A Web Interface for ‘Da List’

[Peter Nyberg]

Back in 2021, I rewrote the website for rhodes22.org.  No-one asked me to do this, but the 20 year old website was showing its age, and I enjoyed the challenge.  There was little in the way of new technology involved, both the old and new websites were mostly static HTML web pages.  When I was done. Mike Weisner, the rhodes22.org webmaster, was gracious enough to install the new web pages, and little has changed since.

Not being willing to let well enough alone though, I kept working.  I wrote web pages and programs that created a web interface for the Rhodes 22 email list (a.k.a. ‘da list’).  This work definitely did involve new technology.  Implementing these changes on rhodes22.org would have required adding support for several new programming languages, and a database management system (DBMS).

Mike said he would look into doing this, but it never happened.  I don’t blame Mike for hesitating.  It would be a lot of work to set up initially, and then the more complicated environment would have to be maintained going forward.

So, for the last three years, I’ve been using this new functionality in my test workspace, and sometimes I’d forget that I’m the only person using this web interface to read and send messages.  Then I got a new bee in my bonnet.

I started a thread a few weeks ago regarding my concern about declining activity on the email list.  The thread didn’t get a lot of traction, but that’s not enough to deter me.  My hypothesis was that being only an email based discussion group may be limiting our appeal.  No one seemed to agree, but then the only people who saw my message were people comfortable using an email list discussion group.

But then it occurred to me that the web interface I’d developed could be deployed anywhere, it didn’t need to be on rhodes22.org.

I found that the domain ‘rhodes22.net' was available, so I bought that  I then found a web hosting plan that had the technologies I needed, and installed the email list web interface there.

My hope is that it will attract people who would not have participated in a community only available via email.  Failing that, perhaps some members will find the web interface to be a useful alternative.

Of course, there’s always the possibility that the whole thing will crash and burn the first time two people try to use it at the same time.  We’ll see.

Anyone who is a member of Rhodes 22 Email List can sign on to rhodes22.net using the same email address as a user id.

Those interested can check out the new web interface at https://www.rhodes22.net

Peter Nyberg
Coventry, CT
s/v Silverheels (1988/2016)

<< Sent From rhodes22.net >>