Problems joining or posting to Ubuntu Discourse?

[Irihapeti]

Something has probably gone missing while they're doing reorganisation. I'll let them know.

[Irihapeti]

It's back again now. Thanks for letting us know.

[ubername]

Hi. Just posted the below in the Discurse (typo intended). Imagine my hilarity when I discovered the post had been "hidden by staff, awaiting approval"!

Having joined and used the Ubuntu forums back in 2007, I was only mildly disappointed to find that they were being migrated here. That was until I discovered the police here were issued with great big sticks and enjoyed treating everyone like children who should be seen and not heard until they had learnt the secrets which allowed them to post. I even had to read one of the “chosen few” describe people as “randos” because they did not know this was not the place for support requests. Which is wrong, because the Ubuntu forums WERE the place for support requests and now the forums have been closed and we are told to migrate here. Anyhoo, after more than 16 years of enjoying the Ubuntu forums and thinking that everyone was friendly and generally encouraging and tolerant of newcomers, I am disappointed to learn that, a bit like how the software has suffered a tragic loss of flexibility and customisation that Gutsy Gibbon etc. had, the Discourse discussion ‘moderators’ (to avoid using a more accurate but less sociably acceptable epithet), even though volunteers (I hope…), have also drawn inspiration from the proprietary world and made the offerings “our way or the highway”. (“p.s. we are not going to tell you what “our way” is and if we get it wrong it is just a config issue and just be grateful we let you ask a question at all! Be good or we will put you back on the trust level 0 naughty step!” ) Obviously, I hope I am wrong and I have missed something which was blindingly obvious. But the fact is that I joined, asked, and eventually helped on the Ubuntu forums without ever even thinking about how to do anything or whether I was “allowed” to do something. This implementation of a Discussion platform does not make me feel that way. (Oh. The “preview post” functionality was also good in the forums. Especially for me, what with my failing eyes which makes Adwaita a living hell)

[ubername]

Hello,

This is an automated message from Ubuntu Community Hub to let you know that your post was hidden.

https://discourse.ubuntu.com/t/littl...-place/51441/1

Your post will remain hidden until a staff member reviews it.

For additional guidance, please refer to our community guidelines.

[donald187]

It's back again now. Thanks for letting us know.

Glad to help.

[guiverc]

Hi. Just posted the below in the Discurse (typo intended). Imagine my hilarity when I discovered the post had been "hidden by staff, awaiting approval"!

A number of Ubuntu Forums staff that are now moderators on Ubuntu Discourse are still learning, and the action that caused your post to become hidden was not expected to have had that effect as I understand it; ie. people are learning & need some time; moderators are people too.

The Discourse software differs significantly in operation to the software that ran on this site; plus the Ubuntu Community Hub/Discourse is used by a large number of groups now; and only a portion of that site is used by what was the whole of this site.

Your post I read as frustrated rant, I didn't like your use of the word 'police' (wondering if that was a typo & you intended policy? or referring to policing as you appeared to use it as a noun), and other distractions caused by language didn't help your message I feared. I didn't really understand what you were trying to say anyway; only expressing your frustration.

I believe you'll find what you loved about this Ubuntu Forums, will exist to at the Ubuntu Community Hub/Discourse, but it maybe a little 'rocky' for awhile as people new to using the site get accustomed to it, especially new moderators. The moderators are learning just as end-users are, and they have more to actually learn.

[ajgreeny]

Yes, as one of the old (in both senses, ie, age and years as a moderator of ubuntuforums.org) please bear with us as we get used to the very different way that discourse works when compared with the previous forum software; we are as new at this as almost every other person here so there will undoubtedly be times when things don't run as smoothly as we would like.

Give us some time and eventually I suspect we will all wonder why it seemed so troublesome!

[coffeecat]

This thread was started so that those who need help with using Ubuntu Discourse but who find themselves unable to post there can get help here from the transition team. It was not posted for sundry moans, whines, and grumbles about Discourse. These are contaminating this thread and distracting those who might need help. Any further such posts will be removed from public view, and all remaining posting privileges here will be withdrawn from the offending poster.

Anyone genuinely needing help in using Discourse, you are welcome to post here. But, please, desist from the off-topic complaints and FUD which have crept in here.

Edit: There was a second post with off-topic complaints about Discourse, but this was removed from public view by another forum staff member. Nevertheless, my message remains. This thread is for those seeking help, not discussion and negative comments.

[nevyoung2]

Hi - this discourse transition has confused me. Have been following some threads in the old forum but now want to see what further info might be in discourse. I think I browsed around there for a while a week or two ago, but today I only get error 503. Desperately needing help to fix my original issue, but as things go with computers, one issue raises another and then another. This time the next issue is discourse ...
I am also not sure that I have the same username on the old forum as what I have on discourse. nevyoung2 on the old forum (which is where I am now I think) and nevyoung on discourse. Hope you can help ......

[coffeecat]

I only get error 503

I'm sure you've seen 503 errors on other websites before. All the http status codes are easily googlable, and there's even a wikipedia page about them, with a comprehensive lookup list: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_HTTP_status_codes

503 Service Unavailable
The server cannot handle the request (because it is overloaded or down for maintenance). Generally, this is a temporary state.

Note the word "temporary". Discourse is coming up just fine as I type.

I am also not sure that I have the same username on the old forum as what I have on discourse. nevyoung2 on the old forum (which is where I am now I think) and nevyoung on discourse. Hope you can help ......

What's the problem? What help do you need? You are nevyoung2 here because when you created your account earlier this year there was already a nevyoung account and the system appended a number to distinguish between the two accounts. I don't know what Discourse does to prevent multiple instances of the same username (if they do anything) but presumably there was no pre-exisiting nevyoung account.