Alloy Avenue?

Sorry to pee in your cheerios, it's been like that for a few months with that 403 error. I'm just about to dump that bookmark. I usually check it a couple times a week. That site is F'd!

 

The 403 error is gone, now it's a database error, like I said, a different sort of F'd.

 

this is what I get.

 

The only place I get the 403 message is the forum's main page, if try to go anywhere else, I get a message like the one Jeff posted.
My point is simply, something's changed and I wonder if that's indicative of anything significant.

 

I think it's done guys. Lots of good info dumped down the memory hole.

 

I'm guessing you're probably right. Even though the forums haven't been usable for a long time, at least the info was still there, still searchable and still somewhat accessible, it seems like that's gone now too, very disappointing.

 

Is there a cached version of it somewhere?

 

Makes me glad I got some pictures over the years there.

 

Hey! Looks like a lot of long faces here, I'll add mine to the ranks. People almost always feel better when there are more people feeling down. Now I do have a question, and it is... do any of you guys holds the domain on that website?
Cheers! Patrick

 

Sucks to think about the loss of information and the countless hours of everyone that donated their time answering questions and adding value to AA. That site was the number one resource on the net! SO for that, to the owner who has let it go down the toilet, a nice FU is in order from me! Am I a little bitter? YOU BET I AM! I'm done listening to the excuses he's busy or whatever..

Bookmark deleted! I'm glad to see the participation here as this site grows into a valuable database for home metal casters of all walks! Good on us!

 

Now Jason, there could actually be a number of very valid reasons for failure on the part of the owner. Do you know how old he is, or his health conditions? I don't, and as disappointed as I am about it, I take those things into account. For all any of us knows, he might be on his deathbed riddled with cancer, or worse, has already passed on.

Yes, the whole situation is dismal, but is it really worth elevating your own blood pressure over?

Just my thoughts.....Roger

 

Most of the time, I'm inclined to give people the benefit of the doubt, this time however I'm inclined to side with Jason. The owner, Lionel, isn't old, he's middle aged, he started the forums and seems to have never had any interest in maintaining them as he's been pretty much AWOL since day one. I'm sure he's knows how popular they had become and that they were an important resource for many so, if he wasn't willing or able to maintain things properly, he would have had no trouble delegating that to any one of a number of dedicated and capable members and should have done so long ago.

 

Roger, you're right, we dont know everything, but c'mon man, pass the friggen keys! He shouldn't just let millions of posts vanish. Forums are places of valuable information. I cant tell you how many times I've googled something only to get a link to AA. Many of us spent HOURS building detailed threads on furnace builds, burners and casting work... All GONE without so much as an explanation? At a minimum, he owes me that! Those threads represent moments in my life that were years of hard work. And I am not alone in this. He kicked all of us squarely in the nuts!

 

I think I've seen it done on other forums too.

Is there any way one of us could drive over to his house and download a copy of the database so we can upload it on this site? Anyone near him in real life or know his addy?

 

Would he even have the database? I thought vb was all online. I'll show my age here, but I miss the days of front page. It was easy to keep a copy locally. But a couple hundred thousand posts with photos would eat some serious space!

 

That is actually why I was asking. I would love to rebuild those forums, and I would rather use alloyavenue.com than alloyavenue.net or something. Yeah I have some experience in website building and tech. I would really like to get a hold on that domain.
Patrick

 

Maybe we can track the guy down and negotiate with him for the info we want. It can't just have disappeared entirely.