Beechbrook

[DaveG]

The Beechbrook Cottage site seems to be down at the moment.

Anyone know why?

DaveG

P.S. Forgive me if this appears twice - I did not put a title in first time.

[Rooskidiver]

I was wondering the same thing. I noticed it was down yesterday. Anybody know what's going on?

Carol

[cottage]

Ladies and Gentlemen,

On Sunday, July 3rd the server which supports Beechbrook.Com, as well as numerous others global websites, was hacked and certain files where added to various folders within the server. No actual harm was done. I noticed these 'additional files' as soon as I logged into the server (via FTP) and removed them then notified my server manager. They informed me that several other sites had experienced the same situation and that the issue was under a security investigation. To reduce any further harm I immediately shutdown the upload/download sections of my site.

It's a sad day when a totally free service such as Beechbrook.Com is taken advantage of. At present we are hosting over 120 free presentations and maintain a PTE notification distribution list of 422 users. Over the years there have been tens of thousands of downloads from Beechbrook.Com. We refuse to be the target of misuse or abuse. Karen and I are discussing the possibility of discontinuing these services on our site.

At this point no decisions have been made. However, I do not plan on reinstating the upload/download pages for the time being. This is for your safety and ours. Managing the PTE sections, and managing them well, takes time. Perhaps this is the time to let someone else take over the helm and bring a fresh new approach to the process.

With best regards,

Bill

[imfinewine]

Hi Bill,

I am sorry to hear that and can empathize with you as we we hacked a few months back. Some people do not like the fact they have to spend 45 seconds to register on our site but this is the sole reason we require it...to try and keep tabs on any mischief.

It really takes a lot of savoy and skill to hack into a forum or open site like yours <lol>. I'd be ashamed to have that as my bragging rights if that's the best I could do. It truely is a shame a lot of sites have to put up with this kind of crap.

I hope you reconsider and continue as you have had such a good site without problems for such a good stretch. But if not, any of the P2E members that need hosting space for their sequences are more than welcome to have them hosted on our site. We are currently hosting 132 shows and will not start archiving them and go into rotation until that # reaches 200.

Cheers and all the best,

Desert Dave

Creating Slide Shows Gallery

[Michel]

Bill,

it's a serious problem for us and all webmasters who host free the slideshows and help for PTE. During a moment, also I discussed the possibility of discontinuing certain services on my website or my website, for personal safety and quiet.

But we keeped the service with more security and less problem.

I hope you find a soluce to keep the service (perhaps different or smaller with rotation) to present various slideshows as always, from anyway.

Bill, good luck and be brave (no doubt)!

Friendly and thanks for all.

Michel

[ContaxMan]

Bill - as with other posters here, I'm sorry to hear that you've been hit by those inadequates who seem to have nothing better to do. Such people must be VERY SAD.

Please keep your excellent service available.

[alrobin]

Bill,

Many of us have benefitted from your kind and generous service in the past, and we will miss it very much.

We also sympathize with you in your frustration over these malicious attacks - these and other recent world events all bear witness to the low levels of depravity to which some so-called human beings are willing to stoop.

[Maureen]

Thanks for all you have done for us all Bill.

We'd all miss Beechbrook very much & appreciate all you have done.

So sorry to hear of your problems.

Hope the other sites keep going and don't get targeted.

Hope you'll rethink & also keep going, or those who target the innocent will have won !

Love Maureen

[Igor]

Bill,

Thank you for your great work!

Please let me know if we can help with payment for another server or help something else.

[morturn]

Bill

I have been interested in PTE for about a year, and I have to say mainly because of both yours and Karen’s kindness, in running a free site, that must clearly take up a lot of your time.

For doing this I thank you, and hope that the efforts of a small minded, inadequate individual, whose contribution is nothing, other then to cower anonymously behind a computer console, does not win the day.

Whatever decision you both come to, I will wish you well

[akphoto]

Very sorry to hear this - Some of the PTE presentations are excellent and I use them for demos to my camera club of what can be achieved with PTE.

[Severn Bore]

What can I add to what others have said. It truly is a sad day if the hackers succceeed in driving away the Beechbrook Cottage site. It has been an excellent facility much appreciated by we PtoE enthusiasts. Indeed, it reinvigorated my interest in audio/visual and provided inspiration and ideas from many of your contributors.

If you, sadly, decide not to continue with the site, I would like to join with others in saying an enormous "THANK YOU" and GOOD LUCK" for the future. Trust you will keep in touch with our community via other PtoE sites and the forum.

Andrew (Severn Bore)

[JRR]

Bill:

I can understand how you must feel, and if you, in time, opt to discontinue your great "public" service and fill the time that has taken with new challenges/enjoyments in life, then we will understand completely.

If, after a hiatus, you decide to come back "on-line", we'll all be waiting with our shows.

Thanks for the great job Bill (and your great shows that make it onto your pages from time to time.)

[Guest guru]

Very sad news, Bill. If your PTE site will be closed, this will be a serious loss for all of us, and for PTE too. Anyhow, we warmly sympathize with you. Thanks for all your work!

[fredor]

Please Bill do not let them win!!!

[ronwil]

Hi Fredor, you have come in on a 5 month old thread. A lot of water has passed under the bridge since then. In another current thread you will see my post saying that Bill (Beechbrook) is changing servers hence the current absence of facilities.

Presumably that is why you are concerned. Regards.

Ron [uK]

[Yves DETON]

Hi Fredor, you have come in on a 5 month old thread. A lot of water has passed under the bridge since then. In another current thread you will see my post saying that Bill (Beechbrook) is changing servers hence the current absence of facilities.

Presumably that is why you are concerned. Regards.

Ron [uK]

You're right, but if Bill decided then to go on, today his site is down again : same reasons ?

[ronwil]

This is what I wrote in the recent posting that I quoted:

"Received this e-mail from Bill (Beechbrook) on 28.11.05

"Special Notice: The PTE Upload Utility is temporarily closed while all files are being transferred to a new server. There may be times during this transition period that Beechbrook.Com will not be available. Thank you in advance for your patience."

Ron [uK]

[fredor]

Hi Fredor, you have come in on a 5 month old thread. A lot of water has passed under the bridge since then. In another current thread you will see my post saying that Bill (Beechbrook) is changing servers hence the current absence of facilities.

Presumably that is why you are concerned. Regards.

Ron [uK]

Thank you Ron I certainly was concerned and jumped in before checking the dates

Fred

[Yves DETON]

This is what I wrote in the recent posting that I quoted:

"Received this e-mail from Bill (Beechbrook) on 28.11.05

"Special Notice: The PTE Upload Utility is temporarily closed while all files are being transferred to a new server. There may be times during this transition period that Beechbrook.Com will not be available. Thank you in advance for your patience."

Ron [uK]

Sorry : I thought it could be some hours, no some days.

So, we'll wait and wish good luck to Bill !

[jinjagoliath]

Yes a great resource!

J G

[Michel]

This morning (France), it seems to work (download) again (only a little problem with certain thumbnails).

[Severn Bore]

Hi Bill

Glad to see you back on line. Thanks for your persistence!

Andrew

(Severn Bore)

[cottage]

This morning (France), it seems to work (download) again (only a little problem with certain thumbnails).

Hello all,

Beechbrook.Com is now back online following the transfer to a new server. Although most visitors to the PTE Forum only use the PTE Upload/Download areas of Beechbrook.Com, I would appreciate any reports of bad links that you might encounter.

I will reopen the PTE Upload Utility after a bit more testing.

Kind regards,

Bill