There have been recurring database issues — Jim and John have acknowledged them. I would guess that the ever-increasing load on the server has brought out problems in the way the database is constructed, and possibly limitations in the DBMS itself (MySQL? I’m not sure). Switching to a new DBMS is a major BFD so I don’t see that happening quickly, but I’ll bet it has to happen eventually.
Better performance in “off” hours can also mean the DOS attackers have gone offline for a while to avoid detection. If somebody is interested in making trouble for FR, they would do it during peak hours.
My personal philosophy is that “Patience Is A Virtue”. I’m almost always willing to wait for a page to load.
I remember the web in 1995, over a 9600 baud modem. Slow page loads? Tell me about slow page loads.
There’s nothing funnier to this here tech than watching non-tech people with almost no hard factual information whatsoever trying to figure out a tech problem.
9600 baud?!? Downright speedy....my 1st modem was 300 baud. Worked OK on “all text” dial-up BBS’s!
I am still gonna say that Microsoft Azure or AWS would be a better solution for FR...would free up John for software tweeking, and both of those would be more robust against DDOS attacks.
Is that the best You can do???
I used to log on the NRA Site back in the "Dim Ages" with a 2400 baud modem and MY HOUSE Phone jack. I had to pay Long Distance Charges by the Minute. Back in the days BEFORE "Packaged Phone/TV/Net" was even thought of!!!
I also remember at the Auto Parts Store the Fax Machine that 1 piece of paper for the Stock Order was clipped to a drum and wrapped around it, then the Telephone Handset was pushed into 2 rubber boots so the "Tone" could transmit and receive by the sound- at 300 baud...
When the A/P Store went to Computer it was a 6' x3'x4' cabinet that had a Hard Drive 18" in diameter fixed Storage in the HD Controller rack and We had to set the Boot/OS Disk (also 18" diameter) in the hole above the Storage Disk and then start the Boot process that took about 5 minutes, it had the Master CRT Terminal and 3 Slave CRT Terminals along with a Tractor Feed Dot Matrix Invoice Printer.
To run the 2nd Store there was a Dedicated Data Line from AT&T between the 2 Stores that used 2 Multiplexer Modems and that could only run 2 Slave Terminals and 1 slave Tractor Feed Dot Matrix Invoice Printer. Invoices took about 1.5 minutes at the remote Store vs 20 seconds at the Server Store to print and at the Server CRT it was so slow that you could watch each line load on the screen a few words at a time.
P.S. The Computer was programmed in ASSEMBLER CODE./a>