. could be hosted separately, and the SHP forums themselves would be hosted on an old-fashioned "message-board" system like EzBoard.

I know it might sound horrendous, but short of giving in to Arvixe's blackmail (and that's what it sounds like, frankly!), I've no idea what to suggest. Sorry!

Using another (proper forum) like EzBoards or whatever they're called these days, would probably be easier than Discord, for sure because it'd follow a similar theme. The downside (which, whatever, pop/ad blockers could help with) - is the free ads and pop ups that are usually a part of such forums. But yes, that would be more ... representative of the forum here.

Agreed. I remember Ezboard and all the pop-ups/ads, but after installing an ad-blocker, they were never an issue.

[Tawmis]

The new account has been setup,but SHP has not yet been transferred. Usual cautions, don't post anything that you can't risk losing or don't mind reposting again after the migration.

Sorry, set-up? Transferred? I'm confused - where are we moving to?

Pretty sure he means this - viewtopic.php?p=104387#p104387

The new service had a promo deal that was only twice what I had been paying. I'll have to see what they want after the year. I can't do 4x what I have been paying. It at least gives me a year to find other solutions.

So I believe he found a new host/provider (possibly) - so the site will be migrated (buying him a year to figure out) - or it's through Arvixe (for one year) until he figures out what to do.

The real bummer is that Arvixe deleted content before Collector could clean things up. That's ridiculous. I regularly (every month) back up my site to an external drive just in case anything goes south with it - let alone, when your own provider purges stuff.