[Sw-l] Issues with SignPuddle

[Steve Slevinski]

Hi SignWriting list,

Recently there have been three issue with SignPuddle running on the 
legacy server.

Issue 1: the legacy server needs to be rebooted several times a year.  
When this happens, the entire SignBank.org site will not be accessible.

Issue 2: recently, the legacy server ran out of disk space.  When this 
happened, it was impossible to log into SignPuddle.  This issue has been 
resolve and will not reoccur.

Issue 3: trying to save a sign results in a page that never loads and 
causes other related problems.  This issue is caused by several people 
trying to save a sign at the same time.  In theory, the system should 
handle them one at a time so that everything is saved appropriately.  
The wait for saving should only be for a short time.  Unfortunately, 
this isn't working properly and has gotten worse in the last week or 
so.  I'm not entirely sure what's causing the issue.  I will investigate 
further this weekend and try to implement a fix.

BTW, if you encounter problems saving a sign, please DO NOT REFRESH the 
page.  You will create multiple copies of your sign entry and you will 
lock the dictionary until I can manually fix it.  Some of the 
dictionaries are large and saving takes time.

Unfortunately, I have limited time to work on SignWriting and I'm not 
able to provide the tools and services that you deserve.  I have a plan 
for the future, but it will take time to get there.  I do not plan to 
make changes to SignPuddle 2 beyond emergency fixes.  I will keep the 
system running, but there will be issues and I appreciate your patience.

In 2020, we closed the non-profit supporting SignWriting.  I tried to 
raise enough money to continue full-time work with SignWriting but I 
could only raise a few hundred dollars a month via Patreon. This is 
enough to cover the server costs and registrations, but it could not pay 
for my time.
* https://www.patreon.com/signwriting

In 2020, I started working at the University of Iowa.  The work is 
intense and requires most of my mental energy.
* https://neuroimaging.uiowa.edu/people/steve-slevinski

Regards,
-Steve