I recall that beta sites would be public.

Yes and no...

The sites I work with also integrate into other pieces of software or custom code. This actually a huge reason to hold off on upgrading, because these integration points are what will cause the real problems. I don't mind updating a style or a few plugins, but if all our custom coding fails because the code it's anchored to has changed or is gone, then we're up the creek if we jump to the latest version too early.

However, thorough testing and a good staging site can catch these problems. Sometimes a simple backup / test on the forums is not enough - you have to test the entire site and its suite of applications. This is another reason I'm a strong advocate of unit testing -- these kind of things can usually be caught at the flip of a switch (or pound of a button).

Also, there's no guarantee that these problems are truly unique to their set up. If the problem caught them, it can catch others with custom code too - it's impossible to say.

Knowing that the site is still down 8? hours later with the team that they have is VERY alarming. Hopefully this doesn't paint the picture for those upgrading a lot of custom code.


This is obviously an extreme view coming from a developer. This should not be an issue for the vast majority of other license holders. :)

Perhaps I'm being misunderstood or I misunderstood the posters I replied to. I took their comments as they wouldn't upgrade their sites to 4.0 when the software was considered stable (this coming from the fact that nobody but the beta testers have access to the beta version). That's what it looked like to me. Of course I wouldn't upgrade my live site with a beta...but since IB isn't offering the beta to customers right now, that's not even an option anyway.

So Ray and the new batch of developers didn't know this in advance? Woooooooo

I anxiously await the morning!

Lots of chicken littles around :rolleyes:perfect example. VERY alarming?

Especially since they first said they was not going to do anything with the suite on the vb.com site at all right now (as per this sites front page: https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/portal.php), they should have stuck with that statement and spent that time on what they said they was going to do in the first place and only upgrade the forums only.

Amazed how there "test" upgrade was fine when it "should" have contained the same aspects of there live site so they could test the upgrade correctly.

What, like very many vBulletin installations?
I've heard from an expert what their code looks like. NO WAY I am upgrading to 4.

Sorry guys for asking the question: What date and time is it?
Some US time? UK time?
On my place it is Friday, 23 October 2009 6:00 PM now.

California time most likely.

Friday morning? Saturday?

Pacific Time (Caliifornia time) will be sometime Friday morning the 23rd when it will reopen.

If you consider that they were not running any custom styles then it's not a good advert for vB4 IMHO. One is left wondering just how difficult it is going to be for our own boards, esp. with custom styles and modifications. :eek:

Thursday October 22 2009, 11:06PM
Alaska.

Thanks guys.

waiting mode... hehe

Hmm, having the site down for so long is very unprofessional, I have no idea what's going at vBulletin, developers leaving at the same time, new management, new posting rules, new prices, og well, I just hope the new version is good.

Is very profesional upgrade a site without test and fix that upgrade under duplicated environment.
Since vb4 announcement seems they "do" before "think", just in reverse order that they should do.

Licenses, prices, features, update own site... what will be next?

I cant understand why Ray posted on such an unknown website and not here or at least on vb.com? hello?

Maybe Ray doesn't even know about vBulletin.org - LOL, I wouldn't be suprised at this point.

Seriously, you can be right.

If the forums were up and running as said in that post, then posting in the announcements forum would have, I assume, lead to the announcement feeding through to the front page of this site?

Also very strange to see him talk of the Suite when, as pointed out earlier, they were only upgrading the forums.

This has done nothing to allay fears amongst users - if anything, it will make things worse for them on their own forums. Think I'll go hide over the weekend or be exceptionally selective in the forums I read over there for the next week (carnage is the word springing to mind at the moment)...

No more fear here. It is a beta after all. There's a reason not everyone has their hands on it.

Sales for their Installation service, just hit the floor... heh.

Still eager to see the site though.

<a href="http://www.adminaddict.net/forum/general-community-discussion/jelsoft-little-stuck-themselves-4344/" target="_blank">http://www.adminaddict.net/forum/gen...emselves-4344/</a>

Yeah exactly, why post there and not here ?

Oh well....

How much longer until the vbulletin.com support forum is going to be back up and running

According to the post made elsewhere, sometime in the next 8 hours...

Where did you read this ?

<a href="http://www.adminaddict.net/forum/general-community-discussion/jelsoft-little-stuck-themselves-4344/index7/#post51583" target="_blank">http://www.adminaddict.net/forum/gen...ex7/#post51583</a>

That just says sometime this morning. If the forum is up and stable like they say I would assume it'd be start of business, maybe 8-9am PT.

open forum - closed
now managed to shoot :D

https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/external/2009/10/11.png

http://s43.radikal.ru/i102/0910/2f/6ce27b3e3204.jpg

Whoa looking great :)

Agreed. This is extremely unprofessional. You would think a company as large as IB would have known beforehand that the new installation would not seamlessly interact with their current system.

I'm an I.T. admin. If I upgraded a system at our office and took over 24 hours for what should be 1 to 2 hours I would be fired.

looks good indeed
all the fuzz about the url and best software name ,well for years vb is a outstanding product
and will do so for many more years ,i just dont get it ,why some people like to see heads rolling .
those guys are proud on there product there using a funky url and so what !
there proud and so should we be ,they work hard enough for it :(

I have used vB forum software for years. They set the standard for what can be done.

Lets look at the facts:
1. They boasted they have a better product coming which looks similar to IP product.
2. They ask us to purchase in *advance* a product we have never seen.
3. They are losing developers.
4. They stop the China group.
5. A "simple" upgrade has been down now for well over 24 hours.

This looks very bad for perception on the leadership. I am personally considering not upgrading. It makes me wonder if their core philosophy of quality over quantity has changed. There are other software for forums. Especially if I can no longer use 3.8 when my license "runs out". It also makes me wonder if the new product looks and feels like another product on the market if vB is actually innovating or simply re-skinning the old stuff.

I'm not trying to kick them while they are down, but that is my take.

Based on the fact that they said 'the morning' - that allows them up to noon :)

The problem is, there isn't really any alternatives...

I'm not so sure about IPB; and all the free ones are horrible...

And my take is that the forums are getting re-skinned along with the start of the re-factoring of the entire codebase. Given the time it's taken to get this far without doing that, I'm glad that they're only doing what's necessary just now otherwise who knows when we'd get the fully re-worked suite.

vB4 is just the start of things - IMO, vB5 will be the first full new incarnation of the vB product.

seems a bit strange the site is not back yet, i hope they ain't done a runner.

I agree. I had to use a free one on a site earlier this year as they wouldn't pay for one and it was crap. Crap to use, crap to style - you get what you pay for.