Posted by Don't be upset! on March 20, 2004 at 11:23:42:
In Reply to: TubeNet is moving soon! posted by Sean Chisham on March 18, 2004 at 22:21:23:
There's good points about the current format AND the new system. There are things I'll miss on the new BBS, and I'm sure many of us will miss some aspect of the current format.
Keep this in mind: This forum's administrator, Sean Chisham, began this project many years ago when he was a starving student. I remember seeing Sean in the finals of a Marine Band audition, recognizing the name on his resume, and thinking, "Hey, this is the guy that runs TubeNet!" I remember being very glad when I heard he won a position at Fort Myer, because I'd heard him play and knew he was the real deal. I've talked with him (very) briefly about how this forum works, and other computer-related topics.
This electronic life-form that has been growing here all these years under the picture of the tuba-playing monkey takes up a lot of time--time to administer, maintain, nurture, and occasionally police. It takes resources, which Sean has been giving up since back in the day when he didn't have any resources to give up. It takes work, just to keep it running from week to week. Sean Chisham is a tuba player in "Pershing's Own," The United States Army Band, and has been for several years now. That is a full-time job, and Sean puts in a lot of hours, many under a sousaphone. The only reason this BBS is still here is because Sean has the know-how, the will, the generosity, and the tenacity to keep it going. This is his baby.
The new BBS software will make things much easier, affordable, and (hopefully) less stressful for Sean. Forums like the new TubeNet have been around for years. Frankly, I'm astounded Sean didn't make a change a long time ago. I would guess that if we added up all our hesitations and concerns about the new format, and multiplied it by about ten, and add the concern over losing membership in this forum, that's probably about how worried Sean himself is about the changeover. If the benefits outweigh that kind of concern, then the switch should be made.
There's a lot of things I won't miss about this format, but yeah, once in a while, I'll find myself thinking about the old days, and the big blue mountains of text scrolling down the screen. You know what? The new BBS is better for Sean. He's earned it. He deserves it.
See you all on the new board. Hope to see many of you Monday morning, good luck to all who audition.
Tom Holtz
U.S. Marine Band