Let's kick this one to the curb.

"Goodbye and Good Riddance 2017: That'll put marzipan in your pie plate, Bingo!"

It may be time to start thinking a board update. The beta board at [link] is nearing a state suitable for testing.

Do we want to do any hosting changes? The new code requires php7 and MySQL so it should work just about anywhere. I could host at my DigitalOcean account or it could stay with Dreamhost or whatever. A $10 a month VM at DO could probably handle the site fine. It only has 30GB of disk space, but I can't imagine that the database would be anywhere near that size. But I'm not wed to DO, I just know it well and could set up the DNS and SSL cert pretty easily. Using SSL isn't strictly necessary, but I think it would be a good move.

Do we want to add Stompy feet? I'd become an admin sort of by default, but should anyone else be added?

The Board how-to will need updating which I should do since I know the differences. How about the FAQ? Are there parts of the board that we want to drop?

How much data should be migrated?

What features could be added after launch? Waiting on thread search and jumping to a date could allow migration to happen sooner.

The big advantages to the update will be to fix security holes (some are pretty big). Get better rendering on mobile devices. Fix registration. Have a codebase that is vastly easier to maintain. Just generally make things more modern. It still makes almost no use of Javascript despite the updates.

The FAQ should absolutely be updated with a link to the archived one. I know people are sentimental, but lots of that makes no sense anymore.

There are a couple of features I thought about that we may or may not want to add. Threads visible to members only and avatars. I like the idea of non-public threads. I'm kinda ambivalent on avatars. I guess I could add reactions too (like, love, commiserate, etc...) but I'm ambivalent on those too.

I'm fond of avatars. The reactions I would be against because I prefer that we use our words here rather than just click.

I'm with Laura on using our words. This place is sort of the last wordly bastion of the internet, and worth defending for that, I think. Even as I'm aware that the absence of like buttons and emojis has dramatically reduced the population of regular users.

I really doubt it's that.

I would prefer to keep the board a words-only forum. It's one of the things I love about us, and it means I can read the board at work.

Threads visible to members only

We voted on this once, and it lost in a landslide.

I remember because it was my proposal, and it was the first thing we ever voted down. I like to think I'm smart enough to not reload and shoot myself in the foot again.

Wow, I have no memory whatsoever on that one. I wonder how I voted. (probably can look it up) It sounds like a good idea to me because some people feel too exposed talking from time to time. I'll have to review the arguments. eta: 2003, no wonder I can't remember!