The Zone : Data etc.

[CPC Zone]

Hello everyone.

Having just read some of the ATTN:Malc thread and noticing that I was pretty badly flamed towards the middle of that conversation I must first say that it was a little uncalled for, especially the claim that nobody was ever at the driving seat. In 2008 > present life has had more downs than ups, I tried to keep the site running as best I could and most of my time was actually used redeveloping areas that, because of bad hosting, were frequently being attacked. For your advice, Dreamhost is shite.

Rest assured the CPC Zone database, the content (covers etc) has NOT been erased. It is still sat on my local server right now. I had many reasons for pulling the plug last year and a lot of those are deeply personal which I won't go into on an open forum such as this. The thought had occured to me to resurrect the data and bring SOMETHING back online and I am currently looking at my options.

However, it does feel as if I'm not needed/wanted and that CPC Zone is better off dead. Correct me if I'm wrong.

I'm off for some food, be back later tonight.
Malc.

[Devilmarkus]

Hello everyone.

Having just read some of the ATTN:Malc thread and noticing that I was pretty badly flamed towards the middle of that conversation I must first say that it was a little uncalled for, especially the claim that nobody was ever at the driving seat. In 2008 > present life has had more downs than ups, I tried to keep the site running as best I could and most of my time was actually used redeveloping areas that, because of bad hosting, were frequently being attacked. For your advice, Dreamhost is shite.

Rest assured the CPC Zone database, the content (covers etc) has NOT been erased. It is still sat on my local server right now. I had many reasons for pulling the plug last year and a lot of those are deeply personal which I won't go into on an open forum such as this. The thought had occured to me to resurrect the data and bring SOMETHING back online and I am currently looking at my options.

However, it does feel as if I'm not needed/wanted and that CPC Zone is better off dead. Correct me if I'm wrong.

I'm off for some food, be back later tonight.
Malc.

Hi Malc,

first:
welcome in this forum!

now read:
When you think, you should let cpczone die, you are completely wrong!
EVERY CPC-Website is really important nowadays!
And: I would never have found CPC things without CPCZone!
So, please, keep your good work and reactivate it...

I am sure, 99% of all members here agree with me...

Edit:
We could also offer to put it on our server, too, if you don't have a good ISP.
(zone.cpcwiki.eu) ?? I am sure, Gryzor agrees with that.

So we could also combine booth forums to 1. (CPCZone was the most important forum for me, since it was down, but now also this wiki forum, is very important, too)

[redbox]

However, it does feel as if I'm not needed/wanted and that CPC Zone is better off dead. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Translation: "you all were really nasty to me so now please kiss my arse and I'll think about giving some data back".

Of course it would benefit the community to have any CPC information/archive/whatever available and I would especially like to see some of it...

Having said that, and not having been active on CPC Zone or known of you, I now realise why the people here gave you such a pasting in that thread.

Unless you're going to do it for the benefit of the community, and not for some stupid power trip, I suggest you get back in your hole.

[Gryzor]

Hm... can't really comment right now, since my gf is really ill, but no matter what your feelings are, please do try and be civil...

Thanks!
T

[CPC Zone]

Translation: "you all were really nasty to me so now please kiss my arse and I'll think about giving some data back".

Of course it would benefit the community to have any CPC information/archive/whatever available and I would especially like to see some of it...

Having said that, and not having been active on CPC Zone or known of you, I now realise why the people here gave you such a pasting in that thread.

Unless you're going to do it for the benefit of the community, and not for some stupid power trip, I suggest you get back in your hole.

Since you quite clearly know nothing about the time taken to build up that database and years/months spent on the project OR what has been going on outside of the CPC world (you know, that thing called real life) I think YOU should get back in YOUR hole. You know what though, seriously, after reading trash like that I don't think I'll bother. That kind of made my mind up once and for all.

If anyone wants the reviews database, i.e. the written contributions then you can have them. I'll contribute the data that I painstakingly collected, as well as the thousands of screen captures and scanned game instructions in some other way.

PS: Thanks Mark.

[redbox]

You know what though, seriously, after reading trash like that I don't think I'll bother.

I have seen so many resources destroyed over the years by attitudes like this. Shame really, but unfortunately the wrong people usually run these things.

And therefore I appreciate all the more how refreshing it is to have a resource like the CPC wiki (and of course all the great people who run and frequent it).  I'd rather contribute to this than have the sword of damocles dangled overhead by someone else.

[CPC Zone]

I have seen so many resources destroyed over the years by attitudes like this. Shame really, but unfortunately the wrong people usually run these things.

And therefore I appreciate all the more how refreshing it is to have a resource like the CPC wiki (and of course all the great people who run and frequent it).  I'd rather contribute to this than have the sword of damocles dangled overhead by someone else.

Congratulations, you're a dick head. Do you want a cookie?

Screw being civil. I came back on here with good intention and it gets thrown back at me.

[redbox]

Congratulations, you're a dick head. Do you want a cookie?

That's funny, from what I've read, that's exactly what everyone thought of you.

Screw being civil. I came back on here with good intention and it gets thrown back at me.

Instead of all the dramatic crap, why not just upload a dump of it all somewhere?  If your real intention was a "good intention" then that's exactly what you'd do, instead of all this stupid posturing.

[CPC Zone]

I'm a dick head for having a life and things outside of the retro gaming community and having next to no time or the finances to operate such a huge project? I'm a dick head for having personal and family problems which contributed to everything else from last year.

The CPC Zone project was and IS massive, to show how much work went into it, has anyone built anything online to replace it? if it took no time to build up then it would've been done by now. Not ONCE did I ever say I didn't appreciate people contributing artwork etc and everyone was thanked on the website and in the database. Personal reasons and financial reasons as well as having to deal with the site being constantly hacked led me to take the site down. I come here just to express my thoughts on maybe bringing it back OR handing over what I had already done to someone who could host it and make use of it and BANG I get called a dick head by some faceless jerk who's life CLEARLY hasn't moved on.

[redbox]

Hey-ho, each to their own.

Maybe the best way to redeem the situation would be to Do The Right Thing.  I'm sure you'll figure out what that is.

[ervin]

Malc - your thoughts are appreciated, as are your efforts over the last several years.
It would be fantastic if the content could be handed over in some form, but real life takes precedence, no matter what anyone says.

redbox - dude, we all miss the zone. We all want it back, but good lord man, calm down a bit would you?
Have you personally met Malc? Do you know what his Real Life is like (I certainly don't) and why things are the way they are? Maybe you need to consider these things before hitting that Post button.
Also, consider the fact that all of the time and effort that was spent building the zone, was done for free. Yes, you didn't have to pay a cent for it. You may have handed over some donations (like I did), but if you did, it was your choice. Nothing is owed to anyone.

I LOVE the CPC, and I loved the zone, but real life is about a million times more important.

[Travis P]

The CPC Zone project was and IS massive, to show how much work went into it, has anyone built anything online to replace it?

There has been CPC Power (http://www.cpc-power.com) but the problem is it's mainly in French (updated, opinions) but unlike your site they have got the dsk and cdt files to download. Only problem they haven't got a FTP version or someone has yet to release the files/scans on that website on a DVD.

You are right, CPC Zone was massive as it was a buzzing website back then and you had agreements with other websites (World of Spectrum, Lemon etc...) to link to the site via their databases but as you already mentioned it got hampered by poor web hosting.

[Devilmarkus]

Come on guys, now calm down first!

In fact, Malc did a really great job with CPCZone and it's features!
This is in-discutable.

But, Malc, what I see is:
- You have lot of private trouble, that's understandable for everybody, I think
- A small 'hey I'm alive' is IMO not too much. (takes 5-10 minutes to get online and to write in a forum)
- A small 'index.html' on cpczone.net with a little info is coded within 3-4 minutes, and also no problem
- Really, since 2008 (end, correct me, if I'm wrong) we did not hear/read/see anything about you.
- There are many "idiots" who dont care about CPC and websites and they erase their websites
- Of course, people think: "Hey, this stupid Malc does not care anymore about his website and the users"

Now my offer to all:
- Discuss this here, but stay calm! I want no war, no racism and no di**heads!

Hey! Are we all adult people or have we been released from Kindergarten?

Come on guys, let's keep CPCZone alive!

[ukmarkh]

Jesus Redbox, calm down dude... at least give Malc a proper chance to explain his actions?

Malc, it's finally good to hear from you, if it's a financial problem to resurrect the Zone, then no probs, I'm quite sure we can all have a whip round and come up with the cash, or help with the hosting.

The main thing is you're OK? All jokes aside, we were all a bit worried something bad might of happened to you. I for one love CPC Wiki, but miss the Zone dearly.

[Devilmarkus]

The main thing is you're OK? All jokes aside, we were all a bit worried something bad might of happened to you. I for one love CPC Wiki, but miss the Zone dearly.

I agree with Mark here.
I also miss the Zone!

[Executioner]

Hi Malc,

Nice to see you around here again. I would offer to host CPC Zone, but my servers only run Tomcat/JSP/Firebird not PHP or MySQL (mainly for security reasons). Hopefully Markus and Gryzor can figure out how to integrate the GameBase data or host it so you don't have to worry about it any more. Do you also have all the forum post data from the Zone? There was a couple of threads with a lot of technical information which would be nice to read through again, especially one on a WinAPE timing issue between  cngsoft and myself I think.

Cheers,
Richard

[redbox]

Well I apologise for ruffling some feathers, but I think I explained pretty clearly why it annoyed me.

Shouldn't take the bait I guess, but it had been a long day 

[arnoldemu]

Hey Malc, I hope you're ok?

I miss the zone too.

For me the forums were the most important thing because it was a great cpc community there.

I did contribute some scans and instructions to the gamebase too because I like to help as much as possible.

I do the same for the wiki too.

It would be great to restore the cpczone forums because lots of the posts were useful to have archived.

Also the comments and gamebase were really good and it would be great to have them in some form.

I think now there are people who want to see this stuff back so much they are offering to do a lot to get it back.. so you'll not necessarily be on your own and have to work so hard to bring it and maintain it.

[Gryzor]

Ok, here are my two cents.

First, Malc, welcome to the forum.

Second, I do not (have never) subscribe(d) to 'nasty' comments. However, I can't say I don't see where they come from...

The thing is this: we do know -well, at least regular Zone visitors- that you went through a hell of a period. Such things can happen, and of course nobody could or should ask anyone to keep such a big project alive at the expense of real life issues. However - and it's a huge however and a real differentiator - it's one thing packing it up and leaving the scene; it's totally another abandoning everyone, ignoring pleas and robbing the community of all the material it contributed to the project.

You are right, to some extend, to say that there's no other such project (though you seem to be forgetting the wiki project). However, do pause and thing that one of the reasons it's so difficult to pull something like it off the ground is exactly the uncertainty and doubt that many scene members feel after seeing all their toil amounting to nothing. In that respect, you've done a lot of damage to the communal effort in the CPC community, and one that cannot be overcome easily or soon.*

Now, of course, we all know that the data residing in that backup is really valuable and could be put into good use. So, simply enough, please do give it to us. By 'us' I don't mean me and the other Wiki admins, but the community. It's been discussed before that it probably cannot be integrated to the wiki in a functional way, but at least the content can be put to good use - or, if all else fails, just have the thing running in RO mode.

Regards,
Gryzor


*And it's precisely because of that that this project has been designed with the express goal that it cannot go down - that the data is available for anyone and everyone to keep the flag up.

[Gryzor]

Hm... no further responses from anyone?

[Dr Tiger Ninestein]

I completely agree with Redbox.

Mal's come on here and behaved exactly how he has done in the past.

Everybody's got to kiss his arse or he makes threats.



"However, it does feel as if I'm not needed/wanted and that CPC Zone is better off dead. Correct me if I'm wrong."

" You know what though, seriously, after reading trash like that I don't think I'll bother."


I want to see the Zone back as much as anyone, but I certainly wont be kissing the arse of a spoilt brat.

[Gryzor]

Sigh...

Well, as I said, I can see where those sentiments come from, but I feel I need to keep an even stance... so I don't really know what else I can say that I haven't said already, except for: Malc, I can see why you would be offended, but maybe you could at least explain and participate?

[robcfg]

I'd like to say that I'm glad to see that Malc is ok, and thank him for the enormous effort of maintaining the Zone.


I think that if people like Redbox or Robo have any kind of issues with Malc, they should talk it in private. And anyway, the CPC Zone was free and nobody has the right to tell Malc what should he have done with his very own site.


I know, it's a pity. The CPC Zone was one of my favourite CPC sites and I'd love to see it up and running again or at least, to see the info it had available on any other site, like the CPC Wiki.


So please, keep your manners, not only in this topic, but on the whole forum. Just trying to assault any user won't get you what you want (it's usually the opposite what you'll get).


Malc, thanks for showing up so we know you're alright, and thanks for the Zone (whether it comes back or not).

[Gryzor]

Heya Rob,

Thanks for your balanced (as always) approach.

I only have one objection: yes, it might have been his own site, but I have always maintained that a community site belongs to its people as well. Every forum, every wiki, every communal effort belongs to the public in a very real way. So you can't really say that someone can do whatever they please with it, and that's where those sentiments come from. Can you imagine me packing it up and taking everything with me one day?...

But, yes, I hope Malc is doing much better...

[ukmarkh]

 
Gryzor, It doesn't matter what we think... Malc did what he did and the rest is history, what's done is done. It's our job to create a fun and friendly forum for each and every person that chooses to join, and to see such horrible comments from certain members being solely aimed at an individual, who simply came on here to give an explanation, is in danger of looking like a form of bullying.

Instead, consider how much Malc and the Zone has helped raise the profile for the CPC community. And my message to those who would try and ridicule, and drag Malc over the coals for the demise of the Zone, is simple... move on.

An opportunity has arisen from all of this, the mantle has been passed over if you like, it's no mean feat, considering the high benchmark set by Malc, and you know what? Gryzor for me is doing a great job.