You killed this site.

1. The layout sucks, drop the portal nosense, there's nothing worthwhile outside of the forum that can't be handled with a single navigation menu. This layout does nothing bu make it more difficult to access and work with the forum.

2. Steve, I don't like you. You sound like a douche.

3. Why blue? Trying to be FaceBook?

4. Less ads. Your conversions will at least double with proper ad placement and fewer ads.



I really do miss this place, I miss having a real community with useful discussions. **** this tech support nonsense. Bring back security discussions.


Gore, you're fat.



I love you guys.

Don't make me get medieval in this bitch.

The layout has always been the same, although a few things were switched around when Jupitermedia 1st aquired the place.

The yellow style is still selectable, bottom left of every page there is a drop down menu. If not why not just create your own stylish userstyle and make the forums appear/look how-ever your imagination can make it. :)

& good to see you dropping in Rob! :thumbsup:

Welp.


I missed this place.

Strange...it said that I rated this thread 5 stars even before I viewed the thread for the first time? :confused:

The powers that be were warned countless times by the people that actually made this site valuable. It's a graveyard now. Zero value.

LOL His highness d0ppelWh0pper has spoken. Now let's handover the domainname to us again ...

WOW
a real old timer thread
great to see so many of ya still around
if you want to shoot the **** and feck about
some of us still keep the faith :D
but we can no longer link to it
yet we still hang on in here

luck to you Dopp, on getting through
doubt it
but good luck trying

Wow. This place really is dead.

Let's not forget how damn slow it is too.

Hey horse, how goes the battle?

I've missed you guys.


Let's start a petition for an IRC server.

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Originally Posted by D0pp139an93r

I miss having a real community with useful discussions. **** this tech support nonsense. Bring back security discussions.

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Doppleganger. I don't think we can have security discussions here. Says so in the AUP:

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You will not use these Posting Features for the purposes of sharing or distributing viruses, licenses, registration information, software keys, "cracks," or other information designed to do harm to or allow unlawful access to any computer hardware, software, networks, or any other systems.

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For the owners: In order to discuss security we need to show, not only what a vulnerablity is, but how it can be exploited.

And no I'm not talking by skiddie steps by the numbers.

Oh and there is an IRC channel and another site that allows for such security discussions that once made this board the place to be...

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Originally Posted by dinowuff

Doppleganger. I don't think we can have security discussions here. Says so in the AUP:



For the owners: In order to discuss security we need to show, not only what a vulnerablity is, but how it can be exploited.

And no I'm not talking by skiddie steps by the numbers.

Oh and there is an IRC channel and another site that allows for such security discussions that once made this board the place to be...

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Yeah, and I'm aware of other IRCs...

I just miss:

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<JP>I am not amused.
-error, disconnected-

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Think JupiterMedia would sell AO?

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Originally Posted by D0pp139an93r

Think JupiterMedia would sell AO?

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They already did sell AO, they sold if for more then what they paid JP. Quinn St have been the owner for a year or so now.

Wow. That sucks.

rofl.


This place is never going to be worthwhile if they can't get owners who actually know how to run a web project. (Nothing to do with the admins)

Welp instead of popping in everynow & again and complaining about how AO is no longer "Worthwhile" or <insert moaning & groaning about x,y,z here> then why not lead by example and start contributing/participating more regularly just like the old days?

if you feel AO is in such a bad state because of the owners of AO, then wouldn't it be fair to blame JP for selling in the 1st place?

after all he was the one whom accepted the $ from Jupitermedia when he started whoring AO on the market.

If he really gave 2shit's about this place why did he sell the place to a company that "Don't know how to run such a web project" ?

Simply put he pulled a $ amount out of Brad's ass and sold to the 1st company that was willing to pay.

he didn't care whom bought the place or obviously the future of AO.

once again, instead of moaning & groaning about lack of content / being un-worthwhile, then lead by example and log in regularly & post interesting topics/posts and be apart of the solution.

lol @ pulling things out of Brad's ass.


I am contributing, dammit.

EDIT: Wait... did this new company buy the whole set of sites?

Yes.

here's there overview from there website:> http://quinstreet.com/company_overview

lol, ok.

Damn

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Arthur Charles Herbert Runcie MacAdam Jarrett, you have been convicted by twelve good persons and true of the crime of first degree making of gratuitous, sexist jokes in a moving picture.

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Ashes to ashes. Dust to dust.

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I have spoken. All depart.

Ooh flashbacks....

New colours not so nice. Not seen this scheme since Win3.1

I find it interesting that many of you that were here years ago still lurk around this forum. Hoping that it'll be active when you come back for a look or something. But just lurking around does nothing. If you posted once every time you came back for a look, maybe monthly, or however often you came, this forum could actually pick back up. It has the users to be an active forum, which is shown by posts like this, but only a few of us are actually doing something about it.

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this forum could actually pick back up

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I suppose the real question is why anyone would want to ' volunteer ' their time, energy, and expertise to a site that has only commercial interests...why work for a company for free while they profit off of your contributions?

We, in return for our ' free ' contribution to this commercial site, aren't even allowed to link back to our non-commercial ' ad-free ' forum ( TAZforum ) that doesn't have financial interests.

It's been a standard of forums that those who contribute, or have contributed, are given a token of appreciation for that contribution ( links back to their own sites in their signatures ). Some benefit for contributing for ' FREE ' to a commercial enterprise.

I've worked with charities for 35 years...I have no problem volunteering my time, energy, skills, to help out charities...this is not a charity...this is a commercial enterprise.

metguru...simple question...

why would you want to invest your time, energy, and expertise for free to a commercial site whose only interest in you is how you can benefit them and their vested financial interest?

Name me one commercial Company that you would do that for. People started doing it on the Net because of the novelty of it...it's no longer a novelty. Online companies like QuinStreet are just like any other company...the time you invest is no different than the time you invest in where you work and get paid...

this is not a charity...this is a commercial enterprise.

People volunteer at commercial, profit making enterprises frequently.
There are volunteers at profit making health care organizations such as the 13 that are in the Fortune 1000. Then there are the volunteers at professional sports (an oxymoron) events.

So you wouldn't want to be a volunteer inside the stadium at the next Super Bowl or World Series or Stanley Cup or Daytona 500, or ...

I voluntarily take time out of my busy schedule to help complete total strangers because I enjoy it.

While I’m researching for solutions to other people’s problems I pickup tid bits of usefully information along the way. I generally learn something new every day just from reading solutions that other co-members have posted.

I don’t care in the least bit if some company is making some bucks for profit and or money to off set the time and effort they’ve thrown in. And I’m certain that the 17 year old kid that has troubles getting his pc to read the DVD he just inserted also doesn’t care if some company is making some money. In fact, he’s probably very grateful that the site(s) are there where he can get some help for the incredibly low price of FREE.

Then there’s the part where the solution to a DVD reading issue will be the same regardless on how a site is run.

Several years ago I was laid off from a job and was unemployed for six months. I found a job at Monster.com and ended up posting on their forums for an additional three years… I did it in part because I was grateful that the site was there. But the main reason I continued posting on the Commercial Enterprise site was it sucks being unemployed and maybe I could help a fellow HUMAN BEING to not go through what I went through…

Same thing applies to the Prostate Cancer forum I moderate. I’m sure the owner is raking in more money from his ads then it costs to run the site. Is he is a bad guy for putting the money in the bank – I DON’T THINK SO… In fact I know he isn’t… The amount of help I received from other guys that had been down the road before me was worth its weight in gold.

To me, sites like AO could only be called a Commercial Entity in “vain” if they charge HUMAN BEINGS money to ask their questions or post their opinions;)

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People volunteer at commercial, profit making enterprises frequently.
There are volunteers at profit making health care organizations

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Yes, but they're doing it because they are benefiting from it...usually people volunteer at commercial enterprises in the hope they might get hired, or gain valuable experience that they can apply to other job opportunities.

I've been in the charity sector for a very long time, I presently act as a coordinator for a Nationally Registered Charity ( of which about 90&#37; of my time is presently donated )...I am fully aware of why people volunteer, I've recruited volunteers.

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To me, sites like AO could only be called a Commercial Entity in “vain” if they charge HUMAN BEINGS money to ask their questions or post their opinions

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Sorry, wrong...there is no fundamental difference between this and any other business or commercial venture...the only difference is that, in the beginning, it was a novelty.

This site depends upon the members ( commercial resources ) to drive traffic, to increase revenues...to position itself into a greater bargaining position to sell ad space...derive higher CPC from mainstream companies...
you apparently failed your Economics 101 class. ;)

You can try to sugar-coat it...but it is what it is.

Why do you think Twitter and Facebook are so popular? Because people are not only allowed but encouraged to advertise their products and services. The contributing members benefit from their contributions.

Do you think they'd still be popular if they stopped that? Not a friggin' chance. One of the reasons forums are dying is because they are living in the past...when they could get members just on the novelty aspect of being there.

Commercially-based forums still operate like they were still back in 2003...rub the dirt from your eyes, times have changed, the novelty has worn off. ;)

And exactly how are commercial businesses different from "charities" or other "non-profits" that are continually marketing and selling stuff at grossly inflated prices to support their exorbitant payrolls and administrative costs? I could name a few that spend 80 cents of every dollar received on fund raising, but I won't. Many charities spend over 40&#37; of revenue on marketing and administration.

An old report from the Cancer Prevention Coalition about the American Cancer Society states that for every $1 the ACS spent on direct service, approximately $6.40 is spent on compensation and overhead. Similar reports have been published in The Wall Street Journal. I'm not singling out the ACS, I just happened to have a report in my "do not contribute" file. There are many other names in that file as well.

The bottom line is that most large charities are not much different than commercial enterprises. The only real difference is that they don't pay taxes.

So you’re demanding something for YOUR efforts. What does that make you? Greedy???

The warm fuzzy feeling I get when someone writes back and states they’re going to name their next child after me is good enough for me for the time I put in. And I’d get that same feeling if I put the time in on your site.

Speaking of the past – what was the event that turned you around. I’m guessing that once upon a time you posted to help PEOPLE.

If I were in your shoes, I’d be smacking myself in the head for not having ads. The three sites I post on that are owned by individuals are supporting themselves from their ad revenue. One of the guys stays with me for a few days on his two month vacation to The States. It can’t get much better then to be able to tour the world while running your own business.

Hmmm, this site was already "dead" when JPV sold it. The novelty had worn off and people were looking for new interests. Real (professional) security sites were emerging, staffed by professionals and professionally funded.

Although AO was at the forefront at one time, JPV didn't have the funding or backing to follow through in this direction.

What surprises me is that Jupitermedia actually bought it in the first place :confused:

The dotcom bubble had burst, and they obviously had no plan as to what to do with it, yet they went ahead and bought it as a specific, individual transaction???????????? weird.

At least Quinnstreet have the excuse that it came bundled with all the other sites. They bought the lot in November 2009 for $18,000,000.

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3. Why blue? Trying to be FaceBook?

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As HYBR|D pointed out, that is selectable, and, as it is not the default, you must have selected it yourself? :D

My comment to all members who come and complain that the site is not like "the good old days" is:

1. Take all your posts here for the last 18 months.
2. Exclude those whining about the site layout, ads, the site is dead, and all that crap that active and new members will not find interesting.
3. Look at the end result and then you will see the problem? ;)

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I really do miss this place, I miss having a real community with useful discussions. **** this tech support nonsense. Bring back security discussions.

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The subjects of the site's contents are the collective responsibility of the membership. If that happens to be technical support, then so be it. If you want security discussions then please feel free to instigate them.

I can remember the day when we would get several posts a week if not a day regarding new malware and machines that had been infected with something, or how to secure an operating system or some aspect of it. Doesn't happen today because people are more computer savvy, know how to use search engines, and have access to free software that will generally protect them from most of the bad things that happened back then.

If you look at recent threats you just don't see the malicious, destructive malware that was prevalent back then. The bad guys have graduated to cyber crime and the skiddies to "social networking sites" :eek:

As for intelligent discussions; well it takes at least two, and if you spend a couple of hours randomly browsing the archives, you will see that they were a lot rarer than some might want to think.

Actually, most discussion forums have declined over the years as has IRC. They face strong competition from the more fashionable competition of social networking sites, intelligent cellphones, tablet PCs, text messaging and the like. I guess the only sites that have fared better are those devoted to the fans/supporters of sports clubs, or to speciality interests like automobiles and motorcycles, and, of course, file sharing.

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I suppose the real question is why anyone would want to ' volunteer ' their time, energy, and expertise to a site that has only commercial interests...why work for a company for free while they profit off of your contributions?

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This site has no commercial interests of itself, it is hosted without charge by a commercial organisation that sells advertising. Given that there is no such thing as a free meal, I really don't have a problem with that. There is no profit from mine or anyone else's contributions, that comes entirely from their advertising skills. This is a community discussion forum at the end of the day.

but you are all missing the real point
we LIKED the bitching and banter that went with it
we WANTED flames
we also got an occasional tech post too :P :D

but back then we COULD bitch off about whatever we feckin well wanted
we - who were there then - can all remember the RTFM or GOOGLE IT replies to many a query
and I used to try and add details to help users who had troubles with their PC's
but how many times do you post the same style of reply before you just have to let
rip????

all we really want is a place to blast off about ANYTHING WE FEEL THE NEED TO BLAST AT :P

and if we get someone asking about an IT issue, that will get a reply too
so if the admin could just back away
let the mods do their bit
and we should all swing along merrily
if however, their are still problems
THEN we can all feck off, adopt another site [Taz Forum anyone :D]
and blast off there instead

the forum has had its day
social networks are hitting satiuration point
the wwweb will evolve
and we shall still be here [or Taz :P ] bitching and putting the world to rights
just as we have done since we joined

the real question therefore
is why DO the new owners give a rats ass about a site they probably didn't even realise was in the sale package

so cut everyone some slack
stop the BS about AUP's
and let's BITCH :D

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Originally Posted by metguru

I find it interesting that many of you that were here years ago still lurk around this forum. Hoping that it'll be active when you come back for a look or something. But just lurking around does nothing. If you posted once every time you came back for a look, maybe monthly, or however often you came, this forum could actually pick back up. It has the users to be an active forum, which is shown by posts like this, but only a few of us are actually doing something about it.

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HAH! You just completely said it! Havent been here in ages and decided to see whats going on here and this is the first post ive read. My brain is confused by the blue. Had to change it back to the traditional (and better IMO) color.

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As HYBR|D pointed out, that is selectable, and, as it is not the default, you must have selected it yourself?

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It was for me and I am pretty sure i didn't set it.

I think this site could totally get more visits but when i google anything related to computer security, network security, etc its pages behind. The only way ive noticed that i could find this site was by actually googling "Antionline". There may be more ways, but i didnt spend too much time on it.

This site was made before SEO was a huge thing and im guessing that the site hasnt changed much. I'd love to be able to see this site on the first page of a google search related to security. I know when i first joined in early 2k it was because this site showed up on the first page when i googled something.

If any of the admins here were so inclined to, i bet making twitter, fb, g+, etc accounts would help market the site and would bring more members in. However i am guessing that it would turn into what it did back in the day with a ton of 'noob' questions and all of the replies in the area of "Go google it!"

I guess its either have a quiet site or have an active one full of 'noobs' and trolls

mungyun: I'll send some greenies your way if you stick around. :D:D:D Thats about the best I can do as far as bribery is concerned.

Somehow... AntiPoints just don't seem like that much of a reward for the 2k2/3 members...

It was a joke. I know they really don't mean much anymore, but they do still have a better bearing than post count when new users come in. My point really was just that I want people like mungyun to hang around more often. ;)

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Originally Posted by D0pp139an93r

Somehow... AntiPoints just don't seem like that much of a reward for the 2k2/3 members...

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Hey now, dont bash the APs :p This was one of the first sites i remember to utilize a reward system years before the Achievements and Tokens(Coins?) of modern sites. I felt awesome back in the day when i logged on and saw i had an extra bubble or two for adding useful content to a post.

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It was a joke. I know they really don't mean much anymore, but they do still have a better bearing than post count when new users come in. My point really was just that I want people like mungyun to hang around more often.

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Thanks, I just may! :D

I gave you a dot.


Heh... I remember when 3-4 seniors could ban somebody with APs.

Oh the flame wars....2000-2002.

Sitting up past midnight reading the latest threats,set ups and group bashing's were something that could not be missed.
The days when AO was a target to be brought down to show JP he was nothing.
It would be days offline and when it came back online the accusations flew wildly.

Sooooo Funny!

Does ICQ still exist?
Imagine Facebook hit by so many Nukers these days.

Well, to be honest, JP was a fraud for the most part.