SWADE wrote, "Maybe you should get rid of the dialup that you are paying for and get a broadband connection that you can have for just as cheap.

If you are on dialup then it is your own fault you can not function on a PHP board....." 

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Hello, my good man. I'm not sure where exactly you live, kind soul, but I live in farm country middle America. About six miles from the nearest small town. Verizon (the only phone company in my area) tells me that I'm too far from the city limits (6 miles) for DSL hook ups. They also told me that they would NOT be making DSL an option due to "Not enough population". Obviously, cable is not an option, either. I suppose, I could move to a city?

So, I just recently made the 'jump' to DIRECWAY Internet broadband satellite dish service. It 'only' cost me $600 bucks to install the hardware, a 15 month committment contract, and an additional $125 bucks for a 'pole' mounted dish in my yard.

Add to that, kind soul, the choices of two plans: (a) Home plan @ $59.99 month. (b) Professional plan @ $69.00 month. Plan A runs at about 650 kbps download speeds. Plan B runs at about 1MB download speeds. Or, so they claim. WINK.

I can't help but be amused and cringe at the same time, at your cavalier remarks above regarding 'dialup' versus broadband. Many in my area are on fixed incomes. Many also have lost jobs as businesses moved south the past year. Many see city folks paying far less monthy charges than what I quoted being asked and choose not to pay it. I'm still debating my choices at this time. WINK.

Being that I'm now on 'broadband', I still am experiening similar problems at this site I did on my mind blowing old dial up speeds of 21.6kbs.  SMILE.

I try using this forum and it 'locks' up or 'freezes' up for a number of seconds. Finally, it allows me to scroll down and read it.

I cannot use the 'back' page button. I have found that I have to hit the  'return to top' button at the bottom of each thread and then I have to hit 'top of forums' page to migrate back to the front forums page. Lather, rinse and repeat. WINK.

I also have to 'scroll across' from left to right to fully view EACH individual post here. Apparently, those in charge, decided not to 'fit' the entire screen in older monitor screens? I was told to reset my monitor to 1024 size to correct this problem by a fellow user. That  I did. However, the print/text became so small these old, 54 year eyes went nuts trying to view it. So, I decided to revert back to my original monitor size settings. Only this 'forum' page, out of all the pages I view online, was the 'one' that would not 'fit' my screen? Go figure? WINK.

I continue to get the dreaded, "Waiting for www.renderosity.com" message .... for extended periods of time. Repeatedly. (Remember, no longer on 'dial up'. And, paying $70.00 a month).  When it finally does send me to whatever area of this site I'm clicking onto, my speeds usually move much faster. However, lately, many days here have resulted in even slow download speeds even on broadband? This occurs frequently on this particular site. I am at a loss to fully explain the 'why' of this as almost all of the other websites I visit rarely, and I mean rarely, ever experience anywhere the degree and frequency of such 'hiccups'? Why just this site?

I ventured into the modern, p.c. world three years ago. After only this brief time in the new aged world, I wonder why this site, of all those I peruse, is given far more to 'hiccups' and 'waits' then all the bunches of other sites? And, I have heard the same 'whines' from members here for my tenure here with no real fix. That, to me, is puzzling and sad at the same time.

We were also told to ''be patient'' and the gallery would be moved. For months. And months. Then, when it's finally moved, if I now understand it correctly, the galleries were 'physically' moved to another 'location'. Not, to another type of format. That is to come at a later date. I realize I graduated third, in a class of two, but in talking to others here, we were all given the 'impression' that the galleries were being moved to a new type/format?

An old farmer's axiom out my way says, "Measure twice, cut once".

I agree with many above who post that the 'people' make up the site. No people, no need for site. I also agree the people need the site. Thus, my complete puzzlement, at times, when there seems to be a disconnect between the two areas? Not in total agreement. Not everyone will ever be all pleased. That's a given. But, to me, it seems that one needs to be heard from both sides. I ran alot of business contract negotiations in my day. I've seen true talking between two sides for the betterment of ALL. I've also experienced one side or the other giving no real heed to the other side, resulting in unhappy people on each spectrum. Doesn't have to be that way, for the great majority, in my humble opinion. The train runs best when the engine and it's caboose are on the same track.

I have also asked, repeatedly, why, when new members join, there isn't a HOW TO page or a WELCOME page for new peoples? A page where one could go to in order to see how the site runs. How to use this wonderful site. I see questions asked over and over again. The same ones. I see moderators having to use their valuable time answering these repeat questions. Instead of using it for other things. I would also think it would make a new person feel more at home in the beginning. It's like when I was in management. One of my supervisors loaded up the press for the new hire for five minutes, repeatedly. He told me he did that because it took the new hire ten minutes to do it, at first, since he was new. I told my supervisor that was true, but that once the new employee was shown HOW to do the job, the supervisor would no longer have to be using his precious five minutes of time. Over and over and over again. End net result, more time for supervisor to supervise and make better decisions and use of his time. More company profits. More benefits available and given to hard working employees.

A fellow member once posted in a reply,  that if someone doesn't like the site as it is, to move to another site. I find that type of commentary not helpful. Love it or leave it? Where have I heard that one before? WINK. I say, LOVE it AND make it BETTER. I also posted that a General once told his troops, "Troops, the General is ALWAYS in charge, but he'd be a complete fool NOT to listen to his troops".

I also agree with many above when they 'whine' about 'functionality', my good man. What good is a corvette able to go 160 mph if it never runs on all 8 cylinders?

Avatars and smilies and such are a nice little frill, I suppose? But, if a site is not 'user friendly' and 'functional' than all the bells and whistles won't make it so, in my humblest opinion.

Or, as us country folk/hicks might be known to say, "If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, it's most probably a duck". WINK.

PEACE to you and yours, kind soul. Forgive me, I know not what I do. Care to join me? SMILE.

My best, TallPockets.