where to find cheap furniture
I had fallen in love with this furniture and was eagerly watching this thread to see if anyone had ordered anything from them.

I suppose I will have to try and find someone else that sells it. If anyone has seen this furniture elsewhere (and from a more reputable company please let me know as it is perfect for my needs)

(edited by DA - no advertising on the forum, please)

why not just allow...
why not just allow advertising on the forum?

How much revenue do you...
How much revenue do you estimate is needed to keep a 14 year old website going? How much do you think is invested back into the site infrastructure and design? The hosting fees/server costs must be miniscule as there is no dynamic content (there wasn't back in 1998) so I fail to see where the money goes (or has gone).

Time is Money
Also, Radar and Blogs have been added in the last couple of years, making the site, as a whole, a more attractive place to visit.

No-design addict
My issue is not site owners getting revenue.

As design aficionados - those who have a special interest in the mechanisms of objects, their efficiency and fitness for purpose - does nobody feel a LACK of design and maintenance round here?

If I governed an online community, for free OR profit, I would feel inclined (indeed, a desire) to roll out a small update, not every month, year, but maybe even once every five years. To not do in 14 years is unfathomable.

Whilst I believe that good decorative art and design can be timeless - furniture/architecture etc - this is NOT the case with software or websites, which run on electronic technology which constantly evolve, much to the benefit of mankind. I'm sure this was a fantastic forum design in 1998 for Windows 3.1/95 but it is not when running off a 2011 iMac where it takes up just 15% of the screen.

14 years is more than half a lifetime for some of us. In 1998 I was watching CBBC and had just started secondary school. What were YOU doing in 1998? Living in a different part of the country? Married to a different person? Memory lane... I digress. That's for another thread.

The ONLY reason I can think for intentionally restricting to a 1998 forum is because newer forums have PM functions which perhaps the domain owners are concerned would jeopardise revenue from the radar. And IF that is the reason for the lack of maintenance and design round here then that, my friends, is the issue I have. Why depreciate the user experience and reject design and maintenance just to safeguard profit? Why not innovate to generate profit instead?

I'm sure that my views regarding the site interface aren't just my own. It's a shame however, if those who depend on this site for trade feel that they have to champion the status quo. Especially as it is those in the trade who generate the real value and content in these forums - knowledge, opinion, experience - and not the 1998 interface itself. Perhaps those users undervalue their own contributions?

Sorry but it has to be said, and as I have no commercial interests then I'm happy to stick my neck out. Wallop away

Well...I appreciate this forum, especially being that it is free.
and can you porkchops come up with a better forum than what we have here?? I feel so lucky to have what we have...dated technology???? or not.


carry on.....

Well I'm technologically challenged.
so perhaps you should consider implementing your own "up to date" design forum.





Best,

Lit Up
Do you even remember that you already did this once?

http://www.designaddict.com/design_addict/forums/index.cfm//...

"...especially the fact that it is free".
Free, like basically all forums on the internet, you mean?

Everybody knows that the true value in this forum is not the 1998 interface, but the user-base and wisdom. There wouldn't BE a radar (and hence revenue stream) for DA if you guys weren't here offering up YOUR advice for free in the first place. So, why not just have the balls and principle to say that you want and deserve a proper forum - one which would cost the site founders little, or nothing to implement?

It would just take a few people who pay money through the radar to start speaking up about this and make a positive change, one in favour of good, efficient design. Surely that should be a principle of design addicts and aficionados - rather than playing into some perceived website politics, overly-sensitive to the founder's interests and not wanting to rock the boat lest you lose some kind of favour or trading influence on this restricted little marketplace?

Come on guys, it's the elephant in the room, and it's a farce. And yes I do remember bringing this up before. So sort it out, lest we end up having this conversation in 2018 when this tiny interface reaches 20. It's only six years away...

What
exactly is wrong with the interface?

I use several fora and every one of them has newcomers unable to post photos; it's a common internet phenomena.

I, for one, like the no bells and whistles look and feel of the forum; the website, as a whole, I really like.

Which is why I visit.

If I didn't, I wouldn't be here.

Lit Up, the average age on...
Lit Up, the average age on here is right around 50 years old.
These geezers probably think this forum is built on the same technology the Space Shuttle is. They enjoy being exploited by the owners of design addict and the owners love that the majority of their traffic comes from user-generated content and not their web design that looks like it was made by a highschool graphic design student in 1997.

The owners are also quick to claim that they offer a free service, that you should be grateful for it and that they would "need to sell pieces from their collection" in order to update the website which is of course a bunch of bullshit.

A forum upgrade would cost ZERO dollars and would require less maintenance than the current set up.

A lot of inaccuracies in...
A lot of inaccuracies in some comments.
Here are some answers to your questions.

Is the forum technologically dated?
Yes

Is it functional as it is?
Yes

Do we need to add unnecessary gadgets (avatars, emoticons ...)?
No

Do we plan to make changes soon?
Yes

Are there any inexpensive or free forum modules that are more efficient than our current tool?
Yes

Is it easy and inexpensive to transfer the current contents of the forum (more than 15,200 threads) in a new software?
No

Is it true that Design Addict website doesn't deliver any dynamic content?
False (and ridiculous)

How much do you think is invested back into the site infrastructure and design?
Put a figure with 5 zero here.

The hosting fees/server costs must be minuscule??
No secret. It's about 300 euros/month.