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Fenwar
Admiral Ackbar
Joined: 15 Sep 2003
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 Posted: Sep 03, 2009 20:17 Post subject: IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT DF-21.NET |
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The df-21.net domain is due for renewal on the 16th September 2009. The site will be 10 years old on that date.
I've been involved with DF-21 since around 2001 and have invested a substantial amount of my time and money in the site. It's time to bring that era to a close.
Therefore I'm looking for someone else who's actually willing to pay to keep this site going. If no-one steps forward then the domain name will expire on the 16th September, I will cancel our hosting account at the same time, and this site will cease to exist in its present form. I will of course take a full backup of the site and forums at that point, which I will happily turn over to any member of the community who wants to continue things (if you act fast then I can even give you access to the site as it stands).
I'm flexible about how we do this so any questions please do not hesitate to ask. Once it's in your hands you can of course take the site in whatever direction you wish, or simply leave it exactly how it is now... If you're willing to do anything, please speak up now. Even if you aren't able to contribute financially, but could help in other ways e.g. practical running of the site, post here so other people know what help may be available to them.
If you would prefer to contact me privately then please use either the forums' private message facility or email: fenney at gmail dot com.
I would of course like to take this opportunity to say a big thank you to everyone who has contributed so much to this site, especially Scape Goat himself, but most importantly to the level authors who have given everyone so much fun over the years.
Thanks
Paul/Fenwar
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lucius
DarkXL Developer
Joined: 17 Feb 2008
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lucius
DarkXL Developer
Joined: 17 Feb 2008
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| Posted: Sep 03, 2009 20:51 Post subject: |
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Ok, after talking it over with Fenwar in private I've decided to take over the site provided someone steps up to handle the day to day running of the site. I'm way too busy to add keeping up df-21 myself to my list of things to do, so I'll need some help for this to work. If no one, with the appropriate skills (html, php, css, etc.) steps up then I will be forced to back down and move on.
_________________
DarkXL....http://darkxl.wordpress.com
Last edited by lucius on Sep 03, 2009 20:53; edited 1 time in total |
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Burning Gundam
Kell Dragon
Joined: 28 Sep 2003
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| Posted: Sep 03, 2009 20:51 Post subject: |
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Being one of those who's on these boards practically everyday I would help, but don't know how. If there is any way I could help out please let me know.
Edit: Actually, a better question would be what tools or skills would be necessary for me to be of any help?
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I don't think outside the box... I customize it. |
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lucius
DarkXL Developer
Joined: 17 Feb 2008
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Burning Gundam
Kell Dragon
Joined: 28 Sep 2003
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lucius
DarkXL Developer
Joined: 17 Feb 2008
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| Posted: Sep 03, 2009 21:31 Post subject: |
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I'm going to put a deadline for the webmaster to step forward, so that we have time to iron out the practical details before time runs out. So if you want to help out by being a webmaster for this site, you have until 13th September 2009 to let us know. That's 10 days from now.
If no one can do this, then I will open up new DarkXL forums and host the various downloads and levels on the DarkXL blog. So even if the worst happens, the levels and other downloads won't be lost.
Thank you.
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DarkXL....http://darkxl.wordpress.com |
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Fenwar
Admiral Ackbar
Joined: 15 Sep 2003
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| Posted: Sep 03, 2009 21:52 Post subject: |
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I'll add my public thanks for this offer here lucius  , and also thanks for offering your help Gundam!
(Just as a suggestion, there are some tasks like forum moderation which wouldn't require specific technical knowledge - just the ability to identify and click a button to delete spam posts, or a quiet word to diffuse a flamewar for example*. However I'll leave delegating stuff like this in the hands of the next incumbent(s).)
I would also add that I will of course remain in touch to support the new webmaster for as long as is necessary to get up to speed with the site's structure and occasional peculiarities. However you will of course be in the driving seat straight away.
Thanks
Paul
(* although to be honest, it's not kicked off on here for years...)
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Tsophika
Gamorrean
Joined: 14 Jan 2008
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| Posted: Sep 03, 2009 22:05 Post subject: |
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What is the site coded in? I only have HTML knowledge, but everything is in place, it's not like building a site from scratch. I do have Adobe Master Collection. Updating it wouldn't be too hard I imagine.
Last edited by Tsophika on Sep 03, 2009 22:10; edited 1 time in total |
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lucius
DarkXL Developer
Joined: 17 Feb 2008
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| Posted: Sep 03, 2009 22:09 Post subject: |
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Fenwar wrote:
I'll add my public thanks for this offer here lucius , and also thanks for offering your help Gundam!
(Just as a suggestion, there are some tasks like forum moderation which wouldn't require specific technical knowledge - just the ability to identify and click a button to delete spam posts, or a quiet word to diffuse a flamewar for example*. However I'll leave delegating stuff like this in the hands of the next incumbent(s).)
I would also add that I will of course remain in touch to support the new webmaster for as long as is necessary to get up to speed with the site's structure and occasional peculiarities. However you will of course be in the driving seat straight away.
Thanks
Paul
(* although to be honest, it's not kicked off on here for years...)
Of course there will be plenty to do, like assigning new moderators and the like, but we'll deal with that once we figure out what's happening to the site.
Also, no matter what happens, I have to give a special thanks to Fenwar for maintaining the site this long. I have to be honest, if this site didn't exist, I'm pretty sure DarkXL wouldn't either. It was the die-hard fans, and the fact that Dark Forces deserves the same treatment that Doom has been getting all these years, that prompted me to start on DarkXL rather then other potential projects.
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DarkXL....http://darkxl.wordpress.com |
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lucius
DarkXL Developer
Joined: 17 Feb 2008
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The MAZZTer
Death Star
Joined: 25 Sep 2003
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lucius
DarkXL Developer
Joined: 17 Feb 2008
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| Posted: Sep 03, 2009 22:59 Post subject: |
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Alright then, The_Mega_ZZTer will become the new webmaster. I'll stay on as admin as well as running the forums. At some point we'll go through the process of assigning new moderators and so on. We'll work out the details with Fenwar later today.
Thank you The_Mega_ZZTer, Tsophika and Burning Gundam for offering your services to help this site.
As of now (unless The_Mega_ZZTer changes his mind), I'll commit to taking over the site from Fenwar.
_________________
DarkXL....http://darkxl.wordpress.com |
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Fenwar
Admiral Ackbar
Joined: 15 Sep 2003
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| Posted: Sep 03, 2009 23:27 Post subject: |
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Well that didn't seem to take too long... 
Thanks to Mega and Tsophika too!
lucius wrote:
Tsophika wrote:
What is the site coded in? I only have HTML knowledge, but everything is in place, it's not like building a site from scratch. I do have Adobe Master Collection. Updating it wouldn't be too hard I imagine.
Ideally you'd need to work with HTML (of course), PHP, Perl as well as deal with whatever back-end database may exist. You'd want to be able to get projects scripts working again and things like that as well.
I'm sure Fenwar has more details he can share [...]
Just to add a few of those details for Tsophika (and anyone else who may be interested in volunteering their support for the new regime  ):
When I took over the site I had a working knowledge of HTML, JavaScript and CSS, but not much else that was relevant (there's only a tiny amount of JS on the site). At the time we were using a forum written in Perl; I picked up what I needed to to occasionally meddle with it, and the same with the current PHP forums. (PHP is pretty easy to pick up, hence its popularity...)
In any case the forum functionality is generally managed through the control panel. There's even a front end to the database itself although it should rarely be needed.
Apart from the forums, the majority of the site (e.g. the download listings) is just HTML pages. The news on the front page is managed by a pretty simple (if outdated) Perl script, again with control panel. Ideally the future would be to update the site to something a bit more modern than static HTML, but that's up to you. In the meantime if you can edit HTML and know how to use an FTP client you should be able to contribute.
The_Mega_ZZTer wrote:
BTW as for the site running, one of the guys at Massassi picked up the Massassi website some time back and hosts it (and my own website on his server). Unfortunately he doesn't come here (a few other Massassians do) so I dunno if he'd be willing to host the site for free like Massassi or for some sort of discount off his normal rate... but even his normal rate IIRC is good. Also he supports all the stuff you need AFAIK. There's Perl too even though it's not listed on the page.
With regards the hosting there may be a couple of odds and ends that I've forgotten, but yes, PHP/Perl/MySQL should cover most of the requirement. You'd have to decide amongst yourselves on things like whether to change from the current host. DF-21 currently has 1.5 GB disk and 25 GB transfer - currently using about 950MB disk and maybe 3-4GB/month. (About half of that disk usage is actually the DarkXL video folder, though ) Obviously there have been the recent DNS issues; then again the domain registrar may be able to provide the DNS as an alternative.
I may add more later but it's past my bedtime now
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lucius
DarkXL Developer
Joined: 17 Feb 2008
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| Posted: Sep 03, 2009 23:42 Post subject: |
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Well the video problem is easy to solve, I'm just going to move them off-site (I have plenty of room on my wordpress accounts), so I don't think space will be any issue right now.
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DarkXL....http://darkxl.wordpress.com |
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AlexG
Dark Trooper Phase 1
Joined: 25 Sep 2003
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| Posted: Sep 04, 2009 02:28 Post subject: |
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Geez, I was going to volunteer as webmaster and someone's already come along to save the site. I need to check in more often I guess.
As it is, I'll throw in my support. I know HTML and CSS, I've managed (but not built myself from scratch) PHP and JS sites for the Rebel Squadrons, and Database Driven Website classes were part of my degree at DU. Anyway, if you all need help, I can at least lend a hand.
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This thread is going to die... isn't it? |
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Burning Gundam
Kell Dragon
Joined: 28 Sep 2003
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| Posted: Sep 04, 2009 07:25 Post subject: |
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Fenwar wrote:
I'll add my public thanks for this offer here lucius , and also thanks for offering your help Gundam!
(Just as a suggestion, there are some tasks like forum moderation which wouldn't require specific technical knowledge - just the ability to identify and click a button to delete spam posts, or a quiet word to diffuse a flamewar for example*. However I'll leave delegating stuff like this in the hands of the next incumbent(s).)
I would also add that I will of course remain in touch to support the new webmaster for as long as is necessary to get up to speed with the site's structure and occasional peculiarities. However you will of course be in the driving seat straight away.
Thanks
Paul
(* although to be honest, it's not kicked off on here for years...)
I would gladly take a seat as a moderator. I want to help in any way that I can, and if that's the best way for the time being then I'll take it. It's up to everyone else though.
_________________
I don't think outside the box... I customize it. |
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The MAZZTer
Death Star
Joined: 25 Sep 2003
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| Posted: Sep 04, 2009 14:14 Post subject: |
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I'm sure I could use the help, everyone who volunteered. In particular I suck at the design aspect, apart from very simple sites.
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http://www.mzzt.net/ | I am a respectable admin with a respectable sig. |
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Taton
Trandoshan
Joined: 25 Sep 2003
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| Posted: Sep 04, 2009 15:55 Post subject: |
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*Huggles Mega_ZZTer*
I still have no idea how the heck to pronounce your name, but we're here to support ya.
As new owner/site runner, I believe that it would be in our best interest to model ourselves after the noble chinese of the east:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DF-21
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"A fight should be clean and elegant, without waste"
-Asuka Langley Sohryu, Evangelion |
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Tsophika
Gamorrean
Joined: 14 Jan 2008
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| Posted: Sep 04, 2009 17:25 Post subject: |
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If there's a need for graphics, 2D and 3D are my strong suite.
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Jimmy Chicken
Gamorrean
Joined: 09 Dec 2003
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| Posted: Sep 04, 2009 21:52 Post subject: |
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Taton wrote:
*Huggles Mega_ZZTer*
I still have no idea how the heck to pronounce your name, but we're here to support ya.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DF-21
I pronounce it, "Mega Ziter."
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"if you see a wall with the blast marks DF 21 shot into it, I was there" |
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The MAZZTer
Death Star
Joined: 25 Sep 2003
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| Posted: Sep 04, 2009 23:11 Post subject: |
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I haven't gone by The_Mega_ZZTer in forever. I usually go by "The MAZZTer" now. >_>
So, YOU'RE ALL WRONG. 
[Edit: It's like "The Master" but with more Zs.]
[Edit: Ooh I have administrative powers now! >_>]
[Edit: HA. Name has been FIXED through my new superpower!]
[Edit: HA! I have my own custom rank too! If I'm moving too fast just let me know Fenwar... just getting familiar with phpBB, I swear... >_>]
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http://www.mzzt.net/ | I am a respectable admin with a respectable sig. |
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Weregoose
Gamorrean
Joined: 05 May 2008
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| Posted: Sep 05, 2009 06:02 Post subject: |
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Oh, there's no relation to the Epic Megagames classic by Tim Sweeney, the "text editor" which taught "object-oriented programming" by letting one script ASCII "robots" that interacted with one another; the game also served as the inspiration for the GCS "Megazeux", which spawned several entertaining titles.* The GCS was authored by Greg Jansen, who was the tracker for such original pieces as CV_BALON.MOD. Interestingly enough, he went under the knife, had a sex change, and then went on to win a Magic: The Gathering card-designing contest.
*I still wonder if I'm the only person to have beaten Adlo in its entirety – and with the hidden character, no less. Argh, I hated Sri Lanka's giant mushrooms!
Nope, no relation at all.
Zee. Zee. Tee. ...bitches.
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Fenwar
Admiral Ackbar
Joined: 15 Sep 2003
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The MAZZTer
Death Star
Joined: 25 Sep 2003
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| Posted: Sep 05, 2009 13:17 Post subject: |
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Weregoose wrote:
Oh, there's no relation to the Epic Megagames classic by Tim Sweeney, the "text editor" which taught "object-oriented programming" by letting one script ASCII "robots" that interacted with one another; the game also served as the inspiration for the GCS "Megazeux", which spawned several entertaining titles.* The GCS was authored by Greg Jansen, who was the tracker for such original pieces as CV_BALON.MOD. Interestingly enough, he went under the knife, had a sex change, and then went on to win a Magic: The Gathering card-designing contest.
*I still wonder if I'm the only person to have beaten Adlo in its entirety – and with the hidden character, no less. Argh, I hated Sri Lanka's giant mushrooms!
Nope, no relation at all.
Zee. Zee. Tee. ...bitches.
Actually that's exactly where my name came from. MegaZeux and ZZT. I just don't play them anymore so I decided to change my name.
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http://www.mzzt.net/ | I am a respectable admin with a respectable sig. |
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lucius
DarkXL Developer
Joined: 17 Feb 2008
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| Posted: Sep 09, 2009 21:36 Post subject: |
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An update about the status of DF-21.net:
The domain transfer is now official and complete. The DF-21.net domain is good for another year. We're still in the process of transferring the hosting service but that will be complete any time now.
I want to thank Fenwar again for running the site for so long and with being very helpful and responsive when dealing with the transfer process.
Hopefully DF-21.net will be around for a long time to come!
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DarkXL....http://darkxl.wordpress.com |
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lucius
DarkXL Developer
Joined: 17 Feb 2008
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| Posted: Sep 10, 2009 23:15 Post subject: |
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The hosting service has finally been officially transferred. The DF-21.net move is now complete.
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DarkXL....http://darkxl.wordpress.com |
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The MAZZTer
Death Star
Joined: 25 Sep 2003
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| Posted: Sep 11, 2009 02:17 Post subject: |
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I don't notice any difference? 
SSH still doesn't recognize me... >_>
Welcome to the new host... same as the old host.
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http://www.mzzt.net/ | I am a respectable admin with a respectable sig. |
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lucius
DarkXL Developer
Joined: 17 Feb 2008
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| Posted: Sep 11, 2009 02:39 Post subject: |
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I just moved the account over to me, we're still using the same hosting service. The Domain provider is different though.
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DarkXL....http://darkxl.wordpress.com |
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CobraSA
Ree-Yees
Joined: 15 Dec 2008
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| Posted: Sep 11, 2009 07:30 Post subject: |
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it would be sad if this site goes down
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