The Enid Blyton Society

I can see why Tony changed the title of this thread, as it has degenerated into slapstick humour.

To rein in the laughter, the real alarm bell to me is the fact that Tony's computer with the XP OS could mark the end of the Journal as we know it. Tony and I have spoken about this many times and I know that the majority of his programs aren't compatible with W7, 8 and 10. The membership database is also on a defunct program. It would seem to me that an IT expert is needed to sort this out, although where one could find one, and how much he would charge could well make this prohibitive.

Moonraker wrote:I can see why Tony changed the title of this thread, as it has degenerated into slapstick humour.

Isn't slapstick humour usually visual?

I must say I find it annoying that the more modern Windows versions are so dumbed-down and seem to be mainly aimed at playing games and using Social Media.

Rob Houghton wrote:

Moonraker wrote:I can see why Tony changed the title of this thread, as it has degenerated into slapstick humour.

Isn't slapstick humour usually visual?

Don't encourage Courtenay to seek out YouTube videos, Rob.

I also have some software that requires Windows XP, and I am using so-called virtual machines to use them. Windows 7 used to have an XP-mode which run in an Virtual machine called "Virtual PC" until Microsoft stopped the support for Windows XP.
There is free software for Virtual machines available, "Virtual box" by Oracle or VMwarePlayer which allows you to install a complete Windows XP or other Operating systems like Linux on it. You should have some basic knowledge about PCs to use them properly though.

Moonraker wrote:I can see why Tony changed the title of this thread, as it has degenerated into slapstick humour.

To rein in the laughter, the real alarm bell to me is the fact that Tony's computer with the XP OS could mark the end of the Journal as we know it. Tony and I have spoken about this many times and I know that the majority of his programs aren't compatible with W7, 8 and 10. The membership database is also on a defunct program. It would seem to me that an IT expert is needed to sort this out, although where one could find one, and how much he would charge could well make this prohibitive.

I wonder whether wolfgang could/would be able help in this matter? I feel bad about suggesting this ( it is surely up to each individual to consider whether to volunteer) but I can't help feeling that - from his posts-- he actually understands the web site problems associated in this??? With appropriate apologies to wolfgang .

Jack

Losing the journal because of the incompatibility problem is indeed serious as it would effectively mean the end of the society.
Would it make sense to have an IT expert look into it? Perhaps if Tony could obtain a quote for any necessary work we could gauge how many of us would be prepared to help out monetarily. I would certainly pay something towards the bill.

Ah, now this makes sense John. I for one would like to hear the answer to this - hopefully , with several of us the price would not be too severe...

John Pickup wrote:Losing the journal because of the incompatibility problem is indeed serious as it would effectively mean the end of the society.

Woah... for a second I missed the final "the" in that last part and read this as "it would effectively mean the end of society"!! (And it might, in a way, after all... )

I agree, this has to be resolved somehow and I'd be very willing to add a bit extra to my subscription if it helped to cover IT assistance to keep the Journal functioning far into the future. There's got to be a way.

Jack400 wrote:I wonder whether wolfgang could/would be able help in this matter? I feel bad about suggesting this ( it is surely up to each individual to consider whether to volunteer) but I can't help feeling that - from his posts-- he actually understands the web site problems associated in this??? With appropriate apologies to wolfgang .

I know Wolfgang has already looked into a few things on Tony's behalf, e.g. compatibility of files/software, but things are not straightforward as I'm sure you can imagine.

John Pickup wrote:Would it make sense to have an IT expert look into it? Perhaps if Tony could obtain a quote for any necessary work we could gauge how many of us would be prepared to help out monetarily. I would certainly pay something towards the bill.

I would be prepared to make a contribution too, if Tony felt comfortable getting an IT expert to take a look.

Courtenay wrote:

John Pickup wrote:Losing the journal because of the incompatibility problem is indeed serious as it would effectively mean the end of the society.

Woah... for a second I missed the final "the" in that last part and read this as "it would effectively mean the end of society"!! (And it might, in a way, after all... )

True!

I think there is something some of us are forgetting. Many of Tony's programs are not compatible with W10 - probably haven't been since W7. Printing the Journal isn't a matter of copy and pasting, with a bit of typing thrown in. Programs are used to resize and make it possible to appear on the Journal page. Therefore, not only would Tony have to buy a new PC (the easy part), but would also probably have to buy a new scanner and other hardware as well. Of course, buying is relatively easy. Learning how to use it all and operate new programs isn't. I can only speak for myself, but I am of a similar age to Tony and quite honestly I just couldn't face it. I think we have to face reality and, sad that it might be, when Tony's PC/OS finally gives up the ghost, the Society as we know it now will close. We could (maybe) scale down the operation and have a quaterly online news-sheet (although I don't think the majority of the membership would subscribe to this), we will still have the website, of which there is no other like it, and copies of the Journal already produced. Obviously there are solutions, but I think we must show some respect (and I'm not suggesting we don't already!) to Tony, and realise that maybe, just maybe the Society time is nearing its end.

We have been blessed in latter years of receiving a high-quality magazine, for which we are all extremely thankful. We will still have the website and its forums. We will still have ouir memories of wonderful Society Days and the excitement of receiving the new Journal. Depending on our lengthe of subscription, we will still have our old Journals. Sic Transit Gloria.

I guess it is time that I responded to some of the posts above which I have been reading. Let me say first of all, as Anita has just said, Wolfgang has been trying to help over the address problem and I am very grateful for this.

It would be absolutely pointless getting an IT expert in until I bought a new computer with Windows 10 on it. This would just confirm, what I already know anyway, that none of the things that I currently use would work any more. Something that nobody has mentioned above is that there is one thing that an IT expert would not be able to fix - me!

I am not really computer literate at all, and it has taken me many years of trial and error (and error and error!!) even to get to where I am now. I don't have and wouldn't know how to use an iPhone, tablet or even a laptop, and requests I get to send the Journal electronically are totally laughable as I wouldn't even know where to start. I appreciate that when a new editor takes over the Journal, he or she will be able to do a much better job in about a quarter of the time that it currently takes me. I look upon an App as simply being three fifths of a piece of fruit!

I am currently able to look after the Cave of Books and one or two other things on the website as Keith has kindly made it so that an idiot can manage them. Even this has difficulties as the Magazine section was not designed to take illustrations, so I have to load them all into a book and then cut and paste them into the relevant magazine, a rather tedious process.

One final thing to add before I go back to the day job is that there is still no sign of Journal 64 arriving, which now means that it will be next week at the earliest that I send it out. I will add it to the website when I have done so.

When I was writing this I hadn't seen Nigel's post above, so I had better just say that I am certainly not anticipating immediate closure and I have already done one or two things for Journal 65!!

Hope the Journal will at least be able to struggle on until issue number 70!

It really is a problem, and also, from my own point of view, very annoying, that Windows has become so rubbishy since Windows 7. I actually really liked Windows 7 and it was very similar to those that had gone before it - much better than 'Vista' and nearer to 'XP'...but Windows 10 really is a backward step and so many of the old programmes etc are missing - not least a decent video editing suite.

Instead we are forced to use those 'aps' and/or buy extra things that used to be free, in order to get anywhere near to the excellence of XP. We have basically all been conned!

These are very sobering posts. Of course nothing lasts forever but it would be a real shame if the Society as we know it was to collapse. I was about to ask if Keith could not somehow solve the technical issues but having read Tony's most recent post above I guess that is a non starter. Is there no way we could advertise in other fan magazines like the William Society or the Arthur Ransome one? We might pick up some new subscribers that way. It all looks a little bleak at the moment as judging from this thread it seems that The Journal is doomed and it's only a question of whether it dies from lack of subscribers or a computer breakdown.

In any case I agree wholeheartedly with Nigel that it has been a most wonderful time and I feel very fortunate and privileged to have been a part of the EBS whatever the future may hold.

Indeed, Lucky Star. Sadly, in spite of many Facebook posts and loads of "Likes" for everything I put up, this hasn't resulted in any new subscribers. I guess the cultural mentality of social media is to be seen to like and support things without actually doing anything, such as joining the organisation.

Oh, and Tony, I am so pleased that imminent closure isn't currently on the cards!

I appreciate that when a new editor takes over the Journal, he or she will be able to do a much better job in about a quarter of the time that it currently takes me

As if that's going to happen....

Lucky Star wrote:Is there no way we could advertise in other fan magazines like the William Society or the Arthur Ransome one? We might pick up some new subscribers that way.

I too would have thought that might help. However, two or three years ago I was asked to write an article about the Enid Blyton Society for Friars' Chronicle (a magazine for fans of Billy Bunter et al) and, as far as we know, it didn't attract any new subscribers!