I came across a vb3 gamma hack for what I wanted done
 

but since im running rc3 now, the instructions are different.

it is for having the name of the thread starter in a column versus under the thread title

part 2 of it says:
Now goto your vBulletin Options screen
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Create a new setting in the "Forum Display Options (forumdisplay)" screen.

Use the following information:

Varname - showthreadstartercolumn
Title - Show 'Thread Starter' column
Description - Turns the thread starter column on and off for forumdisplay.
Option Code - yesno
Default - 1
Display Order - *this setting should be automatically filled in by vBulletin - do not change it*
vBulletin Default - No

so how do I create a new setting in the forum display options ?

any help ?