No more "Count to x" or "countdown from x" threads.

[DZComposer]

Please do not start any more threads whose purpose is solely to count a large number.

Let's remember how this works: When you submit a post, the forum software creates records in 2 or 3 database tables to track who posted it, the post status, the post's content, IP address posted from, if the post needs moderation via the report system, etc. There are probably at least 50 bytes of information stored in addition to the post's text. This number: 1,265,564 is 7 characters. Large number? Yes. Filesize?  7 bytes (9 if you include the commas).  Notice all the overhead that goes into storing those 7 bytes? Now multiply that by however many number of posts your trying to get. It's a huge waste of database space that is not worth what the thread is trying to accomplish.

Disk space isn't the only issue. The larger a MyISAM table is, the longer it takes to search records. So, this slows down the search function, as well as several back-end functions that deal with posts.

[Guest Mr. Mario]

Does this count also for other threads like What have you noticed about the user above (game)?

[Guest FoXXX]

:slippy: Understood!

[DZComposer]

Does this count also for other threads like What have you noticed about the user above (game)?

No. That isn't posting for the sake of posting, there is actual content in a thread like that.

I'm more talking about threads like the "Countdown from 1000000" thread.

Yes, more posts mean the database has to work harder, but if the posts are worth keeping it is an acceptable performance hit.

[Kid_Cortet]

yes sir, understood.

[The Shaper]

No worries, there will not be a topic made like that again. It was fun while it lasted I guess.

[Guest Mr. Mario]

No. That isn't posting for the sake of posting, there is actual content in a thread like that.

I'm more talking about threads like the "Countdown from 1000000" thread.

Yes, more posts mean the database has to work harder, but if the posts are worth keeping it is an acceptable performance hit.

Okie-dokie.

[Guest Julius Quasar]

Sorry about that.  :oops:

[Falconman]

hmmm.....no clue wat all this bytes are but oh well.......k (even though most of us never started one)

[Dublinthefox]

Understood DZ.

[Arashikage]

hmmm.....no clue wat all this bytes are but oh well.......k (even though most of us never started one)

If you're saying what I think you're saying and you don't know what a byte is, allow me to explain.  A byte is a unit of measurement for digital memory.  One byte is approximately one thousandth of a kilobyte, and one kilobyte is approximately one thousandth of a megabyte, the megabyte is approximately one thousandth of a gigabyte and the gigabyte is approximately one thousandth of a terabyte.  Hope I could shed some light on this.

[DZComposer]

hmmm.....no clue wat all this bytes are but oh well.......k (even though most of us never started one)

A byte is a unit of data storage. It isn't the smallest, that's the bit, but bytes are the main unit of data storage. A single ASCII character (like the ones in this text*) is 1 byte.

While bytes are given metric unit names, they ARE NOT METRIC! Though some manufacturers of storage devices market metric because the math is easier (this has led to a lawsuit, because 1000 kB IS NOT 1 MB)

In metric, there are 1000 units in a kilounit. But, bytes are different due to being in base2. A kilobyte is 1024 bytes. A megabyte is 1024 kilobytes (1,048,576 bytes), a gigabyte is 1024 megabytes (1,073,741,824 bytes), and a terabyte is 1024 gigabytes (1,099,511,627,776 bytes).

Now that you know that, I bring up a point of confusion that a lot of people get wrong. This unit: Mbps (sometimes written Mb/s). This is a compound unit. The s is seconds. So, let's focus on the Mb. Mb IS NOT THE SAME as MB! MB is megabyte. Mb is megabit.  Every once in a while, I hear someone pronounce mbps as "mips." This is incorrect, as MIPS is a separate unit (millions of instructions per second) used to measure one aspect of microprocessor efficiency.

Data transfer is measured in bits per second. Bits are also counted binary, not metrically. (1 kb = 1024b, etc) So, if your internet connection is 12 Mbps, that is NOT 12 Megabytes per second, but rather 1.5 Megabytes per second.

Why? There are 8 bits per byte. So, to get the throughput in bytes, you need to divide by 8. A gigabit would be 128 Megabytes (1024 Megabits/8 = 128 megabytes).

There is also the nyble, which is 4 bits (half of a byte), but that is only really used in programming. In hex, a byte is 2 digits. So, this is 4 bytes:

Monospaced Text

2E A7 8F 2D

It is also 8 nybles.

----

*That was a bit of a lie, because the database isn't ASCII, it is UTF-8 to allow for non-latin characters to be used on the boards. Non-special characters are still 1 byte, but UTF-8 characters can be as large as four.

[sjrathbun812]

oops, sry. I think I did this. XD Don't worry! I won't do it again.

[Matrilwood]

Woah numbers!

Anyway, if HDSpace is causing you to slow down, maybe you should get another HD (If you have less than 15% HDSpace then your computer slows down). You can get Terabyte HDs at a reasonable price now-days. I've seen one for about $100. Which will last you the next couple of years (Unless you do something stupid like create a matrix-server or something) I don't think secondary hard drives need to remain 15% free, but for best performance try to keep the primary one (C:) as clear as possible (Say 80% full).

[TheRedFox8]

Why not just delete useless threads that are causing that issue so it will free up space rather than archiving it?

I can understand the difference between a thread worth archiving, and a thread that should just get deleted.

[sjrathbun812]

^He's got a point.

[TheRedFox8]

Yay! Someone agrees!

[Matrilwood]

What about last poster wins? Shouldn't that fit under the same category?

[Guest Mr. Mario]

What about last poster wins? Shouldn't that fit under the same category?

Yeah...I was wondering about that....

[Guest DRL]

What about last poster wins? Shouldn't that fit under the same category?

Not if peoples were following the main rule,

"Do post after two other posts have been made."

Furthermore, it may now get locked, not because of it's content,

but because it is now an RP outside the RP section. And was not

aproved. (Not that I like to wet the party... Just following the rules).

[Guest Mr. Mario]

Not if peoples were following the main rule,

"Do post after two other posts have been made."

I don't see that happening anytime soon...

Furthermore, it may now get locked, not because of it's content,

but because it is now an RP outside the RP section. And was not

aproved. (Not that I like to wet the party... Just following the rules).

Well I agree, though it sounds like a topic, it's now becoming a RP.

BTW DZComposer, you should maybe at least modify your frist post to include topics like Last Poster Wins (If it qualifies).

[Matrilwood]

It is now an RP outside the RP section. And was not

aproved.

That's most likely because the rules in the RP section are far to strict, if they loosened the noose then people might actually like using the RP section. But that's going on a tangent.

[Guest Mr. Mario]

That's most likely because the rules in the RP section are far to strict, if they loosened the noose then people might actually like using the RP section.

Agreed. I also think the RP board isn't that active as it used to be...possibly because of the rules...

[Deploy]

My new thread is NOT a normal, pointless count to X or from X thread!

Staff told me it's fine! :D