View Full Version : Whiteblaze maintenece question
Hey guys, the last outage as well as something I noticed in the email notification of PMs got me thinking. I've lurked here for a long time and started posting only recently (heres hoping for 08!) so I don't really know the admins, but how do they maintain the site? Do they have a programmer around for when things get bad? Well, I'm a programmer and I do server maintenance, php, mysql, all that stuff, so if they don't have someone around that can at least answer questions where do I volunteer? Sorry if this has been dealt with before, but I haven't found anything about it.
Thanks
Send a private message to attroll (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/private.php?do=newpm&u=8) and ask if he could use some assistance.;)
First off, thank you for you offer and I will try and explain more about the software and the background and the administrators.
The way the structure works for administrators for WhiteBlaze is a follows.
Attroll
SGT Rock
Dixicritter
I take care of the server and all the backend stuff. The programmers are pretty much me (Attroll). I did not actually write the software. I maintain it and install modification to it as needed and anything of that nature. I am not a true programmer. I learn as I go along. I know enough to make myself dangerous. We have never (knock on wood) had any issues in the past where we needed a programmer to fix anything. We have been lucky and never had any major issues with the software or the server. We purchased our own server this year and we can say we now own it. It is parked in a datacenter in Texas. The server was a little pricey but I thought we wanted something that was dependable and expandable for the future. Our server has been very good to us so far.
The only time we have gone out looking for a programmer was when I was trying to find someone to create journal software for the web site. We had a lot of people volunteer but when I explained what I wanted they said it was too much to do and backed out. I found some journal software that I have been working on for months now that will do the trick and we are almost ready to release it for use for the general public.
The only issue when trying to find a programmer for having modification or add-on programs design things done with WhiteBlaze is that you need to find a programmer that know the ins and outs of the vBulletin software. It seems like when I have looked in the past and found someone interested, I then had to spend days explaining how the vBulletin software works and then letting them look behind the scenes at the software, then have them tell me that they did not have enough time to do it. Really what they should have told me is that the software is too much for them to handle and integrate the stuff I wanted to do. I have not gotten to know the people that volunteered but it has come to my conclusion that they talk the big talk but don’t do the walk. They say they know programming but you have to know more then the basic HTML and PHP function to program. I think most of them were young people thinking that it was easier then they thought.
With that said I am not saying you are anything like the others. I was just simply explaining the past experiences I have dealt with.
I do have a modification I would like done for WhiteBlaze that I have tried to get done, but only one has shown interest and they were from overseas and there is more to this then I can explain, but needless to say that did not work out either. The mod or add-on that I am looking for that would integrate the thru-hiker registry better then what it is now. Currently it is a totally separate program running by itself and it is not incorporated into WhiteBlaze software. I would like to have it work hand and hand with the WhiteBlaze software. As I said though the person has to have a good working knowledge of vBulletin. The other main thing is I would have to know more about you before I let anyone touch WhiteBlaze.