Posted on 06/30/2025 5:37:20 PM PDT by airplaneguy
Does anyone know how old the Free Republic software is? Doesn't appear to have been updated in at least the 20 years that I've been here. It would be nice to have hyperlinks and better interfaces and a better search function. Not just text and photo files in line. It looks like Craigslist looked about 25 years ago. Anybody with software experience have any thoughts on this?
It’s simple, easy to use, uncluttered and NO ADS!!
A few simple html commands give you all you need. No complicated “rich” features interface.
I wake up in the morning and my iPhone and iPad have updated apps while I slept. Things that were easy to use, easy to find, and reliable have disappeared. The UIX gets worse with most mysterious update. New, useless “features” that I’ll never use get added.
There’s a lot to be said for simplicity, consistency, and ease of use.
Probably one of most stabile websites I use.
If it works, then it works.
Sure, it may not have bells and whistles, and some really basic functional stuff - especially in regards to user profile management.
HOWEVER - developers would end up spending vast amounts of time on chasing the newest ‘must-have’ platform, which tends to lead (inevitably) down the path of app dev platform cycling every six-to-nine months, chasing dev expertise that fast becomes obsolete, with code that becomes difficult-to-maintain and requiring porting to whatever the latest flavor of the moment is today.
Nothing more aggravating than watching a series of apps be developed for important purposes, then become obsolescent, then obsolete, then non-functional - just because the holy ‘open source’ world decided they were bored with it and moved on.
I’ve had the suspicion for some time that this is a conspiracy of North American programming illuminati to keep third-world workers from getting too powerful.
No, very little changes would be helpful, and risks breaking the best forum news aggregator.
Many users find Is Cynwoody’s FR Posting Form Enhancer a big help, thank God. The devo has disappeared, cannot be found, so a few of us presumed he would want it available. but https://peacebyjesus.net/cynwoodyFRpostfEnhancer.xpi Check at https://www.virustotal.com/gui/home/search Thanks be to God.
> Anybody with software experience have any thoughts on this?
If it's not obvious to you by now, there are a lot of us with years and decades of experience writing software, 55 years in my own case (FORTRAN starting in 1970 for engineering simulations). I've written a half-dozen websites starting around the same time as FreeRepublic got started, the most recent ones within the past five years. I know whereof I speak.
Our overwhelming thoughts appear to be that this site is fine the way it is.
FR is free to all to read, and even for members who post, it's free, although we are encouraged to cooperatively maintain it through voluntary contributions.
It has no ads. A free site with no ads. Let that sink in.
No spyware, no hidden gotchas, no bullshit.
You're entirely free to create your own competing website if you wish. But please stop trashing this one. You are proving yourself unworthy to criticize it.
LOL, I’ve been here since ‘96 and it is exactly the same now as it was then. The only thing since then that I can think of that hasn’t changed. Have probably read at least 50 or more posts over the years saying the exact same thing you said - even did it myself one time many years ago. Content definitely of lesser quality than many years ago and there are fewer posts. But here I am, still here.
Oh I totally get it. One of my first comments when I came here was that I loved that it was retro and “light”. Less moving parts less to break. What I do is find a free drop in as a base and then customize it with drop in appearance themes, plugins, etc. Then I fine tune it even more to what is needed. 90% is already done for me. But the appearance of this script could be duplicated pretty easy because the script is so basic and simple.
But as I mentioned earlier in the thread, the appearance is not what makes this place... It is simply the text from the community. :)
It is starting to sound like an impromptu work interview... lol :)
I think he is selling his services with a question...
Yeah.... well, then he can offer his software writing services to Jim/John, at no charge of course, since it can be his contribution to FR.
Or as I suggested upthread, he can take up a collection among FReepers to underwrite the improvements he wants.
Or he can STFU, he's obviously not getting a lot of support for his position. :-)
“but there are some pretty sophisticated backdoors an vulnerabilities out there.”
I agree there is. But with the server tools and security they give you nowdays it would be pretty hard to access the Directory or Database. They would have to go through the server access and not the member website access no matter what script it is. They are isolated from each other pretty well. In fact “overkill” server security has been my worst nightmare for years, it is now so secure it won’t even let the domain owners and developers in to their own controls sometimes. I got stories... lol
Lol... :)
Don’t change anything... change sucks. Tech people ruin everything.
Model 10 .38 Special revolver, original coke, transistor radios, boy scout knife, Bic Cristal pen, Air Force one paint scheme, USMC Kabar, F-86 Sabre jet fighter, Samsung S4 phone, IPod Classic, Tuna Casserole, Texas Chicken Spaghetti, 2000 4Runner with a locker...and FreeRepublic.
Some things are simply classic.
"Yes that’s true but there’s all sorts of new software tools that are better than 1995 HTML"
Do you work for Microsoft?
Probably works for Chuck Schumer.
Oh, and a voting feature would be nice.
I would let the authors of posts correct their post.
So many times, I see a typo right after I posted something!
That’s not true—I remember several outages.
😁
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.