Not sure how many of you guys know what the main battle tank of the South African National Defense Force (SANDF) is. And before the mods descend upon me, I promise this is on-topic.
The SANDF MBT is the
Olifant Mark 2. I'm not a military historian and my engineering experience lies in aerospace, but off-hand at a glance it's not a bad vehicle, although in 2021 its design features are outdated and mediocre. For example, its 105 mm GT3B rifled gun barrel lacks penetration power against MBTs of developed nations, like the British Challenger 2 or the German Leopard 2. But, domestically on African soil, it will hold its own. Especially against any of the Soviet-era tanks that are still in service up north, and its hull armour can shrug off RPG-7 rounds.
But perhaps the most remarkable fact of the Olifant is that its hull design is well over 50 years old. You see, the Olifant MBT series was based on the South African Semel tank, which in turn was an upgrade of the British Centurion tank. Which first rolled out of factores in the late 1940s, shortly after WW2 ended. So, really, while our tanks are decent, some parts of their design are 20th century relics.
... In some ways, I feel this forum is similar to that.
On African soil, it's impressive. South Africa has a budding furry fandom, with a decent infrastructure and community presence. We even have a handful of "popufurs" who are gaining international popularity. And this forum was the initial town square that allowed much of it to happen. But... Times have moved on. And yes, even for forums, which aren't entirely phased out. For a comparison, one might look at the
German furry forum. The majority of its feature are directly comparable to ZAFur, which is obvious. Yet, I feel the former holds more appeal, in terms of graphic design (an actually drawn banner, plus various little graphic pop-ups that are pleasing to anyone who likes anthro animals) and functionality (such as the integration of Teamspeak). We, on the other hand, lack any distinctly eye-catching banner, are using emoticons from the early 2000s, and haven't integrated any modern features (like the Furmap, which I think was an amazing idea at the time). If you wound back the clock 12 years, this forum would maybe hold up (with the exception of forum security, which to my knowledge this forum does well with).
Now, in a year or two, it may as well be a museum piece for a time where the average number of posts per day actually needed more than one hand to count on.
And I say that with all due respect to the staff, although I must pose this question to them. Such as you, Ivic.
What's the game plan for the forum? Is it being left out to pasture to live out the rest of its life with minimal interference? I understand the focus is predominantly elsewhere (such as Fursaverence or the Pawdcast). But, I feel it's still a question worth asking.
And just an addendum: nothing I said is new. This has all been brought up before, time and time again.
So, I take no credit for originality of thought here. But I feel it's on topic, and something that may be on the minds of several.