Who keeps on saying that the slowness of the site is the user fault? I thought it has been clear that what seems to be the main problem is the connection between the user and the site - which because each user / each area connect to the site with a different connection, speed differences will be different for each user.... but yet I keep reading how people keep saying that they were told it was the users fault. Other then checking settings, checking to make sure you don't have spyware - there is little for BK to do other then change server locations.... and little for users to do other then change settings to see what works best for them. [I'm not defending the site or slowness - I have the same slow connection that most others do - but I know it is not my fault - and it's not BK's fault - it is just a product of the internet - how international lines are ran - how computers find their way through all those wires to find the final destination.]

Rose: well put Rose I agree with you 100% was going to post to Jim's message, when I saw it, but figured there is no point, its been worse for me this week too, although I do think for the majority of us at least the people who I play and speak with most are just tired of repeating the same old problem, getting the same old response, and then getting one of the few who it works good for to point us to the all entry where it is all our fault not this site, as for the lighter version I tried it, the improvement was so small so I switched back to what I previously had. Many people that I play say they are just decreasing their games and becoming pawns they are just so fed up with the whole situation.

Rose: hahaha.....actually the "certain people" who are called "troll" and "told to go elsewhere" have their own names for the owner but in general are too polite to say them....The ignorance and arrogance are "par for the course" and are expected from someone who thinks they are far better than the rest. Only time will tell .......

Jim Dandy:Have to agree. Its pointless for anyone to complain though. Why arent all other sites slow? Why only this one? WHY is it our fault? I will never understand that as long as it keeps being repeated. When I first thought it was my machine months ago I replaced just about everything. Then realized it was HERE not ME and I gave up. It isnt just a few people that are going through this. It is a very large number of paying members, most wont speak up openly about it after reading so many negative replies ( who wants to be called a troll by a site owner? I dont!)
 Doesnt matter how many ppl try to explain how slow it is for them or complain it seems it will always be our fault because it works GREAT for some.  (I dont think youll find it working GREAT for a large majority of folks in North America though, maybe in Europe or Czech )
Someone was nice enough to tell me if I didnt like it to leave. My analogy is if you buy a car and it doesnt work right do you leave it by the side of the road? No you ask for it to be fixed.

Summertop Even the lightweight version is loading blank white pages for me now and I have to keep reloading.

coan.net: I'm pretty much spent in regards to discussing the issue,worn out basically,but regardless of my lack of knowledge regarding the finer points of the wonderful world of computers,I just don't buy the theory that the issues originate from the players end.If they did,this wouldn't be a unique issue on the web,and I travel all over the place online

Jim Dandy: That does not sound like a good one to compare the site with. Something like "making the car more streamlined" is what the lightweight version does.

It's the same car (site), but with less drag (data) being driving (sent), it will speed up the car (site) some. It won't fix the issue of the car (site) being underpowered (slow), but should help some.

Jim Dandy: unless when that costs too much

coan.net: A certain player, who shall remain nameless,provided the best assessment I've yet heard regarding the state of the site speed.

"you don't rip all the seats out of a car because it is underpowered, you get one with a bigger engine"

coan.net, Thanks, most of the settings I had already changed for faster performance. I was not using the "Lightweight" version...so far it seems to be better.

Summertop: A few tips which can help (not solve) the slowness.

1. Check out this post of mine: Computers (coan.net, 2007-03-12 20:16:01)

2. In settings, there is now an option called "Use the "lightweight" version of BrainKing (disables many extra features but could speed up loading of pages)"

The above 2 helps some.... that is instead of 20+ seconds per page load, more like 1-5 seconds per page load for me most of the time.

plus if you want more detail, you can take a look at Fencers blog entry about it: http://brainking.info/archives/414-About-the-complexity-part-1.html

Summertop: I play on a webtv so I can lie down while I play games. I get messages such as publisher refuses access to the page. I can usually click continue and get there but sometimes I get a blank white screen instead. There is definitely something wrong here.

OK...I looked for a "Support" forum and didn't find it (maybe Fencer should add one). So, I am posting here. Hope I am not offending anyone.

I have been a paid member of Brainking for a while now and have loved the site. But lately, it is running REALLY slow for me. I have been dealing with it, but was thinking maybe someone could help me out.

1. Pages will sometimes take 35 seconds to load. This makes playing games, tedious.

2. I have cleared every cache I could think of.

3. I have tried multiple browsers. IE and Firefox behaved the same. So I downloaded and installed Opera (has never been on my computer). It behaves the same also.

4. I have tried other websites, and they respond just fine.

5. I have tried from multiple locations (work, home) with the same results.

6. I have tried multiple computers with same result.

So...anyone have any more suggestions? It's like have a little rock in your shoes, no big deal, but DRIVING ME CRAZY!

Fencer: lol, well its half a request then, as part of it is already there, more of a Feature Extension or Add-on (gets more like Firefox everyday lol).

MadMonkey: Then it is a feature request, not a bug. But I am aware of it now.

pauloaguia: So there it is, i could not see it

Though i do not understand Fencers reply:
Status changed to "not a bug".

If it should name both tournaments, the label would say "Open Team Tournaments".

So, why should it NOT name both Tournaments, after all the other one is a Team Tournament for the Random Team as well

MadMonkey: http://brainking.com/pt/ReadBug?bgi=1469

I will post this here, as i posted it as a bug and now its gone

On our main Fellowship page (where Members & Teams are listed), in the Team box, it shows if there is an Open Team Tournament at present, and gives you a clickable link to it.

I would like to know why in the Random Team box there are not 2 links as there are 2 open Tournaments at the moment ?

Fencer: I drank the kool-aid and switched to firefox,the steroid version.It has improved the speed,but it's still not what it was

Jim Dandy: I've just checked your BrainKing account with 3 different browsers and through 2 different internet connections. In all cases, all pages have been loaded in less than 1 second and I have not observed any other issues.
Ergo, whatever the problem is, it is not caused by BrainKing. Q.E.D.

Fencer: I'm a simple guy Fencer,I speak little computer lingo,but logic tells me that the sky is still blue

Jim Dandy: I don't want to repeat that again. That's why the article has been posted. If you want to add a comment, please use this page.

Fencer: The article seems to come from the perspective that nothing has recently changed from your end.How does that explain a large number of players experiencing similar issues at pretty much the same time?

Jim Dandy: The article answers this question.
By the way, "so many people" is a relative notion.

Fencer: Yes,I read it,but my question still stands.
How did the site speed become so crappy all the sudden for so many people?

Jim Dandy: There is a link "when you have connection problems ..." at the board description section and the article is still valid for everyone.

just wondering?

the current bid is 44.6 billion USD

I know if it were you Fencer, you would hold out for at least 50 billion USD before you would sell Brainking!

(but, I could probably talk you into a special black rook or something for a measly 44.6 billion?)

Add Game to a Tournament
Very useful, and been much needed, no more deleting Tournaments if you forget a game

Puckish: yes that is true..

Bernice: The point is, it seems like us non Europeans have the option to get a refund for any VAT that we pay, and we would need some sort of confirmation that we actually paid a VAT to get this refund, I assume?

Puckish: now that is an interesting question...

I havent a new membership, but anyone who has, does the cost reflect a charge plus a separate tax charge?

Bernice:


Me too!

MadMonkey:

MadMonkey: Ponds are waiting too...
Seems like the timed scripts have stopped working.

Is there something up with Team Tournaments ?

Perseus went from Open to waiting at 7.00am today, and is just sat there and now it seems to have skipped Herkules as well

A note about messages

ScarletRose: thats what i mean .. and so does brainking

rod03801: I can feel another holiday coming on ROFLMBO :)

even if the VAT would not appliable to users who can prove to be from another country .. then the site owner can always decide to raise the membership price because of his own VAT increases his costs to keep up the site .. so fencer could also say that he wont take any VAT into account for us users .. but that he has to increase the membership price because his own VAT is making it more costly for himself to maintain the site

(i know i could have worded that in better english ;))

Fencer: it sounded like you were saying the VAT was imposed on you - as if to say - something regarding the costs of running the site required you to pay this VAT and memberships are increasing to reflect compensating your additional expense....

this would be different than a VAT imposed on the user....

am i correct or mistaken....

Bernice: But regardless of all that, I think the main point is that no one here HAS to give a confirmed address. If everyone knew that anyone outside the EU didn't have to pay the extra, everyone could just say they lived in any country outside the EU.

So, even if it was true that Americans (or whoever) don't have to pay the "VAT" tax, there is no way currently to prove that you are or are not American (or whoever)

alanback: I asked the same or similar question on 2 January 2008 on this board,but was ignored.....

My understanding is the same as yours....you do NOT have to pay another countries taxes as imposed by them on their own citizens. As I said in my post then....if we do work for someone in the UK for instance they are not and cannot be charged VAT or GST as it is called in Australia...if it a universal tax then that is a different story.

Fencer:  There's no practical difference in any case, since you are (or believe you are) obligated to collect the tax.  As far as I know there is only one kind of VAT in the EU, since the EU regulates it and requires a great deal of conformity throughout.  I know rates and taxable items differ from country to country (within a specified range), but the basic structure is probably the same everywhere in the EU.

alanback: Nope, I am correct, according to my accountant. It's probably a different kind of VAT than you mean, but I don't know the right English word for that.

pauloaguia:  I think you're correct that the problem is one of establishing the residence of the customer.  My colleague also mentioned that. 

I believe that Fencer is incorrect in stating that the tax is imposed on him; in principle it is imposed on the customer, and the business merely collects it.  Businesses pay VAT on their own purchases.  Presumably Fencer pays VAT on the fees charged to him by the company that hosts the site, for example.  He also pays VAT on purchases of computer parts and supplies, etc.  This input VAT paid is creditable against the obligation to pay over VAT collected from customers.  Hence, the VAT is not (in principle, again) borne by businesses, but ultimately by consumers.

I suppose that customers outside the EU might be able to claim a refund of the VAT they pay, but that would hardly be worth the effort.

Fencer: I type to slow... :P