New and Looking!

[C_P]

Hello All!
I am currently "browsing" the net for portal/boards and like many, I want the best for what I can afford.
I have used actively the following:

tcms
Xoops
Invision
YaBB, SE
YaPP
and a brief time VB a long time ago.
and now using SMF

I am running a free PC assistance site and we use much news posting on "Home Page" as well as portal blocks for reviewing topics, links, etc. such as you have here.
I would like a portal that comes with it's own forum software so no integration is required. OR at least that can be upgraded faily easy.
I am a basic no nothing about installing forums/portals and mostly have had them converted for us and installed.
Speaking of conversion, I would also need our current SMF database converted to be functional with this one if offered.
SO, in a nutshell, it looks like you have here a nice board and would like to get some feed back from others on what their "HONEST" opinion is or what I should review EVEN if this vBulletin system is not for me.
Are there any staff here that could contact me directly for converting my forum database into this one? I have a spare database to play on.
I would like to speak to them on AIM, MSN, ICQ, or whatever.
I've installed a phpnuke site and would still need that converted but like the looks of this one.

Ok, in order to do what I need, I would have to first purchase a owned license which costs $160 one time fee or $85 yearly lease, then I would need someone to conver and install this for us, that would cost me another $120 according to vB purchasing agreement.
So, this project would cost me a total of aprox. $205 to use this sytem.
I then would need to get a portal system added on which could cost more.
Do you have some type of lower payment terms or options for those that do this for a Hobbie and offer free assistance at their sites?
I.E., my wife would KILL me if I told her, "Hunny, I need to spend $205 to start a move on my site, then maybe more..."

I am not being sarcastic here, I am very seriously asking what kind of deals you have or maybe your staff or members offer.
*I know, you are thinking, another looser asking for a free ride... I am not, I just cannot afford this kind of cash right now.
I can afford some and offer assistance where needed or how I can.

Thank you soooo very much again.

I have asked at e107, phBB, phnuke, IBF, and no one can help me.
The only ones that replied to me were at vB!
http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/showt...0&page=1&pp=15

They have been great so far but have referred me here to see if someone here could assist?


Please help!
Thank you VERY much for your valued input!


A new member,
CP

all other portals are stupidity based in my opinion... (and i'm well informed of that, i am the founder of postnuke, and the actual team is locked with a simple version for the last 3 years)...

i would suggest you to seek here, simply.. vBulletin is well coded, supported by real professional coders (one of the few software to be), and the coders community is built from cool guys that are always available to answer your needs.

you can take a look at http://vbadvanced.com , our best portal coded with the vBulletin source-code, so you don't have to worry about the structure, it's fitting vB exactly.

with that portal and the forum, you can add one of the hacks that answer your needs: support ticker, reviews and articles system, or one of the other great tools, and for each one, you can add a block or part of the portal that is built for it.

example, the Articles system have two blocks, one of the latests, one for the headlines... so you can display the content you wish.. and the codes are so easy to modify, that any coder can do the job (most for free)

... good luck !

[Brad]

Installation is a simple process, imho anyone can do it themselves as long as they are willing to read some documentation. You could very well try to do it yourself and save yourself some cash, remember you license comes with free support for a lifetime, if you ever have problems installing it someone can help you get it up and working.

As for the portal's there are a few hacks released here in the hacking forums, you can browse them and see if anything suits your needs. Once you are a owner you can download and use them freely.

The convert is going to be your biggest snag, altho it is not *hard* to get data over it can take a bit of time and effort. Odd's are you will have to pay someone to help you out with that, as it will take a fair amount of time depending on exactly what you want converted.

[Brad]

Well I see there is infact a importer for SMF now, importing like installation is not a hard task to do yourself, and is fully supported incase you mess up the process.

If you do need some help and I can help you with the install/import process, pm me if assitance is needed.

[C_P]

Amazing!
Simply amazing. In less than 10 minutes, 2 replies!
Thank you both!
I am convinced, vB is a great forum and the portal add on will fit in nicely!
Convincing me on that was not too difficult.
As Brad.loo stated, I WILL need someone to convert us and will initially need the support BIG time. After that, I am a quick learner when it comes to functionality.
Now, that being said, I am a father of 2 boys, one is 7 and the other is 2.
I work a full time job and drive more than 3 hours to work and back soo, this leaves VERY little time for reading on how to get a instalation going.
I barely have the time to answer users questions on my site.
I am not intending for this to be a sob story and beg for help. I am so amazed that I am getting replies to my issue right now it is really great.
I was hoping someone had a payment type offer or something for the license.
Please understand, paying even $85 for a license right now to "hopefully" get working what I need is really difficult to fathom.
IF I were a rich man, no problem. Heck, I'd give 'er a whirl and if no go, oh well.
But sorry to say, I am not a rich man. That is one reason why we opened our forums.
We offer assistance for free to those that do not have the cash to ask techs.
*No, I really am not another loser asking for a free meal guys/gals, I just cannot afford to do all of this right now.
I really want to pursue this! I cannot beleive how close I am right now and yet, so friken far away.

[C_P]

Ok, in order to do what I need, I would have to first either purchase a IBF
One Year License · $69.95 or
Lifetime License · $199.00

I have posted my situation at a total of 6 boards. ONLY 2 offer a converter and portal add on.

The only ones that replied to me were at vB in person. IBF sent me PM
vB offer a converter but I am not as familiar with vB.
vBulletin Leased License is $85
vBulletin Owned License is $160

So far, I REALLY like vB!
It is VERY nice and offers nice features. IBF has some nice features too.
My biggest concern, besides cost is upgrading after conversion as well as speed (page load times). When you add a portal add on, upgrading can be a bear and slow things down.
IBF has a simple "Dynamic Lite" portal included with theirs.
vB has one that is vbadvance CMS system which is a add-on.
Before I make my final decision, I hope someone can address my concerns:

1. How difficult will it be to do future upgrades once I add a portal on to vB?
2. Will there be costs for future upgrades?
3. Will a portal system effect my page load times negatively?

[Colin F]

Originally Posted by C_P

Ok, in order to do what I need, I would have to first either purchase a IBF
One Year License ? $69.95 or
Lifetime License ? $199.00

I have posted my situation at a total of 6 boards. ONLY 2 offer a converter and portal add on.

The only ones that replied to me were at vB in person. IBF sent me PM
vB offer a converter but I am not as familiar with vB.
vBulletin Leased License is $85
vBulletin Owned License is $160

So far, I REALLY like vB!
It is VERY nice and offers nice features. IBF has some nice features too.
My biggest concern, besides cost is upgrading after conversion as well as speed (page load times). When you add a portal add on, upgrading can be a bear and slow things down.
IBF has a simple "Dynamic Lite" portal included with theirs.
vB has one that is vbadvance CMS system which is a add-on.
Before I make my final decision, I hope someone can address my concerns:

1. How difficult will it be to do future upgrades once I add a portal on to vB?
2. Will there be costs for future upgrades?
3. Will a portal system effect my page load times negatively?

The portal doesn't add that many changes to the core vBulletin files. If you document all the changes thoroughly, you won't have much problems.

Upgrades to vBulletin are included for a year. After that, access to the members area (where new versions can be downloaded) is US$ 30 per year.
If whatever portal system you will be using changes their price, no one can tell you.
No, the portal system shoudn't have much influence on your core vBulletin pages. The only thing I can think of at the moment are a few $vboptions that are loaded additionally. That's not at all significant.

[C_P]

Ok, thank you for the reply Colin!
1. Even though you pay the vBulletin Owned License of $160, you still have to pay $30 after a year to access to get updates????
2. "If you document all the changes thoroughly, you won't have much problems." Not sure what changes to document at all? I was going to require assistance to install the portal. This is a major concern now because I am no good at coding or anything to do this kind of upgrade.
3. I wonder if someone here has installed a vB portal and could share their expieriences in load times?

Thank you again!

[Colin F]

1. Exactly. You may *run* the software as long as you like, but updates cost US$ 30 a year. But: Updates are optional, so you don't have to update if you don't feel like it. And 30$ isn't really that much...

2. Don't worry about that. Installing the hack is more or less following some simple "FIND / REPLACE" instructions. One doesn't have to know any PHP or HTML to install most hacks. And if you still have problems you can always ask here at vBulletin.org

[Reeve of shinra]

Deffinitely go with the owned liscence over the leased, it will save you money in the long run and the $30 renewal fee almost feels like a steal considering how satisfied i've been with the product (going on 4 years now).

As Colin F said, installing mods are rather simple as the instructions are usually well documented. Only tip here is to note your edits for easier upgrading. Something like: "//Begin this hack here" can be sufficient.