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N.E. Brigand
Half-elven
Feb 2 2018, 3:08am
Post #1 of 51
(6523 views)
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What can TORNadoes do to help recover the old forums' content?
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Seventeen months ago, the original 1999-2007 TORN forums--whose posts had continued to be accessible (if a bit slow to load) for nine years after the upgrade--suddenly were not.
In responses to this Feedback thread started by a.s. in Sep. 2016, indications were that the actual content though inaccessible to readers was still preserved, and several options were put forward as to how it could be restored as an archive, a project that several people volunteered to assist with. My life got pretty hectic soon after that, so I never followed up here--and it would seem that's true of others, since I don't think there's been any news on this front in the meantime. But recent events have me feeling especially nostalgic, and I've been able to free up my schedule, so:
I should like to save the Shire, if--I mean: I would like to help save that content and make it accessible once more, and I'm sure others would too. At the time, there were offers of financial assistance, data entry labor, programming expertise, and more, and I expect those offers still stand.
The discussions from those years are very dear to me, and I stand ready to devote much time, effort, and if necessary, what funds I can afford, to making that content available once more for the benefit of all. What can we do to make that happen?
Treason doth neuer prosper? What's the Reason?
for if it prosper none dare call it treason.
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Discuss Tolkien's life and works in the Reading Room!
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How to find old Reading Room discussions.
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NottaSackville
Valinor
Feb 2 2018, 1:14pm
Post #2 of 51
(6273 views)
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You have my sword, errr, keyboard //
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Happiness: money matters, but less than we think and not in the way that we think. Family is important and so are friends, while envy is toxic -- and so is excessive thinking. Beaches are optional. Trust is not. Neither is gratitude. - The Geography of Bliss by Eric Weiner as summarized by Lily Fairbairn. And a bit of the Hobbit reading thrown in never hurts. - NottaSackville
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entmaiden
Forum Admin
/ Moderator
Feb 2 2018, 2:15pm
Post #3 of 51
(6283 views)
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Hopefully Altaira can help us get access to the files. From what I remember, there's going to be some untangling to do, but we can probably section it off and have several people work on it.
I'm also happy to add funds if we need to bring in professional help. Thanks for bringing this up again NEB. I'm also feeling nostalgic for the discussions, especially the Reading Room.
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N.E. Brigand
Half-elven
Feb 2 2018, 4:36pm
Post #4 of 51
(6275 views)
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Did you ever see "One Man Lord of the Rings"?
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"You have my sword!"
"And my axe!"
"And my hair!"
Treason doth neuer prosper? What's the Reason?
for if it prosper none dare call it treason.
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Discuss Tolkien's life and works in the Reading Room!
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How to find old Reading Room discussions.
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N.E. Brigand
Half-elven
Feb 2 2018, 5:15pm
Post #5 of 51
(6268 views)
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Last summer, a performing arts group I follow put out an emergency appeal for funds so they could finish their summer tour. They raised $100,000 from a few thousand people in just 36 hours. If this project requires, the rent of additional space on the servers TORN currently uses, doubtless the participants here can help similarly.
Treason doth neuer prosper? What's the Reason?
for if it prosper none dare call it treason.
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<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
Discuss Tolkien's life and works in the Reading Room!
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How to find old Reading Room discussions.
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a.s.
Valinor
Feb 3 2018, 2:23am
Post #7 of 51
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I am standing by for assignment
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PLEASE someone send me a private message if I miss the planning or assignments. I would dearly love to preserve our history. I love this place and the fellowship, learning, and laughter down through the years.
With an occasional testy moment. I am but human.
Standing by.
a.s.
"an seileachan"
"A safe fairyland is untrue to all worlds." JRR Tolkien, Letters.
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a.s.
Valinor
Feb 3 2018, 2:37am
Post #9 of 51
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I still have all my old message board smileys, let's see if I can remember how to post them....
OK, old friend. I appear to be ready.
a.s.
"an seileachan"
"A safe fairyland is untrue to all worlds." JRR Tolkien, Letters.
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Silverlode
Forum Admin
/ Moderator
Feb 3 2018, 2:51am
Post #10 of 51
(6226 views)
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I'd love to see this happen as well.
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I'm no technical wizard, but I would be glad to lend a hand to anything within my capabilities. 
Silverlode
Roads go ever ever on
Under cloud and under star
Yet feet that wandering have gone
Turn at last to home afar.
Eyes that fire and sword have seen
And horror in the halls of stone
Look at last on meadows green
And trees and hills they long have known.
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a.s.
Valinor
Feb 3 2018, 3:12am
Post #12 of 51
(6221 views)
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is nostalgia making you smiley tolerant?
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I do have a knight in training just for you, though:
But I won't push it.
a.s.
"an seileachan"
"A safe fairyland is untrue to all worlds." JRR Tolkien, Letters.
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Loresilme
Valinor
Feb 3 2018, 3:48pm
Post #13 of 51
(6178 views)
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I would love to have the content restored and accessible.
At the time, there were offers of financial assistance, data entry labor, programming expertise, and more, and I expect those offers still stand.
I'm not a tech expert, but I should be able to help out on data entry labor.
Please feel free to PM me.
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Feb 3 2018, 10:52pm
Post #14 of 51
(6141 views)
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This would be so great, and I feel the same need to revive our dormant voices and friendships. If there's anyway at all to bring them home, I'm there! I'd donate what I can both financially and physically.
I did a lot of database work for bibliographic records in my old job... recovery, editing, hunting down elusive authority work. I've been clocked at typing 92wpm, so I'm game for retyping posts if that's the only way. Big jobs don't scare me. Do one at a time.
Count me in 100%. We need this.
Thanks for this, NEB :)
We have been there and back again.
TIME Google Calendar
6th draft of TH:AUJ Geeky Observations List - November 28, 2013
4th draft of TH:DOS Geeky Observations List - May 15, 2014
5th draft of TH:BotFA Geeky Observations List - January 30, 2015
TORn's Geeky Observations Lists for LotR and The Hobbit
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L. Ron Halfelven
Grey Havens
Feb 4 2018, 8:10pm
Post #17 of 51
(6065 views)
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Is this feasible, admins? I want to help if it is./
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And Rose drew him in, and set him on the harpsichord bench, and put little Wilhelm Friedemann upon his lap.
He began composing a fugue. 'Well, I'm Bach,' he said.
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NottaSackville
Valinor
Feb 5 2018, 1:57pm
Post #18 of 51
(5987 views)
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Unfortunately, no. But sounds right up my alley //
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Happiness: money matters, but less than we think and not in the way that we think. Family is important and so are friends, while envy is toxic -- and so is excessive thinking. Beaches are optional. Trust is not. Neither is gratitude. - The Geography of Bliss by Eric Weiner as summarized by Lily Fairbairn. And a bit of the Hobbit reading thrown in never hurts. - NottaSackville
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Inferno
Superuser
/ Moderator
Feb 12 2018, 10:29pm
Post #19 of 51
(5781 views)
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(since I don't have server access to look myself)
The forum posts are likely stored in some sort of SQL database (postgres, mysql, being most likely options). So there would need to be a dump of all the data, and someone with some database skill could then do SQL extractions into chunks that could be passed to others to format. Don't know how large the dataset is, or how it would come out, but typically, SQL extractions go into CSV (comma separated value) files which can be opened with Excel or another spreadsheet program. People would have to take all the spreadsheet fields and copy/paste them out into text files where they make sense to read.
Keep in mind this is just a guess. Based on the snippet Altaira posted in the original thread, it's possible I'm incorrect and the data wouldn't be extractable via SQL. But the first order of business would be to get a copy of the entire data store somewhere that isn't on the tOR.N server where other people could access it.
Tangentially, I have probably 90% of the original LotR chapter discussion we did-- the first few chapters were before the Reading Room was created and were never recovered-- saved on my hard drive from when Gorel put it all up on Geocities, but it's all in html files that I've never had time nor inclination to go back through and reformat. If someone were really interested and had the time, I could pass those along for someone to put into a legible format.
Inferno.
======================
Good night, tOR.Nados. Good work. Sleep well. I'll most likely delete you in the morning.
======================
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N.E. Brigand
Half-elven
Feb 13 2018, 3:47pm
Post #20 of 51
(5731 views)
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And perhaps, if the files are in the right format, manageable via the "nerdy scripts" that Notta was pondering in the earlier discussion.
Also, you had the foresight to post a copy of the first Reading Room LOTR discussion to this thread from TORN's tenth anniversary celebration in 2009.
Treason doth neuer prosper? What's the Reason?
for if it prosper none dare call it treason.
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
Discuss Tolkien's life and works in the Reading Room!
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=
How to find old Reading Room discussions.
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Inferno
Superuser
/ Moderator
Feb 13 2018, 4:56pm
Post #21 of 51
(5717 views)
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Heh. I'd forgotten I'd done that.
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Course, it was a lot of years ago. =)
Inferno.
======================
Good night, tOR.Nados. Good work. Sleep well. I'll most likely delete you in the morning.
======================
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NottaSackville
Valinor
Feb 13 2018, 7:57pm
Post #22 of 51
(5705 views)
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My biggest fear is that the data is corrupt and simply cannot be retrieved in any fashion. If the data is intact and can be retrieved in a consistent fashion (even if not the way it was originally intended) then I feel pretty good that we could have an automated process that does *something* useful.
Happiness: money matters, but less than we think and not in the way that we think. Family is important and so are friends, while envy is toxic -- and so is excessive thinking. Beaches are optional. Trust is not. Neither is gratitude. - The Geography of Bliss by Eric Weiner as summarized by Lily Fairbairn. And a bit of the Hobbit reading thrown in never hurts. - NottaSackville
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ElanorTX
Tol Eressea
Feb 24 2018, 10:54am
Post #24 of 51
(4896 views)
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Although I'm no techie, I would like to help
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with $$. Would we use the regular TOR.n donation button or set up a separate crowdfunding account?
ElanorTX
"I shall not wholly fail if anything can still grow fair in days to come."
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N.E. Brigand
Half-elven
Mar 15 2018, 6:03am
Post #25 of 51
(4730 views)
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But it's great to see all the interest in this effort. Maybe we'll hear more soon from the powers that be about what we can do?
Treason doth neuer prosper? What's the Reason?
for if it prosper none dare call it treason.
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
Discuss Tolkien's life and works in the Reading Room!
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=
How to find old Reading Room discussions.
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= Forum has no new posts. Forum needs no new posts.
SPLAT! 
1
