Physics Forums: History, Founder & Ownership

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SUMMARY

Physics Forums (PF) was established in 2000 by a group of psychiatrists from the Moronvia Institute in Dubuque, Iowa, as a psychological experiment. The forum does not have a traditional founder; instead, it evolved organically over time. Ownership is humorously attributed to a dog, while the actual management involves community members like Greg and Warren, who contribute to its programming and administration. The forum has undergone multiple upgrades, with significant data management and hosting considerations, including a dedicated server located in New York.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of online forum dynamics
  • Basic knowledge of server management and hosting
  • Familiarity with community-driven website evolution
  • Awareness of data center operations and infrastructure
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the evolution of online forums and their impact on community engagement
  • Explore server management best practices for high-traffic websites
  • Learn about data center operations, including redundancy and security measures
  • Investigate the role of community moderators in online platforms
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This discussion is beneficial for web developers, community managers, and anyone interested in the history and management of online forums, particularly those involved in technical and community aspects of website operation.

  • #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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