More PMs?

[BBadger]

Can you please raise the private message inbox limit from its current 100 messages? I know we don't want people having huge numbers of messages using space in the inbox, but it'd be nice to be able to store more than just the 200 messages (inbox + saved messages folder). The messages really aren't that big, especially considering that we can upload image attachments to the forum.

[Martiansky]

^ +1

Please, please?!

Great idea, BBadger!

[theCryptofishist]

I'm constantly having to find ones to get rid of...

[trilobyte]

An individual message is tiny, but the numbers do add up (both for storage space and database performance during peak periods). There are a couple options I'd been exploring a little while back, I'll try and take another look into it when I get the opportunity.

[Elderberry]

Do what I do, just delete them all as soon as you read them. I think I've saved six in all the time I've been online here. And considering what NSA is doing, it's probably even a better idea now.

[BBadger]

I'm one of those record-keeping Nazis who likes to keep those old records forever. Still, I do realize it takes its toll on the database. Avoiding having people use the PM system as their personal mail storage and IM system is also important. Still, it would just be nice to not have to keep going back and clear out old messages when approaching capacity. Given the number of regular messages that get posted per day it would seem that the PMs represent a far less significant chunk of CPU time for the database too.

I wonder if those messages actually get deleted too... you never know if the NSA/PRISM can just dig up data about the sordid love affairs that go on in PMs on this forum even though it doesn't show up on the list. I'd probably PGP everything and use steganographic methods on images and horrific avatars if it were that important.

[lemur]

1000 word messages = about 5000 bytes * 100 * 46854 members = about 22 gigs

50 word messages = about 265 bytes * 100 * 46854 members = about 1.1 gigs

elastic block store storage on amazon web services: about 10 cents per GB month

storage on relational database service on amazon web services: about 12.5 cents per GB month


for messages alone (the 'real' content of the forum takes up much more), presuming every single member has a full message box, with either one hundred 1000 word long messages, or one hundred 50 word long messages we're looking at: anywhere from $2.80 to to $0.11 per month on storage costs for messages alone! (not counting the price of the i/o usage which is 10 cents per 1 million I/O requests)

of course, the usage of the servers themselves costs a bit more....

(if we get performance issues for certain high usuage periods aws is the perfect tool to deal with it.. they even have products designed explicitly to handle that! 'seamlessly' of course, ..someone would need to code all of that up and do the actual work of making that a reality.... but this time of year people are busy doing other things... so, maybe, if anything, we could expect it after the annual staff retreat!

or we could just go into the phpbb settings and change it)

[trilobyte]

Alas, lemur, it's not up to you.

[5280MeV]

Alas, lemur, it's not up to you.

Don't make him take out his approval stamp.

[delle]

I had a situation yesterday where a few messages just went missing.

Then I realized that my "Sent" folder was full. Although I do regular maintenance on my inbox to keep it ready to receive, it never even occurred to me that a full sent box might impede sending. ...and I really don't believe that they were sent.

Now, it is quite possible that in my excitement I messed up and the full sent box was not a factor in these messages never getting past my computer screen. It's happened before. I'm a bit of a klutz that way sometimes. I would like to know if this might have been a factor though (the sent folder thing, not the klutz thing - that latter one is pretty much confirmed already).

I changed my settings within the options to delete last message in case of overstuffing, but wonder if there wouldn't be another option....

Within the choices for how to deal with overflow you have only "delete last" or move to either "Inbox" or "Saved". As "Inbox" and "Saved" are the fullest of them all, would it not be possible to create another option... A new folder (perhaps called "pending") with a much smaller limit (like, say 10 or less) where things could go in case of saturated folders which would give one a bit of leeway to make things right with the world again without losing their information?

[trilobyte]

Sorry, that's not an option.

[delle]

Well drat. Worth a try tho, I guess.

Can you tell me whether the fact that my sent folder was full had anything to do with my messages not being sent out or whether it was user error?

I know I should be way past my quota of user error, but that seems to still work swimmingly.

[trilobyte]

It's conceivable, though not likely. It's mentioned in a few threads on the board that messages don't leave your outbox until the recipient opens it(it's a design quirk of the site software that's been there from the beginning). If you've written to someone who either hasn't checked in for a while or has a full inbox of their own, it could sit in your outbox a while.

[mdmf007]

The ability to simply forward to another email, or auto forward every message like I can with my Gmail would be a solution. I use gmail so much all my accounts go to one folder and I dont bother to even open the others, save once in a while to keep active or to erase everything from them.

[BBadger]

The ability to simply forward to another email, or auto forward every message like I can with my Gmail would be a solution. I use gmail so much all my accounts go to one folder and I dont bother to even open the others, save once in a while to keep active or to erase everything from them.

That's would be providing redundant functionality: the board already allows people to email others via a forum link. The whole purpose of the PM system is to provide a shield that keeps others on the board once-removed from other private communication systems such as email. Therefore, any PM-email forwarding would also need to provide some sort of mechanism to reply to PMs without using email, and that would be kind of a goofy work-around.