No.1070
Dear Ernst,
I have decided to step down as admin of EC by the end of September. The reason for the existence of EC in my point of view is to provide a home for those who enjoy fun and quality posting, who like to create OC and have fun doing projects together, without constantly being overshadowed by /pol/-shitheads and ragebaiters. That is why in 2018, I was willing to put in the effort to repopulate EC.xyz /b/, when there was no other place to go, because in my opinion Kohl strayed too far from old Krautchan ways. That is why in 2019 I was willing to create Radio Ernstiwan, because at that time there was no other radio, and it seemed well worth doing it. That is why in late 2022/early 2023 I was willing to make the effort to create EC.top, to save the community we built from blowing up, after the erratic decisions that were made on xyz. But now, in late 2025, I find that I no longer have the motivation to put in the effort necessary, and that is due to a combination of different circumstances:
First: The overall interest in EC and the radio seems to be slowly declining. /b/ is mostly a sports/esports blog these days, while /int/ has been struggling for a while now. Even the radio, which once was the pride of EC, only managed to pull togehter a reduced size festival, with lots of former streamers not being interested. Since the novelty bonus of the chan and the radio have long worn off, I can't help but see a further decline in the future. Even actual novelties like ErnstTV and the D&D-dices are barely used and could not turn things around. And when I consider how many of the threads and posts on /b/ were made by myself, thinks look even bleaker. Second: Both the EC and radio servers are in dire need of an upgrade. Of course I could just not give a fuck and let them run, but by now, this is asking for trouble. Third: I have been visiting krautchan.org for a short while, and to be honest, it looks pretty much like the board I aimed to create, and it sure is different enough from Kohl that it raises the question whether EC is even needed any longer. After all, if there already is an alternative, more alternatives would only serve to unnecessarily divide the userbase.
So, even when it makes me sad to admit it, I came to the conclusion that in this new constellation, I no longer can find an argument to invest the effort which would be needed to keep EC going. I definitely do not want to cling to EC just out of pride, and probably become an obstacle for new developments. And that is why I am stepping down.
No.1071
About the consequences: I do not claim that my evaluation of the overall situation is necessarily correct, so if someone wants to keep EC going, I will be available for support. I won't be available for taking on any role like admin, mod or whatever: I'm done, seriously, and I already enjoy the thought of fading back into obscurity. The obvious thing to do was asking the mod team if anyone wants to take over as admin. This has already happened, and it is not the case. If another Ernst is willing to take the spot, then please let us know. However, I would only pass on the existing EC to someone I can verify as trustworthy - which is not easily done, because we actually delete IP addresses from posts after 2 weeks. So it basically would have to be someone from the radio community, or someone who I can verify in a different way. However, I would highly recommend that any potential successor installs a completely fresh system: New OS, maybe different imageboard software, whatever you see fit. If you are wondering about the costs: EC and radio server together combine for about 23€/month (EC 16, radio 7), the major cost driver being the hard drive space for EC, so maybe you can reduce that even further, if you are willing to cut down on file sizes or maximum board pages. If someone wants to create a new EC and just needs more time: In that case I'd leave the chan online for a little longer, until the work has finished. However, if no one wants to take over, EC.top will shut down for good somewhen at the end of September.
Since a radio without a board doesn't make sense, Radio Ernstiwan would also shut down in that case. It's a shame, because I really enjoy the community we built, Radio is love, and it feels bad to pull the rug while there are still people enjoying it. But I don't see any realistic way to keep it going without EC. Kohl already has a radio, maybe this can be repopulated, or maybe krautchan.org is interested in creating a new one. I also thought about just asking whether Krautchan would want to host our radio, but I don't think this is a great idea. Some Ernsts might not be thrilled about forcibly being dragged to another board, and Bernd might also not enjoy the idea of being linked to Ernst in any way, it might even hurt the development of the new Krautchan, and who knows if they are even interested in first place. And even if: A reinstallation would still be necessary. So I'd rather pull the plug on a high note after the recent festival, with the knowledge that for six years we punched above our weight, survived the collapse of our home chan, managed to host over 2500 streams, and put out no less than five albums. In case of a shutdown, I will ask both Kraut- and Kohlchan if they are interested in our implementation of radio/ErnstTV, the Quake 3-server and associated custom models, and the D&D dices. I can only bank my hope on the other chans that they will carry on the radio legacy.
No.1072
Please don't write me on Discord for general inquiries, unless the communication requires that you do so, the last thing I need now is people private messaging and making me feel worse than I already do. Keep the discussion visible for everyone on EC here in the thread. Otherwise, please let it be known that it was a fun ride, thanks to everyone who was with us along the way. I think we did well, and while I regret very much that it is coming to an end, I find solace in the fact that I can end things on my own terms, instead of a fatal technical fuckup, or simply being rendered irrelevant by the winds of change. Here's hoping that this decision will lead to an at least partial reunification of a like-minded userbase, and two relevant german boards with thriving communities.
Please let me know your thoughts and your ideas about the future, or whatever else is on your mind.
t. E. Admin.
No.1073
In principle I would love to admin, but I know jackshit about webdesign and imageboard software and server stuff and beyond that I would not have the time to deal with any of that in the first placesince my own private life is bound to become a bit more turbulent than it is right now. I think others have the same excuse ;^)
And while I am sad to hear that EC is going to die soon, I fully agree with you on your assessment of what we managed to do here. It was a good time, from xyz on as an aimless Bernd not knowing where to go, and for the past seven years it was my home on the internet. But the decline was palpable. I also found krautchan.org, but I am still a bit skeptical. It certainly looks better than the Kohl looked in 2018 when I checked it out and decided that it's not for me. Maybe it's time for me to leave the internet altogether; the digital world outside the imageboards is of no interest to me.
I had some streams planned that I didn't get around to do, so maybe I will use the last days to do those, just to not leave any unfinished business. Maybe we can aim to have one stream per night, just like a big farewell event.
For that end, is it possible to give a concrete date for when it's lights out?
I think I don't have any more to say. ::sad::
Thank you for your service.
F
No.1074
>>1070> /b/ is mostly a sports/esports blogI am hiding these threads and I think the rest of the topics get enough posts for my taste. But I guess I don't have the right perspective to see everything.
>And that is why I am stepping down.Why not kill the board outright? Just asking.
No.1075 KONTRA
Rips
You did well by doing what you did. Maybe EC can die gracefully so. The end of an era.
Looking at krautchan.org this probably is not my cup of tea anymore. So this means no more imageboards then, huh. Maybe it's for good.
No.1077
>>1076I feel the same, this is by far the most comfy site on the worldwide web and one of the few sites I visit daily. I get the intention from OP and I get the lack of engagement or the lack of contributions, which hits almost every imageboard nowadays, but I still thing EC does quite becuase of its good Admin.
I dont see a chance to increase postings or otherthings (like the radio) very much, but it does not depend on EC, it is some sort of "die letzten Mouhikaner".
I love to place so fuckin much, it is unreal. I would love to see EC to still exist beyond your Admin-Time
Thanks for all your money, time and support for us. I hope you chance your mind, this place very importent to some of us and I guess it means very much to you
that are my first thoughts, I will write more later
T. The one from the E-Sport/Fettfaden/Schmudel-Faden and Sportfaden, who posts daily on this site since the beginning.
No.1082
So maybe this is the last chapter of Ernstchan then, huh? Feels a bit weird after all those years, especially if all of the ECs are included. I'm gonna miss the movie thread and China posting. I rarely made any quality contributions, but being on here felt a bit like home. So thanks for putting in the effort.
I'd also like to know for sure when the place is going to shut down, maybe a spirit of farewell magic will occur when we say goodbye.
No.1084
Sad. See you on krautchan.org, Bernd.
No.1085
Thank you for all you have done. For now five years, EC, be it .xyz or .top, has been my favorite place to go on the internet. I'm glad it happened and understand your gesture. It will remain a fond memory of my adult life.