PTT Server Abnormality: Netizens Left Stranded

By Xue Mingjun, Taipei Reporter

Taiwan’s largest electronic bulletin board system, PTT, recently announced a scheduled 5-hour shutdown on September 23 for equipment changes. However, a server abnormality occurred on the evening of September 20, leaving many netizens unable to access the platform.

Netizens took to social media to express their frustration, with some posting messages like “Hands… started to shake…”, “It’s Mustard Day”, and “Where is my fountain of life?” Others jokingly apologized to PTT’s administrators, saying “Sorry, Lai Huang, we were wrong, we will praise you and give us PTT!”

According to reports, the server abnormality began around 7 pm on September 20, with many users unable to access the “Pitkick Industrial Square” platform. Some netizens reported seeing an error message that read “500 – Internal Server Error / Server Too Busy.”

While some users reported that the web version of PTT was down, others noted that the app and SSH versions were still accessible. Additionally, some users reported that the websocket was functioning normally.

As of 11 am on September 21, the “Pitkick Industry Forum” was still displaying the “500 – Internal Server Error / Server Too Busy” message. The PTT Facebook fan page had not responded to the issue or made any announcements.

The reporter tested the platform and found that changing the settings allowed access to PTT. However, the cause of the server abnormality and the expected resolution time remain unclear.