First, I appologize for the need for a change, but I hope that this will indeed be a positive change for everyone in the end.


I did a lot of research before implementing the original forum software for this site - I wanted to give you something that was above average. Unfortunately, the software vendor has since then been moving this software in a direction that is not in line with our needs here. Maintaining the forum software has become a burden and it overall has become very costly. The straw that broke the camel's back was that the latest server OS update broke the search function - a feature that I feel is important.


Danel Browning, the super-intelligent and computer-savvy individual we all know from our forums, has recommended that we implement vBulletin's forum software. I am familiar with this software - it is very well regarded and full-featured. So, I am today announcing the plan to move our forum to a vBulletin platform.


Saving the work everyone has put into the current site is important to me. I have awarded a data migration contract to a contractor who has completed this migration before. A lot of details must yet be worked out, but the following are expected to make the transition:


- Forums and forum structure
- User threads and forum Posts
- Usernames with email, post history and basic profile information


The following are not expected to make the transition:


- Images hosted on this site. Please move your important images to an alternative storage location - at least for now.
- Your password will not migrate. Upon migration, you should receive an email with a link to reset your password.
- I am not sure if your biography will migrate or not. To be safe, please copy this information to another location to insure it is not lost during the migration.


The exact timing of this transition is not know yet, but it will likely happen in the next couple of weeks.


I appreciate your patience as we work through this change. And thanks for being the best people in the world to work for!


Best regards,


Bryan