VB4.2 V VB5.2

[Ashlar217]

So currently I'm running VB5.2.4 for my community, but I am seriously considering abandoning VB5 while my site is still young and developing. The main reasons for me considering the switch is mainly down to the immense lack of compatible modifications, and available themes, but also because the stability of VB5 just sucks eggs at the moment. Each update is breaking things the 3x or 4x updates never did.

My question is this.. I do like the site builder feature in VB5 which makes things much easier to arrange on your pages. Is there a large difference in what I can expect from the AdminCP, ease of mod installations, is there lots of manual template modifications required when installing VB4 mods? What core functionality will I lose/gain from going from VB5 to VB4?

Does the coding community here see any sudden upsurge in their desire to start focusing of VB5 over VB4? Or should we expect VB4 to remain the priority as long as the current VB coding team maintain their current direction?

[Lynne]

Have you tried vB4? You might want to try the demo just to see how it differs from vB5.

http://www.vbulletin.com/en/vb4-trial/

[noypiscripter]

You can't downgrade vB5 to vB4 so you would have to start over if you switch to vB4. Or find someone who had somehow done it.

https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthread.php?t=306412
http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/forum/vbulletin-5-connect/vbulletin-5-connect-questions-problems-troubleshooting/vbulletin-5-support-issues-questions/426917-advice-for-downgrading-from-vb5-to-vb4

[Replicant]

The typical method for downgrading to vb4 is to import db into IP board ver 3x, then migrate to vb4 from there. Passwords would need to be reset by users. There's someone doing it for small change but I don't remember who. I built the vb4 database from scratch once using my site's database. It worked fine, but I will never do that again.:eek:

[Ashlar217]

Replicant you cracking me up lol.. I can only imagine how long that took!

noypiscripter, if you remember who was doing that please let me know. I will pay a small fee for anyone who could offer this service so that I can keep my members database, but other than that I am pulling strongly towards just starting from scratch with VB4.

--------------- Added 1479498260 at 1479498260 ---------------

Ok after taking a 10 minute spin with the VB4 Demo as per Lynne' suggestion, I am more shocked than ever over what VB5 offers in comparison. It seems to me that VB5 is a giant step backwards in terms of available functionality. Simple features in VB4 like the Calendar system, Promote posts to articles/blogs, ad placement (yes i know that VB5 has ad modules), URL rewrite etc.. I could literally go on for another few paragraphs on this...

So it looks like I need to make plans to go to VB4.

[noypiscripter]

noypiscripter, if you remember who was doing that please let me know. I will pay a small fee for anyone who could offer this service so that I can keep my members database, but other than that I am pulling strongly towards just starting from scratch with VB4.

Read the threads I linked. Both contain info on who did the downgrade before.

[RichieBoy67]

I believe you can do as Replicant mentioned and then use the following info to reset passwords.

https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthread.php?t=243919

I would suggest creating a test site and doing the import there as to not impact your current site.

[Ashlar217]

Thanks Glenn, I read those threads. I'm just going to start again with VB4 once I get the VB4 version of my custom theme. And I'm also going to need to replace the VB5 mods I bought from you, with VB4 versions ;)

[Replicant]

Simple features in VB4 like the Calendar system, Promote posts to articles/blogs, ad placement (yes i know that VB5 has ad modules), URL rewrite etc.. I could literally go on for another few paragraphs on this...


I had a whole post written up with my opinion on vb4 vs vb5, but I'm not going there. No need to start a pissing match. Have fun and I wish you the best with your site.

[Ashlar217]

Thank you Replicant. I think it's safe to assume most people think I'm probably making a wise move.

[Mark.B]

For new sites I actually do recommend vB5, UNLESS you are looking to have a heavily modified site, in which case it needs to be vB4.

There are not that many 'major' add-ons for vB5, though the number of 'mini-mods' is slowly increasing. It won't ever reach the levels of vB4 though, mainly because it's much harder to modify.

Also remember that some external stuff in vB4 is gradually breaking - notably Facebook integration, because Facebook move the goalposts every few months and vB4 is no longer being updated with those kind of changes. I fully expect PayPal might end up the same way at some point, if it hasn't already (I don't use PayPal so can't be sure). There's also some minor niggles with the editor in some browsers but that can be worked round quite easily.

[Master Of Unive]

Over three years and there is nothing.

https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/external/2016/11/8.png

[In Omnibus]

I've always been of the mindset that the default core software needs to serve the intended purpose. Purchasing software because of third party modifications is asking for trouble. Once a developer moves on from supporting a product you are stuck with any of the risks inherent to outdated software, including but not limited to script errors and security risks.

Don't get me wrong. I like some of the add ons and modifications a great deal. But I could strip every damn one of them from every site I own and still function perfectly well. Bells and whistles don't keep members around unless that's all a site has to offer. If that is the case they aren't around long.

I've been doing this for twenty-five years and, in my experience, the forums that last are those with substance over style. vB5 allows compete customization of the substance of a site without the time-consuming development of manual custom pages. If I were starting from scratch that would be my choice. If I were working with an existing site I would advise members not to get too comfortable with outdated software. vB4 is almost seven years old. That's an eternity in software development.

[Dave]

For new sites I actually do recommend vB5, UNLESS you are looking to have a heavily modified site, in which case it needs to be vB4.

There are not that many 'major' add-ons for vB5, though the number of 'mini-mods' is slowly increasing. It won't ever reach the levels of vB4 though, mainly because it's much harder to modify.

Also remember that some external stuff in vB4 is gradually breaking - notably Facebook integration, because Facebook move the goalposts every few months and vB4 is no longer being updated with those kind of changes. I fully expect PayPal might end up the same way at some point, if it hasn't already (I don't use PayPal so can't be sure). There's also some minor niggles with the editor in some browsers but that can be worked round quite easily.

That's when modders take over and update it themselves. :^)

[Big Kahuna]

Biggest mistake I made was upgrading to VB5

Lost members I've had for fifteen years and the addon development actually sux. I personally like 5 better the 4, but it became a yawner for its lack of features to the members. Once active boards are virtually dead.

Looks like there will be three licenses for sale cheap in near future.

[Mark.B]

Biggest mistake I made was upgrading to VB5

Lost members I've had for fifteen years and the addon development actually sux. I personally like 5 better the 4, but it became a yawner for its lack of features to the members. Once active boards are virtually dead.

Looks like there will be three licenses for sale cheap in near future.
This illustrates why the key to any major uograde on any site is to ask this question:

"Why do I want to upgrade?"

If the answer is "to get the latest version", then that is the wrong answer.

Any upgrade should involve an evaluation of the features your site needs, and then an investigation into whether those features are present or available as addons in the version you want to upgrade to.

If you just rush in and upgrade then you risk ending up in the situation you find yourself in.

And indeed, the same applies to switching software. If you don't scope it out properly, you'll get bitten. That is not the fault of the software. Sorry to sound harsh but it is a reality.

[keyla31]

Bottom line for me is that people can not attach photos on mobile devices on any version except 5 unless using an outside app so I'm sticking to vb5, I had vb install it for 150 bucks its darn near perfection as far as functioning properly thou there is a few little tweaks that need to be addressed in permissions

[migratoria]

If the developers had taken as an example wordpress for the updates and the plugins all problems be solved.

[Paul M]

Huh ?

[migratoria]

Sorry paul for my bad english.. I use google for more phrases..

****
You have to take as an example wordpress.
Updates are never a problem and the plugin always work.
All develop wordpress

****
bbPress for example is the wordpress forum. There are many plugins for it.
If wordpress or bbpress plugins it's upgrades, the forum and the plugin are always compatible whit wordpress and developers make only tweaks

*******
Basically .. vb5 must be compatible with the vb4 plugin. if that is not possible, authors should develop VB6 and abandon vb5 otherwise vbulletin disappear shortly

[Mark.B]

vB5 will *never* be compatible with vB4 plugins. The majority of the code is completely different.

WordPress updates require write access to the server. That's opening up a whole world of potential issues.

[migratoria]

Never encountered problems with wordpress.