Greetings TPMCafe Denizens!
As we've mentioned a few times recently, we're in the process of a three-step site upgrade which should fix all the site problems people have been suffering with for these many months and then also dramatically upgrade the site's features -- including a new and improved blogging/editing interface and improved ability to follow your conversations and your favorite bloggers.
It's in three stages -- 1) we're moving to a new and much more robust server set-up, 2) we're upgrading the software platform and then 3) we're going to roll out the new features.
Last night, we completed step one. We moved over to our new servers. The new server set up won't resolve the log in and forced log out problems. That's where the software upgrade comes in. But the new and faster servers should knock down the posting delays and double posting problems in addition to just making the whole site much, much faster.
But only you can really tell us how it's working on your end. So please let us know what you're seeing. Are the delays diminished? No more double posting problems? Let us know and that will help us moving forward.
Next day update: some folks were reporting HTTP 500 errors. We believe we've fixed that problem, are folks still seeing it? - ag
Thank you Josh!
September 25, 2008 9:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
Denizens??
Hell, Josh... given as much time every day many of us are spending here you truly should be able to claim us on your 1040 as Dependents!
But permit me to add my thanks for all your efforts. I've been reading you from nearly Day One, so my expression of gratitude is clearly overdue.
You & your team are simply the best.
September 25, 2008 9:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
This is my first attempt to post a comment since the upgrade went through, I assume. So, I will soon know if it is an improvement.
September 25, 2008 9:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yes! It went fast, and considering that this is one of the busy times for this site I am impressed.
September 25, 2008 9:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
Patience shall benefit us all, Josh. I look forward to problems becoming less and less an issue.
One question: Is there a way, or will there be a way, to block or remove comments from people who insist on ad hominem attacks when they are incapable of composing valid arguments?
September 25, 2008 10:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
There really aren't that many ad hominems around here. The community is really strong, it's just that we used to have more ways to communicate with each other without frustration. I miss the old private message feature, for one thing.
September 25, 2008 11:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
Composing valid arguments? Like you've ever composed a valid argument in your life, you fascist moonbat!
/testing the ad hominem filter
September 25, 2008 11:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
Nope, not yet! ;-)
September 25, 2008 11:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
Glad to hear it, Josh. Your peeps must be working on the authorization problems as I type because it's not working. *:o)
September 25, 2008 10:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
Posted on Andrew Golis' thread about HTTP 500 error messages I am getting this evening and today:
http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/09/25/one_down_two_to_go/#comment-3130390
And I just got the same error message trying to look at user Ellen's user page. In each case, a second try or refresh brought up the page. But I've experienced it several times.
September 25, 2008 10:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
Maybe you shouldn't be looking at User Ellen's page at such hours of the night
September 26, 2008 2:27 AM | Reply | Permalink
Hey Josh,
I just put up a post. It's the first time in a month or more that my post went up within seconds instead of minutes. Authentication is still weird, but the server is definitely faster.
September 25, 2008 10:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
Server faster.
But Amitai Etzioni is still annoying. How are you going to fix that?
Kidding, of course.
But seriously, fix that.
September 25, 2008 10:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hi Chuck -- We don't have concrete plans on that front yet. And it's both a technical and an editorial issue. But basically once we get those three steps I described done, I think things will run a lot smoother and then we'll be able to devote time to working on problems like the one you describe. Josh
September 25, 2008 11:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
I think you should probably just let the site crash Josh. TPM Cafe is now an unsightly embarrassment, an intellectual crack house that makes a net minus contribution to our national discourse. And through either neglectful inattentiveness or outright unscrupulousness you have become the equivalent of a blogospheric slumlord. It would probably be best at this point just to burn the site to the ground, bulldoze it, and start from scratch. If you have any self-respect left, you should see TPM Cafe as a blot on your reputation.
September 25, 2008 11:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
This comment strikes me as aggrieved and unhinged. And given your comment, why are you even here?
September 26, 2008 12:22 AM | Reply | Permalink
More succinctly:
And you posted?
September 26, 2008 2:28 AM | Reply | Permalink
Why am I here? Well, maybe I've decided to play a role like the bible-thumping minister, sojourning among the drug dens and houses of ill-repute, yelling "repent!"
I am quaking with righteous indignation over the fact that this place has been allowed to become little better than a left-wing version of the Michael Savage or Rush Limbaugh show, a wide open forum for ignorance and malevolence. TPM Cafe is now a full participant in the degradation of the national discourse, and a contributor to the mass culture of spleen, pettiness and stupidity that is turning the American people into an bumbling rabble, incapable of governing themselves intelligently.
September 26, 2008 7:10 AM | Reply | Permalink
Why are people who critique you here? Is that what you're asking?
In other words, this is just entertainment, he could just change the channel. I thought that was Limbaugh's philosophy.
September 28, 2008 3:06 AM | Reply | Permalink
Congrats on site upgrade.
September 25, 2008 11:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yup, yup. It's much faster. Resolution's much sharper too. In fact, when I looked closely at one post today... I'd SWEAR I could see Russia....
September 25, 2008 11:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
If you squint, I think you can see Canada on the other side of the page
September 26, 2008 2:29 AM | Reply | Permalink
I'm getting HTTP 500 errors when I try to post.
Dean Baker's thread (above you) shows zero posts, and it's been up for at least 30 mintues by now. Should have half a dozen contributions. I tried to post there, but didn't work -- don't want to double-post, but will re-try in a few minutes.
Anyway, had no troubles mid-day. But right now (from home) things don't seem to be working well.
Appreciate your posting this thread, however, and all your efforts to improve things.
-- ARG
September 25, 2008 11:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
And the post above appeared immediately.
So go figure...
But when posting this one, I'm getting prompted to give my Username and Password again -- looks like I'm headed to 500-land.
-- ARG
September 25, 2008 11:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
I am also having all kinds of problems that I wasn't having before.
September 25, 2008 11:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
When I got the HTTP 500 error when I tried to post two comments earlier this evening, I re-tried right away and it went through And neither has double posted, even though quite a bit of time has passed.
I re-tried by going "back" on my browser, and one bit of luck is that my text was still in the box, unlike with past problems.)
For others, this is what you get:
I am getting this error most of the time this eveing when I try to get a user name page, i.e.
http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/profile/bslev
(which is how I like to use the site) but I have been able to get the page after the error by refreshing.
Suggests to me a lot of things have to be done twice?
I have been automatically logged out a lot today, including when trying to post a comment.
September 26, 2008 12:57 AM | Reply | Permalink
Just got an HTTP 500 error page again trying to post a comment, just now.
This time I went "back" and unlike previously, my text was lost. Didn't try again, because I didn't want to rewrite it.
Then I came to this thread to post this comment, and when I hit "send" for this comment, the log in box came up below the comment box and asked me to log in again.
September 26, 2008 1:23 AM | Reply | Permalink
You're lucky. The "login box" is a girl's best friend.
When it appears (quite haphazardly), I can post; when it doesn't, my comments appear to be vanishing into the aether.
Perhaps, tomorrow will be a better day.
September 26, 2008 2:07 AM | Reply | Permalink
Update -- or should I say upminute.
It worked fine, just now.
September 26, 2008 2:08 AM | Reply | Permalink
What worked "fine," dummy?
Right. I guess I wasn't particularly clear. What I meant to say is that I was able to post in the usual way without the "login box" showing up.
September 26, 2008 2:15 AM | Reply | Permalink
But it's not completed--There still is no "archive" available for Reader Blog pages, i.e., one cannot see anymore Reader Blogs than can fit on one page.
When you hit Click here to view the full archive at the bottom of the Reader Blogs page, you still get: Weekly Archives
Weekly archives are temporarily disabled until we move servers, this week which was disabled since the server move started. (It used to have a link saying see the posts for the week, with the dates. Which in my opinion, is too big, it should just go page by page, like most sites do, rather than making you scroll past all you have already read.)
That means when people take the time to write soemthing, it is only accessible for reading or voting on for a few hours, and then it scrolls off into nowhere.
I noticed that a lot of people posting while that has been going on are "newbies" to posting blogs here and don't really seem aware that their post will only be accessible to other readers for a few hours. But I think it will sink in soon if not fixed soon.
September 26, 2008 1:47 AM | Reply | Permalink
Josh, when its all working like a normal website and God willing you've also addressed Chuck Keller's valid point, you should get a refund. You could spend it on your son or invest it in gold for tomorrow.
Here's a gentleman's follow-up obligation:
http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/2008/09/re-josh-marshalls-post-not-rea.php#comment-3130976
September 26, 2008 3:05 AM | Reply | Permalink
Josh, thanks for the update. I am still having occassional similar error messages. Normally if I go back, the post has appeared without delay despite the error message. Only one has been lost to ether though. Infinitely better than the last couple of weeks except since the reader post archives are suspended, it's frustrating trying to connect to a previous post that didn't make the most rec'd list unless you remember who the author was.
Looking forward to the new tools. And I believe we were promised cookies and a pony.
September 26, 2008 10:31 AM | Reply | Permalink
Hey everyone,
We're still ironing out some problems on one of the new servers- that's what is causing the 500 errors. We're working on this right now and things should smooth out soon.
September 26, 2008 11:34 AM | Reply | Permalink
Ok, this should be fixed now. Anyone still seeing 500 errors?
September 26, 2008 1:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
The new sign in is interesting, and I like the preview button added to the comment feature, so it's a step in the right (correct) direction. The maintainance you did yesterday fixed my problems signing in. I seem to be getting posts accepted and shown without problem. What I would like is to be able to sign in once and stay signed in for a while (days, weeks?), without having to go through the process every time I leave a TPM site. I've signed in 2 or 3 times today, and it's only 5:00 PM. Keep plugging away at it.
Al
October 14, 2008 5:00 PM | Reply | Permalink