test

Well, after being locked out "not a registered user" for four days, looks like I'm back.

Duck and Cover!

Here's a shocker for you........... I am an OD subscriber, and have Journeyman access here...........sometimes, I can't get the site to load at all. Why? Because the server is REALLY busy!

Lecrayon - Thanks feline, that is reasonable. That's way different than closing down this site for visitors.

part of the problem is that the regulars get fed up explaining the same thing again and again and again

also, as the head of this thread demonstrates quite well, often the questions aren't exactly phrased as polite enquiries.

after all we are only human (well, apart from the occasional exception ) and we all get fed up with the rants and complaints.

We need to set up a F.A.Q. page.

If nothing else, at least then we can copy&paste our answers

oops, did I just volunteer?

I don't understand why you find this so difficult to comprehend. This site is accessible to anyone. It is a very busy site and the bandwidth gets eaten up very quickly. This isn't some sub-plot to exclude anyone, it's just the way it is.
Personally I don't care about the user who has a cracked copy of WindowBlinds, and has been downloading skins for over a year and suddenly finds that his supply has been diminished. Note that I said diminished and not "cut off". People who enter into the community will always benefit, as I'm sure you are doing.

And I am not angry, I don't get angry. This is my hobby, I come here to enjoy myself. I don't make any money from any of this,(well, sometimes a little, on occasion) I just like doing what I do.

The point I want to make is this: If you are not happy with the way the site is run, you are free to join another community site that satisfies your ideals. You don't have to make skins if you are worried that you are lining other people's pockets.
Just try to enjoy it for what it is.

BoXXI, just what DID you do to that poor little dragonlet?

the answer to that exists in the "shame on Boxxi thread"

BoXXi, you know I applaud the effort admis and moderators take to run this site. I stated more than once I love this site. I get shocked sometimes when these error threads come up, and just try to do factfinding. Most of the suggestions I make are non-egotistical. But every time I get an answer, it is personalized towards me. It might be my choice of words, I am not english. What I am seeking is sometimes a bit more variety in things (eg the featured skins, but all what is thought is that I want to be there, again, not true), and above all, free access to everyone. About that money part, I am not interested in money, more in general, (and there we go again) I think that when visitors are policywise excluded you can't argue it's a free site. Since feline cleared this up it's irrelevant.

Lecrayon, as it has been explained, everybody has access to material here. But the site really gets busy at times, and increasingly so. There were times last week when we had over 1200 users (registered users - without counting the anonymous downloaders) loged on at the same time. That is HUGE!
When the site gets too busy and the bandwidth saturated, it's normal the the ones who contribute get priority.

There is no "policy" of locking users out.

You can take the ThemeXP route and just have the site be down for EVERYONE after a certain point is reached.

OR you can take the WinCustomize route of giving priority to customres and subscribers when that point is reached.

I can't understand why this isn't apparent. When the # of people on the servers reaches a certain point, SOMEONE is going to be denied access. That's just reality. That's not policy. But we have the unique ability to decide who is going to be denied access. So we give priority to people who help pay for said servers.

Those people who don't want to contribute anything can simply visit during non-peek hours.

visit during non-PEEK hours?

There seems to be damm few non-peak hours left. It would be nice if some of the ones that bitch about the server to busy would subscribe. Then we can pay for more bandwidth and maybe another server if needed. That would be one way to fix the problem. The other way is for them just to leave and free up the server and bandwidth that they are using. That would help everyone else too.

Currently, non-registered users can only view stuff rated 7 and above. Server load could be lightened by raising level of skins non-registered users could view to 8.

I can't recall ever having a 'server busy'. Then again, I don't download anything. What I do experience from time to time is the complete absense of the site, as if it is down.

I don't believe that will do much. Once they see the site, most of them sign up and become citizens. Non paying Citizens. Then they can download 100meg. without purchasing a product or subscribing. There is the problem I think.

Also, reduce the graphical component of the site interface (or at least switch to more efficient coding).

As I've said before, on the sites I've switched from TABLE based layout to DIV based layout I've noticed a 40-70% decrease in loading time.

Hey craeonics, speaking of the site being down, was it down this morning? I tried from 6-7 centeral time (US) and could not get on.

We are damned by our own popularity.
Customize.org, the first and original skinning site has a little comment on its page indicating the maximum number of users/visitors logged at any one time.....something like 20 'members' and 120 'visitors'...[I can't verify it....site's down... ].
Last week I just happened to look up and there was 1444 'members' on this site at the same time.
That's one or two orders of magnitude larger.
We're still around 4000 in the most visited sites on the net...[ArtUproar in comparison for example, was 66000 places 'behind'].

Now, I'm guessing, but I'd say that if I had my own site to display my wares for all and sundry, I'd be lucky to get 1444 visitors to it in a YEAR....but at the same time? Good grief, no....

The price we ALL should be willing to pay for this exposure is a genuine selflessness...to contribute, support, assist in any way we can, be it contribution/payment and/or positive involvement....


Jobeleca...a graphics site 'needs' to be graphically 'interesting'. In fact most, if not all are set up to be skinnable themselves.
We don't want to be just a DL portal, but a graphically rich environment as well...

I take you point, but to me it isn't worth it to have a pretty page when load times can go into the minutes.

This site is skinnable, would you develop a 'turbo' skin with 0 frills for people on a 56k modem and little patience?

Until this time yesterday, I have been on a 56k modem...and 'needing' to access lots of pages/images...in the role of checking uploads, etc, so I know what'slow' is.
I just read War and Peace in between page loads....make coffee, etc...

Sorry Jobe. I like the site's aesthetics, the way they are. It's appealing. I'll wait the extra few seconds.