I have just received a kind email from the UK expressing thanks for a few of my articles. But this particular visitor went the extra mile and let me know that when registering an account for this site, the details are not getting mailed out properly. This was news to me, though in retrospect I think the problem would have started when I moved my mail server to a new host. Thanks and props to this visitor for taking the time to a) identify the problem, and b) take the time to track me down regardless, with both their thanks and the trouble notice!
I have to say, receiving kind words once in a while does make the effort well worth it.
As for the server issue, the timing was a little ironic, as I had determined just a few hours ago before receiving the email that I need to replace my server due to other happenings that have cropped up recently. I find myself needing slightly more modern hardware, and need to merge some services to one box to free up an IP address for a development project (outright separation of the development environment from my "production" environment). Receiving this message is simply the icing on the cake. I WILL have a new box in place soon. I'm aiming for next week. Then there will be a period as I move services to the new box. Most of those services can be moved in one step, but some need more care. The techies out there are just itching, I know, to tell me that servers should only host one or two services to avoid this type of problem. Sure, that's true, when you have resources, and time (or staff) to set these up for you. But when you are a one man tech team, with no budget, you make do with what you have.
Those email troubles will be fixed once the new server is in place.
Thanks to the UK for the warm fuzzies!