Hi Mrs. Columbo,
It took me a while to figure out what had happened, because just deleting all of our memberships shouldn't have prevented us from viewing the board, it just would have kept us from posting. Then, when I discovered that everything in the user file was gone, it dawned on me that they also deleted the "anonymous" member data, which means that no one in the world could view the board.
When you open a php bulletin board in your browser, the system searches for a cookie on your computer, that might identify you as a registered member, and if it finds one, then it authorizes you to do whatever you are entitled to do by your permissions, on that board. If the system can't find a cookie on your computer that matches a registration on the board, then it assumes that you are an "anonymous" viewer, who can read, but not post. If the "anonymous" viewer membership data is missing, however, then it won't even let you see the board, and that's what happened, this morning.
It's definitely good to be back home, and the truck is great - much better than I expected. It should last me for more years than I will be likely to need it, unless I never retire.
Luve,
Galahad