Fact:
brain.hastypastry.net won't work for all browsers. You must have javascript turned on for the link on that page to work as it is routed via google analytics.

So, if you use a browser that has javascript turned off, you won't get anywhere using the link on the main page. If you are anywhere where google analytics may be inaccessible you won't be able to use that link either.

In any case, the link on the main page goes to http://brain.hastypastry.net/forums which, for some at least, is a not really existing page somewhere in limbo. http://brain.hastypastry.net/forum/ (note the missing "s") gets you to a existing page with yet another msg from JL from July 20.

Assumption:
google analytics may route you to different locations depending on certain parameters (geographical location comes to mind)...otoh, if you use a so-called proxy server you may end up in a different location again as the proxy server may lag behind (imagine a proxy server as an immense temporary repository being stored at your providers place for pages that are called up). There are other reasons why the effect we are seeing can happen but, especially if the page(s) with the admin messages are moved around
servers/places/machines, these 2 are 2 of the most probable reasons.

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I tend to agree with Mama Bear. There is no obligation, except moral, for JL to rebuild the forums. And JL is actually doing exactly what he did before. He put up 1 msg to explain what happened and then there was silence. Have a look at some of the stuff that is still there from earlier crashes. He put up 1 msg then silence until he could report it is all fixed now and only a matter of a little more time until everything is up and running. The only difference to those times is that this time it is taking months instead of weeks.

This crash did happen at a very bad time as far as hardware replacement is concerned. Apple Computer is phasing out the type of machine that the forums were running on, replacing it with a new one. For the ones who keep track of these things, Apple is switching the G4/G5 xserves to Intel. Right now, it isn't possible anymore to order an old one and the new ones aren't ready for ordering yet (talking from my POV here in Europe).
This isn't meant to make excuses for JL as the situation was quite different in July when the crash happened but I am also not going to attack him as he he may just have put his paying job/other things that are none of our business first.

Whatever the reason...it may sound hard but one lesson to be learnt is that 1 single forum should not be a life line and one shouldn't rely on one forum to be around forever. Another lesson to be learnt is that people who run forums are just human beings...with strengths and weaknesses. JL was put on a pedestal by many and he has now been changed from a saint into a devil. He is neither, he is just another human being.

cheers
eve