2021 fundraiser - new server

[system11]

It's that time again - the server needs rebuilding and the only way I can do so is build a new one, ship it out and then migrate the data between them. I did look at AWS etc but it becomes incredibly expensive very quickly once you factor in backup storage and having more CPU cores than a smartphone. I looked at some places offering dedicated servers which are slightly cheaper but then I saw the reviews and struck those off the list. The host we have now has been pretty good about support etc.

It's probably also going to force a software upgrade, something I'd been wanting to do for a while now, the theme will probably be a somewhat default one for a bit but I'd want to get back to something that looks this way eventually, it suits the place.

Some of you will know and some won't, but this place does cost some money to run, it takes about $1250 a year in hosting bills against donations of about $24 a year. It would be greatly appreciated if anyone who uses and values the forum who is in a position to do so, would consider donating towards the costs of the new server hardware. The more donated the better thing I can buy, the last one did pretty well as it's been going strong for 7 years but it's a bit over a decade old now and after the migration it will be donated to a local community network project or the computer museum. Any excess funds will simply be allocated against the hosting bills.

As with last time, I won't be setting up ranks, badges and so on but I will post a thank-you (no amounts) in this thread at the end unless directed otherwise. There's a reason for this, I personally feel that it's a form of peer pressure and actually this is why so many forums do it. There are a lot of reasons someone may not want to or be able to donate and I don't think it's fair to them. It also adds clutter.

So if you'd like to help, here's the link!
I'd like to help out with a donation

If you do want to be thanked when it closes please include your forum name in the donation note!

[Fudoh]

Done!

Please, everybody, chip in! We all love this board.

[strygo]

Done!

Thank you for providing a high quality forum.

-Steve

[Dochartaigh]

Donated! I thoroughly enjoy this forum - think it's one of the best ones out there.

[parodius]

The more, the merrier.

Here's to many more years of shmups.system11.org

[STGAlmond]

This is one of the few forums I like to visit that isn't just dead or gone at this point.

[japster]

Donated! - and thanks for providing this incredible shmup resource / community hub!

[BareKnuckleRoo]

This forum is the reason I got into the local shmup community and got to meet so many great people. Thanks for all the good times. Threw some cash your way.

[CStarFlare]

Done.

Have you ever looked into setting up to accept BAT? I've been using Brave, in part because it allows me to earn small amounts each month and just toss it towards sites I enjoy with almost no work. I'm sure it wouldn't provide nearly enough to cover hosting fees, but if you're getting $24/year in donations it might be able to double that.

[BuckoA51]

Donated! I speak from experience when I say people seriously have no clue how expensive it is running a reliable website when you get more than just a trickle of traffic.

[DirkSwizzler]

Chipped in.

it takes about $1250 a year in hosting bills against donations of about $24 a year.

I fully accept that donations don't come close to covering hosting costs. Is there actual accounting of how many donations come in? My records indicate your figure is low.

[Blinge]

Stumped something up!

[Speedy]

Chipped in! Thank you!

[kid aphex]

After 20 years of use I guess I can donate a few bucks

[Himbeertoni]

considering to donate 1$ if that helps.

[BONKERS]

Donated

[Stevens]

Donated sir. This is one place I would be most unhappy to see go.

[MintyTheCat]

Just donated some cash. This forum is still my favourite.

[neorichieb1971]

Put a token amount in. Thank you for the forum the past 20 years.

[Custardo]

Mostly a lurker in the tech subforum.. donated a small amount, hate to see this disappear.

[Dochartaigh]

System11, at some point can you let us know how close you are to being funded? ....because if you're not getting close I propose a peer-pressure campaign we can all start doing to each of our buddies on this forum to get everybody to donate what they comfortably can.

[Shogun]

Done. I really miss how few forums there are these days. We have to preserve whats left.

[Dochartaigh]

Done. I really miss how few forums there are these days. We have to preserve whats left.

Seriously man. Reddit, Facebook, Discord, are ALL garbage for the archival of knowledge. You'll have hundreds of the same topic, with information spread out all over the place, instead of how a forum does it where you'll ideally have only a few posts (with the help of the mods and members keeping things tidy) where ALL that knowledge and experience are archived on a given specific topic.

[MintyTheCat]

Done. I really miss how few forums there are these days. We have to preserve whats left.

Seriously man. Reddit, Facebook, Discord, are ALL garbage for the archival of knowledge. You'll have hundreds of the same topic, with information spread out all over the place, instead of how a forum does it where you'll ideally have only a few posts (with the help of the mods and members keeping things tidy) where ALL that knowledge and experience are archived on a given specific topic.

I agree entirely with your comments.

[BareKnuckleRoo]

The fact that old, but still relevant threads can be bumped and updated as new info is available is also very helpful. There's forums such as GameFAQs that auto lock threads due to age, so what'll happen is an old game that's not terribly active or popular may get someone asking a question and not get a response for several months. The thread asking the question is locked, and the response comes later in the form of a brand new thread replying to an old, unanswered one. It's a huge mess.

The search function and setup of the Strategy subforum also makes this way more useful for information archival as well as discussion of said info.

[system11]

Chipped in.

it takes about $1250 a year in hosting bills against donations of about $24 a year.

I fully accept that donations don't come close to covering hosting costs. Is there actual accounting of how many donations come in? My records indicate your figure is low.

It was an estimate - I just ran a full 2020 statement and it was $83. There were only 3 people donating (and thankyou!) but one of those started bouncing part way through the year.

However, I've been incredibly grateful and surprised seeing the donations that came in as a result of this fundraiser - and yes those people who tagged their name will be getting a thankyou when I close it down. It'll pay for a newer server than I was looking at previously, hopefully a used one with a month or two factory warranty on it. This is what I did last time, ran the thing for a few weeks in my house until things broke (both disks did and the RAID battery!) and had everything that needed to be replaced by HP for nothing.

[JigsawMan]

Chipped in.

it takes about $1250 a year in hosting bills against donations of about $24 a year.

I fully accept that donations don't come close to covering hosting costs. Is there actual accounting of how many donations come in? My records indicate your figure is low.

It was an estimate - I just ran a full 2020 statement and it was $83. There were only 3 people donating (and thankyou!) but one of those started bouncing part way through the year.

However, I've been incredibly grateful and surprised seeing the donations that came in as a result of this fundraiser - and yes those people who tagged their name will be getting a thankyou when I close it down. It'll pay for a newer server than I was looking at previously, hopefully a used one with a month or two factory warranty on it. This is what I did last time, ran the thing for a few weeks in my house until things broke (both disks did and the RAID battery!) and had everything that needed to be replaced by HP for nothing.

Not sure how much you are looking at spending, but the Euro Dell Outlet (https://outlet.euro.dell.com/) has some reasonable priced servers with 1 year warranty (and you can uplift the warrnaty too if needed). Click the "scratch and dent" option and then sort by price for the better deals.

[Stevens]

(and thankyou!) but one of those started bouncing part way through the year.

Wow I bet that guy feels stupid.

[DirkSwizzler]

Chipped in.

it takes about $1250 a year in hosting bills against donations of about $24 a year.

I fully accept that donations don't come close to covering hosting costs. Is there actual accounting of how many donations come in? My records indicate your figure is low.

It was an estimate - I just ran a full 2020 statement and it was $83. There were only 3 people donating (and thankyou!) but one of those started bouncing part way through the year.

Thanks for the update.

[christianbelchior]

Mostly a lurker in the tech subforum.. donated a small amount, hate to see this disappear.

'Spite the fact that I didn't donate as of posting this, I also hate to see this get shut down due to failing to pay the server hardware costs, or any other f██king reason.
If the fundraiser succeeds, then my shmup side will be the happiest it's ever been. If it fails, then it gets slightly depressed.