R.I.P..... The end is here

[BadSanta2]

With vBulletin announcing the end of life for vBulletin 3 and 4 I want to be the first to say R.I.P vBulletin you had a good long run but the end is here.

[Brandon Sheley]

where did you read this?

I mean 3 has been EOL for a long while now but it still gets security updates I believe

[nhawk]

I think the OP means development has completely ended on vB4. That was to have happened back in July. So far as I know only security updates will be issued.

[nsdqmaester]

Posted Yesterday

https://www.vbulletin.com/forum/forum/vbulletin-3-8/vbulletin-3-8-questions-problems-and-troubleshooting/4383928-vbulletin-3-x-end-of-life

[Dave]

They have not released any new version for a very long time that introduces major features so this comes as no surprise.

[IggyP]

As long as they at least keep security updates.....i see this as more of a green light than anything to be honest.....it could actually increase appeal and profits for them imho......

all we need is security patches and vb4 can make alot more sense than vb5 for alot of ppl....

lets see, no new major upgrades so hack your styles into high heavens and mod them out beautifully with all the great resources people have shared over the years....never have to redo any of it?

ok im in...for options and custom ability it still has alot of pull in my eyes....

maybe for a simple forum not as much but in that light at least it is sort of exciting....

just keep the security patches at least please, people will still buy ;P

[Dave]

Even if they don't do security patches at some point, I'm sure other people will release unofficial patches. I feel like at this point vBulletin 3/4 itself is relatively secure against most major vulnerabilities though.

[TTayfun]

Don't stop the release security patch please for 3.8.x/4 series, please, We have not to update 5 series. Little bit listen your customers. @Wayne Luke.

[BadSanta2]

vBulletin listen to it's customers? lol that would be a nice place to start but with the quality of vB5 they are obviously not listening to the right people.

[TTayfun]

vBulletin listen to it's customers? lol that would be a nice place to start but with the quality of vB5 they are obviously not listening to the right people.
Unfortunately, if company stop support completely for 3 and 4 series, than other forum software companies win. This is real. vBulletin, listen your customers and please be respectful who use 3&4 series. :mad:

[nhawk]

I didn't see the vB4 notice..
https://www.vbulletin.com/forum/forum/vbulletin-4/vbulletin-4-questions-problems-and-troubleshooting/4383927-vbulletin-4-x-publishing-suite-end-of-life

[IggyP]

seems like mainly an official announce for the vb.com archives to me......they been saying that was the case for well around a year now im pretty sure....like i say, i take it as a green light and good news.....so long as the security patches keep coming ;P

[In Omnibus]

vBulletin 3.x is almost 14 years old. We're lucky they supported it this long. Try getting 14 years of support from Microsoft. Having said that there has been no official "end of life" declaration for vBulletin 4.x. It's users still receive security patches and support and it was upgraded earlier this year. The sky is not falling, Chicken Little.

[Mark.B]

Don't stop the release security patch please for 3.8.x/4 series, please, We have not to update 5 series. Little bit listen your customers. @Wayne Luke.

Wayne does make any such decisions, he simply posts the announcements.

These two announcements are nothing new, this has been the case for a long time now. They simply state that no further development work will be carried out on vB3 or vB4. Old news.

--------------- Added 1514597745 at 1514597745 ---------------

vBulletin 3.x is almost 14 years old. We're lucky they supported it this long. Try getting 14 years of support from Microsoft. Having said that there has been no official "end of life" declaration for vBulletin 4.x. It's users still receive security patches and support and it was upgraded earlier this year. The sky is not falling, Chicken Little.

I'm sorry to disappoint you on that one:

vBulletin 4.X Publishing Suite End of Life (https://www.vbulletin.com/forum/forum/vbulletin-4/vbulletin-4-questions-problems-and-troubleshooting/4383927-vbulletin-4-x-publishing-suite-end-of-life)

The situation for both vB3 and vB4 is the same. 3.8.11 and 4.2.5 were the final planned releases for both branches.

Support will continue as normal, with the obvious caveat that if something turns out to be a bug, or a problem caused by third party changes (such as Facebook or PayPal), then those won't be rectified as they would require development work.

All development is now focused on vBulletin 5.

[In Omnibus]

I'm sorry to disappoint you on that one:

vBulletin 4.X Publishing Suite End of Life (https://www.vbulletin.com/forum/forum/vbulletin-4/vbulletin-4-questions-problems-and-troubleshooting/4383927-vbulletin-4-x-publishing-suite-end-of-life)

The situation for both vB3 and vB4 is the same. 3.8.11 and 4.2.5 were the final planned releases for both branches.

Support will continue as normal, with the obvious caveat that if something turns out to be a bug, or a problem caused by third party changes (such as Facebook or PayPal), then those won't be rectified as they would require development work.

All development is now focused on vBulletin 5.

So, are you agreeing with the original post that the end is here? Your site still runs on vBulletin 4, does it not? Joe's site was running on vBulletin 4 last I knew. My point was it's not like sites running vBulletin 4 no longer function.

Now, if it hadn't been upgraded to function with PHP 7.1 that might have caused a much more immediate concern.

[Mark.B]

So, are you agreeing with the original post that the end is here? Your site still runs on vBulletin 4, does it not? Joe's site was running on vBulletin 4 last I knew. My point was it's not like sites running vBulletin 4 no longer function.

Now, if it hadn't been upgraded to function with PHP 7.1 that might have caused a much more immediate concern.

No, I'm not agreeing or disagreeing with anything, just putting the facts out there.

[IggyP]

its really better off.....dont you guys think? short of not fixing those 3rd party type new bug situations...which personally i dont think effects me much...

remember vb4 was abandoned as half done to begin with so idk where they would even start developing again....the cms? haha...seems like a clear waste of effort...but by now, it finally seems to matter less...as there are better options then those type cms stuff that never got finished anyway... i just switch off and if i ever need something like that so bad, there are wiki mods and several such options still being actively developed FOR vb4....

possibly even moreso in the near future and developers will not have to worry about having to redo their work after another vb4 release...its good news really right? ;P

happy new year lets celebrate ;P

[In Omnibus]

its really better off.....dont you guys think? short of not fixing those 3rd party type new bug situations...which personally i dont think effects me much...

remember vb4 was abandoned as half done to begin with so idk where they would even start developing again....the cms? haha...seems like a clear waste of effort...but by now, it finally seems to matter less...as there are better options then those type cms stuff that never got finished anyway... i just switch off and if i ever need something like that so bad, there are wiki mods and several such options still being actively developed FOR vb4....

possibly even moreso in the near future and developers will not have to worry about having to redo their work after another vb4 release...its good news really right? ;P

happy new year lets celebrate ;P

I think you can make any version of vBulletin amazing with the right plan and the right mindset. Some of the most popular gaming forums still operate on vBulletin 3.x versions. I think some people put too much emphasis on the most recent technology or the bells and whistles and not enough emphasis on the content. Ultimately, you can have a hugely successful blog on a single HTML page with the right content. A forum is just a tool.

[Dave]

I don't think the developers and support team members have much say on what should and should not be worked on development wise so let's not all put the blame on them.

I've personally worked on projects in the past where I got blamed on decisions that were made by people higher up.

[In Omnibus]

I don't think the developers and support team members have much say on what should and should not be worked on development wise so let's not all put the blame on them.

I've personally worked on projects in the past where I got blamed on decisions that were made by people higher up.

Unfortunately, those "higher ups" are the same people who made the decisions that led the product to this point. They should condescend to speak with their customer base in the interest of the future of this product.

[Mark.B]

Unfortunately, those "higher ups" are the same people who made the decisions that led the product to this point. They should condescend to speak with their customer base in the interest of the future of this product.
I can't really blame them for not doing so. Whenever anyone's tried this in the past, the disgusting abuse, insults and even threats they end up receiving beggars belief.

[In Omnibus]

I can't really blame them for not doing so. Whenever anyone's tried this in the past, the disgusting abuse, insults and even threats they end up receiving beggars belief.

I don't doubt that in the least. It's certainly not productive to have such discussions. By the same token it's unproductive to have Wayne Luke and the rest of the IB Staff be a human firewall for the higher ups. There is such a thing as constructive criticism. How can any company supply software which meets customer demand if they don't know what customers demand? This is the mistake that's been repeated with this software. Some three letter acronym thought it would be a good idea to use the latest technology. Let's call him the Chief Technology Officer. He ran this by another three letter acronym. Let's call him the Chief Executive Officer. They discussed the development costs with a third three letter acronym. Let's call him the Chief Financial Officer. Then the concept was passed through the ultimate arbiter of three letter acronyms. Let's call him the EVP. The Executive Vice-President Of Things And Stuff.

The decisions were made by a bunch of Chiefs and no Indians. The Indians are the ones using the product. Obviously, the Chiefs are never going to like everything the Indians have to say. That's why there are still limits to the right to free speech. Because the Chiefs are not going to like what the Indians have to say. The kings are not going to like that the barons want rights. They still need to hear it. If you have no subjects you're an emperor with no crown, no kingdom, and no clothes.

No one is saying IB is obligated to agree with the wishes of its customer base at every turn. It can't agree with its customer base on anything when it doesn't even know or care what its users want in the product BEFORE they purchase it. Good software companies don't supply something not in demand and then leave it to their developers to fix it.

Good companies figure out for what there is a market by asking the market. We, the customers, are the market. It's not about venting or justice. It's good business.

[TheLastSuperman]

I don't doubt that in the least. It's certainly not productive to have such discussions. By the same token it's unproductive to have Wayne Luke and the rest of the IB Staff be a human firewall for the higher ups.

"Common sense is not that common" - Steve Harvey

^ I love Steve Harvey, man is he funny and on point ;).

Needless to say a vast majority of the population are morons so if they don't realize Wayne is a human shield per say and look past that, we've lost all hope for humanity... well I already have long ago based on driving habits - point is not to only be amazed in this day and time by positive things not bs we all know nothing can be done about. Be well informed and place blame where it should be, give credit where it's due.

[z3r0]

The notification of EOL is that final push we all needed, my first 1m+ post site was moved yesterday to a better platform and the others will be following soon.

[Dave]

The notification of EOL is that final push we all needed, my first 1m+ post site was moved yesterday to a better platform and the others will be following soon.

In my opinion the EOL announcement didn't matter much, it was already pretty known that they've given up on development of vBulletin 3 and 4, especially after Paul M left.

[TTayfun]

In my opinion the EOL announcement didn't matter much, it was already pretty known that they've given up on development of vBulletin 3 and 4, especially after Paul M left.

Paul left permanently?

[Dave]

Paul left permanently?

Yes.
He talked about it in this thread https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthread.php?t=322893&page=2 and here https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthread.php?p=2587632#post2587632 about vBulletin 3/4 EOL.

[TTayfun]

Yes.
He talked about it in this thread https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthread.php?t=322893&page=2 and here https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthread.php?p=2587632#post2587632 about vBulletin 3/4 EOL.

hmm he said that i am making my own 3.8.12? is it offically? what does it mean?

[Mark.B]

hmm he said that i am making my own 3.8.12? is it offically? what does it mean?
He just means he will make his own version for his own personal use.

There will be no further official releases of either vB3 or vB4, and nobody is entitled to release their own full versions.

[lange]

Two days ago, I bought VB5 Connect just to upgrade my VB 3.x/plugins to 3.8.11. To not lose all my work of several years, I will be interested by a version 3.8.12 in the future.

My forum is private hidden behind a htaccess (private a bit like Facebook), so I don't care very much about security and SEO. Only the portability in PHP of 3.8.11 is a concern for me.

I will test 5.3.4, it's in the package.

[TTayfun]

yaeh, i agree with you, i will be interested by a version 3.8.12.

[Dave]

There will be no new versions of vBulletin 3 and 4 as stated before. Paul was just talking about making his own private version that he will call 3.8.12.

[TTayfun]

There will be no new versions of vBulletin 3 and 4 as stated before. Paul was just talking about making his own private version that he will call 3.8.12.

already he created 3.8.11, so will create 3.8.12 perfectly i think.

[Dave]

I think you are misunderstanding me, he longer works at Internet Brands (vBulletin). He's not allowed to release a new version.

He can freely modify it for his own forum, but him releasing it for everyone else to use would be illegal as it goes against vBulletin's license agreement and terms & conditions.

[Mark.B]

Just in case it wasn’t clear in my earlier post and the linked announcements:
There will be no new versions of vB3 or vB4.

[TTayfun]

Just in case it wasn?t clear in my earlier post and the linked announcements:
There will be no new versions of vB3 or vB4.

at least, support for next php versions. we would like to use php 7.2 and others.

[Mark.B]

at least, support for next php versions. we would like to use php 7.2 and others.
As I said, there will not be ANY further full releases of vB3 or vB4, this includes php compatibility releases.

[TTayfun]

As I said, there will not be ANY further full releases of vB3 or vB4, this includes php compatibility releases.

it's so sad :(, because i think 3 series was golden era for vBulletin.

[Mark.B]

it's so sad :(, because i think 3 series was golden era for vBulletin.

vBulletin 3 is now over fourteen years old. It's not possible to continue to develop software that old indefinitely.

[Paul M]

This is old news, all work on vB3 and vB4 stopped when I left.

I have my own working versions (3.8.12 & 4.2.6) that support PHP 7.2.
They are untested, other than my own private testing, but should work fine.

As noted, these are not "official" as I no longer work at IB, and could not be released publicly (unless by some miracle they decided to allow it).

As always, sites can be worked on and updated privately, and I may at some point offer a private upgrade service.

[TTayfun]

This is old news, all work on vB3 and vB4 stopped when I left.

I have my own working versions (3.8.12 & 4.2.6) that support PHP 7.2.
They are untested, other than my own private testing, but should work fine.

As noted, these are not "official" as I no longer work at IB, and could not be released publicly (unless by some miracle they decided to allow it).

As always, sites can be worked on and updated privately, and I may at some point offer a private upgrade service.

I'm interested with custom 3.8.12 :up:

[CAG CheechDogg]

I know I am going to get some backlash with what I am about to say but I really don't care ...

Versions 3 and 4 still work and honestly what else can you possibly need to make them better? No one will ever be satisfied with anything as long as people keep offering new versions and that's not in forum and cms software but in everything that can be sold to any customer base...

If someone has an idea for something to add to their forums they can simply hire someone who is willing to develop whatever they might need, I have had several addons, plugins and what not made just for me by a handful of people and "I" am quite happy and satisfied with what I have on my forums ...

I have never once thought about even upgrading to to version 5, for what?

If your site, forums work why fix it? Have fun with what you have !!

[Panzer Max]

As always, sites can be worked on and updated privately, and I may at some point offer a private upgrade service.

We will be interested in this, Paul.:up:

[In Omnibus]

If you're interested in Paul doing custom work on your forums privately then that's how you should discuss it: Privately. This is the wrong place to solicit paid work and all it can do is cause problems.

[Alan_SP]

Not necessary.

We can discuss about it publicly, as there's obviously big public interest about this particular custom work. And we know about it only because it was publicly unannounced.

I guess that all of us can privately define all details with Paul, but some work could be done openly.

[In Omnibus]

Not necessary.

We can discuss about it publicly, as there's obviously big public interest about this particular custom work. And we know about it only because it was publicly unannounced.

I guess that all of us can privately define all details with Paul, but some work could be done openly.

This still isn't the place to discuss paid work. There's a forum specifically for that. In addition there are other ways of contacting Paul.

Having people turn this into a solicitations forum is only going to get it shut down entirely, which serves no one.

[Mandushi]

I'm interested with custom 3.8.12

[TTayfun]

Paul, i think you should add in display unread mod ;)

[Paul M]

This still isn't the place to discuss paid work.
When did you become a moderator ? I must have missed that. :erm:

They are not "discussing paid work", they are expressing an interest (if it should happen).
If I decide to take that route, I will make it known, and create a way for people to contact me about it.

If people wish to contact me before, then TAZ (https://theadminzone.com/members/paul-m.10921/) is a better place.
I joined the staff there in the summer, and spend most of my vBulletin related time there now.
There is nothing tying me to this site anymore.

--------------- Added 1515125790 at 1515125790 ---------------

Paul, i think you should add in display unread mod ;)
I happen to agree, Im trying to remember why I never added it as part of "Garfield", when we did 4.2.0, but I dont recall now.

[In Omnibus]

When did you become a moderator ? I must have missed that. :erm:


I didn't. When did you become a "member?"

I've been known to be wrong before but everything says they're looking for reasons to shutter this site. The complete lack of activity for vB5.x is a valid reason. So, adding requests for paid work from the developer they let go on software they no longer actively service is just adding another reason. I realize you and others here don't care. It's only about your individual needs and screw everyone else.

[Alan_SP]

It's only about your individual needs and screw everyone else.

I don't think that "we who discuss here" screwed anyone. I think you missed who's actually one to blame for current situation.

And I understand your fears, I myself like vB4. I liked vB3 also. I guess I'm guilty of not liking vB5. But, who knows, maybe with xenforo 2 I see a bit of light. Who knows... maybe...

[Panzer Max]

I didn't. When did you become a "member?"

I've been known to be wrong before but everything says they're looking for reasons to shutter this site. The complete lack of activity for vB5.x is a valid reason. So, adding requests for paid work from the developer they let go on software they no longer actively service is just adding another reason. I realize you and others here don't care. It's only about your individual needs and screw everyone else.

I'm happy that a knowledgeable and reliable engineer is available for work on existing 3.x forums. If vBulletin would post they would contract out support, I would be happy for that. Some of us have reasons for sticking with the old versions of vB, so let's not overlook that assistance and support are a good thing.

[In Omnibus]

I don't think that "we who discuss here" screwed anyone. I think you missed who's actually one to blame for current situation.

And I understand your fears, I myself like vB4. I liked vB3 also. I guess I'm guilty of not liking vB5. But, who knows, maybe with xenforo 2 I see a bit of light. Who knows... maybe...

To be clear I am painfully aware of who is to blame for the current situation.
To be clear it isn't Paul.
To be clear, that is all hindsight.

The customers who purchased vB5 need this site not to become nothing more than a platform for customers who purchased software which is no longer officially supported to discuss paid work. vBulletin gains nothing from keeping open a website that serves only as free advertising for third party coders to work on software they no longer sell.

Meanwhile, this site does virtually nothing for customers of the product they do currently sell. So, why should they keep it up and running? You tell me.

[TTayfun]

To be clear I am painfully aware of who is to blame for the current situation.
To be clear it isn't Paul.
To be clear, that is all hindsight.

The customers who purchased vB5 need this site not to become nothing more than a platform for customers who purchased software which is no longer officially supported to discuss paid work. vBulletin gains nothing from keeping open a website that serves only as free advertising for third party coders to work on software they no longer sell.

Meanwhile, this site does virtually nothing for customers of the product they do currently sell. So, why should they keep it up and running? You tell me.

Why did customers buy "owned license"? What does it mean "OWNED LICENSE"? if php background not support my forum version, then it's limited license, mean php limited license..

[Mark.B]

There is no such thing as an owned license any more.

Prior to the vB4 release there were two types of license:

Owned license: You paid a one off fee similar to how you do now, and you could run the software for life, similar to now. BUT the initial fee covered updates for a year. After that, you could carry on running the software, but only up to the latest version that was available at the point the year expired. You could then by a further year of updates for a small fee. This is similar to how XenForo works today. There are still plenty of customers with these licenses, but the upgrade option is no longer available for purchase...if they want the newer releases they need to upgrade to a full 'new style' license.

Leased license: You paid an annual fee and could run the software and download updates for a year. After a year, you either paid the same fee again, or else you had to stop running the software altogether.

Just a little history lesson for anyone interested.

[Panzer Max]

To be clear I am painfully aware of who is to blame for the current situation.
To be clear it isn't Paul.
To be clear, that is all hindsight.

The customers who purchased vB5 need this site not to become nothing more than a platform for customers who purchased software which is no longer officially supported to discuss paid work. vBulletin gains nothing from keeping open a website that serves only as free advertising for third party coders to work on software they no longer sell.

Meanwhile, this site does virtually nothing for customers of the product they do currently sell. So, why should they keep it up and running? You tell me.

Loyalty to their customers? Past and present.

We bought the product vB made (3). We like it, we use it and we paid for it (twice). We do not like the new product (5), it is not what we want. If a company is struggling, making the product their customers want is the first thing they should examine.

[In Omnibus]

Loyalty to their customers? Past and present.

We bought the product vB made (3). We like it, we use it and we paid for it (twice). We do not like the new product (5), it is not what we want. If a company is struggling, making the product their customers want is the first thing they should examine.

Loyalty to customers who purchased a product how long ago? Should companies be indefinitely loyal to customers who purchased their product once years ago? vB3.8 is roughly ten years old. My vB4 license is eight years old. IB doesn't owe me anything for something I purchased eight years ago. Or ten years ago.

I don't mind telling you IB doesn't owe anyone except vB5 customers anything.

From where some people developed this sense of entitlement to lifetime product support I don't know but IB has supported vB3.x and vB4.x a lot longer than most companies support any product. Longer than any product Microsoft or Apple has ever produced. Longer than any car warranty. Longer than they should have.

[Mark.B]

Loyalty to their customers? Past and present.

We bought the product vB made (3). We like it, we use it and we paid for it (twice). We do not like the new product (5), it is not what we want. If a company is struggling, making the product their customers want is the first thing they should examine.
If the last time you paid the company any money was at least a decade ago, what makes you think they 'owe' you anything?

[Alan_SP]

Just a little history lesson for anyone interested.

Strange, I'm pretty sure I paid for vB4 to be able to download updates (of course, within vB4 branch, not any type of update) "indefinitely". I'm pretty sure I can log in to members area and download latest vB4 version.

Not sure how it was called exactly.

I'm checking and here's what it say in members area:

Active
vBulletin 4.x Publishing Suite

And I can download vB4.2.5

--------------- Added 1515265506 at 1515265506 ---------------

Meanwhile, this site does virtually nothing for customers of the product they do currently sell. So, why should they keep it up and running? You tell me.

I'm pretty sure that there are people still who buy vB5 (as they can buy only that version) and actually download and use vB3 or vB4. If they close this site, their sales will drop dramatically.

And not only that, but some people who use vB3 and/or vB4 will sooner switch to other platforms (think xenforo) then later. Which basically will mean that there's even smaller number of forums who uses vB. Number of sites who use that software platform is for company that makes that software also something of value.

[Mark.B]

Loyalty to their customers? Past and present.

We bought the product vB made (3). We like it, we use it and we paid for it (twice). We do not like the new product (5), it is not what we want. If a company is struggling, making the product their customers want is the first thing they should examine.

This may come as a shock to some people, but most companies exist to make a profit. Providing a free service to people because they paid some money ten years ago isn't really good business practice.

--------------- Added 1515269916 at 1515269916 ---------------

Strange, I'm pretty sure I paid for vB4 to be able to download updates (of course, within vB4 branch, not any type of update) "indefinitely". I'm pretty sure I can log in to members area and download latest vB4 version.

Not sure how it was called exactly.

I'm checking and here's what it say in members area:



And I can download vB4.2.5

--------------- Added 1515265506 at 1515265506 ---------------

.

Yep, hence my comment at the top of the post:
Prior to the vB4 release there were two types of license

--------------- Added 1515269981 at 1515269981 ---------------


I'm pretty sure that there are people still who buy vB5 (as they can buy only that version) and actually download and use vB3 or vB4. If they close this site, their sales will drop dramatically.

And not only that, but some people who use vB3 and/or vB4 will sooner switch to other platforms (think xenforo) then later. Which basically will mean that there's even smaller number of forums who uses vB. Number of sites who use that software platform is for company that makes that software also something of value.

Nobody has said anything about closing this site. I'm not sure where all this has come from.

[Panzer Max]

Mark, you replied to my comments twice, are you ok?

[Mark.B]

Mark, you replied to my comments twice, are you ok?
Yes, I split the quote into what was intended to be two posts, I forgot about the annoying post merging on here.

[In Omnibus]

Nobody has said anything about closing this site. I'm not sure where all this has come from.

I said that if this site becomes nothing more than a host for people to solicit paid work for versions which are no longer officially supported there is no reason for it to be kept open.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that the site is doing nothing constructive for the promotion of vB5. Why would IB keep open a site that serves no purpose to the only software version they are currently selling and officially supporting? That was the question I asked, to which I received no answer, valid or otherwise.

The end isn't here. IB and KKR, more specifically, have far more than enough capital to see vB5 through to fruition. That doesn't mean this site continues to serve what IB considers a useful purpose. What would be lost in their eyes if they simply moved everything related to the vB5 product over to vbulletin.com? It's not as though there is so much traffic the server couldn't handle the additional load.

[Mark.B]

Closing this site just isn't on the agenda, indeed it's part of the support process to refer customisation queries here. vB3 and vB4 are still supported by the support team, it's only ongoing development that has stopped, and in fact that had already been the case for years, Paul was only doing php compatibility changes and some minor bugfixes. There has been no 'active' development (new features, improvements etc) of vB3 and vB4 for several years now, I think 2012/2013 in fact when 4.2.0 and 4.2.1 came out. vB3 it's actually back to 2009.

In terms of support: Support tickets and forum queries are all still given equal priority regardless of version.

Nobody can say what may happen in the future obviously.

[Stingray27]

I said that if this site becomes nothing more than a host for people to solicit paid work for versions which are no longer officially supported there is no reason for it to be kept open.

That seems like a valid reason to keep it open, since its part of the service it provides.
Also, why do you keep stating vB5 is the only officially supported version ? :erm: Thats just wrong.


It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that the site is doing nothing constructive for the promotion of vB5. Why would IB keep open a site that serves no purpose to the only software version they are currently selling and officially supporting?
This site has never existed to promote any version of vbulletin, somrthing the "rocket scientist" would already know.
The scientist would also know that vB3 & vB4 are still officially supported. :cool:

[Master Of Unive]

It's simple, forums in general are dead.

They didn't see that coming (or they decided not to do anything), they were slow, but they still had to create a new product. But I doubt they were given enough fund to develop a good one. And finally there's vb5, a half-@ss forum with some social network features, bad design and full of bugs (at the early state, I don't know its current situation now).

[In Omnibus]

This site has never existed to promote any version of vbulletin, somrthing the "rocket scientist" would already know.

Bull. The current vBulletin 5 sales page lists "Extensive 3rd Party Developer Community" under Support.

https://www.vbulletin.com/en/features/

The vBulletin 4 sales page listed the third party developer community under support.

[Stingray27]

Congratulations, you just figured out this site hosts 3rd party tools.

Now perhaps you would like to explain how that means the site (which still runs vb3 btw) is "promoting" any version.

In fact, whch version is it "promoting" exactly ?

[In Omnibus]

Congratulations, you just figured out this site hosts 3rd party tools.

Now perhaps you would like to explain how that means the site (which still runs vb3 btw) is "promoting" any version.

In fact, whch version is it "promoting" exactly ?

The page specifically lists vBulletin 5 and ONLY vBulletin 5. Naming "extensive third party developer community" of any version other than vBulletin 5 as a feature of vBulletin 5 on a page which only names vBulletin 5 as the product for sale is a complete non sequitur. I think you're looking for an argument from ignorance and you'll not get one from me.

[Stingray27]

I think you completely avoided answering the question, with mumbo jumbo.

[Mark.B]

To be clear - vbulletin.org has never existed to showcase any vBulletin version.

[In Omnibus]

To be clear - vbulletin.org has never existed to showcase any vBulletin version.

That was never the claim. The goalposts have been moved so many times in this discussion that it has lost all meaning. When people start arguing strawmen that were never constructed it's time to move on, and so I shall move on. And, so, at some point, shall vBulletin from this site. That was the initial and only point.

[motd2]

On the Russian support forum vBulletin are available vB3 and vB4 with the compatibility php7.2
Developers do not need this. The administrator adapts his forum or downloads a compatible version in the Internet.

[Brandon Sheley]

Ah I saw Marks post on the first page that vb4 publishing suite is EOL, does that mean the vb4 forum itself will not get security updates? The publishing suite and the forum are 2 separate downloads at vb.com so are they separate products as well?

Thanks

I didn't read the other pages but this last one is just filler content, vbulletin.org is a solid assist to vbulletin.com, I don't see it dying just yet.

[Mark.B]

Ah I saw Marks post on the first page that vb4 publishing suite is EOL, does that mean the vb4 forum itself will not get security updates? The publishing suite and the forum are 2 separate downloads at vb.com so are they separate products as well?

Thanks


I didn't read the other pages but this last one is just filler content, vbulletin.org is a solid assist to vbulletin.com, I don't see it dying just yet.
It just means there is no active development on vB4 - forum or suite - planned. So no new features, no further bug fixes, no php compatibility changes, etc etc. It's actually been this way for a while, certainly since Paul left, and even prior to that there was no feature development going back a few years now. Paul was mainly doing php compatibility and some minor bug fixes.

In terms of security releases, any issue found will be evaluated if it should arise (which is broadly similar to now).

[TheInsaneManiac]

Meanwhile, this site does virtually nothing for customers of the product they do currently sell. So, why should they keep it up and running? You tell me.
Because there is a vBulletin 5 section that offers paid custom work and a free section as well. Given it's very limited in development, it's still there to keep the promise of 3rd party support.


Loyalty to their customers? Past and present.

We bought the product vB made (3). We like it, we use it and we paid for it (twice). We do not like the new product (5), it is not what we want. If a company is struggling, making the product their customers want is the first thing they should examine.

I believe they can't be doing that bad in sales or they would already be developing something else. I do not like vB5 either, but there are some who do. I've seen some communities start developing Reddit type forums. All depends on taste and what the consumer wants. They want to focus on their newer software, I can understand it. They even released security fixes after EOL. I'd like to see anyone go to Apple and ask them to patch a security flaw in an iPhone 1G.

[gsk8]

As always, sites can be worked on and updated privately, and I may at some point offer a private upgrade service.

Good to hear!

Just saw that Real IP Detection (https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthread.php?t=231873) is withdrawn with a note "For vBulletin 4.2.x please use the built in reverse proxy detection." Where do I find this?

[Greek76]

What a shame.. Vb4 was the best of the best. I'm sure just like me many still use this version and would be great to bring it back to life..

[Panzer Max]

This is old news, all work on vB3 and vB4 stopped when I left.

I have my own working versions (3.8.12 & 4.2.6) that support PHP 7.2.
They are untested, other than my own private testing, but should work fine.

As noted, these are not "official" as I no longer work at IB, and could not be released publicly (unless by some miracle they decided to allow it).

As always, sites can be worked on and updated privately, and I may at some point offer a private upgrade service.


I tried to throw money at him to assist but he said he's done with vb.

[Hostboard]

I tried to throw money at him to assist but he said he's done with vb.

What are you trying to do? There are many who have VB 4 running under PHP 7.4.x You do not need a vBulletin developer to achieve this, but only someone with knowledge of PHP itself.

[Panzer Max]

What are you trying to do? There are many who have VB 4 running under PHP 7.4.x You do not need a vBulletin developer to achieve this, but only someone with knowledge of PHP itself.

We were going to hire him to assist with the upgrade to 3.8.14, help ensure the Downloads II mod continued to work.

[Hostboard]

The VB 3.x in the wild that is re-coded to work with PH 7.4.x is really no fuss, no muss. As for the modification, you just need a PHP developer. They do not need to know anything about VB as the code works, just a few PHP calls will need to be adjusted. Plus if you can access your PHP log files, the code will be pin pointed down to the line.

[lange]

... Plus if you can access your PHP log files, the code will be pin pointed down to the line.
Right :up:

and for the products, this mod is very useful : https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthread.php?t=265982 (version 3)

Searching for errors with Google also helps

[Panzer Max]

The VB 3.x in the wild that is re-coded to work with PH 7.4.x is really no fuss, no muss. As for the modification, you just need a PHP developer. They do not need to know anything about VB as the code works, just a few PHP calls will need to be adjusted. Plus if you can access your PHP log files, the code will be pin pointed down to the line.

Thanks, that is heartening to hear.

Yes, we were able to secure a capable PHP dev/vB expert for some work on our system. Like a lot of vB3 holdouts, I am quite willing to pay well for the work. I wish there was a way to share the end results with other vB users.

For example, we were able to get Downloads II working with 3.8.11, it would be sweet if the work could be captured as an "update" for Downloads II. Maybe that requires additional work, to make the changes into an upgrade... but I would be more than happy to help with that too. Then the Downloads II thread could include a "take it or leave it" upgrade add-on.

Does that makes any sense?:confused: