First post, by SquallStrife
- Rank
- l33t
Thought I'd create a new dedicated thread for the site, rather than keep hijacking Malik's drivers thread.
2-Apr-2025 again: New host! Faster! More space! Less $$! Winner winner, chicken dinner! 😁
Not to mention we upgraded from Ubuntu 18.04 LTS to Debian 12.
Kernel 3.10 to 6.1.0. PHP 7.2 to 8.2. You get the drift. 😁
Everything should be a bit faster now too. If anything acts up, please let me know.
I'm aware that the BBCode parser stopped working, I'm looking for a replacement. Most noticeable thing is that line breaks and code/monospace sections are hidden, and you might see BBCode markup in the descriptions.
Edit: BBCode is restored. Box drawing characters in descriptions are appearing incorrectly, some character encoding issue when I migrated the database I think, but we're 99% back to normal baby!
Edit2: Character encoding problems have been addressed. Happy drivers-ing! <3
2-Apr-2025: Uploads are suspended for a few days while I perform some maintenance and upgrades. Will update when normal service resumes.
Downloads available as normal.
Edit: (1-Apr-2025) Not an April Fools joke!
I tried to think if I could do any better than the lo-fi version of the website, for accessibility from old computers: http://www.vogonsdrivers.com/lofi/
I think I found it, too!
I've launched a telnet BBS at ezycom.retroswim.net:2323
Now, with just a Wifi232 style dongle, and any serial terminal software with X/Y/Zmodem support, you can get the files you need on your retro computer! No flash drives, no floppy disk shuffle, and no additional ISA cards needed.
Obviously it's still WAY faster to download from the website, then transfer to the old computer using one of those methods, but sometimes your hands are tied for whatever practical or preferential limitation. Now there's another option!
As an anti-spam, anti-abuse control, I am currently hand-verifying user accounts on the BBS, but you can still log in and browse the system at your leisure. Drop a note to the sysop at sign-up or at the logout screen, and I'll push the button to enable downloads.
Edit (18-Feb-2020): Three things I want to get off my chest. (Don't worry, it's not bad!!)
First thing: I've never wanted to list out explicitly what types of drivers are and are not allowed on the site.
That said, I think there's a theme on VOGONS of retro gaming, fixing old computers, and poking at obscure things, and I'd like for VOGONSDrivers to be in a similar spirit.
In the 8+ years of the site existing, I've deleted exactly 3 drivers that didn't fit. Two drivers for modern Samsung USB Laser Printers, and one for a brand new USB scanner. Ideally it stays this way, and I'm confident it will, because you all "get it".
If you're new, and you want to contribute, that's awesome, just please look at what you have to upload with a critical eye, and make sure it "fits" before you upload (and that it doesn't already exist).
Which leads into the second thing:
If you're new, and you want to contribute, I only ask that you participate in the VOGONS community for a while first, before you ask for credentials. Spamming one-word replies to build your post-count is obvious, just don't. 😀
If you don't want an account, and just have a file or two to contribute, please continue to post in the thread. It might take me a while, but I try to pick up new drivers and upload them every now and then. Another helpful member might upload it for you before I do, as well! Please don't delete your files from mega/drive/dropbox because I took too long, I have a lot on my plate, and not enough fortitude to handle it all at once. I'll get to it eventually, I promise.
Finally, I can't express how much VOGONS has been like a home to me over the years, and for that reason, VOGONSDrivers will NEVER be pay-to-access, or have premium paywalled features or content. Never ever. Thank you all so much. Special thanks to the members who have been making regular contributions, uploading files posted in the thread, and doing edits on the site! Stay awesome.
What you can do:
- Driver keyword search
- Browse drivers by category
- Update the title, description, and category for existing drivers
- Attach images to drivers (up to ~1MB, 800x800px max)
- Remove attached images
- Upload your own driver files up to ~30MB by using a web form.
- Upload your own driver files over 30MB by FTP
- Flag files for scheduled deletion
- $allowed_driver_extensions = array("zip","rar","7z","iso","bin","arj","lha","lzh","pdf");
What's coming soon:
- Adding and changing categories
What you can't do:
- Change the name of the uploader directly (but if you edit a file, the "Updated by" field updates)
- Upload a new driver with the same file name as an existing driver
This is the thread to request features, report bugs, or just let me know what you think.
I'm taking a break from coding for the site till this coming weekend. It's consumed my after-work-time for the last few weeks, and the other half isn't such a fan of that! 😉
UPDATE 7 June 2016: The sites are not connected. Your forum login will not work on Vogonsdrivers. If you want access to the drivers site, hit me up and I'll create an account.
I WILL NOT CREATE ACCOUNTS FOR PEOPLE WITH ZERO OR JUST A COUPLE OF POSTS. PLEASE DON'T ASK. HAVING TO SAY "NO" DOESN'T FEEL VERY NICE. 😢
If you have a file or two to contribute, put it somewhere public (mega.co.nz, Dropbox, Google Drive, whatever) and post the link in this thread along with some details and a photo/image if you have one. Either myself or one of the rad people here will gladly upload the file if it's suitable.
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Change log:
2025-04-01
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- BBS access added
2020-04-08
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- Added some anti-DoS measures and other bug fixes.
2016-06-20
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- Added minimalist HTML 2.0 version for low-powered/ancient devices and browsers: http://www.vogonsdrivers.com/lofi/
2014-05-15
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- JavaScript menu is now live. If JS is disabled, or a JS-unfriendly browser is used, the classic menu will still appear.
- Added SCSI/Storage and Networking categories.
2014-05-13
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- Fixed "Added" date and time from word-wrapping to three lines in some instances.
- Fixed (removed) bounding boxes on JavaScript folding category menu pilot ( http://www.vogonsdrivers.com/index2.php ).
- Increased font size of category menu by 2px.
2014-05-07
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- Added a checkbox to the file edit form to flag files for deletion.
- Flagged files will be cleaned up by a monthly cron job.
2013-04-14
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- Fixed a bug that enabled an SQL injection attack
- Added PDF to allowed file types
- Global password resets
2012-07-25
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- Enabled the and tags in file descriptions
- Now require users to be logged in to edit file information
- Captcha is no longer used to edit file information
- For images to display, file info must be edited by the same person that uploaded it (Trial feature, as per elianda's suggestion, if it gets to annoying I can turn it off in a few minutes)
- The person that last edited the file is now shown in the file info.
What's coming:
- Automatic thumbnailing of large images
2012-06-27
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- Fixed a bug that was causing the FTP login feature to not work.
2012-03-29
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- Added a rudimentary keyword search feature
-- Searches file title, filename, and description fields
-- Supports some boolean features:
apple bee carrot - Will find entries that contain all of these words"
apple bee -carrot - Will find entries that contain 'apple' and 'bee', but exclude results that contain 'carrot'.
apple bee <carrot - Will find entries that contain 'apple' and 'bee', and optionally 'carrot', ranking those results lower
apple bee >carrot - Will find entries that contain 'apple' and 'bee', and optionally 'carrot', ranking those results higher.
apple bee* - Will find entries that contain 'apple' and words beginning with 'bee*' For example 'bees' 'beet' 'beef' etc
apple "beef pie" - Will find entries that contain 'apple' and also the exact phrase "beef pie"
-- To get the maximum benefit from this feature, it would be good for anybody who's uploaded stuff to go through and make sure there are some details in the "description" field. Model numbers and that kind of details would be just awesome, if you happen to own those devices.
2012-02-09
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- Added a reminder on the upload form about the permitted extensions. (This wasn't actually mentioned on the site anywhere, only in this thread!)
- Driver entries will now show if they've been updated since the file was uploaded. Entries that haven't been edited will show NA in this field.
- Just for information, the dates and times shown on the site are United States central time, GMT-6 (or -5 during daylight saving)
2012-02-09
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- FTP uploads are now unticked by default on the "Process FTP Uploads" screen. It's a good idea to verify each one has the correct size before hitting "Submit"
- FTP uploads that remain unticked when you click "Submit" will now be deleted. This will also apply to files showing the "FILE ALREADY EXISTS" or "INVALID EXTENSION" errors. If you want to rename a file before having it processed, you can do so through your FTP client.
- Fixed a bug causing image uploads through the "edit" interface to be named incorrectly. Image uploading should now work correctly.
- Added some diagnostic information to the HTTP 403 error screen.
2012-01-12
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- Added a statement on "fair use".
- Added some measures to prevent HTTPS links from appearing in search engines.
2012-01-10
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- FTP Upload Processing now has the same BBCode editor available as the single file upload and file editing interfaces.
2012-01-07
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- Home page now shows 20 most recently uploaded files, instead of a flat list of every file. This should make it load faster as we add more drivers!
- Beta FTP functionality is available. I'm looking for testers!
- Removed the category links from the "You are now logged in" page, as clicking them would cause you to have to log in again, and left a stale login token in the database.
2011-12-22
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- Set post_max_size to 32M in php.ini. This should stop the "Invalid file extension" error for files over 8MB.
- Added a JavaScript check for file size to the upload form (doesn't stop you uploading, it just gives you a red warning if the file you chose is too big) Supported on Chrome and Firefox. Doesn't seem to work on Safari or Internet Explorer. I'm looking for an alternative that's more accommodating.
- Usernames and Passwords have been sent to everybody that has uploaded or contributed a file. If these accounts don't work, PM me. If you want to change your password, hang tight, that facility is on the way.
2011-12-19
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- You are now required to log in to upload files, and reCAPTCHA has been removed.
-- I have created accounts for anybody who has uploaded files so far, PM me for the passwords.
-- There is currently no interface to create accounts, I'd like to discuss further how to moderate the system before I implement that.
-- If you have a driver to contribute but don't have an account, leave a note in this thread, and I or one of the people with accounts should be able to help.
-- Your username and password are transmitted by SSL. However, since this is shared hosting and not dedicated, the URL appears differently for the HTTPS portion of the exchange. The HTTPS URL will begin with https://secure6.mylha.com/~ybkxdrnm It is the same site, no viruses or anything, just that having a dedicated IP doubles the price of the hosting!
-- You will need cookies enabled to make use of this function.
-- As always, let me know if there are issues.
- Fixed a bug where the file size wasn't being detected in some instances.
Initial Release
===============
What you can do:
- Browse drivers by category
- Update the title, description, and category for existing drivers
- Attach images to drivers (up to ~1MB, 800x800px max)
- Remove attached images
- Upload your own driver files (up to ~30MB)
What's coming soon:
- Uploading your own driver files over 30MB. - DONE
- Driver keyword search - DONE
- Adding and changing categories - Changing DONE
What you can't do:
- Delete drivers - Can request deletion now.
- Change the name of the uploader directly - Uploader is fixed, updater is handled automatically now
- Upload a new driver with the same file name as an existing driver
