Save the Clock Tower
 

There are about 100 or so regular visitors to the Downs, and for their sake and the sake of the long history of the forum, I just can't let the barrow slip away without a fight.

I am going to try to figure this issue out.

I will be purchasing and installing an upgrade to the forum software, which should solve the problems. We've upgraded before with success, so we should be able to do so again.

Here are the factors involved in the upgrade:

- It costs $209. I'm paying for it, but if anyone cares to chip in, please PM me and we'll figure something out. Donations will be greatly appreciated, but they are completely voluntary.
- I've got two other projects taking a lot of my time this weekend, so it may take me several days to actually get things working correctly again.
- My web maintenance skills have deteriorated so much, I may not be able to figure our how to install the upgrade (unlikely)
- The upgrade might not fix the problem, or might make it worse (very unlikely)

Please reply to let me know if it's worth the time, money, and effort.

It is to me. The Barrow-Downs has been around in one form or another since 1998, and I enjoy it every day, even if my participation nowadays is kicking a handful of spammer accounts a day.

Let me know what you think by replying here, and PM me if you are interested in helping financially.

Thanks!
BW

Let's Keep Our Deathly Hangout!
 

This place has really become so much a part of my daily routine, its absence would make me feel like Frodo after the Ring's destruction.

After all, where else can I bad-mouth Peter Jackson, harp on Túrin, and gleefully kill hapless villagers in the Night in wolf-form? :D

Just so, just so :) And it already gave me so much, so there is no need to prove its worth to me.

Great quote, Inzil!

The Downs has been too much a part of my life these last ten years for me to want to see it disappear this way. It has led me on to Oxonmoots, to the Tolkien Society and Return of the Ring, and perhaps more significantly to various moots with other Downers across three continents and several oceans. It has inspired one book--Music in Middle-earth--and there's quite possibly another forthcoming.

There's still enough wraiths floating around to make it habitable.

Count me in and see the PM.

I would be incredibly sad to see this site go. It has been and still is the source of a huge online group of friends and I don't think our connection would be the same without it.

Hear Hear

We will not go quietly into the night!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gFN1t7Goyk

I'm not on here half as much as I would or half as much as it deserves, but goodness gracious this place is important to me. I will be celebrating 10 years on here in December. That is longer than I've cared for anything the internet has put out there. A PM is forthcoming

And where else could I disagree so enjoyably on the issues of COH? ;) But, of course, the other two points are very applicable. :)

Off to send a PM.

Why we love the Downs
 

In a hole in t'internet there lived a Barrow-wight. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms, an oozy smell, flamers and trolls, nor yet a dry, bare sandy Leggie-fangurl-infested hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was the Barrow-Downs hole, and that means comfort.

The Downs is kind of a home to me. No matter where I've lived or stayed, and how cozy or unpleasant it's been, the Downs has been an extra room (or wing, actually) that I could enter.

I love this place so much but I am totally broke at the moment until the house sells... but if it can weather this storm I will make sure I will have something put aside for the next one....

We have weathered some rocky transitions before. I'll help as much as possible with the upgrade/reconfig, but like you, my fu has atrophied considerably.

Or maybe it will be like riding a bike (unlikely).

I can probably help out.

~ BW ~

If you put in the time and effort, it's worth the money to me. :)
PM sent your way...

This community has given me so much I really should give something back. I'll contribute what I can. PM arriving your way any time soon. :)

Well said, my furry friend!

Even for those of us who mainly hang out in Mirth, it would still be quite a blow to see our lovely site gone. This place has been so good to me, and I've "met" so many wonderful people through it, that I'd be a horrible person not to help in any way I can. A PM is headed your way, my dear sir.

The Barrow-Downs has been a safe and fun place for the past five years for me. I don't have a lot of money, but I will help out any way I can to save the Downs. I have met so many wonderful people here who are now my friends, indeed, some of them are very good friends. If the Downs were to be lost, part of me would also be lost. Off to PM.

Even though this is my first post in a while, and I don't come on here very often anymore, knowing that it's here whenever I want to show up or to look back on old threads, is comforting to me. This site means a lot to me, and I definitely don't want it to go away! (also PMing right now)

Downers Deliver!
 

We have had a great response to my please for assistance. Thank you, everyone.

Master Thenamir has a potential fix that will require him to go deep into the subcellar of the barrow to kick some pipes and bricks. If he finds what's loose and sets it right, we may be able to un-depracate ourselves. If not, I'll be contacting everyone who is PMing me and let you know how you can help.

I'm rarely here these days and have no idea what this deprecation nonsense is, but I'm willing to help out if I can. Give me a shout if you need a spare pair of hands (I have them in three sizes and all major species).

I've bought the upgrade software but can't figure out how to install it safely. But I thought I'd at least let you know i am really working on it.

Outstanding. I'll send techie-type harmonic vibes your way.

Please let us know how to help with the cost!

Ditto. Just tell me where to mail the money. :)

So where did everybody go? This place was quite lively a yer ago.

You tell us... I haven't been anywhere...quieter yes due too various rl issues and not wanting to be the one who knocks the Pan Man orf his perch..but here...:Merisu:

In addition to what Mith said, I think there's a general "wait and see" stance from a lot of folks in anticipation of the forum upgrade.

I check in every day but RL eats up much of my free time to post. I do have some ideas for threads that, once spring gardening season concludes, might bloom here.

Please let me know, BW, how I can contribute to the software.

*gently nudges, nay, even elbows, The Squatter of Amon Rûdh*

Aurë entuluva! :)

Back up and running, I see. And not deprecated! Well done, BW!

Kudos!

And thank you!

Well done tech wizards! And thank you. :)

Hoom, hom! We Huorns (and Hurons--I went to misspell them at first) add our gratitude to the active Ents for rescuing our forest.

barrowdowns.com to be renamed thenamir.com
 

After a month of staring into the abyss, I finally handed the tools to Thenamir, who promptly fixed the barrow in about 15 minutes. We are all in his debt, and all praise should be directed his way.

I saw the whiteness and deprecation and thought

'Oh no! Is this it? Is it all suddenly gone?'

:eek:

Then checked back later and Thenamir's fixed everything :D

For he's a jolly good fellow,
and so say all of us

Three cheers to Thenamir!

Long live Thenamir! Praise him with great praise!

Hurrah for the Barrow Downs! :D

Long li- er, death to the 'Downs and all who had their hands in saving it!

Haha! :D

Can everyone now see each other's avvies? I can see most, but some are still gone... And the :Merisu: smiley shows up as a box too.

I can see pretty much everything.

It was my pleasure and privilege to work for such a worthy cause...how could anyone let such jolly good fellowship die such an untimely death? No, wait, we're all dead here already...ummm...to resurrect such a wonderful...no, 'resurrect' means to bring back to life...ah heck, it's working again, and now we can all rest in peace. Glad I could help!

Best deathday present ever after a couple of anxious days otherwise offline watching grids on my Kindle.... nine years dead is not long enough :D Heartfelt thanks to all concerned in restoring the barrow... now even contra-ing off my years dead against the years alive makes me a bit old for this but I'll act my shoesize not my age.

SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee ee.....


:D