New Website

[Avian]

Welcome to the new website! Let me know of any problems, suggestions or comments! We're continuing to improive things, it's a work in progress, but have fun!

[Rick and Roll]

it's very late but I tried some things. I love it, esp the requests.

Looking forward to getting the calendar. I can keep it accurate but I need a week or so for things to calm down. Graphics I like better than the old date calendar.

Will the black box be bigger to see more shouts?

Hope to get many more listeners. I will linking to a myspace site to rope some more people in.

Prog on!

RIck

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[mossy]

It's late and am on my way to bed but had to pop on to say thank you, Avian!

[RogorMortis]

Well done Avian

The chat room indicator on the front page keeps showing people who have been in the chat and have now left. It needs a clean up after so often. The chat room itself lacks the old smilies so I can't identify myself as I usually do !

[Wojtek]

Hello

big thanks to Avian and all who contributed. Lots of changes, that must have been huge amount of work, thank you.

My reflections (I'll be honest):

"+" functionality...lots of new options
"+" now playing window on main page looks great, superbly implemented, all clear, well done!
"+" dedications..marvellous idea
"+" Chatroom looks promising. Thank you that it's still white room

"-" layout coloristics: actually the only one drawback, but IMHO worrying step backward. Neither Aural nor Moon..much of atmosphere has been lost.

- couple of others but they should be treated more like a suggestions as it's nothing serious: that is I agree with Rick that shoutbox looks small and a bit out of the way; how about adding Hide Online option for those who are on the website; how about couple of old blackbox simleys in the new shoutbox, they were really great (purpl eek - a classic! ;) had many colours, worked perfectly.

Once again, big thanks!

[sharcnorris]

WOOOOOOOOOW!!! I like to work with it abit then I will give constructive thoughts--Thanx everyone
----------------------------------------:rofl: -------------------------------------------

[VAXman]

I hope all of you enjoy the site. I'll feel like I will have all of you visiting me in my VAXcave everytime I see you on the site.

I've started up a packet monitor on my router to see how much this consumes of my bandwidth. This will help steer some of the new features. A DS1/T1 is a nice pipe to the internet but it still has finite bandwidth.

[Bmithra]

So far, So good..... I'll let my feelings be known after a little playing around...



Quack!!

[Avian]

I increased the size of the shoutbox after Rick mentioned it. Do you guys think it's still too small?

Are you guys logging in okay? Any problems there?

On the design - I'm still tweaking it - it's a work in progress. I twas the best I could do trying to get things up in a resonable amount of time. Aside from tweaking the graphics you see now, I'm thinking of implementing another theme that's dark that you can switch to and from, like the forums.

On the forums - what theme are you guys using the most?

[Avian]

Also: Re: Chat: It keeps you signed in unless you actually hit "SignOff". I'm not crazy about the chat, but it's the best available in thetime I had. I might post an instance of Flashchat (we tested that once before) and see how that's working these days.

[sharcnorris]

One subject at a time-the Shoutbox
The instant refresh makes it feel like a White Chat-very fast.
The Type-in Box is nice, I can see and catch typoes much Better.
The way it refreshes without you losing your place looking backwards is wonderfull.
The Blue-Box is Nice,But The type in it is the Smallest on the page- can It be LARGER?? This is the second most sought after featureon the page ( music no.1)
I do miss the post -time and being able to look back at what I've missed farther.

Now for me the Smilies are a problem........[/SIZE]
I have to wait and open a separate Box just to Smile, major downgrade, the click on Smilies are a staple to shouting without words and this is a slowdown that sucks. Then there is the smiles themselves:
No singing Smilie, an oversite on a music website
Most are same color, Bad for expression, bad to differentiate. Color shows emotion and we have been somewhat neutered.
So I Make statement, open Smilie, go back, statement, open S,etc. How Exasperating!!!!
The Smilies need to be Clickable on the Front page, need to be Differant colors, and A Singing Icon is Badly needed!!!!!!!!!!!.......You asked
Egg on Face, The Smilie window stays around for instant input Wow!!! Color and singer still needed, maybe I should just edit all myy BS out...........hmmmmmmmm

[Avian]

Now for me the Smilies are a problem........[/SIZE]
I have to wait and open a separate Box just to Smile, major downgrade, the click on Smilies are a staple to shouting without words and this is a slowdown that sucks. Then there is the smiles themselves:
No singing Smilie, an oversite on a music website
Most are same color, Bad for expression, bad to differentiate. Color shows emotion and we have been somewhat neutered.
So I Make statement, open Smilie, go back, statement, open S,etc. How Exasperating!!!![/COLOR][/FONT]
The Smilies need to be Clickable on the Front page, need to be Differant colors, and A Singing Icon is Badly needed!!!!!!!!!!!.......You asked

Yes, I'm working on the smilies - I'm halfway through having the shoutbox automatically get the smilies from the forum, but it's not there yet. So that will make things easier. I looked everywhere for a good shoutbox that had smilies on the outside, but none exists for Joomla and still ahve all the great features of this one. Once we get the smilies from the forums (which are also the old white box smilies), we can work on getting them outside (although some of them are huge, and it may not work).

In the meantime, just memorize the text code for your favorite smilie! Maybe I'll hard code the singing smilie just for you tonight!!

[VAXman]

One subject at a time-the Shoutbox
The instant refresh makes it feel like a White Chat-very fast.
The Type-in Box is nice, I can see and catch typoes much Better.
The way it refreshes without you losing your place looking backwards is wonderfull.
The Blue-Box is Nice,But The type in it is the Smallest on the page- can It be LARGER?? This is the second most sought after featureon the page ( music no.1)
I do miss the post -time and being able to look back at what I've missed farther.

Now for me the Smilies are a problem........[/SIZE]
I have to wait and open a separate Box just to Smile, major downgrade, the click on Smilies are a staple to shouting without words and this is a slowdown that sucks. Then there is the smiles themselves:
No singing Smilie, an oversite on a music website
Most are same color, Bad for expression, bad to differentiate. Color shows emotion and we have been somewhat neutered.
So I Make statement, open Smilie, go back, statement, open S,etc. How Exasperating!!!!
The Smilies need to be Clickable on the Front page, need to be Differant colors, and A Singing Icon is Badly needed!!!!!!!!!!!.......You asked
Egg on Face, The Smilie window stays around for instant input Wow!!! Color and singer still needed, maybe I should just edit all myy BS out...........hmmmmmmmm
Change your color scheme Sharc... I can't read the teal on white.

[RogorMortis]

I was off line from Am and wanted to know the length of the song now playing but this information eluded me. It is not present under the information of the track presently playing. Only for past tracks is the time listed.

May I suggest a slight readjustment when time becomes available?

[podakayne]

ditto what rogor said...i sometimes time my task so i dont miss request, groups coming up, etc.. etc, etc by how long the cut is...esp at work...

using the aural fruit mode for forums avian...though i like Olias :wink

[podakayne]

just changed to withering grey...nice

thank you everyone for contributing to the look & feel...now back to hairwork

[Rick and Roll]

agree with vax on teal....

and rogor on time of now playing...:ditto:

[Wojtek]

In forums I'm using Genesis Dark.

[sharcnorris]

I was off line from Am and wanted to know the length of the song now playing but this information eluded me. It is not present under the information of the track presently playing. Only for past tracks is the time listed.

May I suggest a slight readjustment when time becomes available?

As I mentioned in Shoutbox, A counting down Timer would be the BEST!!!
Vax, in Olias, Backround is Black and lighter is better, For some Darker is better...hmmmmmmmmmmmm

[ViolinCyndee]

Looks very cool!! Working better for me than the old site.

Cyndee

[Wizzzard]

Real nice new place on the moon,

just a few features i'm missing at the moment:
- displaying the requests waiting in the queue
- on the old website you could use the whole horizontal screenwidth
now there are to big boarders on the left and right side.
maybe more content in the near future to use this space? :hrm:

Greetings to all moonies.....

[VAXman]

As I mentioned in Shoutbox, A counting down Timer would be the BEST!!!
Vax, in Olias, Backround is Black and lighter is better, For some Darker is better...hmmmmmmmmmmmm
OK, I'll bite... who is Olias?

[VAXman]

OK, I'll bite... who is Olias?
Doh... Nevermind!

[Avian]

Real nice new place on the moon,

just a few features i'm missing at the moment:
- displaying the requests waiting in the queue
- on the old website you could use the whole horizontal screenwidth
now there are to big boarders on the left and right side.
maybe more content in the near future to use this space? :hrm:

Greetings to all moonies.....

I'm working on the requests waiting in the queue - it will help when you're looking for a request to play.

The width thing is purely a design consideration. It's possible that we could alter the template to to this, but I guess it's more of a design consideration more than anything.

[Avian]

Looks very cool!! Working better for me than the old site.

Cyndee

Welcome to the Moon Cyndee!

BTW, I just added her "UFOsmosis" CD to the playlist (under Rule, Cyndee) - She's a heck of a violin player!

Avian

[Wojtek]

I'm working on the requests waiting in the queue - it will help when you're looking for a request to play.

The width thing is purely a design consideration. It's possible that we could alter the template to to this, but I guess it's more of a design consideration more than anything.

Speaking of design... today I noticed very well looking AM design on Thor's myspace profile. Still I'm against grey colours or other that aren't spacy, aural etc. but the structure of this design is truly superb.

[GORT]

How do I login without being shown as guest?:bash:

[PFD]

Looks good so far

[Avian]

Speaking of design... today I noticed very well looking AM design on Thor's myspace profile. Still I'm against grey colours or other that aren't spacy, aural etc. but the structure of this design is truly superb.

Yes, that was done in photoshop (not a real website - just a mockup). I couldn't get the files from Thor to help design the site.

But in any case, I didn't have time to go through a huge redesign of a template like that. I had to get this up and running so that Jim could stop paying hosting fees on top of the huge station bill he already heaves.

[Avian]

How do I login without being shown as guest?:bash:

?? Just enter your name and password in any login prompt - you will be logged into the forums and the main website.

There is a wierd bug that may go away in a day or so when the domain name propogation is finished. If you're on the site, and your're idle for an hour, you're logged out. When you go to log back in, the fron site won't let you. You have to go to the forunms, log out, and then log in again, and it works. Again, it's a bug that jsut cropped up that may just go away on its own.

Avian

[podakayne]

hi avian,

just a quick note...i'm at work...unable to log in or correctly view site (should clear up with site propogation is finished)...i'm in IE now...LOL the smileys are all active (the ones to the right) and it's hilarious as they are floating out in the blue space...still like the site though i miss the time signatures on the shout box(not a big deal, just noting it)...hope to catch you during work hours in a day or soon...

signing off from the over the rainbow
poda

p.s. Vax was instrumental in explaining a coupla things...shout out to ya VAX

[KeithieW]

Can get the forums but can't get the home page (at home)............Help this desperate Moon bud. PLEASE!!!!!!

[mossy]

i told them in black you needed help, k. something about website propogation. lots of moonies have temp. probs. avian doing his best. got to run...

[RogorMortis]

Kehtie

The correct address is http://auralmoon.com but try http://ns1.auralmoon.com first.
Otherwise use http://64.253.47.118 - that should get the new page up or http://vax.auralmoon.com. It should clear up once the DNS server has been corrected.

You might need to clear you cache completely as the system remembers.

[Yesspaz]

Change your color scheme Sharc... I can't read the teal on white. Ditto. Sharc, it is blinding!:(

[mossy]

Mortis, your new avatar is ummm....creepy. :eek:

[podakayne]

my report of landing page glitch:

the landing page(www.auralmoon.com) login registers me once i sign-in(name shows on Online list)...but the log in fields continue to show and the shout box registers me as guest...only after selecting "home" and getting the (http://auralmoon.com/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1) does the refresh greet me by name and i'm in the shout box as meself

also...luv the forum view options...can you designate them to be new window...just a suggestion i often have two windows when in forum...to keep an eye on the shouts.

altogether i'm very happy with the look.

[KeithieW]

Thanks mossy. I've got the new site running at home now.

The only problem I have is that the shoutbox won't accept any shouts from me.....probably what's meant to happen. :)

I'm shown as logged in but pressing "send" refreshes the page but the shout doesn't appear or update. Any ideas chaps/chappesses?????

[KeithieW]

Thanks to all the AM AMers I now have a system and Moon that is working well for me.

Thanks to all who contributed to making my Lunar Excursions good again.:notworthy

[Andyyyy]

...Hope to get many more listeners. I will linking to a myspace site to rope some more people in.

Prog on!

RIck

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Hey Rick and others who wish to promote AM on MySpace. Here is the code (I hope) to generate the box on my MySpace page to click on to get to AM. Just copy and paste this into the area of your page where you'll want the box to show up (like about me, or Here for):

<a href="http://www.auralmoon.com"><img src="http://www.auralmoon.com/html/images/moonmast.jpg" width="250" height="45" alt="AURAL MOON" border="0" /></a>

So here's a quick and easy add for your page! I'll be watching to see if it works, and it should...

[ravenax]

nice, nice, nice....but it'll take me some time to get used to it

[VAXman]

If you run OS X, you can add definitions of the newAuralMoon.com to your hosts file.


The easiest way for you to do this, assuming you're not a unix vi editor wiz, is to do the following:

1. Log into an account with Admin privies.

2. Open the Terminal app found in /Applications/Utilities

3. enter: sudo /Applications/TextEdit.app/Contents/MacOS/TextEdit

4. at the Password: prompt, enter the admin account's password.

5. a TextEdit window will open.

6. go to the File item in the menu bar and select Open

7. In the Open popup, type /etc in the search window. You will get a window that says: Go to the folder.... click the Go button

8. find the file called "hosts". Click on it and click on the Open button.

9. use your cursor keys and move to the end of the file.


it should look something like this:

##
# Host Database
#
# localhost is used to configure the loopback interface
# when the system is booting. Do not change this entry.
##
127.0.0.1 localhost
255.255.255.255 broadcasthost
::1 localhost
#



10. enter the following two lines to thebottom of this file:


64.253.47.118 auralmoon.com
64.253.47.118 www.auralmoon.com

11. again, go to File in the menu bar and Save this file.

12. Restart your Mac

[Avian]

That should be a temp. solution - we're still trying to figure out why the domain is messed up - it should have propogated by now.

[sharcnorris]

Hey Rick and others who wish to promote AM on MySpace. Here is the code (I hope) to generate the box on my MySpace page to click on to get to AM. Just copy and paste this into the area of your page where you'll want the box to show up (like about me, or Here for):

<a href="http://www.auralmoon.com/html/"><img src="http://www.auralmoon.com/html/images/moonmast.jpg" width="250" height="45" alt="AURAL MOON" border="0" /></a>

So here's a quick and easy add for your page! I'll be watching to see if it works, and it should...

Hi Andy, JIM, AVIAN, VAX, and the Dr(usually refered to as Management).----This Paste is Excellant, I now have a AuralMoon Banner on myspace. The Link however did not work as the site has been tricky lately.
Listen, I removed the /html/ from the first AM mention and Now It links to the New Page, AWESOME , Thx for the setup Andy. If this is the case for you too, You can remove that /html/ by edit here and your Job is Good to Go for the Masses!!! Prog On Brother!!!!!!!!!1

[Ginjeet]

I like the design but I think that it is hard to read out the main logo (auralmoon). So IMHO the logo's colour or the background should change. I'd recommend to change the bg.

Another thing:
At Playlist Request when I click on a song's name it gives:

"
status=err
SQL error=You have an error in your SQL syntax. Check the manual that corresponds to your MySQL server version for the right syntax to use near '' at line 1
"

using FireFox 1.5.0.4 on Kubuntu Linux (Dapper Drake)

[Avian]

I like the design but I think that it is hard to read out the main logo (auralmoon). So IMHO the logo's colour or the background should change. I'd recommend to change the bg.

Yeah, the logo's temporary - didn't spend much time there. Completely new logo coming. I might try and change it.

Another thing:
At Playlist Request when I click on a song's name it gives:

"
status=err
SQL error=You have an error in your SQL syntax. Check the manual that corresponds to your MySQL server version for the right syntax to use near '' at line 1
"

using FireFox 1.5.0.4 on Kubuntu Linux (Dapper Drake)

I don't see this - I get the normal song info box that pops up. Is it doing it on one particular song? Give it a try again.

[MrMagoo]

Another thing:
At Playlist Request when I click on a song's name it gives:

I don't see this - I get the normal song info box that pops up. Is it doing it on one particular song? Give it a try again.

I just got it also. Did an artist search for Canarios, clicked on the song "Cuarto Acto...", got "status=err
SQL error=You have an error in your SQL syntax. Check the manual that corresponds to your MySQL server version for the right syntax to use near '' at line 1"

URL for the song link was:
http://auralmoon.com/songinfo.php?songID=47458

[MrMagoo]

2 other things I've noted with a quick tour:

1) any chance to bust Forums out of frames? I dislike a scrollbar within my page scrollbar, especially below the fold.

2) (black)box on the home page is sometimes doubling all comments (same list of comments twice) after I've been elsewhere on the site then use Back to go back. Maybe only after other comments have been posted? Seems to clear up on the first refresh or if I manually refresh. WinXP/FF1.5 fully updated.

Thanx to all for the hard work & great results!

[Ginjeet]

I don't see this - I get the normal song info box that pops up. Is it doing it on one particular song? Give it a try again.

I still get the error in the same window.:bash:

[Ginjeet]

For those visual-types:

http://cucc3.atw.hu/linux/amoo.png :hrm:

[Yesspaz]

Avian, anyway to make it an option to open the entire WPN as a separate window, like the old site? Sometimes I want to have WPN without the whole page.

[Yesspaz]

Um, nevermind.

[Avian]

I just got it also. Did an artist search for Canarios, clicked on the song "Cuarto Acto...", got "status=err
SQL error=You have an error in your SQL syntax. Check the manual that corresponds to your MySQL server version for the right syntax to use near '' at line 1"

URL for the song link was:
http://auralmoon.com/songinfo.php?songID=47458

Oh, I see - are you only seeing this when you click on a song name in the search results, or do you ever see this when just browsing the playlist?

[Avian]

Oh, I see - are you only seeing this when you click on a song name in the search results, or do you ever see this when just browsing the playlist?

FIXED! Thanks for reporting that.

[DodgerMatt]

The "now playing" beige text on white background is unreadable.

[GORT]

I agree we need the singing smiley:bang!:

[Ginjeet]

FIXED! Thanks for reporting that.
Works for me too.:thumbsup:

[Avian]

The "now playing" beige text on white background is unreadable.

If you're seeing a white background, something is wrong. Perhaps it's these domain issues we're stiull having that will hopefully be fixed soon. BUt maybe it's your browser. What are you using?

[jtmckinley]

New website looks great Avian et. al. Vast improvement over the old site IMHO. Thanks!

[MrMagoo]

For those having domain problems on Windows boxen:

1) print out or email these instructions to yourself
2) quit all browsers
3) open Notepad (Start -> All Programs -> Accesories -> Notepad)
4) File -> Open... (Ctrl+O)
5) change 'Files of Type' pull-down at bottom of Open dialog window to 'All Files'
6) click 'My Computer' on left pane (or your computer's name)
7) double click 'Local Disk (C:)' in center pane (or your system drive's name)
8) double click 'Windows' folder in center pane
9) double click 'system32' folder in center pane
10) double click 'drivers' folder in center pane
11) double click 'etc' folder in center pane
12) double click 'hosts' file in center pane
13) the file should look like (between the ===== lines):

=====
# Copyright (c) 1993-1999 Microsoft Corp.
#
# This is a sample HOSTS file used by Microsoft TCP/IP for Windows.
#
# This file contains the mappings of IP addresses to host names. Each
# entry should be kept on an individual line. The IP address should
# be placed in the first column followed by the corresponding host name.
# The IP address and the host name should be separated by at least one
# space.
#
# Additionally, comments (such as these) may be inserted on individual
# lines or following the machine name denoted by a '#' symbol.
#
# For example:
#
# 102.54.94.97 rhino.acme.com # source server
# 38.25.63.10 x.acme.com # x client host

127.0.0.1 localhost
=====

14) add the following 2 lines at the bottom of the hosts file (note the space(s) or tab between the IP address and the name):

64.253.47.118 auralmoon.com
64.253.47.118 www.auralmoon.com

15) File -> Save (Ctrl+S)
16) restart your browser

The above instructions are for WinXP Home, here's where the host file is located for other flavors:

Win95/98 hosts file location:
Windows 95/98/Me c:\windows\hosts

Win2k hosts file location:
Windows NT/2000/XP Pro c:\winnt\system32\drivers\etc\hosts

Xp hosts file location :
Windows XP Home c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts

[Rick and Roll]

[noparse]
For those having domain problems on Windows boxen:



Magoo you are the MAN. I'm in at home and work :dogpile:

[VAXman]

A little "techie" for those of you interested in what is happening here.

The new server is up and running. Its IP address is 64.253.47.118.

In order to get to the new server when you use auralmoon.com, your machine must query the internet Domain Name Servers (DNS) to get the IP address of auralmoon.com.

For each domain, there are typically a minimum of two DNS (known as primary and secondary) defined to resolve a domain name to its IP address. The old site had listed ns1.auralmoon.com and ns1.halibut.com. ns1.auralmoon.com is the auralmoon server itself and ns1.halibut.com is some service which Dr. • got to host auralmoon's nameserver info for a secondary.

The new server has its DNS info listing ns1.auralmoon.com and ns2.auralmoon.com. ns2.* is somewhere in Tampa Florida AFAICT.

The information as to which nameservers are to be used to resolve a domain are located with the registrar. If you have access to "whois", you can issue a "whois auralmoon.com" and see this information for yourself. This information should have been updated to list ns1&ns2 .auralmoon.com. This is not the case. ns1.halibut.com is still listed as a nameserver for auralmoon. ns1.halibut.com is ALSO still advertising the OLD server information.

You can "dig @64.253.47.118 auralmoon.com" (ns1.auralmoon.com) and "dig @66.232.101.2 auralmoon.com" (ns2.auralmoon.com) and see that the DNS info is correct. However, if you "dig @ns1.halibut.com auralmmoon.com" you will see the old info.

Until the registrar has the correct domain information in its databases, this is going to be a problem.

Avian sent me an email with the registrar information and the password. I tried to change the information but it refuses to change. This registrar if on west coast US time. When they are open later today, I will call their support and seek their assistance in getting this mess resolved.

This is not a hardware issue. The new server is UP and RUNNING (save for a several (5) hour power outage Tuesday evening which drained my UPS), it has been up and running. There are instructions here within this discussion thread to add auralmoon.com to your machine's hosts tables. These will override the IP definitions sought by your machine of these faulty DNS. You can safely add this address, I doubt it is going to change as I own the IP block -- as long as I keep paying for it, that is. :)

[Rick and Roll]

I actually followed that. This is getting scary.

[VAXman]

I actually followed that. This is getting scary.
ROTFLMAO!

Thanks Rick, I tried to simplify the issue for all to understand.

I couldn't follow the registrar change forms on the web site; therefore, I called the customer support assistance. Seems I was going about the change request the wrong way. This registrar needs to change a few things about their web site, IMHO.

Anyway, I now have the new IP addresses registered with them as nameservers and that then permitted me to be able to update the nameservers for the auralmoon.com domain. When this information propagates, things should clear up. The usual time from zone change to propagation is about 24 hours; however, the registrar's site says it can take as much as 72 hours. I've never seen it take that long.

I was out last evening and accessing the internet from a restaurant using my Sprint EVDO card. The Sprint nameservers still had the old zone info. I will use Sprint's nameservers as my testbed to see if/when this new zone info propagates.

[Rick and Roll]

I went to request a song and it denied it, saying when it last played and when it can be played next.

THAT IS A DAMN COOL FEATURE!

:)

[MrMagoo]

Found a picky music search bug: 'Friday' in 'songs' = 10 results, same in 'artist' = 0, same in 'album' = 5, but same in 'All' = 0?

[Andyyyy]

Hi Andy, JIM, AVIAN, VAX, and the Dr(usually refered to as Management).----This Paste is Excellant, I now have a AuralMoon Banner on myspace. The Link however did not work as the site has been tricky lately.
Listen, I removed the /html/ from the first AM mention and Now It links to the New Page, AWESOME , Thx for the setup Andy. If this is the case for you too, You can remove that /html/ by edit here and your Job is Good to Go for the Masses!!! Prog On Brother!!!!!!!!!1

Thanks Sharc,
since the address changed, the old link stopped working, and I didn't notice till your post here. I fixed it like you suggested and all is well again. I'm sure there will be a new logo as well, and we'll have to update that too if they remove the old logo...

[Andyyyy]

I would like to see a link back to home, as when on the forums, it's not easy to go back to the home page...not a big deal, but it would be more convenient (everything is free and easy).

[Rick and Roll]

I would like to see a link back to home, as when on the forums, it's not easy to go back to the home page...not a big deal, but it would be more convenient (everything is free and easy).

One of the few good Civilian songs, way to go Andy! :)

[Wizzzard]

[quote=MrMagoo][noparse]
For those having domain problems on Windows boxen:


Thanks a lot, it worked!!!:smirk:

[Avian]

I would like to see a link back to home, as when on the forums, it's not easy to go back to the home page...not a big deal, but it would be more convenient (everything is free and easy).

Yeah, working on that.

[Andyyyy]

One of the few good Civilian songs, way to go Andy! :)

He he...I was wondering if anyone would get the referrence. Actually, I like several of the songs on Civilian, though not typical for GG, they really ROCK there!

[lotus]

First of all, I think the new website brought a lot of improvements and I really like it a lot.

Despite what happened this afternoon (I could log in on Home Page after clearing all Cookies etc), same did not happen again, so that I am using the back door to come in (through Forums). But this is an issue we can clear up discussing in black.

Here my "wish list" for some changes/improvements on the new site:

History of black box: Should have the same features as on the old site, that means always the same length if you just came in or if you are already a couple of hours on the site. For the time being, history disappears, when you check the forums etc.

Black Box: I prefer the time stamp of the shouts

Who is Online:Would be nice to have a refresh modus

In frame modus: IMHO, everrything should be in frame. Then, navigating back or through the whole site is much easier. If we want to give the option, the change option click should be just below the main topic-item, not on the far left.

General design: Why not use the complete width of the screen? I am getting old, my eyes are not the same as they were (and so I could increase the letters without loosing too much space).

Nevertheless, new site is great and I thank all involved giving us a new, IMHO more atractive face to the world of Prog.

[Rick and Roll]

There's some great things that you don't notice right away but are cool. Like the italics for requests...subtle but effective.

When will we get the calendar up?

[Rick and Roll]

Just noticed something. At the top it says "opening ears"...if you glance at the line above it it looks like "Progressive Ears". A bit confusing....

[Roger -Dot- Lee]

Looks very cool!! Working better for me than the old site.

Cyndee

Say, I know you. Didn't you do a gig with Nic from Hawkwind a while ago?

Welcome back!

Roger -Dot- Lee, regular on the Gags crew and other such nicities.

[AngelSings4u2]

Love the new site...Great job you guys.

[AngelSings4u2]

Welcome to the new website! Let me know of any problems, suggestions or comments! We're continuing to improive things, it's a work in progress, but have fun!



Nicely done Avian!!! Thank you. :angel:

[gmknobl]

Looks good but I still had a v e r y s l o w time loading the page - I'm at Virginia Tech in SW Virginia (Blacksburg). I think there are still some problems with the net getting to you.

All went well after the hosts workaround but not without that. Your problems have NOT been resolved. Keep working at it!

[theMusicMan]

Nice to see you using vB - great forum software that I too use on my forums. If I can help in any way, shout. If you frequent the vB support fora you will have seen me around.

Great site... cheers.

[KeithieW]

It gets better and better.

Love the new "Gig news" etc. layout on the Home Page. Nice one Mortis.....:thumbsup:

There's nothing to touch Aural Moon is there????

[Stolte]

The web site is just spetacular! :)

[VAXman]

Avian, something is horked on the main page. The column widths have changed. What did you edit?

[ViolinCyndee]

Say, I know you. Didn't you do a gig with Nic from Hawkwind a while ago?

Welcome back!

Roger -Dot- Lee, regular on the Gags crew and other such nicities.

Hi Roger! Yes I played with Nik Turner and also Harvey Bainbridge. I will be playing with Harvey again in both the UK and in the US. I am also really excited about the Dream Machine gig in the UK!!! Lots has happened since I was here last!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart:

Cyndee

[Avian]

Avian, something is horked on the main page. The column widths have changed. What did you edit?

Nuthin - I was at the store! Rogor edited a post, I think, and made a big table in there - it just needed to be smaller (and/or just a percentage, instead of absolute). Tis fixed.

[VAXman]

Nuthin - I was at the store! Rogor edited a post, I think, and made a big table in there - it just needed to be smaller (and/or just a percentage, instead of absolute). Tis fixed.
'Tis not! It's exactly the same.

[roger]

I think it may be the double column of Music News - Concert News that's pushing the center column wide? at least in Safari.

and FF.

and Opera.

[Avian]

'Tis not! It's exactly the same.

Tis was. Looks like Rogor made a new entry with the same problem.

[roger]

I sit corrected.


and man, what a lot of Rog's! :D

[Avian]

Tis all fixed now - and Rogor is aware of how to avoid it in the future.

[roger]

love the embedded video!

woot!

[VAXman]

love the embedded video!

woot!
I think it is just a link to google videos.

[roger]

I know, but it's still great.

[Avian]

Yeah, it took a bit of a trick to get the embed to work, but now we can easily embed video from google, youtube, myspace and just about anywhere else we want!!

[VAXman]

Yeah, it took a bit of a trick to get the embed to work, but now we can easily embed video from google, youtube, myspace and just about anywhere else we want!!
Excellent! ...and as long as it's not being stored on or fed from the web server, this is cool.

[roger]

oh sure Vax. when Avian talks about it, it's all cool...

:rofl:

[VAXman]

oh sure Vax. when Avian talks about it, it's all cool...

:rofl:
No, it's cool that it's not consuming my bandwidth!

[Thor]

interesting AM site issue...
This happened to me after I had clicked a news item (the "Trevor Rabin and Film" one for ex.):
while you are reading a news item... and you post a message to the shout box not from the home page, the browser begins to add a page to the history for each shout in the back button on the browser nav. (using Firefox on a MAC).
So hitting the back button doesn't get me out of the article... I had 5 pages of the same article before the home page was there.

[KeithieW]

interesting AM site issue...
This happened to me after I had clicked a news item (the "Trevor Rabin and Film" one for ex.):
while you are reading a news item... and you post a message to the shout box not from the home page, the browser begins to add a page to the history for each shout in the back button on the browser nav. (using Firefox on a MAC).
So hitting the back button doesn't get me out of the article... I had 5 pages of the same article before the home page was there.

I need some Ribena after trying to understand that...........:)

[lotus]

Just a remark on the site with the embedded videos, Frappr! and the map:

Loading at start up of the browser it took me now several times 3+ minutes to load the AM MAinpage. If you do not pay attention to that and shout while the page is not completelly loaded, browser (FF) gets crazy and won't allow any shouts. I had to shut down FF, and 2 times even reboot the system in order to get the page working.

It happened to me now again (after comming back from Forums) and this on a Sunday evening, when traffic should not be so heavy on the lines..

[Wojtek]

Just a remark on the site with the embedded videos, Frappr! and the map:

Loading at start up of the browser it took me now several times 3+ minutes to load the AM MAinpage. If you do not pay attention to that and shout while the page is not completelly loaded, browser (FF) gets crazy and won't allow any shouts. I had to shut down FF, and 2 times even reboot the system in order to get the page working.

It happened to me now again (after comming back from Forums) and this on a Sunday evening, when traffic should not be so heavy on the lines..

Sometimes I'm experiencing the same. I don't know if this is because of myspace-like elements like videos but...probably it is.

[Rick and Roll]

Sometimes I'm experiencing the same. I don't know if this is because of myspace-like elements like videos but...probably it is.

yes me too. very frustrating :(

[roger]

it's been fast and smooth for me in Safari.

[Avian]

For those having load-time problems - what kind of internet connection are you using? Do you have these problems every time you visit the site?

I have noticed that every once in awhile, when youtube is running slow, the ivdoes take a few more seconds to load.

I've never seen the multiple page thing with the shoutbox on IE or FF.

When you're posing a problem, please state your system configuration - computer type (speed), browser, internet connection, etc.

I haven't seen any real problem on my end with functionality or load times. I use IE and FF in two different PCs

[MrMagoo]

interesting AM site issue...
This happened to me after I had clicked a news item (the "Trevor Rabin and Film" one for ex.):
while you are reading a news item... and you post a message to the shout box not from the home page, the browser begins to add a page to the history for each shout in the back button on the browser nav. (using Firefox on a MAC).
So hitting the back button doesn't get me out of the article... I had 5 pages of the same article before the home page was there.

This also happens to me on both WinXP & Mac Firefox. It's because you took too long to read the article :) Whilst you were reading, either/both the WP or shout refreshes caused a new 'page' to be loaded in your browser. This happens on every page that has either shout or WP embedded. If you just sit on the home page all day, you'll see there's tons of 'Aural Moon - Home' pages in your history/Back.


I have noticed that every once in awhile, when youtube is running slow, the ivdoes take a few more seconds to load.


I've noticed this from both the embedded videos, and sometimes from the Clustermap. The Frappr map doesn't seem to cause this, probably because it's Flash and doesn't load until you can see it (it's below the fold for me). Connection is 6meg cable at home and fractional OC3 at work ;-}

[lotus]

For those having load-time problems - what kind of internet connection are you using? Do you have these problems every time you visit the site?

I have noticed that every once in awhile, when youtube is running slow, the ivdoes take a few more seconds to load.

I've never seen the multiple page thing with the shoutbox on IE or FF.

When you're posing a problem, please state your system configuration - computer type (speed), browser, internet connection, etc.

I haven't seen any real problem on my end with functionality or load times. I use IE and FF in two different PCs

Avian, Windows XP, Pentium 4, 3.2 GHz, FF Browser, A-DSL 6 Mbit connection

[lotus]

Just would like to put a question mark on the map on Mainpage..

Is it really interesting after a couple of views?. Last update was Aug 23rd, so 1 week ago..

IMHO, it would be very interesting to have it updated on realtime (which I think is not possible), to see at every very moment, where are the ppl located which are "now" online.

In the way it is now, it has (IMHO again) only statistical value

Never mind, Avian...:rolleyes2

[XincLloyd]

Pardon if this is not the proper place for this. But...
Twice I've sent emails to admin@auralmoon.com and they were both returned as undeliverable.
-------------------------------------------
The following addresses had delivery problems:

admin@auralmoon.com
Persistent Transient Failure: Delivery time expired
Delivery last attempted at 29 Aug 2006 17:58:47 +0000


What am I doing wrong?

[VAXman]

Pardon if this is not the proper place for this. But...
Twice I've sent emails to admin@auralmoon.com and they were both returned as undeliverable.
-------------------------------------------
The following addresses had delivery problems:

admin@auralmoon.com
Persistent Transient Failure: Delivery time expired
Delivery last attempted at 29 Aug 2006 17:58:47 +0000


What am I doing wrong?
Forward the entire returned message to me (all headers included)

VAXman@auralmoon.com or
VAXman@tmesis.com

[Avian]

Pardon if this is not the proper place for this. But...
Twice I've sent emails to admin@auralmoon.com and they were both returned as undeliverable.
-------------------------------------------
The following addresses had delivery problems:

admin@auralmoon.com
Persistent Transient Failure: Delivery time expired
Delivery last attempted at 29 Aug 2006 17:58:47 +0000


What am I doing wrong?

The auralmoon.com email has been mysteriously horked in multiple levels for awhile now. If you need to get a hold someone, try dflateau@gmail.com (mailto:dflateau@gmail.com). Thanks, and sorry for the trouble!

[Avian]

Just would like to put a question mark on the map on Mainpage..

Is it really interesting after a couple of views?. Last update was Aug 23rd, so 1 week ago..

IMHO, it would be very interesting to have it updated on realtime (which I think is not possible), to see at every very moment, where are the ppl located which are "now" online.

In the way it is now, it has (IMHO again) only statistical value

Never mind, Avian...:rolleyes2

A few things on that map - it's just taking the hits on the webpage over the past week, and putting them on a map. Right now, it's updated weekly, but soon, it will be updated daily.

I also think it would be cool to see a map (albeit it will be much fewer dots, but in the same places) of users who are now online on a map. If you see a module like that for Joomla, let me know.

I think it's pretty neat - it's interesting to see new dots appear in placed like India and north Africa!

[Roger -Dot- Lee]

The auralmoon.com email has been mysteriously horked in multiple levels for awhile now. If you need to get a hold someone, try dflateau@gmail.com (mailto:dflateau@gmail.com). Thanks, and sorry for the trouble!

Yes, I know. It has been and I'll be bent over the ol' oaken barrel and given the Righteous Rogering of Rotterdam if I can figure out what the hell it is. It's one of those errors that's known as 'transient'. In other words, when I try to reproduce it, Exim looks at me, says "Oh, you're trying to FIX me! I don't *THINK* so." and promptly works correctly.

I'm almost at the point where I'm going to rip it out and replace it with something cryptic.

Or create an 'admin' user with a .forward file to send the email somewhere that works.

Grumph.
:grump: :bash:

[VAXman]

Yes, I know. It has been and I'll be bent over the ol' oaken barrel and given the Righteous Rogering of Rotterdam if I can figure out what the hell it is. It's one of those errors that's known as 'transient'. In other words, when I try to reproduce it, Exim looks at me, says "Oh, you're trying to FIX me! I don't *THINK* so." and promptly works correctly.

I'm almost at the point where I'm going to rip it out and replace it with something cryptic.

Or create an 'admin' user with a .forward file to send the email somewhere that works.

Grumph.
:grump: :bash:
I had Jim run some tests... he can send mail to me at my tmesis.com domain but not at auralmoon.com.

I had him telnet to the SMTP server on each. I don't understand why but it appears he gets blocked from the am SMTP port. There's no block in my router so I have to conclude it's in his network (or notwork as the case may be).

[XincLloyd]

A message (from <l----i@comcast.net>) was received at 31 Aug 2006 16:55:25 +0000.

The following addresses had delivery problems:

<VAXman@tmesis.com>
Permanent Failure: Other address status
Delivery last attempted at Thu, 31 Aug 2006 16:55:30 -0000



Reporting-MTA: dns; comcast.net
Arrival-Date: 31 Aug 2006 16:55:25 +0000

Final-Recipient: rfc822; <VAXman@tmesis.com>
Action: failed
Status: 5.1.0 MAIL FROM: <l----i@comcast.net> 554 REPLY: 554_5.7.1_Message_rejected_due_to_header_contents.
Diagnostic-Code: smtp; Permanent Failure: Other address status
Last-Attempt-Date: Thu, 31 Aug 2006 16:55:30 -0000



Subject:
[Fwd: Returned mail: delivery problems encountered]
From:
Lloyd ------ <l----i@comcast.net>
Date:
Thu, 31 Aug 2006 10:06:11 -0700
To:
VAXman@auralmoon.com
CC:
VAXman@tmesis.com, dflateau@gmail.com


Among my possessions are:
-Luck, Bad
-Ignorance

Trades welcome! Especially for clues

I really wouldn't be posting this stuff here if email would actually work, Honest!
Moderators, feel free to delete this, as appropriate.

[VAXman]

A message (from <l----i@comcast.net>) was received at 31 Aug 2006 16:55:25 +0000.

The following addresses had delivery problems:

<VAXman@tmesis.com>
Permanent Failure: Other address status
Delivery last attempted at Thu, 31 Aug 2006 16:55:30 -0000



Reporting-MTA: dns; comcast.net
Arrival-Date: 31 Aug 2006 16:55:25 +0000

Final-Recipient: rfc822; <VAXman@tmesis.com>
Action: failed
Status: 5.1.0 MAIL FROM: <l----i@comcast.net> 554 REPLY: 554_5.7.1_Message_rejected_due_to_header_contents.
Diagnostic-Code: smtp; Permanent Failure: Other address status
Last-Attempt-Date: Thu, 31 Aug 2006 16:55:30 -0000



Subject:
[Fwd: Returned mail: delivery problems encountered]
From:
Lloyd ------ <l----i@comcast.net>
Date:
Thu, 31 Aug 2006 10:06:11 -0700
To:
VAXman@auralmoon.com
CC:
VAXman@tmesis.com, dflateau@gmail.com


Among my possessions are:
-Luck, Bad
-Ignorance

Trades welcome! Especially for clues

I really wouldn't be posting this stuff here if email would actually work, Honest!
Moderators, feel free to delete this, as appropriate.
That was bounced from MY server... not the AM server.

You forwarded the email returned from the AM server to my server. Its filters saw a rejection message but one that was NOT generated by my server. It believed it was a spoof and rejected the message.

You should have sent the contents of the email in the body of the message to me, not as a forward of the rejected email.

[sharcnorris]

I also think it would be cool to see a map (albeit it will be much fewer dots, but in the same places) of users who are now online on a map. If you see a module like that for Joomla, let me know.
!

Now that would be so Cool, Bravo !!!

[rick_wakeman]

I

this idea first came came to my mind when using the new chat room.

we all have the possibility to add an avatar, a lil icon, close to our nick on the chatroom. Then there was half of the chatters plus me who decided to pick a flag matching one's country as an avatar.

i suggest to upgrade the moonie map logo : keep the red full circles which diameter determines the AM member population, but add other colored spots to where on-line moonies are from.

What do you think?

II

i don't know what happened during the ernst catastrophes, but let's continue. Avian was talking about AM merchandises. Is it possible to get a AM bib soon?

[MrMagoo]

A few things on that map - it's just taking the hits on the webpage over the past week, and putting them on a map. Right now, it's updated weekly, but soon, it will be updated daily.

I also think it would be cool to see a map (albeit it will be much fewer dots, but in the same places) of users who are now online on a map. If you see a module like that for Joomla, let me know.

I think it's pretty neat - it's interesting to see new dots appear in placed like India and north Africa!

The motherload of OSS mapping is at:
http://www.maptools.org/
But those would be roll yer own; logs->IP, IP->geolocate,location->map API,API->Joomla... yuck.
This already handles the API/Joomla stuff, but is static from users gallery info:
http://codex.gallery2.org/index.php/Gallery2:Modules:Map
This might be a lot closer:
http://forge.joomla.org/sf/projects/google_maps
Which leads to:
http://tinyurl.com/grykr
Just found this:
http://www.freelance-park.com/joomla/component/option,com_geo_community/
Looks pretty good at first glance.


HTH, and sorry for the rambling research :)

[Avian]

The motherload of OSS mapping is at:
http://www.maptools.org/
But those would be roll yer own; logs->IP, IP->geolocate,location->map API,API->Joomla... yuck.
This already handles the API/Joomla stuff, but is static from users gallery info:
http://codex.gallery2.org/index.php/Gallery2:Modules:Map
This might be a lot closer:
http://forge.joomla.org/sf/projects/google_maps
Which leads to:
http://tinyurl.com/grykr
Just found this:
http://www.freelance-park.com/joomla/component/option,com_geo_community/
Looks pretty good at first glance.


HTH, and sorry for the rambling research :)

Sweet - I'll take a looka t that, GOo - just what I was imagining. Thanks!

[XincLloyd]

Hate to be a wet blanket...but.
The main page has been all but useless to me since the addition of the frappr maps. My browser (Mozilla 1.0.3) hangs the UI for 2-3 minuntes for each access to the frappr data.
Yes, I'm using an old Mac (266Mhz G3) OS 9.2 and a cable modem. But, the main moon page all worked quite well until the addition of the maps.

I suppose I could fix it myself by spending a few thousand dollars on new computers and upgrading/replacing software. But, that's an admission fee I'm reluctant to pay. (retirement income)

I had to use IE 5.1 (ptooey) to post this. ... and, it won't update the shoutbox without a manual page refresh. (among other problems with the buggy browser itself...ahem, another story)

Could the frappr stuff be made optional (button push?) for those with more compatible equipment?

Best Regards,

[Rick and Roll]

Hate to be a wet blanket...but.
The main page has been all but useless to me since the addition of the frappr maps. My browser (Mozilla 1.0.3) hangs the UI for 2-3 minuntes for each access to the frappr data.
Yes, I'm using an old Mac (266Mhz G3) OS 9.2 and a cable modem. But, the main moon page all worked quite well until the addition of the maps.

I suppose I could fix it myself by spending a few thousand dollars on new computers and upgrading/replacing software. But, that's an admission fee I'm reluctant to pay. (retirement income)

I had to use IE 5.1 (ptooey) to post this. ... and, it won't update the shoutbox without a manual page refresh. (among other problems with the buggy browser itself...ahem, another story)

Could the frappr stuff be made optional (button push?) for those with more compatible equipment?

Best Regards,

I got an idea. How about we either use xinc's idea or scrap the frappr? It's like the videos. Nice, but I can't do anything else on the page until the video is done.

The most important thing is the music, followed close by the people.

[lotus]

Hate to be a wet blanket...but.
The main page has been all but useless to me since the addition of the frappr maps. My browser (Mozilla 1.0.3) hangs the UI for 2-3 minuntes for each access to the frappr data.
Yes, I'm using an old Mac (266Mhz G3) OS 9.2 and a cable modem. But, the main moon page all worked quite well until the addition of the maps.

I suppose I could fix it myself by spending a few thousand dollars on new computers and upgrading/replacing software. But, that's an admission fee I'm reluctant to pay. (retirement income)

I had to use IE 5.1 (ptooey) to post this. ... and, it won't update the shoutbox without a manual page refresh. (among other problems with the buggy browser itself...ahem, another story)

Could the frappr stuff be made optional (button push?) for those with more compatible equipment?

Best Regards,

I agree with Xinc. When I am on the road able to connect with 56 k only, it takes tons of time to load mainpage. So I would prefere to ban the map and frapr behind a buttom in the left hand menue..

[RogorMortis]

May I suggest to the mangaement the thought of making a second discount intro page for the poor and low bandwidth people without the frills but just the bare necessitites. The address can be used seperatley.

[VAXman]

we can keep a frappr but we don't need the flash to load when loading the main page.

[Avian]

Yes, I'm using an old Mac (266Mhz G3)

Wow - that is a really, really old computer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_Macintosh_G3). From the 90s. And that is a pretty old browser - April of 2005. I'm surprised it even works on your computer, really.

Do the flash videos freak out your computer as well? It looks like your setup may not support Flash widgets. What version of Flash are you using? Be sure it's the latest version. It shouldn't even load until you scroll down to see it.

I am reluctant to keep the site from moving forward with all the great features modern browsers provide, including some flash tools, like widgets and video. There's a point where you just can't keep supporting really old computers. Your computer is coming up on its 10th anniversary, and for a computer, that's essentially like 120 years old.

You certainly don't have to pay thousands to upgrade your system - really. You should be able to get a reasonable machine for much, much less.

Avian

[VAXman]

Wow - that is a really, really old computer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_Macintosh_G3). From the 90s. And that is a pretty old browser - April of 2005. I'm surprised it even works on your computer, really.

Do the flash videos freak out your computer as well? It looks like your setup may not support Flash widgets. What version of Flash are you using? Be sure it's the latest version. It shouldn't even load until you scroll down to see it.

I am reluctant to keep the site from moving forward with all the great features modern browsers provide, including some flash tools, like widgets and video. There's a point where you just can't keep supporting really old computers. Your computer is coming up on its 10th anniversary, and for a computer, that's essentially like 120 years old.

You certainly don't have to pay thousands to upgrade your system - really. You should be able to get a reasonable machine for much, much less.

Avian
...but I don't see the need to load the entire Flash map behind the tiny view window. Just a link would be fine. I've seen a number of page loads here that stalled when the frappr flash wasn't available or downloadable.

[XincLloyd]

This is really a response for Avian's comments in quotes.
"Wow - that is a really, really old computer. From the 90s. And that is a pretty old browser - April of 2005. I'm surprised it even works on your computer, really."

Age is relative to perspective. Ask a 10 year old and a 50 year old person "What is old?" and you're are likely to get vastly different answers. Ask a computer manufacturer and a computer purchaser "what is old?" and you'll get similarly different answers. The latter is directly tied to cash flow. A computer is just a tool. Do you throw away a screwdriver simply because it is ten (or 120) years old? If it still works on 90% of the screws encountered, where is the incentive to replace with recently manufactured model.
I do plan on a new computer in the next couple years. Perhaps I'll remember to revisit the AM site when that occurs. It is difficult to believe, however, that in the entire world I am using the oldest computer attempting access to the AM site. I expect I am simply a more vocal representative of many. Where others simply moved on to other web sites rather than inform of any difficulties. Maybe not?

"Do the flash videos freak out your computer as well? It looks like your setup may not support Flash widgets. What version of Flash are you using? Be sure it's the latest version. It shouldn't even load until you scroll down to see it."

No, flash dosn't work well with my computer. MPEGs work just fine, though. But, I don't normally use my computer to view videos, either. I gather from discussion that that's the new "killer Ap" that's being used to sell new computers. ???

"I am reluctant to keep the site from moving forward with all the great features modern browsers provide, including some flash tools, like widgets and video. There's a point where you just can't keep supporting really old computers. Your computer is coming up on its 10th anniversary, and for a computer, that's essentially like 120 years old."

??? Are you implying that anything 120 years old (or computer over 10) should be routinely discarded? I don't think I want to go there, philosophically. (Throw away society and only new things have value.)

Anyway, that's certainly your option to restrict access to the web site for only those users who have purchased the lastest Hardware and software. However, if you restrict access to your domain or business to only those 5 ft tall or less, you can expect fewer visitors or patrons than is in the general populace. I don't understand why you seemingly want to restrict your audience and limit growth potential, though.

"You certainly don't have to pay thousands to upgrade your system - really. You should be able to get a reasonable machine for much, much less."

For the hardware alone, I agree. But, 10 or more titles of software and/or upgrades are far more expensive than the hardware. There is also the peripherals to consider; printer, scanner, hard drives etc. The separate issue of asking someone else to spend money or savings dollars so that someone else can enjoy the latest technology, could be an interesting side discussion.

Forced obsolesence is an easier pill to distribute than to swallow.

Finally, I must ask the question. (Probably out of ignorance) If the new technology and web site upgrades are such an improvement over the "old", why is it exclusionary? New computers are faster and new software more capable, right. Why aren't they smart enough to accomodate legacy equipment?

Best of luck with whatever you decide! I'll revisit AM in the future as I really do enjoy the music played there. However, it probably won't be your website that directs me to Amazon.com for CD purchases, sadly. I've purchased 30 CDs in the last month directly from exposure through listening to AM.

Best Regards,

[Rick and Roll]

A computer is just a tool. Do you throw away a screwdriver simply because it is ten (or 120) years old? If it still works on 90% of the screws encountered, where is the incentive to replace with recently manufactured model.


Bravo! A great statement.

Anyway, Can you really not access Aural Moon with the computer you have?

[Avian]

Ask a computer manufacturer and a computer purchaser "what is old?" and you'll get similarly different answers.

A computer is just a tool. Do you throw away a screwdriver simply because it is ten (or 120) years old? If it still works on 90% of the screws encountered, where is the incentive to replace with recently manufactured model.

But if the screwdriver doesn't work on 60% of the screws made today, then you might want to consider buying a new screwdriver. This is much more the case with your computer. For instance, Flash is a fairly ubiquitous tool on the web today. You admitted that your setup does not work well with Flash. If most people are using The New Screw to hold a few things together, and for whatever reason you can't get a new screwdriver, I would think that complaining that The New Screw is being used is not realistic.

I do plan on a new computer in the next couple years. Perhaps I'll remember to revisit the AM site when that occurs. It is difficult to believe, however, that in the entire world I am using the oldest computer attempting access to the AM site.

Of course not. And I'm sure we can make very simple changes where they are appropriate to accommodate people who are having trouble with this or that. And we've chosen not to implement many, many features because of backward compatibility. Not just with the website, but with music and streaming options as well. We have gone out of our way to make sure as many people have a good webgoing and streaming experience.

I expect I am simply a more vocal representative of many. Where others simply moved on to other web sites rather than inform of any difficulties. Maybe not?

This is speculative, and certainly not based on anything in reality. We use very run of the mill web products that are in active development. These products are also constantly being updated to combat new security threats. IN fact, I updated everything today for this very reason. Compatibility is maintained at a very high level, but is always a balancing act between moving forward with features requested by many users on the web site, and keep it backward compatible for as many people as possible.

"Do the flash videos freak out your computer as well? It looks like your setup may not support Flash widgets. What version of Flash are you using? Be sure it's the latest version. It shouldn't even load until you scroll down to see it."

No, flash doesnt work well with my computer. MPEGs work just fine, though. But, I don't normally use my computer to view videos, either. I gather from discussion that that's the new "killer Ap" that's being used to sell new computers. ???

Flash has been around since 1996. Certainly not anything new. And it doesn't just play videos, it's used for animation and other functions, like our chat room. I'm sorry your setup is having trouble with Flash. Maybe together, we can get it to work. But while I don't want to build a Flash-heavy website for compatibility reasons, I don't think it's unreasonable to use it here and there for features that Aural Moon listeners have been requesting. Again, the balance.


??? Are you implying that anything 120 years old (or computer over 10) should be routinely discarded? I don't think I want to go there, philosophically. (Throw away society and only new things have value.)

Of course I'm not saying that. What I'm saying is that is that your expectation that you'll be able to use your computer on the world wide web with 100% compatibility of features indefinitely is unrealistic. That is simply the nature of technology.

Anyway, that's certainly your option to restrict access to the web site for only those users who have purchased the latest Hardware and software.

Well, this is not what's happening. You've taken your particular situation, and your problem with one particular very minor feature, and blown it out of proportion by saying that we're restricting access to the site. Nothing could be further from the truth.


Finally, I must ask the question. (Probably out of ignorance) If the new technology and web site upgrades are such an improvement over the "old", why is it exclusionary? New computers are faster and new software more capable, right. Why aren't they smart enough to accommodate legacy equipment?

They are smart, and for the massive collection of them, they do support legacy equipment. But surely you wouldn't restrict them from adding new features that the new technology allows them to do. For instance, your home computer, probably built in 1997, can play videos. But home computers that are 9 years older than it (Apple IIx (http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/mac_ii/stats/mac_iix.html)), built in 1988, cannot do that. Is it fair to say that Apple never should have made your computer have the ability to play videos, or display more than 256 colors?

The same is true for the web. New software and hardware technologies make new features never before available. While compatibility is taken into account to a great extent (really, a tremendous effort goes into it), the backwards reach is not unlimited.

And all this is assuming that this is the reason Flash does not work with your setup. It could be that there's something specific about your particular system that is interfering with Flash, and that it's capable of running it just fine.

I'll keep putting maximum effort into keeping this site compatible with legacy setups. I would suggest that you may want to do some troubleshooting on your end to see if there's any way to make your setup more compatible as well.

I hope you'll continue to enjoy the free commercial-free music and web services!

Avian

[XincLloyd]

"Anyway, Can you really not access Aural Moon with the computer you have?"

Well, yes. But, this like asking "Can't you hold your hand in boiling water?"
Yes, but it hurts and is not good for my health.

The main aural moon page loads, then freezes while I get a watch cursor and at the bottom its says :
Resolving host us.bc.yahoo.com
Or:
Transferring data from: us.bc.yahoo.com
Or :
connecting to: us.maps1.yimg.com (I think)

If I'm lucky, after 3 minutes at each of the above reports (yes, I used a stopwatch) the map will actually load and I can navigate the page and it will automatically update the playing album banner and the shoutbox as it did before the maps were added to the site.

The last, frustrating, straw was the message:
tranferring data from www.frappr.com which froze my entire user interface for 7+ minutes until I forcibly rebooted my machine as a last resort desperation attempt to restore control.

With I.E. 5.1.7 browser on my Mac and AM's website, the page is useable (sort of) while frappr and the maps delay connection or service. ( I assume Mozilla is waiting for completion of load before returning to the UI, and IE5 interleaves the processes???) Apart from the routine hourly IE 5 crashes (one reason I don't usually use IE5), I CAN access the AM web site. However, the shout box will not update recent postings without manually poking the refresh button to get the new shouts. Mozilla would keep the shout box, and current album playing, updated automaticly. The forums are annoying, though, I think it repaints the whole screeen for each Avatar pic in Explorer. I counted 14 page repaints during which you can read two words before the page clears for the next paint. This is likely due to my processor speed and the way IE5 uses it.

So, basically it is a test of patience and frustration tolerance. During which time I find other things more interesting to do.

Anyway, this is what my AM website access is like for me now. About three weeks ago, before the maps were added, website access appeared normal and useful in my preferred browser. FYI

Given Avian's most recent response, it is clear that I should just go away and not bother you guys anymore. So be it. I was just posting feedback on how the site appears to me. Clearly, my experience is being discounted as unimportant to a greater goal.

Best of luck with future endeavors! So long.

[Rick and Roll]

[QUOTE=XincLloyd;21931

Given Avian's most recent response, it is clear that I should just go away and not bother you guys anymore. So be it. I was just posting feedback on how the site appears to me. Clearly, my experience is being discounted as unimportant to a greater goal.

Best of luck with future endeavors! So long.[/QUOTE]

It's too bad there can never be any real discussion of issues anymore to find a compromise solution.

I thought you were being communicative and working towards that xinc. I guess I misread your posts.

Thanks for the luck :rolleyes2

[Avian]

Given Avian's most recent response, it is clear that I should just go away and not bother you guys anymore. So be it. I was just posting feedback on how the site appears to me. Clearly, my experience is being discounted as unimportant to a greater goal.

Actually, we are going to address the particular issue of the frappr map, so that issue may go away for you. In any case, your concerns are not being dismissed. As my last mesage mentioned, we will work on our end to make it as compatible as possible.

But the overall message is that we will probably continue to add new features, and with a system as old as yours, it might not be the last problem you have with the site. You may want to 1. try and get Flash working with your scurrent ystem, and 2. investigate upgrading your system.

[XincLloyd]

Just to set the record straight. I did some Flash investigation, out of curiosity. I'm no programmer. But, as far as I can tell, Flash works fine on my set up. Even before I updated the flash plug-in. Certainly, Web sites with multiple instances of flash animations slow my machine down. It's a slow processor by today's standards. It's hard to tell from simply viewing a web page animation if it is being done with Flash, HTML, Javascript, or whatever. I'll leave such determinations to experts like Avian.

However, my opinion is that my machine freezes are due to the connection delays with the Frapper site, for reasons unknown. But, I lack the tools to prove this. And, I gather no one else is effected by this anomally.

Happy Trails!

[VAXman]

Xinc, I too would like to see the Flash not load when visiting the page. A simple graphic would suffice. We can still link to the frappr site but IMHO why download it if the user is not interested in it.

[mailotron]

Luckily they all write in english LOL sounds like greek to me

[KeithieW]

Xinc.....I'm so sorry that you are having so many problems. Please try and resolve them and stay a part of the family.

I know that this is going to upset VAX and a whole load of other buds but.....

Get a new PC and load Firefox!!!!!. After a few teething problems I have NO issues at all.

The most important bit of this post however is the bit about persevering. It will be worth it I promise.

[VAXman]

Xinc.....I'm so sorry that you are having so many problems. Please try and resolve them and stay a part of the family.

I know that this is going to upset VAX and a whole load of other buds but.....

Get a new PC and load Firefox!!!!!. After a few teething problems I have NO issues at all.

The most important bit of this post however is the bit about persevering. It will be worth it I promise.
Why would he want to downgrade from what he has now? He should get a new Mac or at least a newer OS version.

I don't understand running M$IE on a Mac in the first place.

As for the Flash, it's nice but not necessary; especially with the Frappr link. When I'm out on the road with my Powerbook and EVDO, the page seems to take an inordinate amount of time to load the Frappr flash. I just don't see the need to laod it in that small frame link on the main page. A simple image anchored to the link would accomlish the same results.

[XincLloyd]

Wow, thanks Avian for the page change. Load issues are gone, now.


I've been massaging my machine configuration, setup, and memory config, to get the old page to load without annoying delays.

I finally noticed that while the Frappr site was being accessed, my disc drive access light was on for the full 3 minutes. Since I had virtual memory off, I though this rather odd. I spent the day freeing up disk space so I could try using virtual memory (the disk was pretty full). Then IE5 started giving me memory low messages while the AM page was loading. I doubled its memory allocation and noticed that the Frappr map added over 10 Meg to IE5 mem utilizarion size when the map finally loaded in the main page. I was just going to try uping Mozilla's mem allocation and then try Virtual memory when AM's page CHANGED to NOT load from the Frappr site!

Now there is no problem to work around! Guess I'll never know if I could have fixed it from my end. But, that's not to be construed as a complaint!

Thanks again!
Cheers,

P.S. I have disc space again, and it's all backed up!


Regarding platform discussions:
I have been using a windowing GUI and mouse since 1979 (at Xerox). The Mac copied that user interface, and much later Microscum with windows. Been using Macs at home and work since 1984. I've used PC's at work, too. It wasn't until Windows 98 that the Wintel platform approached the utility (but not the reliability) of the MAC in 1984. With the new Macs switching to Intel platform, the software seems to be the major differentiator these days. I have more investigation to do. But, it is still quite clear that going to a PC also means replacing ALL the software titles I currently have. Right now, I am eyeballin the iMac with the big screen. But, I am hoping to delay the purchase 'til my next birthday present, and prolong the ongoing obolesence factor.

And, for VAXman, I do avoid MS stuff whenever possible. Historicly, they have a very strange concept of quality from my viewpoint. But, if it's free, I'll give it a try sometimes.

[Rick and Roll]

Wow, thanks Avian for the page change. Load issues are gone, now.



As one who knows little about this stuff, I found that increasing memory cures a lot of ills.

[lotus]

Avian, much better now with the Frappr as link..Thank you

[MrMagoo]

Ditto that, much faster page load, both work Win/FF & home Mac/FF.