3/14: Release today + bug reports here

Good to know..that's why I phrased it like that. Thanks

Here is the info about ATP http://garden.org/ideas/view/dave/2591/The-National-Gardening-Association-and-All-Things-Plants/.

All Things Plants has changed into the National Gardening Association.

This message was edited Apr 28, 2016 1:00 AM

"It's a rumor and wrong" Notice at the bottom of the NGA site who the Copyright belongs to and click the link http://www.dashworksllc.com/ Some of you might recognize the guy in the back of the crowd. I think many of miss his careful handling of another site. When might DG learn "If it ain't broken, don't fix it!"

I met Dave and his wonderful family years ago at a round up in Texas. They were all so generous and kind!

But apparently it was broken (or too old to fix). So he didn't fix it...he sold it. And IB has been dealing with an aging website from the get-go.

All the info is in the link I posted above. Dave sold DG to IB around 2010 with the understanding that he would stay on as a consultant, for some reason that didn't happen. Dave then started Cubits then ATP. It's just the past few months that DG has had issues. Something about making the site more mobile friendly. My biggest issue now is that Admin is MIA, and people posting without reading the above posts.

Cross posted with Nuts. I do miss the X posting alert too. I thought DG worked fine, until they tried to make it more mobil friendly.

nutsaboutnature.....really? Since 2010? The year is now 2016.

Molly, I was the one that posted 2010. I remember there was an uproar when Dave left DG and started Cubits in 2010. He then started ATP. The technical stuff didn't change much until recently. The reason (excuse) was to make the site more mobile friendly. DG works the same on my IPad as my desktop.

1lisac, you are right on the mark about all of that. My point being, any issues with DG problems now has nothing to do with its originator.

No it doesn't.

I would disagree, and people more adept at IT things would too.

DG originated as a home-made site, with all the intricacies, quirks, and baling-wire/chewing gum parts holding it together. This architecture was kept in the mind of its creator when it was sold.

When advancements were contemplated and undertaken many years later by others not privy to this information, well, here's how things got off the rails.

What new owners could have done (maybe should have) is demolish the old setup and start over. I can imagine the pitchforks and torches that would have strode forth had that been done.

Instead, upgrades and/or changes have been approached in smaller bites. Even then, errors or blips have caused insurrections by some here. While I also would like everything to be sweetness and light at all times, I understand that growing pains are inevitable.

I guess I don't have the personal investment that some longtimers do, so site problems don't bother me as much. I expect that with more of an international audience and more mobile device participation, this site will continue to thrive and evolve. It is a shame that many are departing solely based on current issues. I expect they know they are welcome to stay (or come back), but the siren song is strong.

Everyone should enjoy their chosen path, whichever site (or sites) upon which they stride.

There are IT people involved in the discussion now. I'm happy with DG but no, Dave is no longer involved in DG. That was the question.

Is anyone else having problems reading the forums? I am only seeing a column about 2 inches wide on my computer, and I can do nothing about it. Posting this was hard with the miniscule letters, so if I misspelled anything, please forgive me. I can't see it good enough to proof and edit it.

No I'm not having that issue. Is DG the only site this is happening on?

That looks like a browser issue. Try hitting Ctrl + several times.

Sure wish that "back to top" button would disappear and we'd get the "back to home" button below this text box like we had 6 MONTHS ago.......................Just sayin'...................

Viburnum ~ Thank you for stating much of what I was thinking, but so much more eloquently than I could have.

I joined DG around the time of the transaction from Dave to IB, or maybe just after. I didn't have the personal involvement with Dave nor was that of any importance to me. I joined for the information available to me and I found everything I needed and so much more.

It wasn't until a few months after joining that I discovered a thread apparently devoted to complaints about the changeover. I was astounded at the members that seemed to want IB to fail, that insisted Dave was "ousted", that refused to acknowledge that Dave made a lot of money selling DG and that selling was "his choice". A choice that allowed him to create other websites.

Sure his current gardening site seems wonderful to many members. Some of those people never wanted DG "without Dave" to succeed in the first place. They even have a thread called "Mutiny at Dave's Garden" where they can continue to bash DG.

Apparently those members really haven't moved on.
They seem to want to stay angry, treating all this as though it's a "personal" attack against them. What's funny is many of those "bashers" still visit DG and some even comment (complain) in this thread.

For me, I don't live and die based on how well DG or any other site is working. I don't spend my life looking for things to complain about...life is too short. I don't like, or use, Facebook, so even after some other "former" DG members said I should check out ATP, it reminded me so much of Facebook I had no interest in it.

Thanks, but I'm happy here. Even with all the quirks, bugs, lack of constant interaction with Admin....I'm still happy here. Fortunately there are many others that feel like I do. In time many of the "unhappy" older members will be gone, replaced by new members. That's not such a bad thing.


This message was edited May 2, 2016 9:56 AM

Chuckl. Well said. I can handle how the workings are hitched, but Plantfiles has gone to being very 'unfriendly!' to my cellphone. I could once access what I needed, but no longer. I get slammed with ads from FB, I think, from IB, and no data, no info, no pics. And it corrupts my browsing choices on my cell. I have looked into NGA, I have looked at Plant ID on FB and those guys are good by the way, but I wanted to create a FB just for that site alone and to me thats a redundency. I wanted more of what DG was before so many things in ID got stupified with wrong listings for the massiveness factors. There are some definite biases in that forum now.

Kitt, you shouldn't be getting ads. When I go to PFs I don't get ads so Im not sure that is an issue for everybody.

Joan, im glad you got it figured out!

I have a question (not a complaint). I've read about the # of views not being visable, the first post on this thread says that was supposed to be fixed. I'm just wondering if anybody sees these on the homepage? I don't really care about the # of views but I don't see them and just wondered if anybody else did?

I do see the number of pages on my home page. Next to this thread it shows 225. It also shows the number of pages on the Site Update forum page. I have the Site Update forum on my "saved forums" list so I can go directly to that page.

Don't you show the # of pages of your favorite threads on your home page?

Not anymore, my homepage is all screwed up. It was fine this morning but not now.

lisac, I just sent an SOS to Alison on the new thread. I have lost ALL my saved threads...every single one! Years of threads just disappeared.

How's that for a quick way to clean house?

Hope it works.....

I would like to say a few things...
I keep checking back with DG...my threads still don't update and show I have read those. And the few I am following don't say that there is anything new...like this one.

That being said, I joined DG in 2007 and could give a rat's fanny who owned what. Didn't know Dave W...still don't. Why the man never even gave me one of those sought after acorns.

When it sold..I was not "in the know" about the fact that it WAS sold...it was still DG to me.

The site worked fine. I was happy. When in 2015 the site began to have problems..I was patient. When it began to have more problems...I was patient. When lack of response from administration became the NORM with little to no effort to conceal that lack of response ....I lost my patience. It is not personal...just commonsense.
I expect to be able to use this site with little to no aggravation and if my patience / understanding is needed...then show some respect for my patronage. In recent weeks I have read more than one comment here on DG from loyal users who had been asking for answers and getting very annoyed when none forthcoming..no response to inquiries, none to D-mails etc., and who are now saying ."it's Ok if this site is not working...I love it..I am hanging in...I want to be here..I have too much invested." .basically saying I am OK with being ignored and I am going to make the best of it and work around the bugs. Well, that is fine..I respect that. But, that is not for me. Let me assure you that I did not and do not want DG to fail. The folks that have left in DROVES these past few months left in part because they felt disrespected and ignored not because they wanted to see DG fail. No, these folks were not wanting DG to fail...they would not have been active on it and contributing their photos, knowledge and updating their data bases from 2010-2016.. Or any amount of time within that frame. You are giving then waaaay too much credit for sustained vitriol and mal-intent.

The Mutiny thread at ATP or Garden.org...well, that was initiated when the exodus began...there is a RARE comment about DG on that thread..it has undergone the same ebb and flow most threads do..talking about life..pets..health..flowers..moles.. voles...and the usual. Just everyday chatter and an occasional update about whether or not things have been fixed here at DG...after all many still have PAID subscriptions that are active and friends that they miss and time and data and photos and journals invested. So consider me one of the folks that "show up occasionally" to " complain " but not bash. Also consider me as someone who is not in denial and not willing to settle or be treated poorly. I am not guilty of not being able to "move on" --on the contrary... I am not posting here all the time about receiving less service..encountering more bugs and failures and being ignored is "A-OK with me and I like it " .. IB has problems with many of its business lines...IT problems just like this...it has a HISTORY. This is not the first site it purchased and messed up. To suggest that Dave W. knew the DG garden site IT was obsolete and sold out SIX years ahead of time...to say that IB did not have the resources and wherewithal to kick the tires prior to the purchase of DG and figure that out ..is ludicrous. To suggest that someone who builds a business and then sells it for profit as its worth increases is doing anything other than what most savvy business men and women would do is nuts. And so..if any one of you are "happy with all the quirks, bugs and lack of interaction here..." Kudos...I too am happy for you. I sure hope you recover all your now lost "saved threads" ...every single one of them.

This message was edited May 3, 2016 6:37 PM

Well said, rosie. I tried to explain to people here about IB's history. Some preferred to make like the proverbial ostrich. I can't bring myself to do that.

Is the ruining of this site the end of the world? Of course not! But.... I found DG a few years after getting into the horticulture industry. I found it an invaluable resource (especially the Plant Files), in my learning for my new endeavor. I lurked in the Plant ID forum, and would occasionally answer, when I knew (or, thought I knew) the correct answer. Sometimes I got it, sometimes not. I spent literally years helping people here in the Computer Talk forum. Computers have been a hobby of mine since long before there was The Internet. I never got into the social groups. It just wasn't my thing, but I get those that like that sort of thing, and I both appreciate and respect that they have the ability and place to do so.

To watch what has become of this site has left me angered and heart-broken at the same time. I no longer use the Plant Files. Its search feature has been rendered practically useless. I don't expect those that use this site for social reasons to understand my anger. For them, it's just a way to pass the time. For me, it was a tool I used every day in my work. A tool that is now broken beyond repair, and leaving me searching for a replacement. I have a library of books, but I'm much faster on a keyboard.

There were many times that I would look back on posts I had made, or threads I had replied in, for answers I may have forgotten. Even those are gone now. My sub is up in less than 10 days, and I have absolutely no intention of renewing it. In my eyes, it's a complete waste of my hard-earned cash. To those who choose to stay, I wish nothing but the best. And, like rosie I hope you get your stuff back.

Do I wish for this site to fail? No. But it's too late. It already has...

Well said, rosie. I tried to explain to people here about IB's history. Some preferred to make like the proverbial ostrich. I can't bring myself to do that.

Is the ruining of this site the end of the world? Of course not! But.... I found DG a few years after getting into the horticulture industry. I found it an invaluable resource (especially the Plant Files), in my learning for my new endeavor. I lurked in the Plant ID forum, and would occasionally answer, when I knew (or, thought I knew) the correct answer. Sometimes I got it, sometimes not. I spent literally years helping people here in the Computer Talk forum. Computers have been a hobby of mine since long before there was The Internet. I never got into the social groups. It just wasn't my thing, but I get those that like that sort of thing, and I both appreciate and respect that they have the ability and place to do so.

To watch what has become of this site has left me angered and heart-broken at the same time. I no longer use the Plant Files. Its search feature has been rendered practically useless. I don't expect those that use this site for social reasons to understand my anger. For them, it's just a way to pass the time. For me, it was a tool I used every day in my work. A tool that is now broken beyond repair, and leaving me searching for a replacement. I have a library of books, but I'm much faster on a keyboard.

There were many times that I would look back on posts I had made, or threads I had replied in, for answers I may have forgotten. Even those are gone now. My sub is up in less than 10 days, and I have absolutely no intention of renewing it. In my eyes, it's a complete waste of my hard-earned cash. To those who choose to stay, I wish nothing but the best. And, like rosie I hope you get your stuff back.

Do I wish for this site to fail? No. But it's too late. It already has...

I guess I should thank you guys. I'm flattered with all the sudden attention. :o)

I can't help but find it humorous, because I wrote a post that mentioned NO names nor was I "complaining" or "sniping", rather, just stating my "opinion" - just some general observations about DG, my feelings about DG and things I noticed going on. Why several of you jumped on that and took it as a personal attack against you is beyond me.

My comment about "Mutiny at Dave's Garden" was just another "observation", mostly because it surprised me. I only went to the website after several people suggested I check it out. Missingrosie's comment that it's actually like most threads talking about "life..pets..health..flowers..moles..voles...and the usual" is exactly why I personally don't care for ATP (or whatever it's now called). Their threads don't seem to stay "on topic", but rather, turn into chit chat threads.

If you enjoy forums like "Parking Lot" or other chit chat forums that's great. No one is putting you down for it. I personally don't enjoy chit chat threads. I prefer threads that stick mostly to the topic they were started for...Growing Tomatoes, Butterflies, Birds, etc., which is one of the things I love about DG. Just two different opinions. Neither one is wrong, just different.

It wouldn't hurt you guys to chill...at least a little. You're obviously angry at DG. Please aim your anger in the right direction instead of lashing out at the wrong people for all the wrong reasons.

Nobody's lashing out at you. You brought up the "Mutiny" thread. You brought up the people who returned to comment on this thread. You said they "refuse to move on." You may as well have called us out by name. If that is not obvious now then I invite you to re-read your original remarks. I honestly have zero interest in you or your opinion. Just trying to provide you with a place where you can continue picking on people and communities without having to listen to people like me point out your hypocrisy. See how that works? Reaching out to help out. Keep on keeping on, wherever that may be.

Wow. And I thought cactus had thicker skins...

One of the "great" things about previous owners is that they would have invoked a cease-and-desist order, or ousted the offenders.

I think some heavy duty emoticons are due about now, or you better go back to your rooms...

Cease and desist what? Telling the truth? A little too close to home maybe? No thanks, I prefer not to go to my room. Don't appreciate the attitude you have. Who made you the mommy/daddy here? Is that not just a little too obviously dismissive?

The problem here is straightforward, relating to the forum updates. I said my peace on that. I only showed up afterwards to defend myself. Maybe quit the personal attacks, and then we can avoid all the unpleasant interactions that follow? Or follow my advice and take me on where I cannot defend myself. Thank you very much. I appreciate your candor.

My problem here is not with you, it is with the management. It was never with you.

This message was edited May 3, 2016 6:16 PM

Haha...Viburnum...love it. Good comment. :o)

But seriously...there are some people around here with serious anger issues. It's hard to say anything without some people taking it wrong. Such a waste of time.

Never too late to learn, on that last part.