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Either IrishDev has gone bang whallop, or they’re having serious issues with their site. It’s been giving a 403 error for the last few days for me, while others are reporting that it’s been like that for a couple of weeks.
Meanwhile Silicon Republic have unveiled a new site design. I’m not sure if I like it or hate it, but I honestly don’t understand why they have the big white space at the top left of all the pages. It looks really really odd.
In totally unrelated news the submission form on Armchair.ie is finally working again! The captcha has been removed, so I’ll probably get inundated with spammy junk, but at least the genuine links will also get through!
I’ve never visited siliconrepublic before, but I could barely distinguish between the adverts and the content. It takes too much effort to find the articles and news. Bad design IMO. Site itself seems like it might be a good spot for Irish-related news…if I can find it.
Maybe IrishDev.com haven’t paid their hosting bill?
I am still not sure on Silcon Republics new layout ..
@Evert
Most hosting providers use some form of “account suspended” page instead of returning a 403
Michele
Hi Michele,
Barry here from IrishDev.com – thanks for your post about IrishDev.com – I had noticed your recent Tweet, along with Damien Mulley’s – it’s encouraging to know that industry people of your reputation have noticed that IrishDev.com has been taken offline.
About three weeks ago, IrishDev.com was subject to an SQL Injection attack, at the time quite prevalent it seems.
Unfortunately, although we acted immediately to contain the infection, the extent of the damage was quite serious and the effects seemed to spread across several other sites that we operate to the point where visitors were being directed to China. It was suspected that our host server had been compromised and whilst it wasn’t the ideal course of action, it seemed the wise and prudent action to take the site(s) offline whilst the problem could be evaluated and rectified.
As we were in the midst of the Irish Open Source Technologies Conference, it could not happened at a worse time, although the conference website http://iotc.firstport.ie was not hosted on the same server and luckily we were able to continue with our plans to stream the conference as planned.
Conference out of the way and time to concentrate on IrishDev.com, we have taken the opportunity to give IrishDev.com a new look and feel and I’m pleased to say that we will back reporting the Irish ICT sector in the next fortnight.
Thanks once again for your interest.
Best
Barry
Does anybody know if Irish Dev are gone now? I hadn’t been on their site in a good while and it doesn’t seem to be there now…?
James
I suspect that they won’t be coming back anytime soon
I could be wrong, but they’ve been offline now for over two months
Michele
Hi James and Michele,
Thanks both for your interest in IrishDev.com
The new IrishDev.com will be back live very soon!
If you’d like to be notified when it is, please feel free to write at Barry@….
Best
Barry
Thanks for the info Michele!
Barry would it be an idea to have a static page on the site to say this? I’m sure a lot of people are wondering where it’s disappeared to.. Just a thought! I look forward to its return!
J.
Barry
The site has been offline for two months. No holding page no nothing.
To expect anyone to take it seriously at this juncture is really asking a bit much.
Michele
Thanks James, and we look forward to our return too. We promise positive and objective commentary on our industry, and many other community benefits for software and web developers including a re-run of the Irish x technology conferences we organised throughout 2008.
Regrettably we have suffered delays through technicalities, holidays etc. however we’ve been in constant touch with our subscribers via email so most people know we’re coming back soon.
Best
Barry
The website has been completely offline or throwing an error for the last few months. Was putting up a holding page too much of a challenge for you?
Hi Michele,
Thanks again for your advice.
Aside from re-designing and developing our site after the SQL attack, we have met a number of hills along the way and certainly didn’t envisage we’d be offline for this length of time. In hindsight, as you quite rightly suggest, it would have been beneficial to have had a holding page up.
However, as mentioned in my earlier post, we have been in constant contact with our subscribers so at least 3000 people know when to expect our return.
Looking to the future, which is where our industry (and the people commentating on it) ought to be focused, quite some time during this period has been spent evaluating the feedback and desires of the many thousands who we’ve had the honour of serving in the last five years, particularly the software and web industrialists (over 1000) who we’ve had the pleasure in meeting at this years Irish x Technologies Conferences.
The new IrishDev.com holds the key to several ‘knowledge initiatives’ and we’re eagerly waiting to provide our members and the wider community with a range of services that will put them in a stronger position to capitalise on opportunities that will arrive in their careers.
Once again, if you or any of your readers wish to be notified when the new site is online, please do email me on barry@
Thanks again for your advice.
Best
Barry
Barry
I think you’re working under a bit of an illusion.
IrishDev.com was a website.
It’s not online, therefore it no longer exists and will be dropped from indices etc., as they update their links.
Emailing a group of people does not change the fact that the website has been offline for 2 months.
Promising to email people about your future plans does not change that the site is offline and there still is no holding page.
If the site is as popular with the Irish technology community as you claim, then surely the entire holding page thing would have been raised earlier?
Regards
Michele
Hi Michele,
Thanks again for your additional comments and interest in IrishDev.com.
You’re quite right, IrishDev.com is a website, but more importantly it’s the online home of Irish Software Developers Network – an offline community of technologists. The important and popular aspects of our service are the physical events where people can come, listen, experience, meet and communicate person to person.
Once again, in hindsight yes, if we’d envisaged the delay, it would have been beneficial to have a holding page, but since we’re almost ready to go online again and since we’ve been communicating with our members via email and in person at the events, the absence of the holding page isn’t that important anymore.
Best
Barry
I’d have to agree with Barry on this one, it is more than just a website, I met a few of them at an Irish Computer Society event in Dublin a year or two ago, and my own laziness meant that I lost touch with the community.. which is why I’m looking forward to the website coming back!
Hi Michele
Barry here.
Further to the above commentary, I wanted to let you know that the new IrishDev.com is now live. (http://IrishDev.com)
As we now start our evolution, our developers, Agile Technologies (http://AgileTech.ie)are busy working on enhancements and I’d like to learn from any feedback that you and your readers would be so kind as to contribute.
Lastly, congratulations on your multiple IIA Net Visionary nominations.
Best
Barry
Apologies for commenting on an old page but irishdev.com isn’t working today, haven’t checked it in a long time before this though, but I did go on a few times when it was back up with a new design.. is it gone again anyone??