We'e been running the current version of our forum software for a few years now, and while it has served our Aberdeen FC match threads, transfer tracking, and daily football debates well, the digital world moves fast.  With the current software reaching the end of its lifecycle at the end of this year, we are moving forward to future-proof the forum.

Starting week commencing 6 July 2026, DonsTalk will be undergoing a major software upgrade.

Because we proudly run a self-hosted setup, this isn't a standard "click update and hope" situation.  It is a ground-up platform rebuild.  Here is exactly what you need to know about the timeline, the upcoming features, and what to expect during the transition.

The Upgrade Tmeline

1. Full Database Backup and Lock - Monday 6 July 2026 - We will pull a complete final backup of all forum data.  DonsTalk will be placed into a read-only maintenance mode so no data is lost.  This means you will not be able to post to the forum but you will still be able to read.
2. Server Adjustments - Tuesday 7 July 2026 -  Our server will be updated to meet the new modern technical infrastructure requirements - we did part of this in March, ensuring optimisation and security compatibility.  This means you will not be able to post to the forum but you will still be able to read.
3. Migration and Code Deployment - Wednesday 8 July 2026 - The new sofrware will be uploaded.  We will begin running the upgrade and convert the database structure over to the new setup. The forum will go into maintenance mode and will not be available to view.
4. Theme Rebuild and Stability Testing - Thursday 9 July 2026 - Because the new forum rewrites how our layouts work, the look and feel of the forum will change.  We will spend this time stabilising the upgrade, ensuring a clean, dark-mode mobile friendly user interface, and checking forum functionality.  The forum will still be in maintenance mode and will not be available to view.
5. DonsTalk Goes Live - Friday 10 July 2026 - The switch will be flipped, and the brand new DonsTalk will be fully open for posting.

We're very much aware that this is happening in the middle of the World Cup last 16 and quarter finals, if each stage of the upgrade is successful, we'll speed things up to bring the forum back quicker to minimise downtime.

What's Changing? (And What You'll Love!)

This isn't just a security update; it fundamentally improves how you use the forum every day.

• Brand new text editor (TipTap):  The old clunky editor is gone.  The new froum introduces a sleek, real-time rich text editor.  This means pasting images, dragging and dropping quotes, embedding media, and formatting your match-day tactical breakdowns will be smoother than ever.
• Significantly Faster Page Loads:  The entire platform has been stripped of legacy code bloat.  Database queries are highly optimised, meaning the forum will load notably faster on mobile devices, even when threads scale to hundreds of pages during a tense transfer deadline day.
• True Progressive Web App (PWA) Capabilities:  For those who browse DonsTalk on their phones, the new version behaves much more like a native app.  You can expect better mobile responsiveness, cleaner dropdown menus, and vastly improved notification handling.
• Automatic Archiving and Index Cleanups:  Behind the scenes, years of old historical threads will be managed better by the system so they don't drag down the site's overall search performance.

A quick heads-up on launch week

Because the new software handles themes and layouts entirely differently than the current forum, the forum will look a bit different when we first open the doors on July 10.  We will continue to do some layout tweaks after launch and we'll be adding some new features over the coming months.

We appreciate your patience while we get the digital pitch sorted out.  Get ready for a faster, cleaner, and much more modern home for DonsTalk

There will be a brief period of downtime during the transfer between 2pm and 4pm on Saturday afternoon. It may take a few hours for the website to reappear as we point the donstalk.co.uk address to the new server.

We're doing this ahead of a major forum upgrade taking place during the summer break.

We are excited to announced that we are upgrading the DonsTalk community to a new version of our forum software this summer!  This isn't just a small update; it's a complete overhaul of how our site looks, feels and functions.

Our goal with this upgrade is to make the site faster, easier to use on your phones, and more fun to interact with.  Here's a quick guide to the biggest changes you'll notice:

Native Dark Mode

We now have a native Dark Mode built directly into the core of the site.

• How to use it: You can manually toggle between Light and Dark modes, or set it to "System" so it automatically matches your phone or computer's theme.
• No more blinding white screen during late-night browsing!

The New "TipTap" Posting Editor

Writing posts is now smoother and more modern.  The new editor is designed to be lightweight and "distraction-free."

• Slash Commands: Simply type a / to pull up a quick menu of options like lists, quotes, or code blocks.
• Draggable Media: You can now click and drag your uploaded images or attachments to move them exactly where you want them in your post.
• Floating Toolbar: On mobile, the editor tools stay right where you need them, making long replies on your phone less frustrating.

A Better Mobile Experience

The entire site will be rebuilt with a "mobile-first" mindset.

• Swipe menus: Navigation is now much more intuitive on touchscreens.
• Faster Loading: The code behind the scenes is much lighter, meaning pages should snap open faster ven on slower mobile connections.

Community Experts and Badges

We want to highlight people who make DonsTalk great.

• Expert Status: The system now helps us identify "Community Experts" - members who consistently provide helpful answers and earn "Helpful" votes.
• New Badges: Keep an eye out for new, high-quality badges appearing on profiles as you participate and reach new milestones!

Topic Summaries (for long threads)

Ever jump into a 20-page thread and feel lost?

• The new Topic Summary tool uses a smart algorithm to highlight the most important posts, high-value replies, and "Best Answers," allowing you to get caught up in seconds without scrolling through every single reply.

A Note on the Transition

Because this is a major "under-the-hood" upgrade, you will notice that the current theme will change.  We're trading the theme in for a much more stable, faster, and secure platform that will allow DonsTalk to grow for years to come.

Will I need to sign up again?

No - your existing username and password will work with the new site.

When will the change happen?

The process will start on Monday 6 July 2026 and will complete on Friday 10 July 2026.  During this period there may be intermittent downtime of the current site.

More on the changes

We'll be posting more information on the changes nearer the launch date.

Please refrain from posting any YouTube video containing any coverage of Aberdeen FC, either past or present. All AFC video material is copyright property of Aberdeen Football Club, regardless of where the video is located now. With their own RedTV system in place, displaying AFC video content on here is illegal and, most significantly, is direct competition to Aberdeen FC's own premium subscription content. In order that DonsTalk don't get hit with heavy copyright infringement fines, please refrain from posting AFC videos on the public forums of DonsTalk (various Pittodrie staff are known to frequent this site, so please don't try it!). If you really need to let someone know about a video you've seen, post it to them in a Private Message ... just not on the public forums, please!

All thanks to Topcorner for getting them sorted!

2. Please do not try to cleverly circumvent some rule listed here. These rules are general guidelines and are very flexible.

3. Don't post links or ask for links to download illegal copies of copyrighted works, including AFC footage, movies, books, software, mp3s, etc.

4. Keep in mind that everybody on the forums has to see your signature file over and over every time you post. Please make your sig file under 30k in size with less than three lines of text. Do not use images larger than 500 pixels wide and 120 pixels high.

5. Do not troll, spam, hi-jack or attempt to 'fish' in discussion topics. If you want to post nonsense, do it in your own thread.

6. Please refrain from using the forums to flog your old gear. This is not a trade site. Anyone wishing to sell something on the site should first approach the site administrators for permission. Repeat offenders will be removed from the site.

7. We do not need you to back seat moderate. If someone has offended you, or you want to draw attention to someone who has breached the guidelines, use the 'report to moderator' function and the situation will be quickly resolved if necessary. Also, please don't abuse this function.

8. Please post topics in the correct forums. If you are unsure, choose the one that best describes what you want to post about. If we feel you have posted in the incorrect forum, we will move it to the correct one. It's not a major problem if you do make a mistake in this instance, however, if we feel an individual is continually posting in the incorrect forum in order to antagonise, action will be taken.

9. Please keep posts clean. This site is accessed by people of all ages, if you want to look at naked people, there are plenty of sites that cater for your requirements. If you feel you really must share something that would be considered 'not safe for work' please state ''NSFW' in the topic title, and provide a link only to the material in question. This limits the chances of someone viewing something they would rather not view. Please try and keep your language clean wherever possible too. The odd swear word now and again isn't a problem, but we'd rather not have to deal with too much.

10. Please keep personal grievances off the site. If you don't like someone who posts here, either learn to be civil, or ignore their posts. We do not want the site filled with unnecessary arguments. This is not to be confused with debate and discussion, we welcome this.

11. Disciplinary procedures. We'd rather not have to tell people how to behave on an internet forum, unfortunately, it happens fairly regularly. There are no strict rules to govern this, any action we take will depend on the isolated incident in question. Repeated indiscretions by the same user will obviously be taken into account, however. Actions we can take will range from a polite request via PM to change something, a warning via PM, an 'any more and you're gone' yellow card, a period of suspension, to an outright ban. We don't have to be impartial or consistent. If you don't breach the guidelines, you have nothing to fear.

12. Try not to post duplicate topics. If you hear of a news story, a quick browse of the topic titles on the first page of the relevant forum should suffice in most cases. We'd rather that discussion on a specific topic be kept on one thread, rather than being splintered over 2 or more. If this happens, the topic will either be merged or locked. It's an easy mistake to make sometimes so don't worry if your thread is locked because of this.