Dont you think Its Time to Upgrade?

[+Team.TFTC]

....................................................................

Edited January 21, 2007 by Bass_Chaz

[+TrailGators]

In order for Geocaching to grow, so does the web site.

Howver, as I was reporting a new cache, I couldnt log into the web site after I wasnt allowd to finish entering the final coords for my new puzzle cache.

ENOUGH is ENOUGH!

We need to get together and get this friggin site working the way it should.....

 

I Propose

1. NO NEW CACHES!

2 ARCHIVE YOUR ACTIVE CACHES!

3. MAKE NO MORE DONATIONS IN ANY FORM!

4. DO NOT REPORT FINDING ANY CURRENT CACHES..

 

We need to get this site working CORRECTLY and CONTIUNALY if we want our sport to grow. Having "down time" and time when you cant even log in is just bulls***.

 

The owners need a wake up call....

You'll eventually learn which times to avoid the site.....

[+txoilgas]

In order for Geocaching to grow, so does the web site.

Howver, as I was reporting a new cache, I couldnt log into the web site after I wasnt allowd to finish entering the final coords for my new puzzle cache.

ENOUGH is ENOUGH!

We need to get together and get this friggin site working the way it should.....

 

I Propose

1. NO NEW CACHES!

2 ARCHIVE YOUR ACTIVE CACHES!

3. MAKE NO MORE DONATIONS IN ANY FORM!

4. DO NOT REPORT FINDING ANY CURRENT CACHES..

 

We need to get this site working CORRECTLY and CONTIUNALY if we want our sport to grow. Having "down time" and time when you cant even log in is just bulls***.

 

The owners need a wake up call....

You'll eventually learn which times to avoid the site.....

Love these people that know all about everything and they have been a member for two months. Maybe if they just shut up and went and found some caches they could figure out how things worked.

[darwinmay]

I don't see how removing all traffic from the site would be incentive for an upgrade.

 

Nor do I see how cutting off donations to the site would go towards an upgrade.

 

Or do you just want people to stop using the site for *your* benefit?

 

Any server has downtime. This one has quite a lot of traffic from all over the place on weekend nights, after everyone's gone and found a bunch of caches.

 

Deal with it.

Edited January 21, 2007 by BlueNinja

[+pppingme]

I don't see how removing all traffic from the site would be incentive for an upgrade.

 

Nor do I see how cutting off donations to the site would go towards an upgrade.

 

Or do you just want people to stop using the site for *your* benefit?

His point being that if gc started seeing a decline in traffic and revenues, they might finally wake up and fix the problems.

 

Any server has downtime. This one has quite a lot of traffic from all over the place on weekend nights, after everyone's gone and found a bunch of caches.

 

Deal with it.

The site should be built to deal with the traffic. It can't!

 

He IS dealing with it, he's complaining in an appropriate forum. So I guess to use your words, if you don't like that he's trying to hold the site accountable, then "Deal with it".

[+Team Teuton]

From my observations the site is running far better now that it has in the past several post-Christmas months.

 

Perfect? No.

 

But much better.

[+gof1]

I think TPTB have made great strides in dealing with the problem.

Down time occurs much less frequently now days than it used to.

Seems we could show a bit of appreciation for all the hard work.

Or, we could keep giving them grief for a perceived lack of action 'till they really loose interest.

[+pppingme]

'till they really loose interest.

They already have...

[+TexasGringo]

Very slow tonight...My TB listings don't work.

 

Madison, Wi.

[+Kealia]

Maybe if the OP didn't come in here screaming and talking about radical actions he'd get a better response.

 

How about asking what's been done, if there are certain times that are better than others, etc.?

 

Coming in a ranting about something, and swearing nonetheless, makes it hard to take somebody seriously.

[+gof1]

Many's the time I've seen post like "They've done this" or "We've done that", none of it makes any sense to me.

All I do know is that the site runs better all the time. A year ago saturday afternoon until monday morning it was near useless to attempt to log on. Now days if it goes down it is only for a short time. Room to improve? Yes. Lack of any action or no desire to fix it? No.

[+Mopar]

'till they really loose interest.

They already have...

Ya think? Then maybe they should just pull the plug on the site already. Or, how about this: Just pull the plug on the forums. (old timers might remember the infopop days when the forums were down for weeks)

It's often been said you don't need the forums for geocaching anyway. Very few companies have free open discussion forums for their customers anyway, so the loss should be no big deal. Only a very small percentage of cachers regularly use them anyway. Maybe the no longer needed forum hardware could go to the GC.com site.

[+txoilgas]

So interesting. No one says ..... Gee the site is working perfect tonight. My logging is so fast tonight I can not keep up......

 

It is easy to criticize and for so many so hard to praise. This site is not perfect. But it sure is better than the alternative. I appreciate what they do in the "Emerald City" and I am glad they have to worry about it and not me.

 

[+Mopar]

So interesting. No one says ..... Gee the site is working perfect tonight. My logging is so fast tonight I can not keep up......

 

It is easy to criticize and for so many so hard to praise. This site is not perfect. But it sure is better than the alternative. I appreciate what they do in the "Emerald City" and I am glad they have to worry about it and not me.

 

True. If people really think the site has "given up" on improving the service, then perhaps they should stick to one of the alternatives. They might be much happier over at Navicache.com.

[+mudsneaker]

In the past it was alot worse. Its really doing pretty good compared to several months ago. I've been here posting when GC.com was running to slow to even log on. Even took a long break from caching last year partly due to the website issues. Add in bugs, nettles, heat, and summer muggles = no caching. When its not fun, I dont play the game is how I roll.

I know the frusteration when its lagging bad, but remember that it could be worse. Cost vs value/fun, I'd say we are getting what we pay for and then some.

[+spotter/g]

all i know is that the site always works for me, everytime. mabey i'm not around when its slow...

 

i'm just glad its here!!

[+Rockin Roddy]

I agree...things were a bit slower just a few months ago!! I think the gang at GC are doing a great job, keep up the great work!! Keep in mind that throwing gas on a fire tends to make the problem bigger, not help the situation!!

[+Team.TFTC]

In order for Geocaching to grow, so does the web site.

Howver, as I was reporting a new cache, I couldnt log into the web site after I wasnt allowd to finish entering the final coords for my new puzzle cache.

ENOUGH is ENOUGH!

We need to get together and get this friggin site working the way it should.....

 

I Propose

1. NO NEW CACHES!

2 ARCHIVE YOUR ACTIVE CACHES!

3. MAKE NO MORE DONATIONS IN ANY FORM!

4. DO NOT REPORT FINDING ANY CURRENT CACHES..

 

We need to get this site working CORRECTLY and CONTIUNALY if we want our sport to grow. Having "down time" and time when you cant even log in is just bulls***.

 

The owners need a wake up call....

You'll eventually learn which times to avoid the site.....

Love these people that know all about everything and they have been a member for two months. Maybe if they just shut up and went and found some caches they could figure out how things worked.

 

I NEVER said that I know everything about everything.

Never will. BUT I know that GC.com needs to be more redundent.. more so than it is.

NOTHING is perfect and Im sure they are doing SOMETHING, but if we want this activity to continue to advance, it will need to be more reliable.

Would you buy a car that you KNEW wasnt relaible?

Id hope not..

I wouldnt.

So what does being a member for 2 months have to do with it?

Nothing.

Ive been around sine before the "internet" was so popular..1986 to be exact...

Ive run on a 300"baud" modem... on QLink..(showing my age now...) THATS SLOW!!

As far as finding caches.. why dont you come up here in -10 degree weather, wind gusts to 20 mph and drifting snow, and find some..

It not easy in the winter months.

Not at all like Texas.. or Florida or California..

[+gof1]

In order for Geocaching to grow, so does the web site.

Howver, as I was reporting a new cache, I couldnt log into the web site after I wasnt allowd to finish entering the final coords for my new puzzle cache.

ENOUGH is ENOUGH!

We need to get together and get this friggin site working the way it should.....

 

I Propose

1. NO NEW CACHES!

2 ARCHIVE YOUR ACTIVE CACHES!

3. MAKE NO MORE DONATIONS IN ANY FORM!

4. DO NOT REPORT FINDING ANY CURRENT CACHES..

 

We need to get this site working CORRECTLY and CONTIUNALY if we want our sport to grow. Having "down time" and time when you cant even log in is just bulls***.

 

The owners need a wake up call....

You'll eventually learn which times to avoid the site.....

Love these people that know all about everything and they have been a member for two months. Maybe if they just shut up and went and found some caches they could figure out how things worked.

 

I NEVER said that I know everything about everything.

Never will. BUT I know that GC.com needs to be more redundent.. more so than it is.

NOTHING is perfect and Im sure they are doing SOMETHING, but if we want this activity to continue to advance, it will need to be more reliable.

Would you buy a car that you KNEW wasnt relaible?

Id hope not..

I wouldnt.

So what does being a member for 2 months have to do with it?

Nothing.

Ive been around sine before the "internet" was so popular..1986 to be exact...

Ive run on a 300"baud" modem... on QLink..(showing my age now...) THATS SLOW!!

As far as finding caches.. why dont you come up here in -10 degree weather, wind gusts to 20 mph and drifting snow, and find some..

It not easy in the winter months.

Not at all like Texas.. or Florida or California..

 

Having been here only two months means that you have not seen the improvements that have been made over the long run. Jumping in and screaming about things you are uninformed on isn't going to do what you want it to do. If you really want to see improvements try making constructive observations and possibly constructive advice. Temper tantrums won't work.

 

I would expect to pay a bit more for a reliable car than $30.

 

As far as caching in the winter, I've done it. Up to my waist in snow, zero degree temps, lots of wind. I'll take that over triple degree tempt, scorching sun, and high humidity any day.

[+txoilgas]

I NEVER said that I know everything about everything.

Never will. BUT I know that GC.com needs to be more redundent.. more so than it is.

NOTHING is perfect and Im sure they are doing SOMETHING, but if we want this activity to continue to advance, it will need to be more reliable.

Would you buy a car that you KNEW wasnt relaible?

Id hope not..

I wouldnt.

So what does being a member for 2 months have to do with it?

Nothing.

Ive been around sine before the "internet" was so popular..1986 to be exact...

Ive run on a 300"baud" modem... on QLink..(showing my age now...) THATS SLOW!!

As far as finding caches.. why dont you come up here in -10 degree weather, wind gusts to 20 mph and drifting snow, and find some..

It not easy in the winter months.

Not at all like Texas.. or Florida or California..

 

Being a member for 2 months shows how you have not seen how the site has improved. Like any thing else improvements come with time and money. If you are really interested in helping, how about sending GC a couple of million dollars and I bet they can get the redundency you think they need.

 

No system is designed for full time usage at peak loading. Like building a 20 lane freeway just to handle rush hour traffic. If you want to match time of usage I can best you by approximately 10 years when DARPA net was what we used. And yes things have improved and GC will improve. They just don't need someone popping up every day trashing and cusing at them. I would think someone of your age would have better manners.

 

I do notice that someone in your area is placing and finding caches so it must not be that hard. Every area has its difficult times. When it is 110, no wind, and bushwacking through thorns and PI caching is not a lot of fun.

 

I see from you last find, yesterday, that you said. "Easy find. Windy and blowing snow, but fun.." so it must not be to bad.

 

Enjoy the hobby, it is a lot of fun. If you do not like the computer system then don't use it.

 

[Neos2]

I'm planning a long caching trip, so I've been on the site off and on for long periods of time recently. Every once in a while, I have to hit refresh to get the page to load during peak hours. Last night there was a 20 minute period where I got a message saying the server was too busy. Other than that, I've been able to do everything I need to do on gc lately.

 

A year ago, I wouldn't even have attempted to do any of this work on a Saturday night or a Sunday (all day). So it is better, much, much better. And the powers that be have already said they are working on a long term fix. Other than expecting them to wave a magic wand and fast forward time to the point where that long-term fix is already in place, what more should I expect?

[+sbell111]

... Would you buy a car that you KNEW wasnt relaible? ...

I once drove a '71 Vega GT. I loved that little piece of junk. Of course, that was many years before I developed my fear of small cars. Sigh.

 

What was this thread about, again? Oh yeah, GC.com. I love the site. It almost always works great. A big thanks to TPTB!

[+TexasGringo]

****I once drove a '71 Vega GT. I loved that little piece of junk. Of course, that was many years before I developed my fear of small cars. Sigh****

 

I had to rebuild that Vega engine...smoked from the factory. Had steel sleeves put in the cylinders.

 

But that Pinto...wow...it just blew up when hit from behind.

Edited January 21, 2007 by GURU4HIRE

[+sbell111]

I once drove a '71 Vega GT. I loved that little piece of junk. Of course, that was many years before I developed my fear of small cars. Sigh

I had to rebuild that Vega engine...smoked from the factory. Had steel sleeves put in the cylinders.

 

But that Pinto...wow...it just blew up when hit from behind.

Mine didn't smoke at all. Of course, it leaked oil like CRAZY.

[+ScoutingWV]

The site's just perfect until you put users on it.

[+badlands]

In order for Geocaching to grow, so does the web site.

Howver, as I was reporting a new cache, I couldnt log into the web site after I wasnt allowd to finish entering the final coords for my new puzzle cache.

ENOUGH is ENOUGH!

We need to get together and get this friggin site working the way it should.....

 

I Propose

1. NO NEW CACHES!

2 ARCHIVE YOUR ACTIVE CACHES!

3. MAKE NO MORE DONATIONS IN ANY FORM!

4. DO NOT REPORT FINDING ANY CURRENT CACHES..

 

We need to get this site working CORRECTLY and CONTIUNALY if we want our sport to grow. Having "down time" and time when you cant even log in is just bulls***.

 

The owners need a wake up call....

 

Yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You go first....and no posting either.......... that will show them

[+sfwife]

The site's just perfect until you put users on it.

 

[+flask]

I once drove a '71 Vega GT. I loved that little piece of junk. Of course, that was many years before I developed my fear of small cars. Sigh.

 

 

careful you don't get one wedged btween your toes.

[+501_Gang]

Are you using dialup? If so, maybe it's you that needs to upgrade. Get cable.

 

When I had dialup, I did have problems, but now that I have cable, I very rarely have problems with the site.

[+briansnat]

I really don't understand the gripe. I'm on this site pretty frequently and rarely encounter problems these days. Sure there where periods in past years when things were fluky for a while. I remember when you didn't dare try to use the site on Sunday night or Monday morning.

 

I think I might get a server error maybe once every two weeks these days and if I wait 2 minutes everything is OK.

 

So its obvious to me that TPTB have done a great deal of work improving things. I'm sure that as traffic increases, problems will re-occur in the future, but right now things seem to be pretty good.

 

Someone used the highway analogy earlier. It is a good one. You don't build a highway for the traffic projected in 20 years, you build it for today's traffic. When traffic overwhelms the highway and jams occur, you add a lane, then everything is fine for a while. Then the cycle repeats.

 

Heck, I remember when the Garden State Parkway was 2 lanes in each direction. Now some sections are 8 lanes in each direction. That happened over a period of time.

[+sbell111]

... Someone used the highway analogy earlier. It is a good one. You don't build a highway for the traffic projected in 20 years, you build it for today's traffic. When traffic overwhelms the highway and jams occur, you add a lane, then everything is fine for a while. Then the cycle repeats. ...

I thought they projected future usage when they planned a highway. Maybe that's just bridges...

[+Yno]

I've only been here four weeks, so you can ignore this without hurting my feelings. I have been pretty busy during that time, though, logging on almost every day. Except for two occasions that I timed out right around Christmas, I have not had any problems with access.

 

Problems with this new addiction is another matter entirely.

[+HaLiJuSaPa]

From my observations the site is running far better now that it has in the past several post-Christmas months.

 

Perfect? No.

 

But much better.

 

That's only because Christmas 2005 going into 2006 was a fluke (in terms of being really, really bad for traffic) because Locationless Caches were about to move to Waymarking and everyone and their pet were trying to grab those "free smileys" and log them in. Not just volume, but almost all Locationless involved uploading pictures too!

 

Part of why the site is running better is the removal of Locationless. Given the easily ability for anyone anywhere in the world to log to the same cache, they got incredible amounts of traffic. I half-joke that Waymarking is designed to fail so that the website traffic there doesn't overwhelm it like GC.com did in the locationless era. (But I'm not really that cynical.......)

 

But yes, it is improved, not perfect, but rare even on a weekend night that I can't go into a forum or log anything.

[+StarBrand]

I thought I would just throw out a theory here. Seems like many of us have few or no problems with the site. I see 3 plausible explanations for that: 1 - Vastly Differing expectations of how long things should take to pop up or 2 - Some Internet Service Providers are somehow throttling or limiting traffic to and from the Geocaching servers. 3 - the manner and timing of how we use the site is vastly different

 

Number 2 is the one that intrigues me. Anybody else think it holds water??

[+flask]

every once in a while i notice a slowdown. you know, if i don't get immediate access every time i want it, nobody dies. it is simply not a critical value. i can always cme backa few minutes later or even -horrors- tomorrow.

 

most of the time i have speedy access. maybe my expectations are low. Groundspeak provides a good service and a reliable one, especially when you take into account all the variables, which are legion and intrinsic to the sport.

[+welch]

... Someone used the highway analogy earlier. It is a good one. You don't build a highway for the traffic projected in 20 years, you build it for today's traffic. When traffic overwhelms the highway and jams occur, you add a lane, then everything is fine for a while. Then the cycle repeats. ...

I thought they projected future usage when they planned a highway. Maybe that's just bridges...

 

Which makes sense if you can pay for the stuff you'll need in the furture that far in advance .

[Mushtang]

... Someone used the highway analogy earlier. It is a good one. You don't build a highway for the traffic projected in 20 years, you build it for today's traffic. When traffic overwhelms the highway and jams occur, you add a lane, then everything is fine for a while. Then the cycle repeats. ...

I thought they projected future usage when they planned a highway. Maybe that's just bridges...

Unless you live in the Atlanta area. They build roads that are already 5-10 years out of date. The office that designs the road systems here is run by a bunch of cavemen.

[+TotemLake]

I thought I would just throw out a theory here. Seems like many of us have few or no problems with the site. I see 3 plausible explanations for that: 1 - Vastly Differing expectations of how long things should take to pop up or 2 - Some Internet Service Providers are somehow throttling or limiting traffic to and from the Geocaching servers. 3 - the manner and timing of how we use the site is vastly different

 

Number 2 is the one that intrigues me. Anybody else think it holds water??

In the early days of DSL throttling back service was very common because the load on the hosting services were very heavy.

 

Two and a half observations:

1. I have seen sites get blocked by the receiving end.

2. I have never seen a site's ability to deliver get throttled back by the receiving end on purpose.

2.5 Sometimes I've seen a server in the receiving farm have a problem processing the data and cause a slowdown to some users. This is usually a random hit and tough to troubleshoot.