@zooma
Yes, Bob, you're right—a number of things have changed.
For instance, there used to be longer delays, and there were no restrictions on downloading photos or videos.

Membership Options.

I was reading back an earlier post and noticed a “spellin mistook” and decided to correct it, only to be confronted by a poster that explained the limits imposed on the time period available for making such corrections.

As I only have a BRONZE membership, I can only correct or make changes to anything that is 2 weeks old or less!

If I spend more and upgrade to a SILVER membership, I would be able to make any corrections up to 3 months from when I first added it to the site.

A GOLD membership would enable me to make any corrections or changes for an UNLIMITED amount of time.

I realise that my memory (like my eyesight) is not as sharp as it used to be, but I recall making corrections and changes to things that I wrote that were many times older than 2 weeks - even though I only had the same BRONZE membership.

Poor Memory Bodger Bob.

@ChrisF

Valid point, for sure.

Exactly where MS wants you to be!

But, if I may, you can still use 99% of MS 'stuff' via Linux.

My last course was all done via MS based and hosted video conf., lesson delivery, student administration, etc. etc. Not a problem in the world.

So, do panic too much.

This is not an exercise in strictly avoiding Big Tech products, its fundamentally about regaining control of your own hardware and personal information.

Once in control of these, data security is just around the corner.

For example, I have access to all the top Big Tech, social media, AI, everything.

But I didn't have to replace my perfectly serviceable laptop to do it.

I just 'drop' in and out of these products when needed.

So, as scary as it sounds, the best way to make the transition from 'remote' to personal control again, is... "Baby steps, Captain, ...baby steps".

1. Grab a cheap secondhand laptop from 'wherever'.
Pretty well any configuration of hardware will easily run a full Linux package like greased lightening. People in forums(fora??) I belong to are running full Home Server systems on 30 year old computers.

2. Apply the KISS principle*. Start low and slow.
You are never going to just drop your existing system, and overnight, move to a new one. So the key is, long-term parallel systems, with a slow transition.

3. Consider BOTH systems side-by-side. One for social and work stuff, and the other for 'secure' stuff. Obfuscation is a very powerful privacy tool.

And, please forget about ANY previous experience and/or knowledge about Linux.

Over recent years, a few Linux distributions have developed to the point where, the User Interface can be setup look and/or appear as though you were using Windows or MacOS.

In other words, things have changed in a short time, and Linux is taking chunks out of Microsoft's market dominance.

Largely because people are sick of being bullied.

I suggest folk jump on You Tube and have a look at a few 'videos' on Linux Mint and the transition from Windows for a start.

Like this one...


... and its happening everywhere..





* The KISS principle.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KISS_principle

Haven't heard Linux mentioned for a long time. Trouble is that myself and my wife are too tied into Microsoft and associated programs now to want to change, especially as the time required would be extensive. I'll have to leave it off my hobbies list!

Chris

Off the back of Alessandro's words...

FYI - for those interested, here are some basic privacy tools that are all free at the basic level, and if not free offer a variety of privacy focused payment options.

I use each one, every day.

And I can assure you all, there are a lot more people working on a solution to the internet/computer mess we currently have than there are promoting it.

Its just difficult to get a message out against a multi-trillion dollar cartel based industry, and people who work in industries with a vested interest in maintaining the status quo. Primarily the Financial and Intelligence industries.

Full suite of secure, fully encrypted, business and lifestyle applications.
https://proton.me/

Alternative to Microsoft and Apple operating systems that will bring your computer back its glory days of performance at no cost.
https://www.linuxmint.com/

De-Googled Android phone operating system. (Sorry Apple i(Product) users, they have you tied-up).
https://grapheneos.org/

Anonymous, decentralised chat application. No phone number needed.
https://delta.chat/en/

Facebook, etc. etc., alternative Decentralised social media platform . Be your own local Mark Zuckerberg in minutes.
https://joinmastodon.org/

The only secure and 100% private crypto coin on the planet.
https://www.getmonero.org/

Specialised, privacy based email alternative to Gmail, etc. etc. Can be attached to Proton Mail.
https://simplelogin.io/

A good privacy focused browser. No ads or trackers, ever!
https://brave.com/download/

..and for those who want to go - (poof) - , I'm outta here! ( Edward Snowden style).

https://tails.net/

https://www.getmonero.org/

https://tuta.com/secure-email

There ARE alternatives to what is being rammed down your throat, if you are prepared to try them.

I don't know about you, but I really enjoy staring-down bullies.

Good evening to all naval modelers of this

Do you know what the most important resource of a forum is, in my opinion?
It’s the members themselves and their ideas.
That is an incomparable resource.
But I’m not referring to the mere number of registered users—that, to me, means nothing.
What matters is active participation. In my view, that is where the true wealth of a forum lies.

I have seen many well-made, well-organized forums with a huge number of registered users that are now effectively dead, because there is no longer any participation—or it’s so low that it might as well not exist.
Someone starts a discussion, and no one replies—or perhaps just one person responds months later. It’s absolutely dismal. That is the death of a forum, and it’s very difficult to bring one back from that state.

This forum is very well put together; I like it, and it’s highly functional—all thanks to the people who work on it.
I’ve often complimented Stephen (Fireboat), and I’ll say it again: well done.
I also appreciated the site’s redesign, even though it stirred up quite a bit of controversy.
Stephen (Fireboat) is a capable and attentive administrator; he responds to and resolves any issues promptly.
Ultimately, though, the site is enjoyable because of the people who contribute their intellectual input—which is truly priceless.
Expertise in modeling, nautical knowledge, an understanding of mechanics or electronics, and a certain spirit—these are essential elements. When shared through comments, they are invaluable; they are what make the site appealing and keep it a vibrant, active community.

It always saddens me when a member leaves. Setting aside the occasional spiteful, rude, or intrusive individual—though, fortunately, there have been very few of those—every member brings their own wealth of knowledge and experience to the online community.
To me, these are no longer just names; behind every nickname is a real person with their own unique traits. I’ve come to recognize many of them, and there are quite a few whom I’ve grown genuinely fond of. Chris, for instance—who has contributed to this thread—has always given me excellent advice regarding planing hulls and brushless motors. He has always been willing to explain things.
It would be a real shame if he were to leave the site, regardless of whether he is a Basic, Bronze, Silver, or Gold member.
It would also be a significant loss for the administrator and the other members—again, regardless of his membership tier—because the site would lose someone who is highly active, engaged, knowledgeable, experienced, and always ready to share.
I’ve used ChrisF as an example, but I could name many others.
There are also many people whose posts simply cheer me up—I find them likable, even though I’ve never met them in person.

There are quite a few limitations for Basic members: delays when refreshing the page, an inability to view past "questions of the day," the inability to download images or videos, restrictions on editing posts, and so on.
Personally, this isn't an issue for me, but I understand that it might be for others, and I don’t blame anyone for complaining—everyone is free to do as they please.
I have never complained about these limitations myself; I’ve only pointed them out to others who weren't aware of them. That said, I don’t wish to criticize those who do complain.
Some time ago, a Bronze member posted a message on the forum telling me I should pay. Since I found both the tone and the content of that message to be highly intrusive and rude, I felt compelled to give a sharp reply. He took it upon himself to dictate what others should do, meddling in matters that were none of his business—it was truly annoying.
Naturally, I didn’t use any offensive language, but I was very firm and direct. I find rudeness and meddlesome behavior bothersome, and I don’t tolerate it—not even from older individuals. In conclusion, I hope that the people who have kept this forum lively and active will not abandon it, regardless of any financial contribution.

@Avoca That's impressive, it certainly does sound like a hobby and an ongoing mission!

@ChrisF

The way you and your wife, as described, approach the internet and 'life' in 2026 is really the only way. And, best practice as far as I can see. I mean, tick, tick, tick.

And yeah, it takes an awful lot of time and discipline to stay 'under the radar' digitally, but its what I do, and have done for approaching 50 years, for a living, and you adapt.

I don't have any Social Media accounts or 'Big Tech' accounts. None of the software on my computers require an account. I run 5 browsers in various states of 'lock down' for different tasks. My internet is 5G celluar phone based, so each time I start my system it has a different IP address.

I currently have 75 email addresses, unlimited as desired, each able to be deleted on the spot with no overall impact on my life. My email/calendar/cloud storage/vpn/password manager/authenticator are all Quantum secure, encrypted and stored in European data private countries, though I'm in Australia.

I change phone numbers annually, credit cards 6 monthly.

When I go to family functions and start to talk about work, my children's eyes glaze over and I hear..."shit dad, not more of this..."

So, its a lot of work... and I love every minute of it.

Some people go to work, I just go back to my favourite hobby.

Edit: Oh, and the frustration you felt and the argument you had over being 'pushed' into a new computer, I had with Microsoft in 1995 when they introduced Windows 95, and they started pushing technicians to the side and replaced us with sales people at Walmart(whatever) and subscription software.

@Avoca Because of your job I can fully understand your views on personal and bank data etc., but, and I mean this seriously, it must be very difficult in some ways for daily life? Buying things online etc.

Most of us are very aware of scammers and myself and my wife are very careful when it comes to emails and phone calls but as regards paying the bills and buying online etc. we feel, as most folks do, that for us and things to function we don't have any choice than to use the usual payment methods, and ensuring that we don't make any mistakes by giving out passwords/PINs so that we can then rely on the banks etc. to provide us with protection and reinbursement.

How is society to function otherwise?

I did get very annoyed a few months ago when replacing my computer when I kept being tried to be forced to do things I didn't want to do like saving stuff to the Cloud and using certain password methods and default positions as regards privacy etc. that need to be altered afterwards. Got round them but they make it so difficult, a lot of swearing was involved!

I save everything to backup removeable hard-drives and refuse to use the Cloud, well knowingly anyway!

Chris

@fireboat

Fair enough, and understood.

For what its worth, for transactions[block], crypto is secure, but not overly private, which, interestingly, was/is the primary advantage over traditional banking, nobody can 'cook the books' if 50 million computers have a copy of the ledger[chain].

But it is really easy to use in general and is very much a long term technology, so worth considering as a future payment option. Just let the cream rise in the short term.

I honestly don't think PayPal, etc, pose any threats to anyone per se, and my OP was not a criticism overall.

But for me, its something to avoid if possible.

Cheers, and while I've got you, great site. I owe you a pint!

There are limited ways to take payments globally that are guaranteed to be safe. PayPal I implemented years ago, simply as they know more than I know about keeping things safe and secure. They've a reputation to uphold. I'm only a mediocre developer, so the last thing I want is to manage any sensitive information.

There are basically only 2 ways to donate currently, PayPal and bank transfers. I think for accounts outside the UK it's IBAN and SWIFT, and not BACs. Perhaps one day I'll look into crypto, but the majority of people associate crypto with dodgy dealings, so for the moment I'm holding off having that as an option!

Stephen

@EdW

Interesting read.

Although, another Private UK Company, interestingly from the same corporate address as yesterday's business and one that includes the same two directors of yesterday's, on the payroll.

Also a company that has had a greater than 50% churn-rate of directors since 2017, when it was incorporated.

A stellar endorsement. I mean the two companies you have put up as doyens of public trustworthiness in the past 24 hours, have the same address, and lose 50%+ of their directors, almost on a weekly basis.

And,"I have worked in IT in the financial sector and compliance is the biggest focus point of IT management in this sector.", from my point of view, is 'if you're not part of the solution, you are part of the problem" territory.

But, ok, since we're comparing qualifications...

I have worked my entire teenage(military apprentice)/adult life in electronic surveillance, detection and counter-measures, I have two undergraduate degrees and one post graduate degree in Computing and Cyber Security.

My current research is focused on the potential threat to Cyber Security posed by Quantum Computing, particularly its potential threats to Crypto Currencies.

But... so what!

The fact is, the current internet is a quagmire of scumbags, and I'm a little 'gun shy' about handing over my credit card details on it.

I was/am happy to pay a few quid to help out this, really good, site.

I thought I approached my issue with using the payment options available fairly calmly, and just asked for an alternative method.

So, I have a solution, you put your bank details on the site and I'll do a direct bank-bank transfer of a few quid for Fireboat to that account, and then you can use YOUR credit card online to pay him.

Ok?

@Madwelshman

Morning Will.

Yes I can see that my Bronze membership has been reinstated and those annoying adverts have disappeared.

Bob.

BACS is highly regulated in the UK and is not a single company.
I have worked in IT in the financial sector and compliance is the biggest focus point of IT management in this sector.

https://www.wearepay.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Pay.UK-Bacs-System-Principles-V18-Jan-2026.pdf

@zooma You're showing as a 'Bronze' member Bob.

@zooma

Ads???

This site has ads???

And, PayPal is a full KYC* business.

Trust me, they already have your bank details, and access to more.

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Know_your_customer

I have chosen to pay for a Bronze membership to support the site and to reduce the number of adverts that spoil the site for me when they keep covering the article that I am reading.

PayPal can be a useful way of making this payment (or bank transfer?). No need to share your credit card details.

HELP.

Sods law has just kicked-in!

My membership is currently being displayed as BASIC and those adverts that I pay not to see are now back !

Admin - please correct this. I always pay and I have done so again this month - automatically !

Bob.

A bit touchy? I was only talking in general terms but it seems from his previous comment he wasn't really committed to the forum anyway? Pity though when anyone leaves.

From my experience on other forums, whether you pay or not there is often a time limit in which you can edit comments.

@ChrisF lots of those around here in NL, I'll just bugger off

Good luck with finding another forum as active as this one which is bucking the trend! Others I've been a member on for many years have tumbleweed blowing through them!

Chris

@EdW

Understood and very much appreciated.

I would be happy to do just that, thank you.

Having settled that, please be aware, I appreciate the amount of time, effort and money that goes into these, quality, sites.

I have several sites myself, for purely practical reasons though.

At the same time, I've probably spent as much or more time, money and effort over several decades extracting myself from the quagmire the internet has become to maintain some level of privacy and security in my personal affairs and control over MY technology equipment

My OP was not an attack, it was a defence reflex. The internet is my office and my business, as well as a source of relaxation, so apologies if I have offended anyone.

As I said, happy to contribute, prefer another method.

Which you have indicated is a possibility,

Therefore, can you advise me via PM what the next move is and I will pay for a membership.

Thank you.

actually, on second thoughts...

BACS is a private UK company, incorporated in 2003.

Since then it has had155 directors, 153 of which have resigned.

Currently it has 2 directors, the oldest is 58 and has been with the company for four years, the other 5.

These two directors are currently also directors of 18 other businesses involved in this type of operation in the UK alone.

So, apologies Fireboat, but I'll just stick with a free account thanks.

https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/04961302/officers

Fireboat put a hell of an amount of work into this site, all unpaid.
There are significant costs to running a web site all carried by him as a labour of love. The small subscriptions help to cover these costs and keep the site running.
You can pay by a BACS transfer which is totally secure and no details are shared other than with your bank

@PeterN

All good thanks...

I don't mind paying for a membership at all.

Its just, in this case, I'm not a huge fan of multinational data vacuum cleaners.

And ads, thankfully with my super-dooper Linux setup, and by using hardened browsers with several blocking type add-ons, I don't get them anyway.

Just leave, I will. There's plenty free sites around which make money of the adds they post including the ones you've visited. Look around