But even if this was the case, there were already models for on-chain stored "forums" or "social media" that worked. I had discussed that here on the Meta subforum in this thread (
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5481514.msg64087445#msg64087445). In my case I have had a bit of experiences with Steem(it) (
https://steemit.com), and it worked reasonably well. Of course it has centralization problems but these are not directly related to the fact that it's stored on a blockchain.
In the case Bitcointalk is moved to a Steemit-like platform completely, viewing content and also posting could be provided by independent websites which access the blockchain with a full node. The software needed is a combination of a block explorer (to view the content) and an online wallet (to post yourself). Every forum user would need to create at least one account/address/key pair for the blockchain to post, but that can be hidden (so in fact all what you have to do is to "register" on one of the "node websites"). As Steemit showed, there were basically no differences in reaction time and availability to a centralized forum. The node websites could run ads and sponsor the transaction fees for posting, like it occurred on Steemit basically (although there the model was a bit more complex).
the should be trying to move bitcointalk to a steemit-like platform so that continuity is transparent and it has some degree of decentraliztion. i guess though some people go by the "if it aint broke then don't fix it" methodology. but that can end up being challenged if something happens like a site gets hacked and usernames/logins get compromised.
i dont think there's much more to discuss at the moment about this topic since i think another thread also touched on this issue. but centralized forums are not ideal. even something like reddit, they are centralized. they will need to move to blockchain eventually or be overtaken.
Hive Network/Blog[1] would be better example than Steemit due to past hostile takeover[2].
I think @LoyceV and @TryNinja might able to answer these question, since they own copy of this forum.
A post archive isn't the same as a working forum. Let's say Bitcointalk is gone tomorrow. I have backups of most of the posts, but it's the unedited version. Millions of posts that have been deleted are still in my archive. I know who posted it, but I can't link the forum identity to a real person. So even if I (or someone else) would use the post data to create a new forum on a new domain with all usernames copied, it's going to be impossible to give the real account owner access to their own posts. Some may be able to sign a message, but that's going to be a lot of work and will only reach a small part of the users. And since the forum is gone, most users won't even know there's an effort to create a new domain name for the forum.
If Bitcointalk.org disappears, I expect it to just be the end of this forum.
You're right, although i was simply hoping you or @TryNinja would answer size of your backup or database which contain all forum thread and post.