BBTF's Jim's Lab Notes Discussion

Jim's Lab Notes
— Site News, Baseball Talk, and a Bunch of Other Stuff

Wednesday, September 09, 2015

Site Slowdowns

A number of people have complained about slow load times for pages at different times during the day. After spending some time monitoring the server a little more closely the last few days, I’ve narrowed down the cause to a few Mysql queries that have been locking some of the database’s biggest tables. When that happens the other queries pause and fall into the queue until the table lock is released.

I’ve already fixed some issues created within the forums by archiving the old Lounges. I need to spend more time researching some of the other queries to work around the issue by rewriting or disabling the errant queries. When that’s done I will spend a little time tweaking the Mysql configuration to get thing working to satisfaction.

Thankfully, the issues are not related to the site’s hardware.

I apologize for the inconveniences and for not setting aside time to fix things sooner.

jimfurtado Posted: September 09, 2015 at 10:19 AM | 161 comment(s) Login to Bookmark
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1. Davo Posted: September 09, 2015 at 11:18 AM (#5034633)

Thanks, Jim!

2. Pops Freshenmeyer Posted: September 09, 2015 at 11:25 AM (#5034643)

Thank you very much, Jim!

3. It's regretful that PASTE was able to get out Posted: September 09, 2015 at 11:27 AM (#5034647)

Thank you very much, Jim. I think I speak for many of us when I say we really appreciate the update on what's going on.

4. cHiEf iMpaCt oFfiCEr JE

Posted: September 09, 2015 at 11:31 AM (#5034652)

Thank you, Jim. Loading times have improved over the past 24 hours.

5. Rafael Bellylard: The Grinch of Orlando. Posted: September 09, 2015 at 11:41 AM (#5034662)

Thank you. The difference is very noticeable.

6. Misirlou cut his hair and moved to Rome Posted: September 09, 2015 at 11:41 AM (#5034663)

Thanks for the update. Can I bug you with another problem? When logged into the site, I cannot view the forums. The page is essentially blank. As soon as I log out, they all appear. Thus, I cannot post to the forums, because as soon as I log in, they disappear again. This has been gong on for at least 6 months. Harvey's reported the same problem yesterday in the game chatter, so it's not just me.

7. Squash Posted: September 09, 2015 at 11:42 AM (#5034664)

Jim, as a data point, I have two laptops, one running IE 8 (OS 10.10) and the other IE 5 (OS 10.8). The 10.8 has had significantly more problems loading the site than the 10.10, which has had pretty much no problems all the way through. So it might be a compatibility thing for people using older machines.

8. bobm Posted: September 09, 2015 at 12:06 PM (#5034697)

Thank you.

9. BrianBrianson Posted: September 09, 2015 at 12:43 PM (#5034741)

Hip

Hip

Hooray!

10. Ray (CTL)

Posted: September 09, 2015 at 01:02 PM (#5034757)

Thanks for the update. Can I bug you with another problem? When logged into the site, I cannot view the forums.

That's a feature.

11. jimfurtado

Posted: September 09, 2015 at 01:02 PM (#5034758)

Jim, as a data point, I have two laptops, one running IE 8 (OS 10.10) and the other IE 5 (OS 10.8). The 10.8 has had significantly more problems loading the site than the 10.10, which has had pretty much no problems all the way through. So it might be a compatibility thing for people using older machines.

Thanks for the update. Can I bug you with another problem? When logged into the site, I cannot view the forums. The page is essentially blank. As soon as I log out, they all appear. Thus, I cannot post to the forums, because as soon as I log in, they disappear again. This has been gong on for at least 6 months. Harvey's reported the same problem yesterday in the game chatter, so it's not just me.

Does this happen all the time or just randomly?

12. Jose is an Absurd Sultan Posted: September 09, 2015 at 01:05 PM (#5034761)

Thanks for the update Jim.

13. Ziggy: social distancing since 1980 Posted: September 09, 2015 at 01:12 PM (#5034771)

Thanks for the update, but also thanks for the site. It's been really great for a really really long time.

14. Misirlou cut his hair and moved to Rome Posted: September 09, 2015 at 01:14 PM (#5034775)

Every time I have tried to go there. It has never not happened.

15. Itchy Row Posted: September 09, 2015 at 01:23 PM (#5034781)

This means Matt Harvey should be shut down.

16. Random Transaction Generator Posted: September 09, 2015 at 01:23 PM (#5034782)

Jim, as a data point, I have two laptops, one running IE 8 (OS 10.10) and the other IE 5 (OS 10.8).

That can't be right, can it?

Internet Explorer 5 (for Mac)?! The last update for that was 2003!

I have to believe that no one really expects a website to be compatible for software that is 12 years old.

17. Hysterical & Useless Posted: September 09, 2015 at 03:29 PM (#5034996)

Just want to include my 3 cheers to Jim for the site. Thanks for all you do for all of us.

18. The Ghost of Sox Fans Past

Posted: September 09, 2015 at 03:31 PM (#5035003)

Jim, the site started running like American Pharoah for me this morning. Thanks very much for your work on it.

What is a Patron member?

19. cardsfanboy

Posted: September 09, 2015 at 03:34 PM (#5035012)

What is a Patron member?

Those who like over priced but not much better Tequila.

20. cardsfanboy

Posted: September 09, 2015 at 03:35 PM (#5035016)

I've had slowdowns today, several on posts uploading on the ominchatter thread, but they all went through eventually. No 404(or whatever the heck it was) error and no lost posts.

21. Bote Man Posted: September 09, 2015 at 07:56 PM (#5035257)

I've had slowdowns today, several on posts uploading on the ominchatter thread

Perhaps you're posting too much??

22. Harveys Wallbangers

Posted: September 09, 2015 at 08:00 PM (#5035261)

i use either chrome or safari and have had no issues in the last hour

23. Harveys Wallbangers

Posted: September 09, 2015 at 08:04 PM (#5035262)

and thanks for the fixes. much obligated

24. Misirlou cut his hair and moved to Rome Posted: September 09, 2015 at 08:10 PM (#5035267)

Still can't access the forums.

25. jimfurtado

Posted: September 10, 2015 at 09:10 AM (#5035513)

Misirlou, I will try to figure out your issue later today.

26. Misirlou cut his hair and moved to Rome Posted: September 10, 2015 at 09:12 AM (#5035514)

Thanks. No rush. It's not a high priority for me, but I just thought it was something you should know. I'm not the only one it has affected.

27. Squash Posted: September 10, 2015 at 11:57 AM (#5035648)

Just an FYI, sometimes the ads on the site slow down the page load. I notice the difference when I view things when I am not logged in. I've moved your membership into the Patron member group (which doesn't see ads). Can you check to see whether this impacts your page views?

Let me try and test with this post.

Edit test.

Yeah, it now loaded really quickly. But sometimes it's fine regardless. I'll repost in this thread if it pops up again. Thank you!

28. BDC

Posted: September 10, 2015 at 01:48 PM (#5035768)

Thanks, Jim! I've been away for a bit because of the slowdowns but this will probably draw me back in :-D

29. Zach Posted: September 10, 2015 at 03:22 PM (#5035903)

Thanks, Jim!

30. ERROR---Jolly Old St. Nick

Posted: September 11, 2015 at 02:35 PM (#5036490)

Just saw this now after submitting a news article, but let me add my thanks.

31. Infinite Yost (Voxter)

Posted: September 12, 2015 at 10:18 AM (#5036981)

Just got a 503 error about 2 minutes ago, for what it's worth. They'd mostly stopped happening.

32. Howie Menckel Posted: September 12, 2015 at 10:25 AM (#5036983)

Thanks for everything.

33. Captain Joe Bivens, Pointless and Wonderful Posted: September 12, 2015 at 07:24 PM (#5037390)

The site seems to be speedy tonight.

34. Misirlou cut his hair and moved to Rome Posted: September 12, 2015 at 10:11 PM (#5037538)

Site is as bad as ever tonight.

35. Golfing Great Mitch Cumstein Posted: September 13, 2015 at 06:36 AM (#5037689)

Is beta shut down?

36. Golfing Great Mitch Cumstein Posted: September 13, 2015 at 06:36 AM (#5037690)

Double post

37. It's regretful that PASTE was able to get out Posted: September 14, 2015 at 01:34 PM (#5038257)

The site was great for a couple days, but starting yesterday afternoon and through right now it's back to being as terrible as ever. Almost every page load takes excruciatingly long, with the occasional 503. Just like before this thread went up.

38. Moses Taylor loves a good maim Posted: September 14, 2015 at 04:00 PM (#5038364)

For me, it never improved. And is still very slow.

39. jimfurtado

Posted: September 17, 2015 at 11:23 AM (#5040642)

Is beta shut down?

It still works but I need some significant time to change the caching system. Some errant code is actually one of the things that has been causing sporadic slowdowns.

For me, it never improved. And is still very slow.

I've been monitoring things closely the last couple of weeks. For the most part, the server slowdowns pop up only periodically. I am still working to reduce them as much as I can. (One of the biggest triggers is Forum/Lounge searches.) If you are consistently experiencing slow page loads I suspect it might be related to the ads that target you. (Sorry, I can't completely get rid of ads because the site needs to at least pay for itself.)

40. Randy Jones

Posted: September 17, 2015 at 11:30 AM (#5040655)

I still frequently get slow downs, less so than prior to your changes, and I don't get any ads.

41. Scoriano Flitcraft Posted: September 18, 2015 at 12:16 PM (#5041659)

The site is still a mess. The slow downs are standard and sometimes the site times out. I don't think the recent tweaks have improved performance at all.

42. Greg Pope Posted: September 18, 2015 at 03:10 PM (#5041836)

I've seen something strange regarding ads the last couple of days. I'll click on a newsblog post and I will only see the ad. If I click Back on the browser, I get to the article that I clicked on. It's like the site is going to the right page, then immediately going to just showing me the ad image.

43. Scoriano Flitcraft Posted: September 18, 2015 at 05:41 PM (#5042007)

Script Executed in 167.3084 seconds

That is a commonplace these days. This is by far the worst performing site of any of the ones I use regularly.

44. Davo Posted: September 18, 2015 at 06:30 PM (#5042039)

I have to agree with Scoriano. I'll keep coming back, but it can occasionally be a very frustrating experience.

45. Rafael Bellylard: The Grinch of Orlando. Posted: September 19, 2015 at 12:12 AM (#5042148)

I've seen something strange regarding ads the last couple of days. I'll click on a newsblog post and I will only see the ad. If I click Back on the browser, I get to the article that I clicked on. It's like the site is going to the right page, then immediately going to just showing me the ad image.

I'm having the same problem, but only on my Android.

46. Rob_Wood Posted: September 19, 2015 at 02:41 AM (#5042167)

Yes, ditto for me.

47. Greg Pope Posted: September 19, 2015 at 08:25 PM (#5042607)

I'm seeing it on my PC (Windows 8.1, IE11).

48. Spahn Insane Posted: September 19, 2015 at 09:10 PM (#5042617)

I have to agree with Scoriano. I'll keep coming back, but it can occasionally be a very frustrating experience.

Agreed, and while I value the conversation that goes on here and the many great folks I've met through this site, the consistently poor performance is the reason I've not donated to the site, and won't unless the performance improves on a consistent basis. Some might posit there's a chicken/egg problem with my way of thinking. So be it.

49. Infinite Yost (Voxter)

Posted: September 20, 2015 at 12:36 AM (#5042673)

The server is temporarily unable to service your request due to maintenance downtime or capacity problems. Please try again later.

Additionally, a 404 Not Found error was encountered while trying to use an ErrorDocument to handle the request.

Over and over and over again tonight. Mac OS 10.10.5, Chrome.

And I'm with Scoriano. I'm not sure I've ever stayed with a site with this kind of issue over this long a period. I've been a loyal user for 13 years, and have donated money from time to time. But this is really testing my patience.

50. Davo Posted: September 20, 2015 at 01:00 PM (#5042797)

Even worse today (Sunday the 20th) than it's been all week--at about 50/50 on whether a post will go through.

51. It's regretful that PASTE was able to get out Posted: September 20, 2015 at 07:35 PM (#5043011)

It's worse than ever the last few days and I am starting to--wincing--ponder cutting BTF out of my daily routine. I'm not delusional enough to imagine I personally will be missed, but Jim... the problem is serious.

52. villageidiom Posted: September 21, 2015 at 09:34 AM (#5043188)

Page rendered in 115.9599 seconds
37 querie(s) executed

That was to load the main page this morning. Windows 7 Enterprise (Service Pack 1), Google Chrome Version 45.0.2454.93 m. Ads on the page are Smile Train (top banner), AT&T (bottom box), and a rollover-slowly-expanding Cricket Wireless ad (left side banner) that seemed to be stalled in loading until I rolled over it deliberately and repeatedly, at which point it slowly took over the screen.

53. Lassus Posted: September 21, 2015 at 10:06 AM (#5043211)

This is not going to endear me to the founder, but I'm agreeing with 48-51 and others. The site feels abandoned.

54. Rafael Bellylard: The Grinch of Orlando. Posted: September 21, 2015 at 12:04 PM (#5043309)

I've seen something strange regarding ads the last couple of days. I'll click on a newsblog post and I will only see the ad. If I click Back on the browser, I get to the article that I clicked on. It's like the site is going to the right page, then immediately going to just showing me the ad image.

I'm having the same problem, but only on my Android.

It's still the same on my phone. And it's always a Comcast ad (of different sizes). As it's the ad content that seems to be the issue, and I do understand that the ads are a necessary evil to keep the site viable, is it possible to find a different ad supplier without these issues? It would be ironic if the site died off due to the means that is supposed to keep it alive.

And a damned shame.

55. Greg Pope Posted: September 21, 2015 at 01:11 PM (#5043363)

I think it is always a Comcast ad for me also. Sometimes it's just a tiny X, but I think that's a placeholder for the Comcast ad.

Just clicked on the X, and it does take me to the Comcast site, so it appears to be the same thing.

56. It's regretful that PASTE was able to get out Posted: September 21, 2015 at 01:15 PM (#5043368)

For what it's worth, it's been better for me since about 7:00 EDT last night.

57. Spahn Insane Posted: September 21, 2015 at 01:45 PM (#5043395)

It does seem to be behaving better today on both my PC and my phone, for what that's worth.

58. Hysterical & Useless Posted: September 21, 2015 at 03:07 PM (#5043458)

Wow, the experiences some of you guys describe are really bizarre. At work I access via IE 10, at home I use Firefox, and almost never have any issues whatsoever with the site. Occasionally (once a week or so?) I'll click on the comments link to an article and it just won't open, but I can usually just go back to it later.

I used to have problems because of the ads here at work (if I tried to navigate on any page before all the ads had loaded the browser would crash), but we were on a really old version of IE at the time, and once I started logging in (and thereby not having ads) the problem went away.

59. toratoratora Posted: September 21, 2015 at 04:52 PM (#5043519)

I don't have many issues at home but the site is slow as molasses on my iPhone

60. Pasta-diving Jeter (jmac66) Posted: September 22, 2015 at 11:07 PM (#5044438)

FIND A NEW SERVER!!!!!! THIS IS RIDICULOUS. THIS VERY PAGE TOOK 15 CLICKS AND 2 HOURS TO LOAD. WHY DOES THE BEST BASEBALL SITE HAVE THE WORST SEREVR?????. (and yes, I am shouting)

61. Ray (CTL)

Posted: September 23, 2015 at 01:37 PM (#5044805)

More irritating to me than the page loads is the pop-up ads I get when viewing the site on my mobile device. You have to click on the little x in the upper right corner to remove the ad, but the x is so little that it's difficult to hit it accurately with your thumb and then once you mis-hit it you end up clicking on the ad itself and firing up the ad. Then you need to get back to the page and try the process all over again.

Since I often load up a page literally when I'm hopping into the subway I often have just one crack at it and if I misfire then I can't read the page during my subway ride due to the lack of wireless.

These are among the most pressing problems on the planet earth, I know.

62. Davo Posted: September 23, 2015 at 02:41 PM (#5044867)

More irritating to me than the page loads is the pop-up ads I get when viewing the site on my mobile device. You have to click on the little x in the upper right corner to remove the ad, but the x is so little that it's difficult to hit it accurately with your thumb and then once you mis-hit it you end up clicking on the ad itself and firing up the ad. Then you need to get back to the page and try the process all over again.

I thought I was the only one! (I've gotten pretty good at hitting that X on my first try, though. It beats Angry Birds.)

63. Davo Posted: September 24, 2015 at 01:59 PM (#5045607)

Can we at least get an update as to what's being done? I'd hate for the site to continue functioning like this during the final week of the season (and the post-season).

64. sanny manguillen Posted: September 26, 2015 at 09:26 AM (#5046891)

I had something new yesterday on Android, where I got the preliminary Comcast ad, then refreshed and got a different Comcast ad, and then they continued in an endless loop. No preliminary ad this morning, and no loading issue.

65. Lassus Posted: September 26, 2015 at 09:55 AM (#5046905)

Can we at least get an update as to what's being done?

Doesn't seem so.

66. Rafael Bellylard: The Grinch of Orlando. Posted: September 26, 2015 at 12:00 PM (#5047018)

I had something new yesterday on Android, where I got the preliminary Comcast ad, then refreshed and got a different Comcast ad, and then they continued in an endless loop. No preliminary ad this morning, and no loading issue.

The first time I brought up BBTF on my Android this morning I hit the lone Comcast ad, but I refreshed and have had no problems since.

67. It's regretful that PASTE was able to get out Posted: September 26, 2015 at 12:01 PM (#5047020)

There's little evidence to suggest any serious effort is being made to do anything about it.

I would have posted that five minutes sooner, but, well, y'know.

68. Morty Causa Posted: September 26, 2015 at 12:20 PM (#5047026)

It was better for several days, but it's back to the way it used to be--slow and unresponsive.

As someone said, it will be a particular shame if the server problems can't be fixed for the post-season.

69. Davo Posted: September 27, 2015 at 09:02 PM (#5047864)

Are there people who have contact with Jim away from this site? Anything there?

70. Scoriano Flitcraft Posted: September 29, 2015 at 07:30 AM (#5049134)

43. Scoriano Flitcraft Posted: September 18, 2015 at 05:41 PM (#5042007)
Script Executed in 167.3084 seconds

That is a commonplace these days. This is by far the worst performing site of any of the ones I use regularly.

Script Executed in 135.3262 seconds

PROGRESS!

71. Bote Man Posted: September 29, 2015 at 10:34 AM (#5049285)

I've suggested before that there are correspondents here who work as database and web admins who have offered advice in the past. Perhaps they would be willing to donate their time and talents toward solving this problem in exchange for an ad-free "user experience"? If Jim doesn't have the time or interest, this might solve everybody's problem in one fell swoop.

Whatever happens, it had better happen soon, before more people abandon the site on account of these delays.

72. Davo Posted: September 29, 2015 at 11:47 AM (#5049364)

There are multiple people in the Lounge who have volunteered their services for free.

73. Ray (CTL)

Posted: September 29, 2015 at 11:57 AM (#5049374)

Can we at least get an update as to what's being done?

Doesn't seem so.

Are there people who have contact with Jim away from this site? Anything there?

74. and Posted: September 29, 2015 at 12:05 PM (#5049384)

BBTF is the Bryce Harper of sites. Fantastic, amongst the best ever at their craft, strangely prone to loafing.

75. Misirlou cut his hair and moved to Rome Posted: September 29, 2015 at 12:53 PM (#5049424)

I still can't access the lounge, and now I'm getting logged out periodically like in the past.

76. Lassus Posted: September 29, 2015 at 01:14 PM (#5049437)

Ummm.... these comments seem bizarre. Are you guys not reading this thread, that Jim (a) set up three weeks ago expressly for the purpose of informing/addressing questions related to the site slowdown, and (b) has commented in specifically explaining what he's trying to do?

Jim has commented twice, once the day he started the thread, and most recently nearly two weeks ago. I don't think finding that a bit sparse with continued, consistent site problems that unreasonable.

77. Rob_Wood Posted: September 29, 2015 at 01:40 PM (#5049474)

BBTF is the Bryce Harper of sites. Fantastic, amongst the best ever at their craft, strangely prone to loafing.

Primey.

78. jimfurtado

Posted: September 29, 2015 at 05:41 PM (#5049700)

Sorry about the continued problems. I understand the frustration. Unfortunately I've been too busy with my job and personal life to invest the time to get to the root of the issue.

Believe me I want this fixed. It impacts me as well. I ask for a little more patience. If I can't find the time in the next few days to get to the bottom of the problem, I will take a day out of work early next week.

This issue has brought to a head my Catch-22 for the site. I don't have enough time to keep up with all the requirements of keeping this place running. At the same time the site doesn't generate enough money to offload some of the work.

As longtime visitors know, this site has been a labor of love and not a "business". For years I had enough free time to keep things running. Unfortunately, my schedule and responsibilities at work have changed over the years. At this point, and entering my 20th year on the web, I need to either just focus on the stuff I really love doing or turn this place into a viable business. The status quo can't stand.

Again I apologize for the problem and promise to get this particular problem sorted out as quickly as I can.

79. Misirlou cut his hair and moved to Rome Posted: September 29, 2015 at 05:45 PM (#5049704)

Jim, numerous posters have asked numerous times what it would cost to get the site running properly. I know you can't give a precise answer, but the sentiment is there to help financially, provided we believe you are serious about putting the money to good use.

Just something to think about.

80. ERROR---Jolly Old St. Nick

Posted: September 29, 2015 at 05:51 PM (#5049710)

I'd echo Misirlou's sentiments on that. If you can only picture the site problem as one of those cleft-lipped babies you see in the ads, I'm sure you'll be able to raise the money to address it, if money translated into time is in fact the problem.

81. DJ Endless Grudge Can Use Multiple Slurp Juices Posted: September 29, 2015 at 05:54 PM (#5049714)

Jim, I am willing to help out with the MySQL issues you're having. I know that's not a long term solution but it may resolve the site slowdowns we're seeing. Please let me know if you have an interest in this.

82. It's regretful that PASTE was able to get out Posted: September 29, 2015 at 05:59 PM (#5049715)

Jim, have you considered at least asking around for a rough guesstimate on what it would cost to hire a pro to fix these issues? You might find your users more generous than you expect, if you do so. You might not have to invest your personal time at all.

For what it's worth, acknowledging the opinion of some dude on the internet ain't much, I greatly doubt this site could be turned into a viable business, as trying to monetize it beyond bare sustenance would (a) introduce enough intrusive advertising that many users would flee, and (b) require trying to vastly increase the userbase so as to increase revenue, which would destroy BBTF's niche on the internet, would definitely chase off its veterans, and end up with the site competing directly with the Hardballtalks and ESPN.coms of the world, a competition it won't win because the big boys have already claimed all of that turf.

I'd be interested in what others think about that issue. If BBTF is to continue to exist as we know it, someone has to be willing to pour a lot of time--basically doing a part-time job for free--into administering it. And not just any random teenager with loads of free time that happens along, either; it would have to be someone that groks BBTF and can be trusted with the responsibility. It may well be that, if Jim must bow out, no such person will prove to exist.

83. jimfurtado

Posted: September 30, 2015 at 06:40 AM (#5049978)

I spent some time troubleshooting. I completely disabled the Beta section of the site. The Beta section uses a different caching system. There may be a conflict between the caching systems. I have not seen a slowdown since I disabled the Beta. I will continue to monitor the site throughout the day. Let me know if you experience any issues.

84. Harveys Wallbangers

Posted: September 30, 2015 at 07:44 AM (#5049985)

jim

when faced with a situation that generates a lot of griping i choose some combination of telling people to shut up, taking care of the issue myself or get others to handle.

posters have some cause so i am slow to take the first route, cannot handle personally given my lack of skills in the area of need but am certainly willing to financially support enlisting the help of others.

no rational poster expects you to sacrifice your professional or personal life for the sake of the site.

85. jimfurtado

Posted: September 30, 2015 at 08:34 AM (#5050002)

Thanks Harvey.

This particular issue will be addressed. As for the broader issues, things will work out one way or another.

-----
Experienced another slowdown this morning. I'll be updating the underlying CMS in case a bug has crept into the software. Troubleshooting sporadic issues can be time consuming. It's all about checking off boxes.

86. Andere Richtingen

Posted: September 30, 2015 at 09:55 AM (#5050088)

I hate even to bring this up, but remember when massive OT threads and their associated queries were implicated as the cause of site slowdowns, leading to the Lounge being moved to St. Helena? I confess ignorance about these things, and looking at the 5000+ post thread topping the Hot Topics list, I feel compelled to inquire.

87. It's regretful that PASTE was able to get out Posted: September 30, 2015 at 10:13 AM (#5050110)

And the OT/NFL thread is 13,000 posts long.

88. Misirlou cut his hair and moved to Rome Posted: September 30, 2015 at 03:45 PM (#5050553)

Still laggy. Doesn't appear to be as frequent, or as long lasting, but still there.

89. Rob_Wood Posted: September 30, 2015 at 04:08 PM (#5050584)

If the choice is between having a well-functioning BBTF site without OT threads or having a frustrating annoyingly laggy BBTF site with OT threads, I know which I would choose. :)

90. jimfurtado

Posted: October 01, 2015 at 06:05 AM (#5051037)

Andere and Zeth might be on to something. After clearing the caches and hitting those threads and the gaming thread I'm finding the page generation times for those pages exceed 10+ seconds. It's possible this is contributing to the problem. Today is October 1st. New threads will be created. If this helps the problem it might be time to shorten the time each thread is active.

91. BDC

Posted: October 01, 2015 at 08:17 AM (#5051046)

That makes sense, Jim. I've noticed that when I click on a long thread, the first page takes a very long time to load; once I'm "in" the thread, it's comparatively quick to open "Last," or in fact to get to that Last page from my History if it's already there.

Of course I could just stop living in OTP threads and get a life :)

92. jimfurtado

Posted: October 01, 2015 at 08:58 AM (#5051064)

I've scheduled a day off for Monday to do some database restructuring that I've had on my to-do list for some time. Part of the update will be moving the OTP stuff into their own container and getting more stuff flagged as archived. The changes will quicken some of the page building queries, which should help improve performance.

I'll also be reworking the link submission page to take the changes into account. The restructuring will allow me to make a much requested change to the way Hot Topics work (allowing people to remove OTP stuff from their page). I'm not sure, however, whether I'll be able to make that update Monday, though.

93. Andere Richtingen

Posted: October 01, 2015 at 10:25 AM (#5051149)

No execution hangups for me this morning.

If thread size is indeed the issue, is there a way to automatically cap the size of threads, say, keep it to a max of 500? I don't see why any single thread needs to be bigger than that, if people can go back to the old ones as they please. Just do a new OT thread daily, and put the date in the title. If people really need more than that, there are dozens of empty forums for them. In the rare event you need more than 500 comments per day for a given mainland thread, someone with keys can just open up a new one, and give it the same name as roman numeral II. Just please don't reduce the comments per page from 100 on the mainland -- that's a pain.

And yes, I am experiencing deja vu all over again.

94. It's regretful that PASTE was able to get out Posted: October 01, 2015 at 10:27 AM (#5051152)

There have been days on which the OTP thread has approached 500 posts.

The Omnichatters frequently clear 300 this time of year, and probably clear 500 at times once we get deep in the playoffs. That might be a low threshold to auto-lock a thread. 1000 might work (but, again, OTP frequently clears 1000 in less than a week).

95. Andere Richtingen

Posted: October 01, 2015 at 10:47 AM (#5051168)

It really depends on whether and at what point thread size slows the site down. 500, 1000, 2000, whatever -- functionality of the site is what matters. If a few OT thread regulars have keys, they can be good citizens when it gets close to 1000 or whatever number it might be and shut down the old one, leaving a link to a new one as the last comment. Like the Lounge has been doing for the last nine years (without the need to shut down the old one).

96. ERROR---Jolly Old St. Nick

Posted: October 01, 2015 at 11:46 AM (#5051259)

The site was running normally yesterday for the first time in weeks, but today it's been acting up about every half hour. Those oversized threads may be a problem, but so far I'm not seeing much evidence for that idea.

97. ERROR---Jolly Old St. Nick

Posted: October 01, 2015 at 11:53 AM (#5051275)

I'll also be reworking the link submission page to take the changes into account. The restructuring will allow me to make a much requested change to the way Hot Topics work (allowing people to remove OTP stuff from their page). I'm not sure, however, whether I'll be able to make that update Monday, though.

The question is whether we can remove specific OT threads without removing all of them, for instance can I remove the soccer and gaming threads from the Hot Topics bar while keeping all the others?

98. Gch Posted: October 01, 2015 at 02:31 PM (#5051506)

I still get slowdowns when reloading tabs from this site. I haven't noticed any difference in their frequency or length.

99. Rob_Wood Posted: October 01, 2015 at 04:01 PM (#5051597)

I just experienced a severe lag when trying to load pages.

100. Bote Man Posted: October 01, 2015 at 10:20 PM (#5051826)

The almighty OTP threads are the tail wagging the dog here.

If by "container" is meant "Newsblog", "Jim's Lab Notes", etc., then maybe the solution is to create an "Off-topic" container?

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