SR20.ORG Migration

Guest Discussion
1

Folks,
We have moved all the messages in the sr20.org Archives (from November 1999 when Clyde started the site, until the 3rd week in August, 2001) to this public-access section of the COPA web site. Please note that anyone (COPA member or non-member) can read and post to this forum.
In a short while, we will move over the “current” set of messages from the sr20.org forum to this location, and the “merging” of the two sites will be complete.
Until now, Clyde Stubbs has been supporting and maintaining the sr20.org site using his own time and funds; we have all decided it’s better to shift those responsibilities to the COPA organization. But I think I speak for everybody who used the sr20.org forum when I say “THANK YOU” to Clyde for creating it in the first place! (And Clyde will be continuing to play a role in helping us with the COPA site, as well.)
For now, you may post here if you like, or on the sr20.org forum. Soon, however, when we move over the current posts, the sr20.org forum will direct you here.
COPA has received both positive and negative feedback regarding the format of the COPA Forums. The main complaint has been the lack of a left/right view similar to the SR20.ORG forum. While that’s true, I think the key is just that the two software packages are different. Each has its own benefits and drawbacks. Here’s why we chose to go with the current COPA forum software:
Benefits directly visible to users:

  • Spell Check of messages

  • Allows editing of your own messages if you find a mistake after you post

  • Tracking of new messages per username rather than per computer; if you log on at both home and work, the new messages will be consistent

  • Enhanced searching features to find previous posts

  • Allows BOTH anonymous posts and posts by registered users; we can verify the authenticity of posts by COPA members, and do so, with the tag. Posts without this tag come from users who we have not authenticated (i.e. their real name may not be what’s on the message).

  • Allows you to “subscribe” to a forum, so that you can receive a daily compilation of new posts sent to your email address, rather than having to check the forum manually.

  • Allows much more customization of the forum appearance (check out the “Control Panel” if you are a COPA member or registered guest).

  • A bunch of “silly” features, like the ability to provide a URL to your picture (or a picture of your plane?) that is displayed by your name on all of your posts, etc.

Benefits not directly visible

  • Allows moderated forums; the COPA Response! forum is implemented this way, in order to ensure only correct, official, COPA responses are in that forum.

  • Stores all messages in an SQL database; this promotes efficient and fast searches for old posts

  • Is actively maintained and supported by the author of the forum software (this was one issue Clyde ran into with the forum software on sr20.og).

Drawbacks

  • Does not allow the side-by-side view of threads and messages

  • Probably some other ones that we’re not aware of! :slight_smile:

As always, we are open to suggestions – please feel free to contact me privately or post here publicly with any comments about the site in general – but we do feel that the overall benefits of this new software outweighs its drawbacks. I’d invite you to please give the new software a chance, and see if its features grow on you!

Steve Lin
(webmaster@cirruspilots.org)

2

A couple more notes regarding the flag:

  • All the messages converted over from the sr20.org archives do NOT have this flag, even if posted by a COPA member. Why? Well, often people used variants of their names on the sr20.org forum (Steve vs. Steven, Mike vs. Michael, etc.) and so it would be pretty hard to “look up” into the COPA member database based upon these varied names. Secondly, there was no authentication method on sr20.org – so someone could have posted a post under the name “Steve Lin”, for example, who wasn’t really Steve Lin!

  • For all future posts, make sure you are logged in to the COPA forums in order for the tag to appear next to your posts. (If you see a llink that says “Log out” at the top of the copa forum page, you’re already logged in.) Conversely, if you want to make an anonymous post, make sure you’re logged out! :slight_smile:

  • The purpose of the tag is to provide some sense of authentication to the posts in the forum. That was one complaint about the sr20.org forum; we couldn’t tell for sure if the person whose name was on the post was really the person who posted it. In this new forum, if the COPA Member tag appears, it means the person is really that COPA member. (Of course, it doesn’t mean what they’re saying is correct – it just means they are not masquerading as someone else.)

Again, please let me know if you have any questions!

Thanks
Steve Lin

3

Hi Steve,

Thanks for consolidating the sr20.org forum into the COPA forum! This will certainly simplify access to the latest and greatest information about the latest and greatest GA aircraft.

Cheers,
Roger

4

Is COPA going to take the domain name sr20.org?

5

Paul,

This will happen in a short while. Right now, we’re letting people get used to the new forum; within a few days – probably by the end of the week, Clyde and I will set up a redirect so that sr20.org takes everyone to this site. After that, the actual domain name will be transferred to here.

So, the answer is “yes”, in stages…

Steve