Is TSR really that old?

Didn't know TSR existed even during the Cold War where barely anyone had access to a computer, **** for a website that old it is doing well. Ah wish I could have been alive in the 1970s to see what kind of stuff TSRians were posting :biggrin:

Spoiler

Reply 1

Sinnoh

22

That's the default zero date for when the date value bugs out.

It's been around since 2000 I think. Used to be called uk-learning.co.uk

It doesn't go back as far as the 1970s, of course, but it is older than current GCSE students.

Reply 3

8472

21

This is a bug. The forum uses something called the Unix timestamp for posts on forums. The Unix timestamp works by counting in seconds from Jan 01 - 1970. For example 8:27pm on 14/05/2019 is 1557865677 seconds after Jan 1st 1970 so that is the Unix timestamp which would be provided to a post to give it the correct timestamp for us to read.

However sometimes this Unix timestamp is lost or bugs and the value ends up as null. So the time on the post will show as 01-01-1970 :smile:

In case you wanted the technical reason for it :moon:

(edited 4 years ago)

Reply 4

username2861570

18

TSR is acc a time travel machine. Didn't you know?

Reply 5

SlideshowBob

4

The site doesn't look that old.
Did it get updated or was it like this from the get go? It's impressive if it started out like this.

Reply 6

The RAR

OP

21

Original post by SlideshowBob

The site doesn't look that old.
Did it get updated or was it like this from the get go? It's impressive if it started out like this.

I bet the people using this site in the 1970s would have been like "Ha ha, we are the only ones with the internet across the entire world, we are superior, we are invincible!"

Reply 7

username4521132

19

Original post by 8472

This is a bug. The forum using something called the Unix timestamp for posts on forums. The Unix timestamp works by counting in seconds from Jan 01 - 1970. For example 8:27pm on 14/05/2019 is 1557865677 seconds after Jan 1st 1970 so that is the Unix timestamp which would be provided to a post to give it the correct timestamp for us to read.

However sometimes this Unix timestamp is lost or bugs and the value ends up as null. So the time on the post will show as 01-01-1970 :smile:

In case you wanted the technical reason for it :moon:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6l8MFdTaPE

Reply 8

MidgetFever

21

The 1970's?

Ah yes.. back in my day, where we had to send our thread replies via Raven.

Reply 9

the bear

20

TSR was founded just after the Second World War by two ex-POWs called Ginger White and Chalky Green. they had both been students at Oxford when war interrupted their studies. they met in Colditz castle where they whiled away the long cold Silesian nights by planning a spiffing new way of bringing students together using the telephone.
they also arranged educational activities for the other prisoners and their popular weekly quiz was to develop into the phenomenally succesful series University Challenge after the war.

Reply 10

04MR17

Volunteer Section Leader

22

Original post by SlideshowBob

The site doesn't look that old.
Did it get updated or was it like this from the get go? It's impressive if it started out like this.

It's seen many "improvements" :yes:

Reply 11

CTLeafez

22

Original post by the bear

TSR was founded just after the Second World War by two ex-POWs called Ginger White and Chalky Green. they had both been students at Oxford when war interrupted their studies. they met in Colditz castle where they whiled away the long cold Silesian nights by planning a spiffing new way of bringing students together using the telephone.
they also arranged educational activities for the other prisoners and their popular weekly quiz was to develop into the phenomenally succesful series University Challenge after the war.

Also to prevent German spies from infiltrating Oxford (and later Cambridge) the duo made up fake radio broadcasts stating you needed 100 'Distinctions' in your 'School Certificate' exam and later the O-Levels to even stand a chance. These rumours still haunt TSR to this day.

Reply 12

GodIsAWomann

9

i woulda been a slave back then

Reply 13

the bear

20

Original post by CTLeafez

Also to prevent German spies from infiltrating Oxford (and later Cambridge) the duo made up fake radio broadcasts stating you needed 100 'Distinctions' in your 'School Certificate' exam and later the O-Levels to even stand a chance. These rumours still haunt TSR to this day.

the prisoners at Colditz would draw pictures of themselves using burnt potato peel and ask the Commandant to rate them out of 10.

Reply 14

the bear

20

the original TSR headquarters was a fairly modest set up; a group of draughty wooden fishermens' huts at the end of the promenade at Shoreham.
here we can see the very first iteration of @TSRJessica wearing her smart uniform. the equipment on the desk in front of her is for receiving student messages in clear.
garbled messages ( often sent late at night ) were decrypted in the adjacent hut 9.

https://live.staticflickr.com/4065/5123581055_d03ecaf590_b.jpg

from the outset the staff at TSR Headquarters were encouraged to listen to music as they worked. On the left of the picture is an early parlophone™ with a 78rpm disc of Benga and Coki's very first hit.

https://live.staticflickr.com/4065/5123581055_d03ecaf590_b.jpg

Reply 17

04MR17

Volunteer Section Leader

22

Original post by the bear

from the outset the staff at TSR Headquarters were encouraged to listen to music as they worked. On the left of the picture is an early parlophone™ with a 78rpm disc of Benga and Coki's very first hit.

https://live.staticflickr.com/4065/5123581055_d03ecaf590_b.jpg

And incidentally, their last. :teehee: