It's been fun watching this thread.
We've needed to get to a new server for a long time. Some of you remember the horrible performance problems we were having not too long ago. Our old hosting provider wasn't helping us out with those problems, so we started to work on how to move the forum.
For security reasons we needed to get to HTTPS and a newer version of vBulletin. We also wanted a server that we had more direct control over with predictable performance. A few people including a good portion of the board of directors pitched in to make the server transition. You will notice that no data has been lost. That is a huge accomplishment on a project like this. These people are not morons; they are IT professionals who work for large corporations or run their own businesses.
Regarding HTTPS: This has been a glaring problem for a long time and I'm glad we have HTTPS now. Nobody really cares if your vintage 2003 Athlon gaming rig running Windows 98 can longer access the forum directly. This forum enables people to discuss vintage computing, and we're using the most appropriate tools for the job. A telnet accessible version of this forum that emulates a BBS would be a nice, authentic experience, but most of our audience is on the web using modern browsers. While your personal security habits might be antiquated and unsafe, we're not being responsible if we continue to use just HTTP.
Regarding look and feel: Yep, the upgrade is pretty disorienting. We are working through the issues where we can.
So please, settle down and stop throwing rocks at the all volunteer staff who pay for this and make it happen. I'm more than happy to send a refund check to anybody who feels cheated.
-Mike