Jay,
"For me (using IE), it is inconsistent. Usually, when I get the hourglass for more than 10 seconds, the page is not going to load. So I click the Stop browser button, and then the Refresh browser button. That usually works." AMEN
"You definitely want to copy-and-paste your thread reply into notepad before clicking Submit. It is possible that the reply form will lose what you have typed if the ITRC site can't be found." AMEN, AMEN AMEN (been doing this for years - hate it when I occasionally forget because that's the one that will get lost).
"Forum performance problems have been going on for years. Lately it has been pretty bad. One would think that HP would throw some money at it, but it seems to be low priority..." AMEN AD INFINITUM.
One additional item behavior I've noticed slightly different than you mentioned though, is that if my reply submission doesn't complete within 30 seconds or so, like you I'll click Stop, then refresh. I'll get one of 2 behaviors. (1) The page will reload immediately, and my reply is there, or (2) The page will not reload at all. In that case, I'll return to the daily email and click the link to the thread again. About 50% of the time, my reply is there. About 50% of the time, it's not. Then I'll re-reply from the Notepad copy I made (assuming I remembered to do so).
I've played around with this a bit, stopping the page as soon as 3 or 4 seconds after clicking Submit and then refreshing. My reply has generally been posted.
My interpretation from this is that most of the time, the reply is uploaded to HP's servers immediately. The delay or non-performance appears to be HP's servers returning the results.
I know the tech side of this has been doing what they can, such as a recent reindex of the forums to get the forums search function working properly again. I also wish HP would throw some $ at this. I would think they'd be a bit embarrassed since they are a tech company, and a lot of users are frustrated with this. Ie: negative image for HP's products, of which this is one.
Having worked for large corporations in the past, I suspecting that whoever up the management chain would authorize it is far enough removed from the operations level that he/she doesn't know, doesn't care, or simply can't get the budget to do so from corporate.
There are discussions in great detail of all the performance issues, if you care to read them, in the "Oct/Nov/Dec 2006 Performance and availability issues thread"
http://forums1.itrc.hp.com/service/forums/questionanswer.do?threadId=1065087 If you want to post anything in the current, Jan/Feb 2007 thread on performance issues, it's here:
http://forums1.itrc.hp.com/service/forums/questionanswer.do?threadId=1087290 Until they do something, I'm treating it like having to go to the bathroom more often as I'm getting older. I don't like it, but I just live with it. Overall, the forums do provide a service despite the performance shortcomings. The service outweighs having to work around the problems, but they really should make fixing the issues a priority.
(he said, Copying to Notepad, clicking Submit, and saying a little prayer)
Pat
