PC Format’s shutting its South African doors...

Questions, comments, suggestions, flames about the magazine? Here's the place.

Do you want to see this forum continue after official PCF closure?

Not really.
1
3%
Yes, if we can keep the existing database.
19
50%
Yes, but I'd prefer to start absolutely fresh.
2
5%
I may check in occasionally, but it really wouldn't be a major priority.
8
21%
I still think that the PCF shut-down is an April Fool's joke.
8
21%
 
Total votes: 38

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PC Format’s shutting its South African doors...

Post by KatrynKat »

This is easily the saddest news we’ve had to post in some time – and despite today’s timing is not a joke in any way. The local edition of the long-running PC Format is shutting its doors soon. The news comes via a heartfelt post on the magazine’s online counterpart G3er, by editor Garth Holden – who you may know as Valshen, or that loveable fuzzy ******* who used to write reviews for us.

It all comes down to dwindling magazine sales – though they certainly stabilised under Garth’s reign as editor. We’ve always poked fun at print’s lack of relevance in this online world, but this is the very last thing any of us would have wanted.

It leaves us with just one dedicated gaming magazine in the country, by way of NAG. This is a blow to the local gaming industry, which is decidedly poorer with the loss of the excellent PC Format.

I used to buy both magazines religiously as a youth, relying on their cover discs for my demos and their pages for my news – influencing me to do what I do for a living.

If you can, please head on over to G3ar’s site and leave a kind word for the PC format team, who’d no doubt appreciate the love. All the best to all of you in your future endeavours,
http://www.lazygamer.net/south-africa/p ... can-doors/

Letter from the Editor...
http://g3ar.co.za/2014/04/01/pcformat-c ... ssue-soon/

I wonder then how much time this forum has left and if the magazine staff still remembers that the forum is still here...
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Re: PC Format’s shutting its South African doors...

Post by Stuart »

KatrynKat wrote:if the magazine staff still remembers that the forum is still here...
How many forumites remember that the forum is still here?
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Re: PC Format’s shutting its South African doors...

Post by rustypup »

i thought this was a dating site!?
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Re: PC Format’s shutting its South African doors...

Post by GDI_Lord »

Ja KK, I just saw that on Twitter. That seriously sucks! Praying for all of you staff guys :- (

Are you an employee Sturat?
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Re: PC Format’s shutting its South African doors...

Post by Stuart »

I am an employee. Not of PCF though.

@rusty: We dropped the dating moniker after failing miserably to successfully arrange partners for Zana and CesarePlay.
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Re: PC Format’s shutting its South African doors...

Post by GDI_Lord »

Right, let's consider a worst-case scenario: the forums shutting down completely.
  • How can we get a backup of the forum's posts?
  • Care to migrate the forums somewhere else so that we can keep the community, well, what's left of it, intact?
  • Do we WANT to keep the community intact?
I, for one, DO want to remain part of this community. I'm not sure that I'd admit to this in public, but I actually like you guys.
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Re: PC Format’s shutting its South African doors...

Post by Monty »

GDI_Lord wrote:I'm not sure that I'd admit to this in public, but I actually like you guys.
Remind me to bring a spray bottle to the next PCF (or what ever we're gonna be called once the mag goes bye bye) meet :P
rustypup wrote:i thought this was a dating site!?
It isn't?!?!
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Re: PC Format’s shutting its South African doors...

Post by hamin_aus »

GDI_Lord wrote:Right, let's consider a worst-case scenario: the forums shutting down completely.
  • How can we get a backup of the forum's posts?
  • Care to migrate the forums somewhere else so that we can keep the community, well, what's left of it, intact?
  • Do we WANT to keep the community intact?
I, for one, DO want to remain part of this community. I'm not sure that I'd admit to this in public, but I actually like you guys.
Do we have anyone who could take a backup of this site and migrate it to another phpBB instance on another host? Will Ron2K come back, even just to help with that if asked?
Will PCF let us have the content of the forums?
And even more cheeky, will they be willing to let us have the pcformat.co.za domain name :?: (pcf.co.za is available if not)
If someone is willing to do the legwork I'm happy to leverage the 10:1 Rand/AUD exchange rate to pay for some web hosting there. Do we still have some people who work for WebAfrica or some other such company that we are on friendly terms with?

I also like these forums and would like to see them continue, even if its in another incarnation. True story.
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Re: PC Format’s shutting its South African doors...

Post by Ron2K »

I have already been in touch with Panorama, and have begun negotiations to this effect.

Some points regarding comments already made:
  • We have zero chance of getting rights to the PCFormat name/branding and, hence, domain name (these are held by PCF UK; Panorama merely holds a license to use them). This means that this forum would need to be renamed, all PCFormat/G3AR styling and branding removed (so the current theme would be no more) and the sections of this forum pertaining to the magazine and publisher deleted, hidden or made read-only. In this event, I believe it most prudent for this community to decide what they would like to be called, and what the look and feel of the forum should be (the default phpBB 3 style would be used in the interim).
  • We have a significantly greater chance of getting the existing database, as I am of the opinion that the posts made belong to the posters who made them. I am not a lawyer however, so I may be wrong here. Obviously, it may need the PCFormat/G3AR specific content removed, as mentioned above, but the majority of the content would remain intact.
  • I already have the web/database/DNS/mail infrastructure (hosted in the Teraco data center in Cape Town) in my personal capacity to host the forum, although it may require upgrading. (It may however be necessary to allow advertisements in for me to cover my expenses in this regard, though as I'm anti-advertising, this would be an absolute last resort.)
  • From an administrative perspective: the current forum administrators and moderators would be solely responsible for the day to day running of the forum (including, but not limited to: forum categories, forum rules and regulations, moderation duties, etc.). I would be involved from the infrastructural side of things, but my involvement will not extend beyond that: I have neither the inclination nor the time to involve myself in day-to-day matters, and I suspect that this community would prefer that I kept a hands-off approach to day to day operations anyway. I do believe that it would be necessary that a secondary infrastructural administrator be appointed, who would have full control over the source code and database.
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Re: PC Format’s shutting its South African doors...

Post by Stuart »

Added a poll of sorts to see if there is any real interest in this. Not going to promote the poll in any way (other than this post), so if people don't see it we can assume they wouldn't be interested in transplanting this elsewhere.

As for naming rights, I propose we let rusty and hamin bash it out and bring us a final decision. :D
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Re: PC Format’s shutting its South African doors...

Post by GreyWolf »

Stuart wrote:As for naming rights, I propose we let rusty and hamin bash it out and bring us a final decision. :D
This is either the best or the worst idea ever. Very brave. :)
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Re: PC Format’s shutting its South African doors...

Post by GDI_Lord »

Ron2K wrote:I have already been in touch with Panorama, and have begun negotiations to this effect.
Thank you for your efforts Ron, I appreciate it.
We have zero chance of getting rights to the PCFormat name/branding
Expected. Style = I probably don't care. Does anyone else?
We have a significantly greater chance of getting the existing database, as I am of the opinion that the posts made belong to the posters who made them. I am not a lawyer however, so I may be wrong here. Obviously, it may need the PCFormat/G3AR specific content removed, as mentioned above, but the majority of the content would remain intact.
I agree. What I posted is mine, not PCF/Gear's. I put it up for public consumption, but it's still mine.
I already have the web/database/DNS/mail infrastructure (hosted in the Teraco data center in Cape Town) in my personal capacity to host the forum, although it may require upgrading. (It may however be necessary to allow advertisements in for me to cover my expenses in this regard, though as I'm anti-advertising, this would be an absolute last resort.)
I shall disable adblock (provided I can sue your pants off [without actually having to see you without pants, naturally, **shudder**] if you serve me malware-riddled ads) and go click-happy with them.* No, really. Click-click-click-click-click.
From an administrative perspective:...
I'm sure that people in the community will step up. Just try to avoid making hammy an admin, ok?

*Just kidding, I won't sue you.**

**Probably.***

***Maybe.****

****Most likely.


Edit:
Ron2K wrote:I suspect that this community would prefer that I kept a hands-off approach to day to day operations anyway.
From my side I don't mind if you're involved.
Last edited by GDI_Lord on 02 Apr 2014, 09:36, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: PC Format’s shutting its South African doors...

Post by Stuart »

GDI_Lord wrote:I shall disable adblock (provided I can sue your pants off [without actually having to see you without pants, naturally, **shudder**] if you serve me malware-riddled ads) and go click-happy with them.* No, really. Click-click-click-click-click.
Because iRon is naïve enough to do something like that . . .
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Re: PC Format’s shutting its South African doors...

Post by hamin_aus »

Ron2K wrote:I have already been in touch with Panorama, and have begun negotiations to this effect.
You beauty!
Ron2K wrote:We have zero chance of getting rights to the PCFormat name/branding and, hence, domain name
That was expected.
Ron2K wrote:In this event, I believe it most prudent for this community to decide what they would like to be called
Whatever we call ourselves we must register in the .XXX domain. Bonus points for working shemale into the name.
Ron2K wrote:I already have the web/database/DNS/mail infrastructure (hosted in the Teraco data center in Cape Town) in my personal capacity to host the forum, although it may require upgrading.
What sort of cost are we looking at for this, and how would an off-the-shelf hosting package like the R79 one at WebAfrica (or something similar) stack up?
I can easily chip in R100 a month towards the forum, that's about the cost of 2 cups of coffee in Perth :?
Ron2K wrote:From an administrative perspective: the current forum administrators and moderators would be solely responsible for the day to day running of the forum
Fair enough, you have already gone above and beyond just offering what you have AFAIK
Ron2K wrote:I suspect that this community would prefer that I kept a hands-off approach to day to day operations anyway.
I often get the same vibes from this community but that doesn't stop me :D
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Re: PC Format’s shutting its South African doors...

Post by Hman »

pixieausshemaleforums.xxx?
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Re: PC Format’s shutting its South African doors...

Post by GDI_Lord »

Stuart wrote:
GDI_Lord wrote:I shall disable adblock (provided I can sue your pants off [without actually having to see you without pants, naturally, **shudder**] if you serve me malware-riddled ads) and go click-happy with them.* No, really. Click-click-click-click-click.
Because iRon is naïve enough to do something like that . . .
:wink:
But seriously, even if an admin is super vigilant, if (when?) an upstream ad-provider is compromised and serves undetected malware, who is responsible? If you'd like to carry on this part of the discussion, please start a new thread for it. Or just google for the bazillion of other places where this issue is discussed on the Intertubes.
hamin_aus wrote:
Ron2K wrote:I suspect that this community would prefer that I kept a hands-off approach to day to day operations anyway.
I often get the same vibes from this community but that doesn't stop me :D
That is... you feel vibes from us? Whoa. That's more dodgy than Monty wanting to wet me with a water spray bottle.
Hman wrote:pixieausshemaleforums.xxx?
I think the work firewall might block it due to the highlighted part.
Last edited by GDI_Lord on 02 Apr 2014, 10:02, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: PC Format’s shutting its South African doors...

Post by Stuart »

hamin_aus wrote:I can easily chip in R100 a month towards the forum, that's about the cost of 2 cups of coffee in Perth :?
You pay R50 for a cup of coffee?

*says the non-coffee drinker*

How much does a cup of coffee cost in SA?


If this happens, can we have a sidebar? In fact, is sidebar.co.za available?
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Re: PC Format’s shutting its South African doors...

Post by hamin_aus »

Stuart wrote:You pay R50 for a cup of coffee?
Just about, Large flat white can retail for $4.50
Thats R45 to you poors.

How would you feel if you had to fork over R150 for a 1/4 chicken meal at Nandos? Come to Perth :D

you like chicken?
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Re: PC Format’s shutting its South African doors...

Post by GDI_Lord »

How much does a Big Mac cost where you are hammy? ( http://www.economist.com/content/big-mac-index )
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Re: PC Format’s shutting its South African doors...

Post by hamin_aus »

GDI_Lord wrote:How much does a Big Mac cost where you are hammy?
I havent had a big Mac in 4 years of living here and I've only ever been inside a McDonalds here about 3 times.
That being said its like $5
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Re: PC Format’s shutting its South African doors...

Post by Anakha56 »

Wow...

I have one hectic day and another part of my world starts collapsing...

Ron all I can say is thank you, thank you, thank you for doing all the current leg work. It is highly appreciated :).

I am willing to do a major learning curve to handle the back end if you want. But I think rusty should be that person, he loves to tribble in databases... :whistling:

Oh and Stu sidebar.co.za does not exist ;). You know what? I quite like the idea of sidebar being our new name. Who is good with graphics? :P

/honestly though we knew the writing was on the wall for a long, long time now...
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Re: PC Format’s shutting its South African doors...

Post by GDI_Lord »

Anakha56 wrote:I have one hectic day and another part of my world starts collapsing...
I hope it's nothing too serious?
Oh and Stu sidebar.co.za does not exist ;). You know what? I quite like the idea of sidebar being our new name. Who is good with graphics? :P
+1. But sidebar in my mind is the little list menu-ey thingy on the side of the page, what is it in yours?
/honestly though we knew the writing was on the wall for a long, long time now...
Shut up. ;-)
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Re: PC Format’s shutting its South African doors...

Post by Stuart »

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Re: PC Format’s shutting its South African doors...

Post by Anakha56 »

GDI_Lord wrote:
Anakha56 wrote:I have one hectic day and another part of my world starts collapsing...
I hope it's nothing too serious?

I consider PCF to be a close part of my life :). So thats the part collapsing ;).

Sidebar can mean numerous things! What you have in mind, Stu's awesome banner and a little bar on the side where people can chill ;).
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Re: PC Format’s shutting its South African doors...

Post by GDI_Lord »

That's pretty cool Stuart! Where is it from, or did you just make it?

Edit:
Darn, beat me by a few seconds, or parts thereof. ;-) I meant the hecticness.
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