[akanevsky]

You can't possible predict what conflicts your hack might have with other hacks.

True, you cannot predict. But you can avoid altering vBulletin core with your hacks, which is what many coders do, and which is what leads to problems.

What if you simply want to re-order things on forum home, for example?

Last time I checked, to re-order things in the front end, you edit the templates. Templates, in their turn, do not have hooks so they have nothing to do with ordering.

That's your opinion. I prefer not to modify vb core tables if I can help it. The new table is indexed and performance is not an issue.

That's not just my opinion, it's a fact. "JOIN" always requires more from the server than a straightforward "SELECT FROM". However, it was only a suggestion. You're the boss of your hack, so you may or may not follow it, depending on what you want...