X10 Community Forum

💬General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: dhouston on September 21, 2015, 03:52:12 PM

Title: Scheduled Webpage Shutdown
Post by: dhouston on September 21, 2015, 03:52:12 PM
My health has continued to deteriorate and things have reached the point that almost any movement of my arms and/or upper body aggravate my spinal cord, resulting in severe cramps, spasms, pain, etc. Consequently, I will not be renewing my website hosting agreement for davehouston.org/davehouston.net when it expires on 10/21/15. If there are any files there you would like to copy, you need to do so before that date when they will disappear into the ether.

As noted in another thread, I have a CM15A with datecode 13F24 that is a redesign with far more extensive use of SMD components than the only known (to me, at least) earlier through-hole version. I will try to post pictures of the PCB in the next day or so, if my spinal cord allows.

I have no idea whether current shipments utilize this newer SMD design or the older through-hole design. In any event, it's a shame that the SMD version did not replace the Cypress MCU with the Atmel ATmega328P (+USB/Serial chip). It would cost less and allow Arduino acolytes to create programs and apps for it, guaranteeing survival of the X10 brand.
Title: Re: Scheduled Webpage Shutdown
Post by: HA Dave on September 21, 2015, 09:11:27 PM
........ I will not be renewing my website hosting agreement for davehouston.org/davehouston.net when it expires on 10/21/15. If there are any files there you would like to copy, you need to do so before that date when they will disappear into the ether.

Sorry to read about your health Dave. But your on-line Web Pages will live forever. Some years ago the wayback project began creating "copies" of the entire Internet. Very little is ever lost.

http://web.archive.org/web/20150801070913/http://davehouston.org/ (http://web.archive.org/web/20150801070913/http://davehouston.org/)
Title: Re: Scheduled Webpage Shutdown
Post by: Brian H on September 22, 2015, 06:22:14 AM
I am sorry the read about your health situation.
Your contributions to the Automation community are great and have assisted so many people.
 
Title: Re: Scheduled Webpage Shutdown
Post by: toasterking on September 23, 2015, 11:45:04 PM
I'm very sorry to hear about your health problems, Dave. I appreciate all the work you do for the community despite your challenges and have always enjoyed learning from your posts and the pages on your Web site. I hope that you do not have to give up on this hobby but you should certainly put your own needs first.
Title: Re: Scheduled Webpage Shutdown
Post by: dave w on September 24, 2015, 05:39:12 PM
Yes Dave, take of yourself. You don't want to end up in some extended care facility unless you have to.
Title: Re: Scheduled Webpage Shutdown
Post by: Brian H on December 18, 2015, 04:16:05 PM
The site is now gone.
My bookmarked link now goes to a front page of Host Monster.
We have lost a great source of all types of automation information.
Title: Re: Scheduled Webpage Shutdown
Post by: toasterking on December 18, 2015, 07:28:48 PM
I downloaded a copy of the entire site in case I/we ever need it, but as long as the web.archive.org link that HA Dave posted above still works, we won't!  The main caveat there is that the web.archive.org copy does not show up in search engine results (at least not highly ranked) as Dave Houston's authentic site did.
Title: Re: Scheduled Webpage Shutdown
Post by: Brian H on December 18, 2015, 07:44:43 PM
I am glad the whole site was archived including the diagrams.
I have see some archives only getting the text and not the photos.
Title: Re: Scheduled Webpage Shutdown
Post by: bkenobi on December 28, 2015, 01:33:25 PM
Sorry to hear your health is getting in the way of your hobbies.

I don't generally watch this forum so did not see the page would go offline. If anyone who backed up the site could make a download available, I'd love to grab a copy!
Title: Re: Scheduled Webpage Shutdown
Post by: toasterking on December 28, 2015, 08:35:52 PM
I have the files, but Dave Houston was very specific with his copyright regarding reproduction of the content.  With respect to him, I will only distribute the files if he gives his permission here.

Since the content is certainly licensed for distribution via the web site on which it was posted, there is nothing stopping you from downloading the archive of it (with the Wayback Machine banner) at http://web.archive.org/web/20150801070913/http://davehouston.org/ (http://web.archive.org/web/20150801070913/http://davehouston.org/) to a set of files.  I used the command-line tool WGET on Windows.  I haven't tried it with web.archive.org, but this should do it:
Code: [Select]
wget --mirror --convert-links http://web.archive.org/web/20150801070913/http://davehouston.org/
Title: Re: Scheduled Webpage Shutdown
Post by: bkenobi on January 13, 2016, 11:40:06 AM
Do you know if ALL files are available at archive.org or if there are missing files (pictures used to get stripped a lot when I looked at very old sites on archive.org in the past).
Title: Re: Scheduled Webpage Shutdown
Post by: dhouston on January 13, 2016, 11:45:41 AM
Do you know if ALL files are available at archive.org or if there are missing files (pictures used to get stripped a lot when I looked at very old sites on archive.org in the past).

Some pictures are there while some are not. I should have copies of most should you find a need for any that are missing.
Title: Re: Scheduled Webpage Shutdown
Post by: dhouston on January 16, 2016, 06:46:59 AM
As of January 15 the webpage is no longer available in the Wayback machine. It looks like somebody grabbed the davehouston.org domain name.
Title: Re: Scheduled Webpage Shutdown
Post by: Brian H on January 16, 2016, 08:22:16 AM
That is a loss to us.
Though is seems there are companies the scoop up unused domains. Hope the new owner doesn't make you look bad.
Title: Re: Scheduled Webpage Shutdown
Post by: dhouston on January 16, 2016, 10:03:47 AM
Hope the new owner doesn't make you look bad.

It may be the other way around. When I started it, I got both .org & .net but .com was already used by an attorney in Houston, TX. It appears he has now grabbed .org , probably to keep someone else from getting it. He probably got a lot of automation questions over the past few years.

Several years ago, Laser.com (UK X10 dealer) hosted my site. I may ask if they will park the now dead page on their server. If so, it will give folks here access. I archived it on one of my HDDs at the time I decided to shut it down.
Title: Re: Scheduled Webpage Shutdown
Post by: bkenobi on January 16, 2016, 10:33:26 AM
Timing is everything and apparently I didn't have it this time.  I was checking the forum now thinking "I should go backup dhouston's page" and found this thread.  DOH!   B:(
Title: Re: Scheduled Webpage Shutdown
Post by: dhouston on January 16, 2016, 12:37:00 PM
Laser has agreed to host an archive of my website. It's likely to take a few days to set things up. I expect to hear from their techs in a few days. I'll post the URL once it's ready.
Title: Re: Scheduled Webpage unShutdown
Post by: dhouston on January 16, 2016, 06:23:09 PM
That was quick.
https://www.laser.com/dhouston/ (https://www.laser.com/dhouston/)
Title: Re: Scheduled Webpage Shutdown
Post by: bkenobi on January 17, 2016, 07:01:12 PM
Awesome!  I'm downloading a backup now.  Thanks for this.
Title: Re: Scheduled Webpage Shutdown
Post by: dhouston on January 17, 2016, 07:40:54 PM
Awesome!  I'm downloading a backup now.  Thanks for this.

It should be available there for as long as I'm on this side of the grass.

BTW, have you noticed that X10's programmer-in-chief is frequently spying on me?
Title: Re: Scheduled Webpage Shutdown
Post by: bkenobi on January 17, 2016, 10:50:10 PM
Does 224 files at 41.7Mb sound about right for the full site content?  I used windows wget and it ran for a couple hours.  When I checked, it was attempting to download the entire laser.com site rather than only the dhouston path that I requested.   rofl
Title: Re: Scheduled Webpage Shutdown
Post by: dhouston on January 17, 2016, 11:18:45 PM
Does 224 files at 41.7Mb sound about right for the full site content? 

Yes - that's the amount I uploaded to Laser.