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[Ed Note 2: Damn devs have made a liar out of me... moved it back to the original schedule noted below. - cmn32480]
[TMB Note: Site update complete. Bumped so folks will notice.]
It has been a few months since we last updated SoylentNews, and we've not been content to rest on our laurels. Our next site update is tentatively scheduled for Sunday, 2017-05-21, depending on staff availability. We'll update this story when we know for sure when it will take place.
Since this post was started, other things have come to light, so there's a bit of everything in here. Read on for the full scoop:
Web Site Changes
In this latest update (scheduled around 00:00 UTC on 5.21.2017, but we are flexible), we have made the following improvements:
- Supported subscription payments made with Bitcoin [again].
- Fixed a bug which blocked non-whole-dollar bitcoin subscriptions.
- Provided immediate feedback of theme changes.
- Added button that, when clicked, marks all comments in a story as "unread".
- Added support for "<s>" and "<strike>" tags.
- Fixed bug where a plus sign "+" in a user's nickname made their user page inaccessible from site links.
- Removed unused Javascript code.
- Made minor, non-user-facing changes (code cleanup, etc.)
Backend Changes
As always, we appreciate constructive feedback. Reply with a comment to this story, join us in #dev on IRC (Internet Relay Chat), or submit a bug on GitHub.
Separately, the team has made great strides in moving to running on Gentoo. We are taking this step very methodically, making sure we have a solid foundation in place on one server before we even think of rolling it out to the rest of our systems. Yes, that means we will be free from systemd. Kudos to NCommander, Mechanicjay, Audioguy, TheMightyBuzzard, Paulej72, and Deucalion.
SoylentNews' Folding@Home Team Update
It's amazing how spare compute cycles add up! SoylentNews has a Folding@Home team which is helping researchers find a cure for diseases such as Huntington's, Alzheimer's, and Parkinson's — among many others. Our team was launched on Feb. 12, 2016. In just over 15 months, we have amassed well over 300 million points which places us at Team 304 out of 226564! Barring any surprises, and continuing at our current rate, we are on track to break past 300 and into the 2xx's on or about May 28th, 2017.
We are always open to receiving new team members. Contact Sir Finkus for more information, either via email at this site, or via the #Soylent or #folding channels on our IRC -- Internet Relay Chat server.
Accounts Milestone
New account creation has been relatively consistent and steady over the past year averaging out to a new account pretty much every day. It is a pleasure to inform the community that, on May 18th, account number 6600 was registered on the site.
Funding Shortfall
Lastly, it is my sad duty to inform the community that our cash intake has been seriously deficient so far this year. Our budget for the six-month period of Jan 1, 2017 through June 30, 2017 is $3,000 and we are currently at approximately half that, with less than 6 weeks to go.
We have in excess of 100 users who have been active on the site within the last 30 days whose subscription has lapsed. It is easy enough to do — I have failed to notice my own subscription's end on more than one occasion!
Plain and simple, the site needs to pay its bills. Please look at your subscription page and consider making a contribution. The dollar amounts shown in the text-entry fields are the minimum amount required for that subscription duration. We've had a few users anonymously contribute significantly more than that in the past.
Some have chosen to give a gift subscription to NCommander (UID: 2) as a sign of support. However you choose to make a contribution, please do so now.
Thank-you
-- martyb
(Score: 2, Insightful) by anubi on Sunday May 21 2017, @08:30AM (4 children)
I just turned my subscription on - for the reason I was NOT hounded about it.
I am very leery of donating to many places, as once I do it once, I get on their beg-list of gullibles, which they share with everyone else, and I quickly find my mailbox full of beg-letters.
Based on how these guys try to run this ship, I do not think they will do that here. I have already taken my chance a few minutes ago that they won't, and will keep my relationship with them between us, and not share it with every beg-letter generator out there.
I want to see this site survive. Its not like they are asking for much. Re-read Marty's story above, and its kinda obvious no-one's living in mansions over SN donations... a couple thousand bucks total cost for six months? I can't rent a cubicle for that. Most of this has to be volunteer work for a few guys training on how to build and run something like this, and they are asking us to chip in for a few servers, internet connectivity bill, and power to run 'em. A little dropped here will go a long way.
This site is not at all like the "58 dollar seed" guy who obviously does not need it. Now, if you guys wanna rail on someone who is completely irresponsible with your contribution, go rail on that guy.
"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Sunday May 21 2017, @10:31AM
No worries. We're supposed to have a reminder email that goes out either a week or a month before your subscription lapses, and then again when it actually lapses, but they're broken more often than not and never get sent. Plus you're under no obligation to use a functional email address.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 2) by NCommander on Sunday May 21 2017, @02:05PM (2 children)
Unless you count the occassional beg post on the main index and subscription expiration notifications (which are broken, automated, and disableable in that order), we never bug our users for money on a 1:1 level.
Still always moving
(Score: 1) by anubi on Monday May 22 2017, @04:37AM (1 child)
NCommander:
First, thanks for replying to my post. I am impressed the top guy responded to it.
I did not see the story I am replying to right now as a beg post. I saw it more like a system status report. And it was indicating a fuel problem.
I also noted it was the last thing mentioned, and even then, brought up reluctantly.
I know what happens when my van runs out of fuel. I know what happens when bills don't get paid. And I know I have been derelict in the share I have been granted of this board.
I know if I want that van to start when I turn the key, I better see to it there is fuel in the tank. If I want the Soylentnews.org to be there, I better chip in too. Like many other users here have mentioned, this site is not ad-supported. Nor do I believe most of us would want it to be.
I see by the latest main index that the status story was successful in getting those of us who care about the existence of these forums to wake up and contribute a little more than words. Even with my modest contribution, I feel it will make a difference and won't be wasted.
If someone does not care, I do not believe any amount of cajoling with get them to change their minds. Some of the vitriolic comments I have seen on this thread reinforce my beliefs in this. Same as no amount of cajoling from the pulpit would make me believe in a 6,000 year old Earth. All it did was make me leave the church. Disgusted, and my faith in religious folk took one helluva big hit - probably one I will never recover from.
Hopefully, there will be enough overflow to buy you guys a few pizza and beer meets. You've sure earned 'em.
You guys are doing what I feel will save a helluva lot of us in the long run. I get the strong idea you guys are using SoylentNews to train your technologies on, just as I am using my van to train my technology on. Youv'e taken it one step further by sharing this thing as you bring it up. I am all with you guys learning social distribution technologies which do not depend on someone else giving you permission to run it. You are developing means for many of us to network and share thoughts and ideas without having to go through the censorship or datamining going on in the commercial social sites of the day -- not beholden to advertising or other nooses the ruling classes economically impose.
I very rarely contribute monetarily to anything. Because contributing forces me to reveal my identity and banking credentials. I can't trust most fund-raising people to keep it private, as they are already in bed with the "elite". I know how much the "elite" value lists of people who will voluntarily contribute to a cause, and share those lists amongst themselves - hounding the shit out of anybody whose name is on that list. Main thing I ask is to keep me off those sucker lists. I consider my involvement with SN to be private.
( "elite"="high class beggar". Same kind of people that hound people outside the grocery store, but they wear suits and ask for much larger sums of money )
"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]
(Score: 2) by NCommander on Monday May 29 2017, @08:46AM
Belated reply, but yes, I've done a few things here that I've applied down the road. Mostly related to database scaleout, single-system login, and stupidly tighting up SSL settings.
Still always moving