Hello everyone!
The full post is in the Level1Techs category if you want to view it instead of a banner.
TLDR
The level1 forum will be receiving an overhaul to categories in the very near future. I know change isn’t easy for some, but we think the changes we have in mind are logical and will be very beneficial. The focus is to consolidate similar, archive dead, and add new/helpful/modern categories. We want to lean into what is popular in our own community and cut what is not. In general, these changes are designed to be additive if anything, so no posts will be lost. Anything locked isn’t being touched, and will still be there, and it will still be locked.
– skip to the tables at the bottom to miss the ramble.
The Why
Concerns and why we decided it was time for some changes:
-
Level1Store
Currently, people post under “other hardware” or “Level1Techs” etc. because there is no dedicated place for KVM related questions. It’s only growing- thank you all! (seriously, I want to keep the job ;P). We’re making a place to ask anything store-related, RMA, product guides, and general store info. -
High-Performance Computing
One thing Wendell is wanting, a place we’ve labeled “High-Performance Computing” that is specifically for things like compiling, rendering, and deep / machine learning & AI. These interesting areas of technology are what Level1 wants to explore and discover as much info as possible. More categories may come in the future to this section, but this is our starting point. This, as we see it, is a prominent future of tech and will only get more advanced. -
Consolidating
Level1Techs, since starting has been all about technology. The existing media/art/community/hobby areas are staying of course, however, they are all being added to the “community” category. Some categories are divided into subcategories that seem a little redundant and/or they are pretty dead and don’t need to be divided. -
Archiving Dead / Converting to Tag
A small handful of categories are going to be archived. We chose these by just looking at how many posts were being made in a month. Some candidates include DevOps, Vintage & Legacy, and benchmarking. DevOps is dead, but the latter two are more of a tag than a category. The current items in “Benchmarking” will still be public, but rather sorted into their appropriate categories.
Comprehensive List of Changes
This will hopefully solve any “where did ____ go?” questions upon changes happening.
| Category | Sub-Category | New Location & Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Level1Techs | ||
| Rules, Guidelines, FAQ | - | |
| INBOX.deb | - | |
| Bug Report | - | |
| Community | Renamed, “Communities” | |
| Events | - | |
| Tech Policy & News | - | |
| Buy/Sell/Trade | - | |
| DIY Corner | - | |
| Open Pleb: Hardware Fails | - | |
| Community Blog | Removed as category, posts moved to Communities → Blogs | |
| Hardware | Renamed, “Hardware Hub” | |
| Build a PC | - | |
| Motherboards | - | |
| CPU | - | |
| GPU | - | |
| HDD’s & SSD’s | Renamed to “Storage” | |
| PSU | - | |
| Cases / Chassis | - | |
| Cooling | - | |
| Overclocking | - | |
| Enterprise Gear | Renamed and moved, High-Performance Computing → Workstations & Servers | |
| Other Hardware | - | |
| Build Logs | - | |
| Benchmarking | Archived, posts will be moved to their respective categories. Benchmarking will be encouraged as a tag. | |
| Networking | Moved, Hardware Hub → Networking | |
| Networking Software | Subcat removed, posts moved to Hardware Hub → Networking | |
| Networking Hardware | Subcat removed, posts moved to Hardware Hub → Networking | |
| Legacy & Vintage | Archived, posts moved to Hardware Hub → Other Hardware. Tag will be encouraged for distinguishing vintage hardware. | |
| Software & Operating Systems | Renamed, “Operating Systems & Open Source” | |
| Windows | - | |
| Mac | - | |
| Open Source & Web-Based | - | |
| Linux | - | |
| BSD | - | |
| VFIO | Renamed, “Virtualization” | |
| Looking Glass | - | |
| Development | Renamed, “Dev Zone” | |
| Web Development | - | |
| Game Development | - | |
| Mobile Development | Archived, posts moved to Dev Zone | |
| Software Development | Archived, posts moved to Dev Zone | |
| Code | - | |
| DevOps | Archived, posts moved to Dev Zone | |
| Mobile Tech | Renamed, subcats moved to Hardware Hub | |
| Phones & Tablets | Subcat removed, posts added to Hardware Hub → Phones & Tablets | |
| Mobile OS | Subcat removed, posts added to Hardware Hub → Phones & Tablets | |
| Laptops & Netbooks | Subcat removed, posts added to Hardware Hub → Laptops & Netbooks | |
| Gaming | Moved, Communities → Gaming | |
| Arts & Media | Removed as category, posts moved to Communities → Visual Arts & Design, subcats moved to Communities | |
| Books, Literature & Writing | Moved, Communities → Books, Literature & Writing | |
| Food & Drink | Moved, Communities → Food & Drink | |
| Music | Moved, Communities → Music | |
| Anime, Movies, Video, and TV | Moved, Communities → Anime, Movies, Video, and TV | |
| Visual Arts & Design | Moved, Communities → Visual Arts & Design | |
| Gardening & Outdoors | Moved, Communities → Gardening & Outdoors | |
| Audio Hardware & Software | Removed as category, posts & subcats moved to Communities → Audio Hardware & Music | |
| Headphones and Headsets | Subcat removed, posts added to Communities → Audio Hardware & Music | |
| Speakers | Subcat removed, posts added to Communities → Audio Hardware & Music | |
| Sound Cards & DACs, & Other Hardware | Subcat removed, posts added to Communities → Audio Hardware & Music | |
| Vehicles & Mobility | Removed as category, posts & subcats moved to Communities → Vehicles & Mobility | |
| Cars | Posts moved to Communities → Vehicles & Mobility | |
| Motorbikes | Posts moved to Communities → Vehicles & Mobility | |
| Science, Engineering, & Tech | Moved & renamed to Communities → Science, Engineering, & Security | |
| Security | Archived, posts moved to Communities → Science, Engineering, & Security | |
| Cryptocurrencies | Archived, posts moved to Communities → Science, Engineering, & Security | |
| Robotics | Archived, posts moved to Communities → Science, Engineering, & Security |
Updated Categories List
Result of all changes made + new categories.
| Category | Subcategory | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Communities | For anything “off-topic” and non-tech related. Hobby area, community area for groups that tend to stick together. Most or all of the Community categories will probably be locked to a low tier to prevent trolls. | |
| Blog | ||
| Buy/Sell/Trade | ||
| Books, Literature, & Handwriting | ||
| DIY Corner | ||
| Food & Drink | ||
| Audio Hardware & Music | ||
| Anime, Movies, & TV | ||
| Visual Arts & Design | ||
| Gardening & Outdoors | ||
| Science, Engineering, & Security | ||
| Vehicles | ||
| Tech News | ||
| Gaming | Unofficial servers go here | |
| Level1Techs | ||
| Rules, Guidelines, and FAQ | Rules, please follow them. | |
| INBOX.deb | Q&A section for Level1, please direct any store questions to the appropriate category, rather than here. | |
| Bug Report | See anything wrong with the cite? Let us know! | |
| Level1 Servers | Officially Level1 supported (by staff/mods/the crew) game servers | |
| Events | This is where something like Devember would go, community giveaways, or convention announcements like Computex. | |
| Operating Systems & Open Source | ||
| Linux | ||
| Open Source & Web-Based | ||
| Windows | ||
| Mac & iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Steam | ||
| Looking Glass | ||
| Virtualization | VFIO, TrueNAS, Proxmox, and more. | |
| BSD | ||
| Dev Zone | ||
| Software Newbie | Judgement-free zone, ask anything software-related no matter how simple, no bullying. If you don’t know where to post in the category, you can post here. | |
| Web Development | ||
| Backend Development | ||
| Game Development | ||
| Code | ||
| Cloud | ||
| High-Performance Computing | The bleeding edge space for high level discussion, benchmarks, and setup guides. | |
| Workstations & Servers | Show off your awesome HPC or Puget station! Use this sub to discuss commercial-grade stuff, higher-end servers and related topics. | |
| Multiphysics & Simulation | A place to post compiling time results / benchmarks, best setups, guides, result analysis, and performance questions. E.g. COMSOL, SOLIDWORKS | |
| 3D Rendering | A place to post rendering time results / benchmarks, best setups, guides, result analysis, and performance questions. E.g. CAD, Revit, Unreal Engine | |
| Deep / Machine Learning & AI | A place to post results / benchmarks, best setups, guides, result analysis, and performance questions. E.g. OpenAI, Gemini | |
| 2D Rendering & Motion Graphics | A place to post results / render times, best setups, guides, result analysis, and performance questions. E.g. Divinci Resolve, Adobe Creative Suite (Premiere Pro, After Effects, etc.) | |
| Hardware Hub | Anything hardware related or building a PC | |
| Hardware Newbie | Judgement-free zone, ask anything about hardware / technology no matter how simple, no bullying. If you don’t know where to post in the category, you can post here. | |
| Networking | ||
| Build A PC | ||
| Motherboards & RAM | ||
| CPUS & Cooling | ||
| GPUs | ||
| Storage | ||
| Cases | ||
| PSUs | ||
| Laptops & Netbooks | ||
| Phones & Tablets | ||
| Peripherals | ||
| Build Logs | ||
| Overclocking | ||
| Other Hardware | ||
| Level1 Store | Anything to do with store.level1techs.com | |
| Store Announcements | Store sales, new item drops, restock info | |
| KVM Helpdesk | KVM technical support questions & RMA inquiry. | |
| Product Inquiries | Any general product questions, specific info, or non-KVM support questions. | |
| Product Guides | Product-specific guides written by Level1 or anyone in the community. |
This post is to give a heads-up to everyone, and give an opportunity for any feedback before the changes are here. If anything is unclear feel free to ask me 
The final list could end up being a little different than what is here, some category names might be slightly different, etc. but the general idea will be the same. Any deviations will be updated.
