HostBalls 2.0

I agree. Again.

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I’m certainly not already certain, I’ll let you all make that call. The name probably happens regardless, the software is up for discussion.

It’s just a shame that migration seems not an option without a dedicated developer.

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:eyes:

I thought as much, and I’m all for it :slight_smile:

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Well, while I like “traditional” forum platforms like XenForo or MyBB much better than Discourse, I don’t really feel like losing all data and starting from zero is worth it.

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Hello,
Thank you for posting. I like your response.

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+1 for Discourse if you can handle the mercurial changes. Latest beta requires Redis 4 which guarantees it’s getting Dockerized or at least CentOS 8 until the next breaking release. MaxMind licensing changes also come to mind too… ah Discourse is such a love-hate relationship.

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the name is epic. someone give that man some booze, so he stops overthinking. :stuck_out_tongue:
I also like discourse, though I get that things can be different on the maintainers end.

anyway very much pro keep-it-as-it-is here.

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I like how MalwareTips have implemented XenForo (with their Black Wave Classic style).

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It’s great as it is now, both the name and the forum software.

I wouldn’t change a thing… these things are the things that got HB where it is today, changing them (especially wiping the DB) would not improve anything, imo.

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The name is perfect and discourse work well for my mobile lurking needs.

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No, the only exception is, if you are drunk again with your mind in a different dimension and the word “balls” comes into your mind again.

Otherwise no.

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I really like the name, but I can see why you might consider changing it to something different. However, I am not a fan of hostedtalk - I think it’s too similar to a combination of LET & WHT.

The USP of this forum is definitely the userbase. As I’ve said before, I don’t get involved in communities usually because people are dicks so it’s refreshing to have a community where there’s very little arguing or bickering between users. So as long as the same people stick around I don’t really care what software the forum runs on.

That said, if no posts are migrated I am concerned that some of the less regular users will disengage. Hostballs has a good core userbase, but we are still a relatively quiet community which could suffer if we have to start from scratch again.

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HB work as it is for me. I like Discord and find it much easier to navigate than Vanilla. I don’t mind the name HB or something else it’s the community and the content that counts. You know you can come here for a civilised conversation without dramas or flame wars. People are always willing to help.

It’s definitely the “Friendly Hosting Community” :heart:

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You fell into the trap I was always afraid of.

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HosTedTalk.io :smile:

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First, i want to say that i love this name. And if you’re looking for a forum software, you can try Flarum

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I can’t deny that I read this as well and had to read it a 2nd time. :smile:

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I’d change the name. Otherwise I like Discourse a lot.

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I really don’t know what the name means or if it sounds ridiculous. I don’t care.

Abot the software: I like Discourse. I know installing, modifying and updating takes a lot of time. But as an end user it’s easy to use and clean. Why their devs like downtime? Weird, but nothing is perfect.

About the community: there is a reason why I open threads here and not in the other hosting forums, but also there is another reason why I don’t search for deals here.

I should go back to my English classes. It is hard to write lately.

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I’m kinda torn on this.

On one hand I really love what this place has become and I love seeing all the responses here as I can tell a lot of you feel the same way. It’s been nice to get my hosting fill here without all the bants and drama associated with other dark corners of the internet. And even when differing opinions arise, it very very rarely gets to a point where admin action is needed – which is a nice change as admining at another place could be considered more akin to babysitting, while here it’s more of a “hey how you doing, how can we make your experience better” type of arrangement. Better for everyone involved, I think.

On the other hand, I think the name of the community (and to a lesser extent the forum software) have stunted our growth a bit. HostBalls doesn’t have a ton of name recognition and those that do recognize it is really only a byproduct of seeing it mentioned in other hosting forums. LowEndTalk, LowEndSpirit, WebHostingTalk, hell even VPSBoard all have names that an outsider would see and somewhat know what the community is all about. Someone not familiar with HB will take a look at the name and not know if they’re strolling into a porn hosting palace, a biggest balls competition, or a Chuck E. Cheese ball pit.

I don’t want to lose all of our past history, discussions, tips, jabs, and Taylor Swift adorations, so if we did move forum software, I’d only want to do it if we can bring our old content. We have enough smart people here that a few of us could probably write up some quick and dirty scripts to move most of the content over. If we did move forum software, I assure you it won’t be a LET clone, because seriously… fuck Vanilla. NodeBB is solid and I’ve used it in the past. But perhaps keeping Discourse is the right move since we’re nice and settled here, but at the same time, I’d rather the forum software not cripple us from being able to acclimate new members into the community. Whether NodeBB would alleviate the concerns people have with Discourse, I’m not sure. I’ll have to think more about that.

Anyways, I think a full rebranding (at least name-wise) is in order and will only help us grow and continue to be awesome. And by doing that, HostBalls certainly won’t die. HostBalls will live on as long as we all call this place home. We didn’t come here for the name anyways (well… maybe some of you did :stuck_out_tongue:), we came here for the people, the atmosphere, and the content that interest us. I think a name change will make us more marketable and be able to attract new community members. “HostedTalk” is a step in the right direction. I’m not 100% sold on it yet, but we certainly welcome any recommendations. And if we don’t move forward with a software change, then maybe some other changes could be made – more competitions, polls, code reviews, etc.

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