LFGSS and Microcosm shutting down 16th March 2025 (the day before the Online Safety Act is enforced)

I guess I'm not old enough to have heard that phrase. I am old enough to have used newsgroups though.

Domain bought.

You're already part of at least one community

The "I'm old and grumpy so fuck all this shit" community?

There's a website for that?

Used to called LFGSS

Loads of Fucking Grumpy Shit Stirrers

Perfect

Great! Now someone needs to start LFGSS.COM

Nailed it!

This might have been asked already, sorry if so, but is there a way to download our stuff, I.e. posts/private messages ? This is for @Velocio

Also it seems there is. Discord channel already?

This might have been asked already, sorry if so, but is there a way to download our stuff, I.e. posts/private messages ?

Unless someone builds it, there is not.

There are APIs https://lfgss.microcosm.app/api/v1 and they merely require your access_token from your Cookie to be added as a query string ?access_token= for it to have your permissions.

Undocumented but present is https://lfgss.microcosm.app/api/v1/huddles which are the DMs and which comments belong to them.

But I have build no exporter, and do not intend to export or preserve anything... the only preservation is via Archive Team which will put publicly accessible content into the Wayback Machine.

Discord channel already?

Linked from the Discord thread in the End is Nigh forum.

Again i'm sure this has been asked a hundred times, but is microcosm "universal" enough to be copied to another host ?
By that i mean, is your code compatible you think with other forum hosting platforms ?
I think one of the strongest points of this platform is the simple and modern design compared to many forums which are still running like a early 2000s windows skin flr some reason.

My idea, at least something i would hope to be possible would be to use another host for forums not in the UK (hello pignolefixe) and that we transfer the microcosm coding to use as a custom skin (some hosts do allow some modification).

It may be a lot of work, I'm not a dev so no idea, but I'm looking into how to keep PF alive.

Imagine how much extra time I will have...

You're going to win every award Audax UK have aren't you...

Or just go to the pub a bit more?

By that i mean, is your code compatible you think with other forum hosting platforms ?

Before I built this platform I attempted to modify the skins / themes of existing software to look like this. It did not work... those platforms are not capable of doing this... the experience goes too deep.

Instead I built an experience that combined old Twitter, a little Reddit, a bit of vBulletin, kept high familiarity with forum software, and then simplified simplified simplified (with a lot of help from Big Daddy Wayne to keep it simple).

This frontend, this UI, this experience... it's not compatible with any other software, it's inherently coupled to this platform and backend.

I’m so sorry to read this thread. As loads of others have said, it’s part of my daily routine to look at LFGSS even if I don’t post so very often. I ran and moderated groups in a previous job and it can be a thankless task moderating people.

I also didn’t know that @Velocio had written the software on which the forum runs… it’s so beautiful and elegantly simple, also used by ICC and I read that the shutdown will affect that forum too… this is all very sad. As a user of BikeRadar and Cycling UKforums, the Microcosm experience is so much better and so user friendly.

If no solution is found, and it doesn’t look likely, then all the best to everyone and I guess we’ll meet in some other place on the other side. Having just migrated from Xitter to Mastodon and Bluesky it’s helpful to keep the same handle - but maybe it’s also an opportunity to reinvent yourself. Anyway, what a shame. I’ve loved it here.

One of my favourite locals had their last day yesterday so even the pubs are trying to tell me something...

To use your newfound spare time to open your own pub

If no solution is found, and it doesn’t look likely

Not completely unlikely
There's work going on behind the scenes exploring options. We'll update here once a few ducks line up.

I might be able to open it, but it wouldn't last long, what with the landlord drinking any profits.

I'm just putting this out there but I would be willing to subscribe to LFGSS if that would help the situation. Just pondering the availability of some form of insurance to protect the boss.

You know it would be fun while it lasted.

Shit, this forum is one of only 5 bookmarks in my browser! I’ve grown into a fixieskidder, lived a fixieskidder and grown out of a fixieskidder during my time here. And although I’m not much into bikes and cycling anymore, I still love to hang around for the shits and giggles.

It's been incredibly fun and very inspiring at times to hang around and read about people's stories. And while I'm still in denial and confident that this forum will make it, I would like to use this chance while I can to thank you @Velocio. For not only providing a platform where (un)likeminded people can come together but also fostering this incredible and inclusive community, that make it so much fun.

Also the UX/UI of this forum is top notch. Literally never have I seen a leaner and more intuitive forum. Like what the fuck, why are all other forums so shit??

echoing the previous post, it's been 15 years of great fun and I'm very, very sad to see LFGSS fall victim to bullshit laws made by people with no understanding at all of what kind of place the internet can and should be. Thank you for making this place the best @Velocio (though I'm still hoping for a solution, this feels so unjustified).