The mechanics of merging AskWoody, Windows Secrets Lounge and Windows Secrets Newsletter

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The devs are almost done with the first step in the merger, which is moving the plumbing over to support “AskWoody Plus” — the superstructure that’ll
[See the full post at: The mechanics of merging AskWoody, Windows Secrets Lounge and Windows Secrets Newsletter]

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Lori, SueW, Fred, lurks about, Propje, Morty, abbodi86, AJNorth, Elly, walker

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Woody,

If you need test dummies like you did when you first introduced the lounge here, I am willing to be of assistance a second time!

Fortran, C++, R, Python, Java, Matlab, HTML, CSS, etc.... coding is fun!
A weatherman that can code

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woody

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Hi, I’m willing to be a test dummy as well if it helps.

Rgds, Zeus

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This is all over my head. Let me know when you come out with Merging for Dummies.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Firefox has jettisoned Live Bookmarks. So how to I keep up with AskWoody without and RSS reader? Would you recommend using Livemarks? https://www.ghacks.net/2018/07/30/livemarks-restores-live-bookmarks-support-in-firefox/

The “permissions” caveat gives me the willies. It’s bad enough that Microsoft and Google know more about me than I do.

Any suggestion?

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I use Thunderbird for rss.

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1. In each source, how many fields exist? How many are germane (to be transferred)?
2. In what format are the elements (fields) in these disparate data bases?
– Plain Text, encoded in some way?
– Will programming be needed to extract the fields? Or can a text-dump be supplied?
– In which fields is CaSe to be retained; in which is it irrelevant?
3. What orders of magnitude of users are we dealing with? In each source?
– 100s, Ks, 10Ks, 100Ks, Ms?
4. In what format do the consolidated results need to be supplied?
– Text, or some other (spread sheet, some data base) ?

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woody

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My dev team is going to do the mechanical merge. Customer Support is going to get stuck with ironing out the discrepancies — of which there will be many.

I don’t know the details of the fields just yet….

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Woody,

I’m fairly adept at Access, Excel & Powershell. I’ve done database comparisons before and I’m willing to help. If you can supply the data in any of those formats, or one any of them can read I’ll give it a go.

May the Forces of good computing be with you!

RG

PowerShell & VBA Rule!
Computer Specs

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woody

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Thanks. I’m not sure how this is going to play out…

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What about username conflicts where a person’s usernames are different as between Ask Woody and Windows Secrets? As, of course, may be the email addresses used on the two sites. Will the Ask Woody details apply by default?

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woody

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In general, the AskWoody username and email will apply by default.

I think the general scenario you describe goes like this:

Bring across the Windows Secrets username.

Import the posts from Windows Secrets.

Delete the Windows Secrets username from the AskWoody site, using WordPress’s function to re-assign the deleted username to the AskWoody username.

I think that’ll work.

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Seff, CADesertRat

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Nifty logo!

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woody

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Making this kind of merge will come with some bumps  ( can you say “changing tires while driving the car!?” ) , but I think the group here is patient and supportive! Wishing you and the dev team Happy Holidays.

Win10 Pro x64 22H2, Win10 Home 22H2, Linux Mint + a cat with 'tortitude'.

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woody

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That makes all the difference in the world…

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On a practical note it might be worth setting up a form here for Woody users to enter their user names and email addresses from both sites, which will sort out the initial correlation

Happy to help if I can

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rc primak

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The biggest headache I can see is the duplicated user names used by what appear to be two different users as determined by the email addresses. Are they in fact 2 different people or the same person using different email addresses? Also, are the passwords different?

Many sites strongly recommend using an email address as they very likely to be unique. Though this does raise privacy issues with the EU GPDR.

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woody

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Every mail order company has this problem: three same catalogs to the same mailing address with slightly different mailing names.

On permanent hiatus {with backup and coffee}
offline▸ Win10Pro 2004.19041.572 x64 i3-3220 RAM8GB HDD Firefox83.0b3 WindowsDefender
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online▸ Win11Pro 22H2.22621.1992 x64 i5-9400 RAM16GB HDD Firefox116.0b3 MicrosoftDefender

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woody

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Precisey

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Elly

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I have some AskWoody.com thread URLs in my Favorites/Bookmarks. Will they continue to work after the merge the same as before?

 

Keep Running Windows 7 Safely for Years to Come  
Make Windows 10 look and work like Windows 7

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I’m bbearren at Windows Secrets.  I’ve visited here from time to time, but never registered.  I’ll wait until the merger when I’m brought over.  But it feels quite refreshing to get out from under the blanket that was Penton, where things seemed slowly to be going downhill.

I’m looking forward to the merger, lumps, feathers, warts and all.  When the dust settles, I think it will be a very positive move for both memberships.

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Elly, CADesertRat, satrow

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Maybe this would be a good moment to send emails to users of both sites to announce the merger and ask everyone interested in combining their accounts to verify if they have the same username and email address on both sites.

(If there’s another “Cesar” on the other site, it’s not me. I only have an account here.)

César

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I’m no longer anonymous, I registered last night.

How close are we to the actual merger?  Will there be a URL change for the merged Ask Woody & Windows Secrets Lounge?

Always create a fresh drive image before making system changes/Windows updates; you may need to start over!

We all have our own reasons for doing the things that we do with our systems; we don't need anyone's approval, and we don't all have to do the same things.

We were all once "Average Users".

Computer Specs

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CADesertRat

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I have become ScotchJohn, on both sites.

I look forward to the eventual outcome, which looks as if it will take a prodigious amount of work.

Dell E5570 Latitude, Intel Core i5 6440@2.60 GHz, 8.00 GB - Win 10 Pro

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woody, Elly

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bbearren wrote:

Will there be a URL change for the merged Ask Woody & Windows Secrets Lounge?

You’ll continue to access us at AskWoody.com
Progress is… progressing (sorry!).

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Elly

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The merger is a process. I’m amazed at how much we’ve accomplished in six weeks. But it’ll take more work to bring the whole Windows Secrets Lounge over.

You did the right thing, by the way. The easiest way to handle the two worlds is by signing up here and reserving your username. That way, when we move stuff over, you’re already covered.

(Think of the problems with merging multiple databases with incompatible access methods – most specifically including passwords that can’t be brought across. It’s a tough computer science problem.)

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Elly

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I have not registered and donated, yet, in the new site. I am awaiting a final declaration of victory by Woody’s team. Lest there is some unsuspected bug still lurking there that puts one’s personal info in some kind of jeopardy. Because one never knows. Just saying.

Ex-Windows user (Win. 98, XP, 7); since mid-2017 using also macOS. Presently on Monterey 12.15 & sometimes running also Linux (Mint).

MacBook Pro circa mid-2015, 15" display, with 16GB 1600 GHz DDR3 RAM, 1 TB SSD, a Haswell architecture Intel CPU with 4 Cores and 8 Threads model i7-4870HQ @ 2.50GHz.
Intel Iris Pro GPU with Built-in Bus, VRAM 1.5 GB, Display 2880 x 1800 Retina, 24-Bit color.
macOS Monterey; browsers: Waterfox "Current", Vivaldi and (now and then) Chrome; security apps. Intego AV

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OscarCP wrote:

I have not registered and donated, yet, in the new site.

“New site” is perhaps odd, we’re still here…

To donate and subscribe, your existing user account/registration should be all that’s needed. Click on the link below, when you are logged in, then click on Subscription. If that link says you have no active subscription, it offers you to create one (i.e. donate) in the Shop link it gives you. Follow your nose from there, and that saves any unnecessary administration at our end
https://www.askwoody.com/my-account/

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satrow

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New, improved, expanded, all-electric?

Thanks anyhow.

Ex-Windows user (Win. 98, XP, 7); since mid-2017 using also macOS. Presently on Monterey 12.15 & sometimes running also Linux (Mint).

MacBook Pro circa mid-2015, 15" display, with 16GB 1600 GHz DDR3 RAM, 1 TB SSD, a Haswell architecture Intel CPU with 4 Cores and 8 Threads model i7-4870HQ @ 2.50GHz.
Intel Iris Pro GPU with Built-in Bus, VRAM 1.5 GB, Display 2880 x 1800 Retina, 24-Bit color.
macOS Monterey; browsers: Waterfox "Current", Vivaldi and (now and then) Chrome; security apps. Intego AV

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Actually, the fact that you haven’t noticed much of a difference is due to a tremendous bunch of work being done on the backside. Sort of like thinking how nice a professional ballet dancer moves across the stage, with unawareness of all the work that goes into the performance. I think the Windows Secrets folks will be doing the most adapting. We should all benefit!

No one has to subscribe. Woody has made it as easy as possible for those who wish to do so, and is providing subscriptions to those who donated in 2018, unawares that there would be any additional benefit to doing so. (Awesome!) There are additional benefits available to Plus Members, as well as the good feeling and Plus tag recognition from supporting a site that gives us all so much value.

Be reassured that the basics the site is built on, and the security of your registration/subscription/donation hasn’t changed.

Non-techy Win 10 Pro and Linux Mint experimenter

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woody, OscarCP

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Hi Kirsty,

I’m not sure if you’re the person I should be asking, but here goes.

Using the link you provided, I checked my subscription information and now I’m confused. It shows:

Next Payment Date January 9, 2020
End Date July 28, 2211

Why the next payment date on January 9, 2020, when the End Date is in 2211?

Is it due to the fact that I have/had a lifetime subscription to Windows Secrets?

One more question – because I have an active subscription, does that mean I’m an AskWoody Plus member, or does Plus membership require separate annual payment?

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Yes, your suspicion about Woody honoring the lifetime WSN membership is why there is such an extended end date

The flare on your avatar shows you as an AskWoody Plus member. Naturally, if you wished to donate to the AskWoody running costs, you are more than welcome to make another donation, but this isn’t required for your subscription.

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woody, Elly

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Thanks Kirsty; all good.

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It’s confusing because we’re trying to merge two completely different systems.

We’re ironing out the details, but I can tell you unequivocally that your Plus Membership expires in 2211. (I just looked it up.)

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Thanks Woody; all clear now.

I’m sure I won’t live that long, but at least I’m covered for the rest of my life. Don’t have to rely on my ageing memory to remember to pay an annual subscription.

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That link doesn’t work as well as it should. We’re working on something new.

People can always donate by clicking on the Plus Membership link on the right of this page.

Remember, this is all set up on a donation model. We aren’t charging $59 or $99 for a one-year subscription. Instead, you can choose (or write in) whatever amount you feel is appropriate. It’s kind of a throwback to the earlier days of computing, before big money sucked up everything. Not that I have anything against big money, but…

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CADesertRat, Elly, Kirsty

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Hey Woody, this is probably going to sound like an odd question, but since you said the subscription is set up based on a donation model and you aren’t charging $59 or $99 for a one year subscription; what would be a suggested donation? Say everyone subscribed to the Woody’s Plus, what would a subscription go for?

Like I said, this was an odd question, but not being a person who normally subscribes to online content it would be nice to know what a recommended donation would run, just to keep the lights on here.

Windows 10 Pro x64 v1909, Windows 7 Home Premium x64, Windows Vista Home Premium x64

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Just a tiny suggestion, perhaps cloud-source the transition: any active members will surely be willing to change user names or passwords on either or both sites for the transition. Not so active users likely have an email address attainable via the Penton database.
Less heavy lifting for the team, any remaining discrepancies can be ironed out as they are noted.

Or I may just be blithering…

Just because you don't know where you are going doesn't mean any road will get you there.

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