2nd Choice?
 

Hello
I've decided that I'm not going to upgrade to the new VB4 when it comes out because I don't like the way it looks so I have two questions

1. How long will I still be able to use the 3.X series?

2. What would be your second choice for forum software?

I already own an IPB board but wondering if there is anything better as a second choice?

Thank you. :D

Gabby

1. we can't give you a time line, but considering we're not getting updated for 2.0, it may not be updated long
2.ipb
some like mybb, and phpbb

I personally find the beginning of this thread HILARIOUS! (in an absurd, yet poignant way of course...)
I too am wondering what the hell to do with my forum considering that some in the upper echelon of vB (not mentioning any names of course) has told anyone with an ear to hear that the 3.blablabla series style will simply not work with the 4.0 code... I like the concept of a fresh install. I'm not really liking the concept of MAJORLY upgrading my forums.

So this is a really important question GSeybold! It's a conundrum of sorts. For those of us who simply cannot afford to pay our vBFreelancer hundreds of dollars to export our style to the new version...What are the options? Yes - It's a good question!

Thanks for asking it :)

Jacquii.

--------------- Added [DATE]1250328182[/DATE] at [TIME]1250328182[/TIME] ---------------

btw ((GASP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!))
I know you did NOT recommend/suggest/2nd-name IPB Brandon LOL - and certainly not any other option.... vB what are you doing?!?!? I only hope the 4.0 is incredible!

Jacquii.

If you have an owned licence then afaik, you can continue to use it for as long as you want. There are people still running vb3.0 and even vb2. They only thing is that they are no longer supported (security patches etc), and eventually none of the 3.x series will be supported.

1. what Paul said
2. ExpressionEngine or phpBB

I will never pay for forum software again. They're way too much money and they don't really offer anything more than some of the free alternatives, and if they do, it's usually a bloated social networking feature that I don't want or need.

That being said, I've really enjoyed Vanilla, and Vanilla 2 (while in beta) looks very very promising. It also comes with a new MVC framework so it is super easy to extend onto it considering you know php..

thank you all for your info.

I do like Vb of course but 4.0 looks crappy to me. Perhaps I'm too much of a traditionalist maybe? I don't know.

My forum is growing rapidly and I have to be with a company and software that I know is stable and that I won't have to spend hundreds of dollars fixing it when I don't like the recent upgrades as in 4.0.

So what else can I do? I absolutely hate making any changes because I have great VB tech support but it's costly.

And this is probably me but it seems like this forum is having problems as will as the traffic seems much slower than normal. None of my business of course, but it is worrisome. It's like when I knew K-mart was having problems cause there was less and less items on the shelves.

I just want to put up my forum and forget about the tech issues and upgrading. I don't want to have to keep wondering when the next security patch is coming out or upgrade two months after I've just upgraded.

So now I have to go through the whole process of finding reliable tech support and host for new forum software? :eek: Just great.

I guess I can run 3.0 until my host decides the aren't going to support this series anymore?

I'm all for growth and change but I don't think this new design is at all good or intuitive.

--------------- Added [DATE]1250362673[/DATE] at [TIME]1250362673[/TIME] ---------------

Hi Paul,
I'm sorry I do not own my license so what willl happen when 4.0 comes out? I"m sorry I'm such a tech knob and don't know this stuff. Also what does "afaik" mean? Is this a tech term or typo? So are you saying that if I don't upgrade I'm eventually going to be out in the dark as far as tech support from VB themselves?

afaik = as far as i know :)

If you have a leased licence then I cant actually tell you what the future holds as everyone is still waiting for IB to tell us. :cool:

Ok thank you Paul. I'm sorry I don't know all the internet lingo yet. :)

I personally have gotten a load of feedback from developers who aren't even planning to leave the 3.x series at all. Being that vB (after a stable release) is mostly supported by developers and owners alike, I think that there will be quite a nice balance going on there for quite some time.

Aside from the people with that mindset, there's highly modified websites who can't afford to or don't have the time or need for the major re-write, etc. Altogether, I believe the 3.x series will still have its players and it will still be game-on.

Just a matter of what else vB can do for us in 4.0 and whether it's worth the move ;)

I agree Gio - and I know for me personally - I will not be in a great hurry to upgrade my current boards to the 4.0 series - I'm quite happy with the features in the 3.8 series - So as long as the version is viable, with no security risks - then I shall remain a loyal fan. Any new projects, however, I will likely recommend and use the 4.0

Jacquii.

Hi Jacquii
If after 4.0 comes out and a new security problem develops with 3.0 serious, how will I go about fixing this problem if there are no further offical updates from VB? Are these security problems usually extensive and will it cost me a lot or are they usually small fixes and therefore only a few hours of tech support? I guess my second big concern is that if I stay with VB3.O will it eventually be a tech support money pit?

Gio~ Thank you for this information. It is a little reassuring.

All and all, it's not the end of the world but its really is a pain. :D

Hmmm - I am not really sure how to answer this question GSeybold. I know that generally there will be patches provided by vBulletin as long as the version is still supported. But yes - if you decide to keep a version which is no longer officially supported - it becomes your responsibility to make sure there are no security issues and that all exploits are patched/fixed. The interesting thing is that there is the larger online community that exists, like www.milw0rm.com for example. So - whenever an exploit is found - it's generally reported. And the word spreads quickly.

I'm not familiar with the procedure used for any outdated vBulletin versions personally - perhaps someone else may be. But generally whenever an exploit is found - a patch might be developed... I would assume that any exploits found in outdated vBulletin versions may be remedied by members of the larger online community and freely shared (or sold) throughout the vB community.

I do know that there are boards still running unsupported versions of vB just fine - even the ancient vBLite LOL - I think WinAmp Forums is still running a modified version of vB 2.0 :)

So - all of that was a really long-winded way of saying "I don't know" https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/

Jacquii.

For answer number 2 I would say give SMF a try. They have quite a good community there & have some really nice mods and what have ya.

As long as the (major) version is supported there will be at least security updates. End of life of a version will be announced on vB.com and is announced long before the end-of-life date.

Thank you Marco. I hate to say this but what do you mean by "Major". Sorry to ask. :o

A major version is 2.x -> 3.0.x -> 3.5.x -> 4.0.x

(Not counting 3.6//3.7/3.8 as major versions as they are mostly just newer releases of 3.5)

<font size="1">Well, you can always get a 3.x style done for 4.x.....</font>