Posted June 2, 2017 For a while now I've been thinking about, and testing/playing with, Invision Power Boards as an alternative to vBulletin. You can see their own Forums here as an example, if you're not familiar: https://invisionpower.com/forums/ Some advantages of the system: Responsive (mobile/tablet-friendly) design out of the box Faster More stable, modern and secure Your accounts will be automatically transferred All existing threads and posts will be transferred Per-forum customisation Alternate login options (Facebook etc) Optional Question and Answer format for posts, allowing OP to vote for the best answer Other general improvements to browsing, searching, sharing and navigating Some possible disadvantages: Existing themes will be lost, although new ones can be made easier Some features/bbcodes will not perfectly port over, spoiler tags may break for example Read-only downtime while we transfer The reason I'm posting this here is because I don't want to be one of those admins that just decides what's best for you all and does a switch, that everyone ends up hating. Not only because of the risk of alienating users, but also the software is non-refundable :p This will also be the first step in a larger plan to generally speed up and improve stability on the site. So let us know your thoughts! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted June 2, 2017 While I do hate change, if the new software makes your life easier in terms of the day to day running of the site, then by all means go ahead. You have a far better knowledge of how things look at the back end and I trust you know what's best for this place. As a side note, how much does all this cost? I would happily chip in if need be. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted June 2, 2017 Looks like it could be a good alternative forum software. I'd be happy enough with the move. Changing things up could be interesting after all these years. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted June 2, 2017 As a side note, how much does all this cost? I would happily chip in if need be. The money we make from advertising has dropped off significantly over the years. However, I have been getting free hosting through work (quite low performance which accounts for a lot of the instability, but highly accessible as an admin) to cover that. The ad money we put aside can cover the initial license, then we only have to pay a small amount if we ever need to renew the license for updates in the future. I very much appreciate the offer but for now I hope that instead, we can build back up visitor numbers and cover costs ourselves. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted June 2, 2017 Personally I really like vBulletin as forum software, I think the look of it is nice even if it's dated, I feel like that only adds to the aesthetic appeal overall. But I'm aware that there have been lots of technical issues recently, so there is that important aspect. I love all of the custom post icons which have been built up over the years so I really hope we don't have to lose those, it might seem like a small thing but it's part of the forum identity; it adds character. I'm not getting an overly warm feeling from Invision Power Boards, only a layout which makes it look like every other social media platform out there, I get that is part of the point in making it easier to access for a wider audience but I think the trade-off will inevitably be a certain amount of alienation. Though I'm guessing that we've done all that we can with vBulletin now? I've just had a look and it seems that there have been further versions of the software - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VBulletin - but presumably the version we are using now is the most stable. Anyway, I don't know that much on the technical side of things but I understand that long-term stability for the site and the forums is a priority and if this is the first logical step then it's worth considering to expand our potential reach; I just don't see everyone warming to it but the change could be good even though I'd definitely be initially apprehensive towards it until hopefully convinced later on down the line after seeing the improvements. Ultimately, I trust your judgement @Shorty but do keep us posted on your ongoing thoughts on the site and the forums future as if you have a plan then that's something potentially promising at least. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted June 2, 2017 Looks good to me. I think most people here will be happy to go with whatever is best for you, Shorty. And like HoT I'd be happy to chip in (as I assume would many other members so wouldn't be much individually). I assume I'll still have my secret mod powers on the new boards? I know some sites don't allow for secret positions so just wanted to check. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted June 2, 2017 I'd be happy with either. Do whatever is best/easiest for you Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted June 2, 2017 (edited) Personally I really like vBulletin as forum software, I think the look of it is nice even if it's dated, I feel like that only adds to the aesthetic appeal overall. The look that you like is mostly our custom themes, with the exception of the new reply views etc.. We will definitely reskin any new board too, even if not immediately. What else is it you like about the vb software? It's not impossible to rebuild custom features on the new system, although how many of them really get used? When was the last time anyone embedded a wiki, kickstarter, flipnote, ign video or instagram post? Tbh I imagine if we went to vb5, we would hit the same issues as so many of the features are built in a dated way, they just can't be successfully ported. Wherever possible I will try to retain the individuality of this forum. Edit: I don't want to seem argumentative, the opinions of those who like vB a lot are those I'm most concerned with. Edited June 2, 2017 by Shorty Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted June 2, 2017 (edited) The look that you like is mostly our custom themes, with the exception of the new reply views etc.. We will definitely reskin any new board too, even if not immediately. What else is it you like about the vb software? It's not impossible to rebuild custom features on the new system, although how many of them really get used? When was the last time anyone embedded a wiki, kickstarter, flipnote, ign video or instagram post? Tbh I imagine if we went to vb5, we would hit the same issues as so many of the features are built in a dated way, they just can't be successfully ported. Wherever possible I will try to retain the individuality of this forum. That all makes a lot of sense actually, if continuing with vb would just lead us to another dead-end then perhaps it's better to make the jump now to this new software. So long as we are going for retaining the individuality of the forum then I'm happy with that. Edit: I don't want to seem argumentative, the opinions of those who like vB a lot are those I'm most concerned with. Not at all, I appreciate the chance to discuss the future of the forum. It's what is best for the future of the place we have to be concerned about, so it's good to be talking it through so that we can continue to have a forum which will hopefully please most of our visitors and members, if not all. Edited June 2, 2017 by S.C.G Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted June 2, 2017 I am happy with whatever as I use Tapatalk. So long as that still works, I'm good. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted June 2, 2017 This software is fully responsive, so you wouldn't need Tapatalk on your mobile really. However, Tapatalk's website says it works with IPB, and I'll be happy to install any plugins required to make it work, but I probably wouldn't include anything prompting users to try it like we have now. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted June 2, 2017 This software is fully responsive, so you wouldn't need Tapatalk on your mobile really. However, Tapatalk's website says it works with IPB, and I'll be happy to install any plugins required to make it work, but I probably wouldn't include anything prompting users to try it like we have now. I quite like the timeline view and push notifications that Tapatalk does to be honest. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted June 2, 2017 I definitely like the look of the current forums but I do encounter a lot of technical issues with them at the moment. Yesterday was particularly bad, threads took sometimes minutes to load or would fail entirely. My main concern about moving to new forums would have been losing the old threads and posts so the fact that wouldn't be an issue is great news. If it means that the forums become more consistently responsive then I'm all for a change but it would be a shame to lose the aesthetic. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted June 2, 2017 As long as there's a migration path to take the users and posts across, I'm cool with it. I'd quite like to see a similar looking site after the change though, even if it works differently. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted June 2, 2017 While I do hate change, if the new software makes your life easier in terms of the day to day running of the site, then by all means go ahead. You have a far better knowledge of how things look at the back end and I trust you know what's best for this place. As a side note, how much does all this cost? I would happily chip in if need be. I second this(tho I generally hate change on its own merit :p) - if it makes it easier for you guys on your end then I don't mind losing a bit of existing but fairly superficial functionality given the advantages, plus they sound fairly reasonable over the disadvantages. Also happy to chuck in something too. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted June 2, 2017 The positives outweigh the negatives in both quantity and merit. Bring on the evolution! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted June 2, 2017 I had a browse around on that site using my temperamental phone browser. It went pretty smoothly. So I'd be fine with us moving to that. Modernisation normally works well enough. You know, just as long as I can still be a bit creepily passionate about Pokemon. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted June 2, 2017 I'm down for a change. I feel like the forums have been very buggy and unstable recently, and there don't seem to be many negatives to the move. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted June 2, 2017 I'm down for a change. I feel like the forums have been very buggy and unstable recently, and there don't seem to be many negatives to the move. I guess what you're saying is that we need strong and stable forums and @Shorty is clearly the best person who can negotiate these changes to get us the best deal possible. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted June 2, 2017 I guess what you're saying is that we need strong and stable forums and @Shorty is clearly the best person who can negotiate these changes to get us the best deal possible. He can certainly weather whatever hardships these changes of our posting environment may experience. Am I doing this right? We're making allusions to Trump right? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted June 3, 2017 Do it! Change is good, especially if it helps behind the scenes. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted June 3, 2017 Go for it, change can only be for the better. Especially if it makes things easier behind the scenes. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted June 3, 2017 It seems like you've already given this a lot of thought, so i trust your judgement on this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted June 3, 2017 I feel like the current forum has been far too unreliable for far too long so I'm absolutely behind a refresh Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
