Before I get to the point of this post, I’d first like to apologize to those that have previously volunteered to help get the Org to a better place back in May. Phade’s call to action, while appreciated, was not very well coordinated with those currently performing work on the website and we were not ready for the help. As a result, people have been left hanging, wondering if things were really changing for the better. We are honestly still not ready for your help, but we have been busy making changes to get us to the point where everyone who wants to help can participate.
Some of the changes we have been working on require versions of server software that we are not yet using. While we are able to make progress on code using test machines, we cannot integrate the new changes into the website until this software has been upgraded. The original plan was to wait for the new server hardware to be purchased, installed in the data center, and setup with the latest and greatest OS and programs. As noted by Phade recently however, not only is the server being replaced, it is potentially getting moved to another data center entirely. Phade’s search of a new home for the server will take time, and we don’t want to remain blocked in our other efforts in the meantime. As a result, we have decided to perform in-place upgrades of the Org’s software.
Performing an in-place upgrade means that we will need to take the website down for a maintenance period.
This work will pave the way for future changes. Many of these should be largely invisible (hopefully) such as necessary changes to authentication and underlying code. Others will be more visible. We will send out further information about these changes as things progress. If you have already volunteered in the thread requesting volunteers, then please know that we acknowledge your desire to help, and that we will be in touch with you when we have gotten the site to a state where others can help.
Thank you for your patience.