[Public-List] Alberg 30 forum

Wed Oct 14 04:59:43 PDT 2015

For my part, I have to say I'm unmoved by pursuit of increased efficiency.
I like our list as the rambling conversation it is.

If we all lived closer together, I imagine we'd talk about what we do over
beers in the local pub or at a sailing club... But we don't, so we chat this
way.

I like it.  And I have to say that the load George carries making it all
happen for us has been largely invisible to me - so George, thank you very
much.

Gord #426 Surprise

On 2015-10-13, 11:11 PM, "Jay Davenport via Public-List"
<public-list at lists.alberg30.org> wrote:

> George,
Most Alberg 30 owners have had the benefit of your list and website
> for many years. It has also been recognized by the general sailing community
> as one of the best One-Design sites available.
The Alberg 30 community, and
> our boats, are unique in many ways, and do not have to follow the vagaries of
> a constantly changing world. The relationships in our family, some of which
> are decades old, and our boats, are a constant which we all can rely on. The
> A30 website is part of that dynamic. 
None of this means that there can't be
> improvement in how things are done, but it does mean that it would be
> ill-advised to jettison a long-term successful website format for a new,
> untested (and perhaps unwanted) replacement. Although some of those who
> support this change may be willing to commit to operating it for the next two
> decades, I, for one, would prefer to see the existing website (which is first
> rate) and the existing Administrator (who is first rate) continue to provide
> this sailor with the advantages for which the site is so well known.  
I know
> that you will keep an open mind about improvements, but web safety and privacy
> issues should always be in the forefront.
"If it ain't broke, don't fix
> it." Jay Davenport 

      From: George Dinwiddie via Public-List
> <public-list at lists.alberg30.org>
 To: public-list at lists.alberg30.org 
 Sent:
> Tuesday, October 13, 2015 9:53 PM
 Subject: Re: [Public-List] Alberg 30 forum

> 
Michael, et al,

On 10/13/15 5:03 AM, Michael via Public-List wrote:
> They
> come and they go. The Alberg 30 list endures. Thanks George.

You're welcome.
> And thank you for lifting my spirits.

> Knowing at least one thing I am
> subscribed to can't install binary
> malware means a lot to me.
> Keep the
> subject line relevant to the discussion at hand and i don't see
> the problem
> with confusion (in searches or otherwise).
>
> MichaelGrosh
> #220
> I would
> like to see the collaborate/wiki doohickey pages used more.
> that's a tough
> nut to crack. lots of potential there.

You were, I think, the only one other
> than me to create pages in the 
"collaborate" section. Unfortunately, it's
> down for the count at the 
moment. A combination of years-long persistent
> onslaught of vandals, and 
an upgrade by my hosting provider that left me
> without a simple 
migration path. Until I figure out a way forward, it's
> defunct. Leaving 
it up was jeopardizing the rest of the website.

As of this
> morning, 376340 different IP addresses have tried to create 
logins for it, I
> presume these are mostly automated bots. I gave up many 
months ago blocking
> IP addresses after blocking over 100000 of them. The 
CPU usage just to refuse
> their connection was overwhelming when there 
were several per second. When I
> was actively fighting this problem, I 
was spending a dozen or so hours a week
> on it, for months. I had to 
throw in the towel. The spammers are quite
> persistent. Even though it 
hasn't worked for about a year, there were 883
> attempts to create an 
account in 24 hours yesterday. At least it's slowed
> down a bit.

People complain about not being able to send photos on the
> mailing list, 
and suggest a web-based solution to that problem. They ignore
> the fact 
that the alberg30.org website already has the ability to post
> photos. 
I've mentioned this numerous times on the list. It does require a
> login, 
which I will gladly create, but that keeps out the spam bots that have
> 
infested the wiki. Very few people have contributed. You can visit
> 
http://www.alberg30.org/gallery/ to see what's there.

Yes, I know there are
> newer things than email lists. Web forums are so 
terribly new, however. Some
> of us remember Compuserve forums, and find 
web forums to be a pale reflection
> of them. When I was an assistant 
sysop on Compuserves sailing forum (a.k.a.
> the Online Yacht Club), it 
was considered poor taste to troll another forum
> to entice members to 
leave it for some other forum. There are things newer
> than online 
etiquette, too.

I'm not terribly interested in what's new and
> what's obsolete. I note 
that sailboats have been an obsolete form of
> transportation for a very 
long time. Yet they provide me with a certain
> amount of pleasure, and, 
with care, safety. Pleasure and safety are my goals
> with the website and 
mailing list.

I've been running the mailing list for
> over 17 years, now, and the 
website for 20. I've been especially careful
> about security. I started 
this list on one-list, which was bought by egroups,
> which was bought by 
yahoo. Yahoo started adding webbugs to the emails so they
> could track 
who opened emails when. I didn't like that, so I left the free
> email 
services and ran my own list. This seems so quaint today when large
> 
corporations lose millions of credit cards at a time, but I still care 
about
> providing a safe environment for people who want to focus on 
sailing rather
> than web security. As a sailor, I've seen how a little 
inattention can
> suddenly become life-threatening.

I'm comfortable with the choices I've made.
> If others want to make other 
choices, that's up to them. I really do
> appreciate the kind words of 
support. There have been many days when I've
> wondered why I'm still 
doing this, and those words remind me of the
> answer.

  Fair winds,
    George

-- 

> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
  When
> I remember bygone days                        George Dinwiddie
  I think how
> evening follows morn;            gdinwiddie at alberg30.org
  So many I loved
> were not yet dead,          http://www.Alberg30.org
  So many I love were not
> yet born.                          also see:
                'The Middle' by
> Ogden Nash    http://idiacomputing.com

> ----------------------------------------------------------------------

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