History Physics Forums: History, Founder & Ownership

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Physics Forums was established in 2000 by a group of psychiatrists at the Moronvia Institute in Dubuque, Iowa, as a psychological experiment rather than through traditional founding. The forum lacks a singular founder; instead, it is humorously described as having a "finder" and is claimed to be owned by a dog. Discussions reveal a lighthearted camaraderie among members, with references to personal connections and humorous anecdotes about the site's history. The current operational setup includes a dedicated server in New York, with significant bandwidth and data requirements. The evolution of the forum has led to a substantial number of posts and threads, highlighting its growth and community engagement over the years.
  • #31
So the server is one computer?
 
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  • #32
Danger said:
So the server is one computer?
Basically.
 
  • #33
Wow! I think that I want one...
 
  • #34
Danger said:
So the server is one computer?
Is that why I often get an error loading the page: it sights a failure to connect to the server, and it doesn't matter what browser I use.
 
  • #35
The webserver itself is on a single computer, but the database is likely on a much more powerful computer shared by many web servers.

I actually don't know much about the site's new configuration, since it was moved just a week ago.

- Warren
 
  • #36
Dawguard said:
Is that why I often get an error loading the page: it sights a failure to connect to the server, and it doesn't matter what browser I use.

Right, having a web server redundacy setup would be enormously expensive.

warren, the web server and db server are on the same machine, unlike the last datacenter where the db was on a different machine.
 
  • #37
Greg Bernhardt said:
haha I always wondered why you never had a response to that :biggrin:
The surprising part is that he had a post on page 1 of that thread(well that was before your post):-p
 
  • #38
So what was the first post, the first question asked on PF?

And who was the first supermentor?

Please open the book of Genesis for us.
 
  • #39
Ratzinger said:
So what was the first post, the first question asked on PF?

And who was the first supermentor?

Please open the book of Genesis for us.

Not sure about the first post because we had to wipe the db in order to move and upgrade the software. The first mentor was Phobos who recently retired.
 
  • #40
I remember having a CD with the PF database on it several years ago.. but I think I lost it :cry:
 
  • #41
Monique said:
I remember having a CD with the PF database on it several years ago.. but I think I lost it :cry:
I still have one left, but that was still PF2, PF1 will be lost forever :cry:

If we didn't wipe twice we'd be over a million posts!
 
  • #42
Greg Bernhardt said:
I still have one left, but that was still PF2, PF1 will be lost forever :cry:
That's terrible. :cry:
 
  • #43
Last edited by a moderator:
  • #45
Last edited:
  • #46
Greg Bernhardt said:
I still have one left, but that was still PF2, PF1 will be lost forever :cry:
Ouch.

It would be nice to have this whole thing on a DVD set. There is so much valuable information here, especially in the Math and Science forums.

Greg Bernhardt said:
If we didn't wipe twice we'd be over a million posts!

As of a minute ago, PF had:

Threads: 91,355
Posts: 860,097
Members: 33,578
 
  • #47
Evo said:
That would be the second version of PF, but nice to see posts from back then.

Too funny, the first thread was Lisa! :biggrin:
Was Lisa! really a member? or a joke?
 
  • #48
yomamma said:
Was Lisa! really a member? or a joke?
It was just a thread title, referring to Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory, but he used Lisa!.
 
  • #49
Evo said:
It was just a thread title, referring to Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory, but he used Lisa!.
I know, I was just going off topic about the member Lisa!
 
  • #50
When I first saw the thread title (Lisa!) I thought it was a joke! Now I am just freaked out :bugeye:
 
  • #51
You guys are wimps. Scared by a little schoolgirl. She isn't even holding a wrench like last time.
 
  • #52
Mk said:
You guys are wimps. Scared by a little schoolgirl. She isn't even holding a wrench like last time.
That's a schoolboy, dear!:rolleyes:
 
  • #53
I created PF and sold it to Greg for $5 and a Mars bar.

Best sale of my life.
 

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