I'm not on much anymore, so I'm posting this before I forget. On November 3rd, 2015, it'll be 12 years. More of a lurker with only 703 posts (including this post).

I did a quick hover-over visual of active users, and it seems my userid of 395 is from an ancient time. The only people I could find with lower than mine were: Doug Ritter (expected!), Blast, and jshannon. Everyone else seems to be 500 and above.

Interesting to see how much has changed, but I'm still amazed that ETS Forums are still full of respectful posts. Something unheard of today. Maybe that's a combination of our great mod team and small corner of the Internet.

Anyone else from this ancient time?

Have you seen anything significant change with the user base here?

Anything that you are amazed that we have after 12 years?

The iPhone wouldn't come out for almost 3.5 years later, changing everything!

Wow, congratulations! I've been on a few forums that long but not this one.

I haven't been here as long as you, a three-year difference.

Jeanette Isabelle

I recall being a member before the Great Server Meltdown. Does that count?

You've got me by a few years too. Congrats?

Welcome back, grandpa, LOL

yep, lots of things have changed
Many names are no more

Time to time I wonder how they are doing, and even wish them back .... except they may be enjoying quiet times in their own small corners of the e-world

I am right behind you in January 2016, #462

BIll

Registered: 04/08/02

Ouch... getting old. Man lots have changed in my life in those years.

I was twenty when I joined.

Jeanette Isabelle

I think I am number 95. The form says I registered in 2002, but I think it was earlier than that.

Nomad.

I'm member number 58, from way back in 2001. Hard to believe. Definitely learned a lot here over the years.

Props to Doug for running such a great site.

I got user id 126 back in 2002. Back then it was primarily about surving aircraft crashes. It already provided lots of useful information.
Some of the old users are no longer around, some new users came. The focus shifted.
I do not think that the small corner contributes much to the way people interact here. I think it´s partly the mods and partly the breed of people who are attracted enough to stay (or are not politely asked to move on ;)). Last but not least this is not a survivalist site.
When I joined, GPSr was not available with useful accuracy and only few civilians used it. Today it´s a common item with good accuracy.
I changed too. Some things that were inspired by ETS are:
- a Ham license
- reloading
- celestial navigation
- my EDC
- making bread from scratch (i. e. from grain and water)
- making sauerkraut in a couple of varitions

I got some good advice on equipment and techniques here. Recently I took up CAS.

Thanks to Doug Ritter for providing and maintaining this site.

Interesting you bring this up. I found this site doing research on aviation safety.

Jeanette Isabelle

#52 From 01. Hard to believe that its been that long.

My user # is 488 from 02/2004, and I am slowly creeping up on post # 4,000. I wouldn't exactly call it a legacy, but it is something. Surreal.

Will complete a decade next year. This is a great forum with lots of useful information and respectful discussion. I miss many of the old timers (like Tom Ayers) who are now silent, but the tradition lives on....

It's interesting to see the small "explosion" of users in 2 years from 2001 to 2003, but I think the monthly new users now must be well over that.

I think I first came across this site looking for stuff related to C.E.R.T. and in the days that Google actually gave you exactly what you were looking for, this was near the top.

When was the big server meltdown? I don't recall that.

Noobs.

-john

Wow, next January it'll be 10yrs for me. I cannot even remember why I signed up for this site. I am mostly a lurker. But have learned lots of interesting things over the years just by reading others posts.
=^.^=

Member #: 194
Total Posts: 548 (mostly lurker ; ))
Registered on: 02/02/03 11:58 PM

I appear to be #87 with 1,919 posts.

Pete

I began lurking in 2005 about the time of Katrina, and it looks like I joined in 2008.

I've been gone for a while, but I'm going to have a few questions coming soon.

Welcome back 'migo.

Registered on: 02/08/04
11 years....

THREAD BUMP

Realized recently how long it's been since I posted and figured I would "raise my head above the foxhole" again.

Hmmm... Originally found ETS back around early 2001 (maybe late 2000). Lurked quite a while, finally registered, experienced several issues with the ancient servers back in the day, finally between Doug & Chris Kavanaugh I was able to get logged in.

According to the latest info, I joined officially on July 5, 2002 as member #114, with about 432 posts to date. I've always enjoyed the contacts with forum members, a lot online with a good bit offline via email, snail mail and even including a few in person which has been nice.

Originally I wanted to be "Comanche", but through multiple re-registering attempts wound up with "Comanche7". Why Comanche? It's the name of an aircraft that I've always enjoyed flying.

Over the years I enjoyed participating by posting on an irregular basis, mostly I lurked, dealing with the things that life found to occupy my time and all other things that keep us away from the keyboard too much.

After looking at the user listing and reviewing old threads, I too am missing some of the old forum members, "Old Bald Guy" , "Tom Ayers" among others.

I've always been impressed with the courtesy, civility and overall breadth of collective international group wisdom that is present on this site. Over the years, I've encouraged a wide variety of people that I've been in contact with to review the wealth of group knowledge that exists here.

Extending a special Thank You to Doug, all of the moderators and forum members over the years (past, present & silent).

Regards,
Comanche7