pictures

[2fast4u]

  Why is it that on the Cuda/Challenger Message board you can post larger pics than you can here?   I mean pictures are just a big a part of this Board as is the text/info.  I for one like to be able to post the picture I have as is and not have any trouble with size!  Not everybody is a computer wiz at resizing pictures too.
 
   Large/clear pictures are a plus in my books!

   So what gives?  Why not here at home as well as the Cuda/Challenger message board?

2fast

[Troy]

Well, there are several reasons:
1. The old D-C.com site probably had 20-50 times more traffic than the Cuda-Challenger board. Someone has to pay for the bandwidth (plus it puts a strain on the server which can slow things down immensely). I assume that Ross made the decision to allow larger images but that doesn't mean the circumstances are the same everywhere.
2. The default configuration of the software sets the size limit at 200kb which I feel is a good number while testing the performance of the server (remember, it's only been running for a week so it isn't proven yet).
3. You can get a large amount of detail in a 200kB picture. Remember that the standard for the web is only 72dpi (dots per inch) so any resolution higher than that is pointless in most cases.
4. People on dial-up or limited bandwidth connections spend a LOT of time staring at spinning globes while waiting for a bunch of huge pictures to load on a thread. Posting a link (along with a warning) to a large picture is a much friendlier approach.
5. There are lots of free hosting sites where you can put bigger pictures. It is just as simple to link to a picture as it is to upload one. Also, there's that whole issue of people using this site as their own personal picture hosting and linking back to here in ads and from other forums. See #1 for why this is a problem.

I am tossing around the idea of offering server space once I know things are stable. I'll re-evaluate things on a regular basis to see how we are doing. We've already used up 6GB of data transfer in less than 7 days with less than 500 members. Our uploaded files directory is already over 50MB with the smaller limits. At some point the server gets overloaded but I'm not sure where that is yet so I keep a constant watch on it. I am also considering adding an automatic image resizer (which I've mentioned in another thread). This will help those who are not skilled at modifying their own images. Lots of things will be changing but I don't know which direction much of it will go.

Troy

[psykicpup]

would it help to delete any non-essential pics ie non-tech lounge ones after 'x' amount of time ?
- you could replace them with a link to the place they are stored or a message asking the veiwer to contact the poster if anyone really needs to see it again -

or- is it possible to open an account with a photo album site to store piccies if people really dont want to lose them

Just a thought.....

[Troy]

would it help to delete any non-essential pics ie non-tech lounge ones after 'x' amount of time ?
- you could replace them with a link to the place they are stored or a message asking the veiwer to contact the poster if anyone really needs to see it again -

or- is it possible to open an account with a photo album site to store piccies if people really dont want to lose them

Just a thought.....

It would be more work to figure out which ones to keep and to link to the others than it would be just to leave them on the server. I wouldn't want anything automatically deleted because it's bound to backfire at some point. People are free to open their own accounts for pic hosting and since we have a dedicated server it doesn't make sense for the site to have an additional account.

Troy

[psykicpup]

Fair comment....I know nought about such things so I have no idea how much work is involved. Thanks for replying tho..

[Charger_Fan]

The automatic image resizer would definitely help the computer-challenged members.
Like the pics that show up where you have to scroll about 4-screens to the right to see the whole thing!

Of course, if the resizer will end up using too much server horsepower, I'd say leave it the way it is. I personally don't mind resizing member's pics if they'll e-mail them to me & if it keeps things working speedily, it's worth the tradeoff, IMO.

[2fast4u]

I had no Idea Troy.....   I understand now why and will stand behind whatever you decide to do Troy.  (don't take this the wrong way) but.....sorry I blew up!!   

[Troy]

I had no Idea Troy..... I understand now why and will stand behind whatever you decide to do Troy. (don't take this the wrong way) but.....sorry I blew up!!

No big deal. I usually think things through before making a decision and I know that a small change can have drastic effects on other things if you aren't careful. Someone who doesn't do this all the time would never notice just like I would miss some things on my cars because I don't work spend all my time doing mechanical work. That's one reason these forums are so valuable.

Troy