A thing about smileys

[Smacktard]

You see that right there? That is soul.

I first joined the GW forums when I was around 12 (no COPPA ban pls), and like most people that join around that age and stick around for awhile (I assume), my opinion of GW smileys evolved along the following track:
COOL! ----> lame.

Now with the explosion of emojis, which are soft, uniform, and ubiquitous, the GW smileys have once-again reclaimed their crown of cool. And not just ironically cool (though a bit of that, too). They're historically cool. They're unique. They're attitude in an era where conversation is being white-washed with corporate sameness and inoffensiveness.

Anyway, here's to GW emojis. I never realized how much I missed them until I finally saw them again.

PS: same goes for bloated kino-cringe 2000s-era signatures. Get yours today!

 

[Mark]

Maaan… smilies used to be such a big deal whenever GW would add a new one, and then on the spin-off forums we ALWAYS went over the top with adding as many as members would request to counter that. There used to be, and still probably are, entire websites dedicated to hosting and preserving those smilies.

 

[Smacktard]

I think the infrequency with which they were added was part of the appeal. There seemed to be no rhyme or reason for which ones were added, or when they were added, and that only added to their mystique.

 

[Mark]

I think the infrequency with which they were added was part of the appeal. There seemed to be no rhyme or reason for which ones were added, or when they were added, and that only added to their mystique.

Well, before my time they were treated as resource-draining commodities that GW simply could not justify the expense of however many kilobytes each one cost. It wasn’t until we finally got a handle on the server that Al was cool allowing more to be added.

 

[Smacktard]

Well, before my time they were treated as resource-draining commodities that GW simply could not justify the expense of however many kilobytes each one cost. It wasn’t until we finally got a handle on the server that Al was cool allowing more to be added.

I'm happy I posted this nonsense thread if only just to learn this little tidbit. I never would've imagined this was actually an issue.

 

[Mark]

I'm happy I posted this nonsense thread if only just to learn this little tidbit. I never would've imagined this was actually an issue.

Oh yeah, it was a whole thing, dude. Back in the day, we weren’t allowed image tags, images in sigs, or anything down those lines. Smilies were limited to 10 per post, and only certain gif smilies that only had a few frames were allowed ( for example).

All the old old heads with 2000-2002 registration dates can tell you all about how the server used to be. Those Wolf games would have NEVER worked on that server… there was a 60 second flood control that prevented you from posting more than once a minute, and on top of that… during peak times, you likely would have had to reload the page a dozen times or so to secure your position in the server’s queue among the thousands of others trying to do the same damn thing.

It wasn’t until 4-5 server upgrades and the addition of the Recycle Bin with regular pruning that we began to see a significant improvement in the server’s performance back in that day.

 

[Smacktard]

Back in the day, we weren’t allowed image tags, images in sigs, or anything down those lines. Smilies were limited to 10 per post

THIS I remember, and the 60 second flood control, too. I'm pretty sure I registered my original account (Bargaingree-d) in 2002/2003, but I know I was posting (infrequently) even before that, around 2000/2001. I always thought the smilie/post limit was just to cut down on spam and ugly visual overload.

 

[Kat]

there was a 60 second flood control that prevented you from posting more than once a minute, and on top of that… during peak times, you likely would have had to reload the page a dozen times or so to secure your position in the server’s queue among the thousands of others trying to do the same damn thing.

Oh god memories of those messages just came flooding back. The server is too busy! You're posting too fast! It's a minor miracle I didn't wear out my F5 key.

 

[TD]

You're posting too fast was the bane of my existence.

 

[shortkut]

Talk about the busy server message is giving me ptsd

 

[TD]

I actually was getting a similar message here last night when I was posting for Mafia. Never had it before or since.

 

[Crystal]

I'm absolutely obsessed with smilies, my own site has hundreds because I'm an idiot, lol. It still brings a headache thinking about the old server errors and the fact GW moved from a flat file system like UBB to a db-driven vB installation and couldn't optimize enough to let smilies live without being a drain. But thinking back you forget just how expensive servers were, and still are if you run your own. So, thanks, Al, for all those years of letting us leech

 

[Crystal]

I actually was getting a similar message here last night when I was posting for Mafia. Never had it before or since.

What message was that?

 

[TD]

What message was that?

I should've taken a screenshot. It was something to the effect of "Sorry! There was a problem with your post!". But it actually posted it, it stayed in the reply box like it was never posted. It seemed to correct itself after like 20 minutes.

 

[Mark]

THIS I remember, and the 60 second flood control, too. I'm pretty sure I registered my original account (Bargaingree-d) in 2002/2003, but I know I was posting (infrequently) even before that, around 2000/2001. I always thought the smilie/post limit was just to cut down on spam and ugly visual overload.

Yeah, Al even went as far as to strip out the “New Thread” and “Reply” jpegs to reduce server load. There wasn’t a single corner that wasn’t cut on his version of vBulletin compared to the out-of-the-box version. Every single limit put into place was centered around reducing server load back then… because we were averaging 10k during the week and as much as 20-25k posts during a Friday or Saturday with an average of 500-750 active users during the week and upwards of 1,000-1,250 active users during the weekend. Keep in mind, these figures are from 2002-2003 in the midst of all of the server issues, so they would have been higher without the load issues and flood control.

Oh god memories of those messages just came flooding back. The server is too busy! You're posting too fast! It's a minor miracle I didn't wear out my F5 key.

It was my absolute favorite part of being promoted to smod at the peak of the server issues… we weren’t subjected to flood control after a while. I can’t remember if it was always like that, or if we talked Al into allowing us to avoid it as well knowing it was an option from the spin-off forums.

Talk about the busy server message is giving me ptsd

We CAN put you on discouraged status and give you a taste of it for old time’s sake if you’re feeling nostalgic.

What message was that?

Probably tied to the shit mentioned in the admin chat last night judging by:

I should've taken a screenshot. It was something to the effect of "Sorry! There was a problem with your post!". But it actually posted it, it stayed in the reply box like it was never posted. It seemed to correct itself after like 20 minutes.

 

[shortkut]

I should've taken a screenshot. It was something to the effect of "Sorry! There was a problem with your post!". But it actually posted it, it stayed in the reply box like it was never posted. It seemed to correct itself after like 20 minutes.

I got that a few times yesterday too

 

[Mark]

I got that a few times yesterday too

Did it look like this?

 

[TD]

That looks like it. I didn't expand for the code. I'm on mobile app too.

 

[Crystal]

Yep, that one, I forgot about that...getting dumber with age, I swear

 

[shortkut]

That looks like it. I didn't expand for the code. I'm on mobile app too.

Yeah

 

[Kat]

I got distracted reliving the trauma of the old server messages. I totally agree about the smilies. I like using the old ones. They give me a warm, fuzzy feeling every time for reasons I can't quite describe.

 

[Crystal]

Kinda' missing the Bob posts...

 

[shortkut]

I still think if this smilie as raising its arms, not link ears, so it’s even happier than

 

[Kat]

I still think if this smilie as raising its arms, not link ears, so it’s even happier than

It never even occurred to me those were ears before, even though it seems obvious now that you pointed it out.

 

[Crystal]

I still think if this smilie as raising its arms, not link ears, so it’s even happier than

I like that approach

 

[Marlfox]

Some of my favourites. There's just nothing quite like them any more.

 

[Crystal]

So much better than emojis

 

[Mark]

It never even occurred to me those were ears before, even though it seems obvious now that you pointed it out.

Pretty sure the code was even “link” back then.

 

[VashTheStampede]

Pretty sure the code was even “link” back then.

It was. I used it all the time.

I still do. But I used to too.

 

[canadaguy]

I should've taken a screenshot. It was something to the effect of "Sorry! There was a problem with your post!". But it actually posted it, it stayed in the reply box like it was never posted. It seemed to correct itself after like 20 minutes.

Yeah I was having that too. Ended up double posting like 2 or 3 times. And yeah it cleared up after a bit like you said

 

[canadaguy]

It was. I used it all the time.

I still do. But I used to too.

 

[Smacktard]

It was. I used it all the time.

I still do. But I used to too.

Yeah, it's the smiley I associate with you, even after all these years

 

[Kat]

Pretty sure the code was even “link” back then.

Yeah, I know it's Link, but I always interpreted it as arms being raised anyway without ever thinking about it.

 

[Tubby23]

I always thought it was a goblin with a hat....

 

[Crystal]

I always thought it was a goblin with a hat....

Goblin, you say?!