AWF Slowing Down

[BlueSpruce]

It actually isn't because there is nothing to replace it with.

Wrong, there's plenty alternatives, e.g. DotNet, C#, Web Apps, AI, etc. The proof is virtually no one wants to learn to develop with Access and stakeholders don't want any new apps developed with it. It's only relevant to our Cottage Industry and the users who have been clinging onto it. How long is that going to last? It's dying a slow death by attrition.

 

[BlueSpruce]

@BlueSpruce
Do you wanna turn this Access forum into something else? perhaps an AI "enhanced" forum? for what purpose?

I'm not saying to totally do away with Access, I'm saying to rebrand this site to offer and promote more diverse forums, e.g. healthcare, accounting, stocks, cryptocurrency, movie trivia, games (bridge, chess, hearts), topics that are trending. We don't have to strictly stay within the IT realm.

 

[CJ_London]

so become a jack of all trades and master of none?

 

[BlueSpruce]

AWF already masters Access, but that only appeals to Access developers and users. We preserve that and augment the site with other trending realms to attract new blood. But it has to be promoted.What other non Access forums and social sites do you frequent. What sports and hobbies are we into? What's trending in the world?

 

[CJ_London]

What other non Access forums and social sites do you frequent. What sports and hobbies are we into? What's trending in the world?

I go to sites that have that in depth knowledge of the subject with members who have strong and relevant experience. Most of the time I'm looking for expertise rather than opinions. If I have a watch to be repaired, I take it to a watchmaker, not the local supermarket.

 

[AccessBlaster]

Me:
would you say this is a healthy site or in decline? https://www.access-programmers.co.uk/

ChatGPT:

 

[BlueSpruce]

Me:
would you say this is a healthy site or in decline? https://www.access-programmers.co.uk/

ChatGPT:

View attachment 121826

Do you truly believe that?

 

[AccessBlaster]

Do you truly believe that?

Yes

 

[BlueSpruce]

Yes

Let's hear it straight from the horse's mouth.

 

[BlueSpruce]

The important questions are:

1. Is AWF generating enough income for the owner to continue running it?

2. If not, how long is the owner willing to cover the expenses?

 

[GPGeorge]

I'm not saying to totally do away with Access, I'm saying to rebrand this site to offer and promote more diverse forums, e.g. healthcare, accounting, stocks, cryptocurrency, movie trivia, games (bridge, chess, hearts), topics that are trending. We don't have strictly stay within the IT realm.

Like, oh, say, Google.com and ChatGPT?

 

[BlueSpruce]

Like, oh, say, Google.com and ChatGPT?

Whatever accomplishes the goal. I just feel that if AWF stays "as is" it's not going to grow. How many other Access forums have we seen bite the dust?

 

[CJ_London]

How many other Access forums have we seen bite the dust?

I can think of one, and that had nothing to do with the popularity (or otherwise) of Access. How many do you know?

Most of your posts are on the water cooler, very few on technical issues. So suspect you need a different forum. But at least here you can be a big fish in a small pond. Yes the number of technical questions have reduced since the emergence of AI but I fail to see how introducing subjects on healthcare, accounting etc helps the main purpose of the forum. I don't believe Jon is in it for the money

If you are bothered by the adverts, become a private supporter.

 

[BlueSpruce]

I can think of one, and that had nothing to do with the popularity (or otherwise) of Access. How many do you know?

Most of your posts are on the water cooler, very few on technical issues. So suspect you need a different forum. But at least here you can be a big fish in a small pond. Yes the number of technical questions have reduced since the emergence of AI but I fail to see how introducing subjects on healthcare, accounting etc helps the main purpose of the forum. I don't believe Jon is in it for the money

If you are bothered by the adverts, become a private supporter.

I know of several Access forums that no longer exist. You seem to be offended by my non technical comments. You're content with AWF's status quo, whereas I'm sure Jon would like to see more growth. The adverts don't bother me because my VPN provider's ad blocker suppresses them.

If Jon's not in it for the money, then why have Google adverts on AWF?

 

[GPGeorge]

Whatever accomplishes the goal. I just feel that if AWF stays "as is" it's not going to grow. How many other Access forums have we seen bite the dust?

Sorry, sometimes I can be too subtle.

I was implying that the market for broad searches is pretty well saturated by the big players in search, e.g. Google, and by the AI LLMs, e.g. ChatGPT.

A site like this one trying to transition into a "Me Too" site is not a guarantee of relevance.

With regard to "being in it for the money", I don't believe there's ever been any significant profit in most technically oriented forums. On the other hand, people who do sponsor them have expenses to cover, so if they can recoup some part of those expenses, I say more power to them. If people like Jon can also earn a little coffee and bagel money in the process, all the better.

 

[CJ_London]

I know of several Access forums that no longer exist.

So why not name them?

You seem to be offended by my non technical comments.

No

f Jon's not in it for the money, then why have Google adverts on AWF?

To recover his costs

 

[Edgar_]

@BlueSpruce
This forum stands a much better chance of survival by staying niche, rather than diversifying in that way. That's because each of those themes already has its own communities, which are often available at the cost of a free sign up.

I'd probably add a forum board to discuss strategies to make Microsoft open source the app, so the rest of the world can make the improvements it requires.

 

[Edgar_]

I'd probably add a forum board to discuss strategies to make Microsoft open source the app, so the rest of the world can make the improvements it requires.

Sort of like the recent "Stop killing videogames" iniciative, where players are imploring AAA game dev firms to stop shutting down the servers that games need, when they think the games aren't profitable anymore.

The initiative basically encourages these companies to open source their games, even in a controlled manner, allowing them to retain some oversight over what can and can't be done. That would enable players to continue enjoying the games long after their official shutdown. There are a lot of games that remain highly playable, with communities thriving decades after these games were released, such as King of Fighters, Age of Empires, GTA San Andreas, and I'm sure others here can name a few too.

Building on that idea, this forum could serve as a platform for other software packages facing a similar fate: programs whose developers are no longer willing to maintain them, yet whose user base is eager to keep them alive.

 

[BlueSpruce]

Sort of like the recent "Stop killing videogames" iniciative, where players are imploring AAA game dev firms to stop shutting down the servers that games need, when they think the games aren't profitable anymore.

The initiative basically encourages these companies to open source their games, even in a controlled manner, allowing them to retain some oversight over what can and can't be done. That would enable players to continue enjoying the games long after their official shutdown. There are a lot of games that remain highly playable, with communities thriving decades after these games were released, such as King of Fighters, Age of Empires, GTA San Andreas, and I'm sure others here can name a few too.

Building on that idea, this forum could serve as a platform for other software packages facing a similar fate: programs whose developers are no longer willing to maintain them, yet whose user base is eager to keep them alive.

Good idea, however, I seriously think Microsoft will never open source Access. In 2006, I said the same thing about Visual FoxPro and MS open sourced it into the CodePlex community. As long as MS supports VBA, Access will remain a part of Desktop Office. If VBA falls, so will Desktop Office, and users will migrate to Online Office with no Access, or Google Apps. The only thing keeping Desktop Office alive are the government and enterprise Excel/Word users. MS has declared VBA a high security risk because its very easy to hide malicious VBA code that can wreak havoc on filesystems.

 

[Jon]

The short answer to all this is that since Google gives AI answers right in its search engine, these type of sites have seen their traffic plummet. It will lead to the demise of many sites as they become financially unsustainable. This then beggers the question, "Where will the bots get their future information from?" Perhaps it does not matter because by then they have already scooped up most of the data, who knows. The financial ecosystem of the entire internet is under threat.

The slow decline of Access is real, but the biggest impact lately has been Google's introduction of AI answers directly in search.