BAD NEWS

[mklotz]

Just went to use.com where my photos are currently hosted and got this message...

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Use.com is no longer accepting uploads.

The site will be closing effective September 20th, 2019

We will continue to serve images until September 4th, 2019

Registered members will be able to request a download of ALL their currently hosted images and videos through September 15th, 2019. Click for details

Your profile page will be available until September 20th, 2019 or the expiration date of your processed archive download, whichever is latest.

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Deja Vu all over again; first Photobucket, now this.

[Jon]

That is bad news, but we've been preparing for it since the photobucket debacle, by regularly caching externally-hosted images that people post on this forum. Anyone can access cached versions of their externally-hosted images, like this:

https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/forumcache/36703-3.jpg

The long number is their postid, followed by a hyphen, followed by a number indicating the order of the image in their post. Here's an example of a cached image from post 36703, of the third image from that post:

https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/forumcache/36703-3.jpg

So, for example, for your recent 0.22 pellet dispenser post, we've cached the two use.com images you posted here:

https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/f...e/140047-1.jpg

https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/f...e/140047-2.jpg

We have 507 use.com images cached. If you like, I can just write a quick script to find-and-replace the use.com image references in your posts with our cached image references.

I have a huge cache of YouTube videos that people posted too, per your original suggestion about this.

Attached is a csv file containing matchups of use.com images and our cached versions.

[mklotz]

After the shock wore off last night I remembered that you were caching images in case this happened again. All I can say is a huge THANK YOU for your foresight in doing that and the effort to do it.

"We have 507 use.com images cached. If you like, I can just write a quick script to find-and-replace the use.com image references in your posts with our cached image references."

Perhaps the best thing is to let things stew for a while. It's unlikely but conceivable that they may reconsider or the images are picked up by another server. In the all too likely event that something like that doesn't happen, then I will ask you to write the script.

This is very important to me. Many of my tools shown here on HMT are not documented anywhere else and the photos are essential to the documentation.

Had use.com asked for a sensible amount of money (unlike photobucket) for their services, I would have paid it. Ultimately, all free services are going to disappear from the web; paying non-extortionate service fees at least suggests that the service will stay around for a while.

The suddenness of use.com's shut down, along with the absence of any explanation or appeal for payment, is puzzling. What could have precipitated such a quick and drastic action?

[Frank S]

I have forever used external hard drives as a means of back up. The problem with them is like a drive in the computer is eventually something happens to them.
Right now I have 4 that have had something happen to them Sd cards also have their problems USB thumb drives the same thing. CDs are obsolete and don't hold much data DVDs were a little better but newer programs won't fit on a DVD. Do they came up with a duel layerDVD holds 8.5 gb and a 2 sided use can get up to 17 gb.
My DVDRW is not capable of 2 sided writing.
I just found some 25 GB layered DVDs and 2 sided ones go to 50 gb. I'm hoping my DVDRW can write to the 25 gb single sided because I just ordered a pack of 50
Really thinking about converting my computer to a digital solid state hard drive as well

[Crusty]

You'll be astonished at how much an SSD speeds up your computer Frank.

[Frank S]

You'll be astonished at how much an SSD speeds up your computer Frank.

Yeah I know I really don't classify it as a computer though because it is a laptop. albeit when it was new it was top shelf. I7 core 8 processors 2.8MHZ 16gb DRR3 more of a workstation than a simple high end gaming device and by today's standards it still holds its own against many on the market but now where near what my desktops were I am wanting to assemble a new desktop one day with I9 core quad 8 processors 125 gb ram 5.0 MHZ workstation but the mother board is going to cost around 2 grand or more Don't have that kind of spare change and not even sure I could ever justify assembling such a monstrosity being retired and unwilling to rejoin society

[Crusty]

That's better than my old "entertainment laptop" (which I'm still using) that I bought to prototype Citrix installations on VMs. I could run up to 8 VM servers on it simultaneously (slow but it proved the concept). I added a real keyboard, mouse and monitor so that I could use it without a lot of effort. I like laptops because they have a built in UPS and bad things don't happen if the power goes out.

I once went to a meeting of the Curmudgeon Society but no one else showed up.

[Jon]

Just an update on switching over these images. The script is ready to go, and I tested it out on our dev server. Keep in mind that we only cache the exact image posted on the forum. Most of your use.com images are 600x450, which we've cached. They usually link to a slightly larger version stored at use.com, usually around 800x600, which we have NOT cached. So, the script removes the link around the images, as well as the accompanying "Click to enlarge image" text.

The only issues I found were with these three posts, which look like they had the use.com images removed previously:

Pot chuck
Wobbler Steam or Air Engine
Wobbler Steam or Air Engine

[mklotz]

Just an update on switching over these images. The script is ready to go, and I tested it out on our dev server. Keep in mind that we only cache the exact image posted on the forum. Most of your use.com images are 600x450, which we've cached. They usually link to a slightly larger version stored at use.com, usually around 800x600, which we have NOT cached. So, the script removes the link around the images, as well as the accompanying "Click to enlarge image" text.

The only issues I found were with these three posts, which look like they had the use.com images removed previously:

Pot chuck
Wobbler Steam or Air Engine
Wobbler Steam or Air Engine

Downsizing the images will be just fine. Anyone who wants more detail can contact me directly and I will supply copies of the originals in their full size, usually a few megabytes.

I did some consolidation of the photos of my engines and forgot about the three posts you tagged. I've gone back to each of the three and inserted the new, correct url to reach the intended photo.

Thanks again for all your support on this.

[Jon]

OK, those three look good now. Let me know when you're ready for me to switch the images over.