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r00t

We need your help!

Post by r00t »

We're looking to try out potential forum software changes, to see if there is a better alternative. We may upgrade our phpbb forum software, or use something else entirely. We need help to decide which road to take, and we want the users of this forum to help. I will update this post as we add more potential software, but as of now we're looking at the following:
  • phpBB 3
  • MyBB
If you're interested in helping us, send me a Private Message with the following information:
  1. The type of forum software you wish to test.
  2. The username you want to use.
Please DO NOT post here asking to help test. Please understand that PM'ing won't guarantee that you will be able to test; We simply do not need EVERYONE to help us test. Thank you in advance to those who want to help us in our decision.
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Spearmint2
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Re: We need your help!

Post by Spearmint2 »

will you import the posts already here, or lose it all?
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xenopeek
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Re: We need your help!

Post by xenopeek »

The idea is keep all posts. With upgrading to the new phpBB version that needs no further work (it's an in-place upgrade). With moving to other forum software, many we've looked at support importing data from a phpBB database. This would of course require additional testing and likely more hands-on work.

The two new forums that r00t has graciously set up are for testing/comparing functionality of the forum software choices.
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Spearmint2
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Re: We need your help!

Post by Spearmint2 »

If you import it, links would change and that would kill many bookmarks I and probably others have made. If you decide to use new software further on, then perhaps this could be locked against additional posts, but left as an archive for linking back to on good posts and tutorials.
All things go better with Mint. Mint julep, mint jelly, mint gum, candy mints, pillow mints, peppermint, chocolate mints, spearmint,....
coolmark1995

Re: We need your help!

Post by coolmark1995 »

I think if you are looking for free stay with PHPBB but if you can put a little money down you should get http://www.invisionpower.com/apps/board/
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kromaz
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Re: We need your help!

Post by kromaz »

The current forum software works great. Why something else? Don't risk losing all posts with years of great knowledge for something that looks a little newer. If it ain't broke don't fix it. :wink:
Linux Mint 21.1 Vera Xfce
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r00t

Re: We need your help!

Post by r00t »

I don't think I'll be able to help clem directly with migrating over forum softwares (assuming we're even going to change/update), but I assume the database would be backed up before the forum software is even touched, so that if something does go horribly wrong we can get it back. Again, assuming we're even going to change it.

As for "don't fix what isn't broken," there have been 3 releases of phpbb since the version the forums are running now (9 if you want to count the RC releases). One of those is a "major" release. Out of those releases, countless bugs, security fixes and improvements were made.

Take, for example, a computer made sometime in the 90's and match it against a computer made this year. The computer made in the 90's works perfectly fine for what it can do. The computer made this year can do the same things, but with hardware and software improvements, it can do them faster and more efficiently. It can also do other things, like open up a more updated version of that same word processor (which has it's own bug fixes coming with it) but now that word processor can do something else in addition to what it did back in the 90's.

tl;dr More updated hardware and software can, in turn, run other updated things, making everything more efficient and happy and sun-shiny and lollipops and rainbows.
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austin.texas
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Re: We need your help!

Post by austin.texas »

I will remember that I have been promised lollypops and rainbows! :D
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Reorx
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Re: We need your help!

Post by Reorx »

xenopeek wrote:The idea is keep all posts. With upgrading to the new phpBB version that needs no further work (it's an in-place upgrade). With moving to other forum software, many we've looked at support importing data from a phpBB database. This would of course require additional testing and likely more hands-on work.

The two new forums that r00t has graciously set up are for testing/comparing functionality of the forum software choices.
Having "tested" both contenders, I think that phpBB 3 is the heir apparent. From a user's point of view, it has a familiar look and feel with a few newish features. From an administrators POV, it is an easy and clean migration (upgrade in place). No need to jerry-rig anything and everything should work as it does now... all links intact, etc.

IMO, MyBB has no compelling features that I can see as a user, that make it worth the effort of changing to it as forum software.

I am a mod/admin on a watch forum that began about 15 years ago... originally, it ran on MWForum - and life was good. About 5 or 6 years ago, the decision was made to migrate to vBulletin. We didn't migrate anything other that the user database to the new software. The pre-migration forum was changed to read-only (for users) and kept up and running as an "archive" - the archive forum is still up and searchable/readable. The new forum is read/write and moving into the future. For the watch forum, this arrangement worked OK. Having said that, given a choice, I think it is preferable to keep the Mint forum in 1 piece as compared to the archive & current arrangement.

...that's my $0.02...

- R -
Full time Linux Mint user since 2011 - Currently running LM21C on multiple Dell laptops - mostly Vostro models.

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aurquiel

Re: We need your help!

Post by aurquiel »

Update phpbb is the best choice because i have seen that the forum doesn't have phpbb mods installed, so the upgrade would be easy. the only thing is you must have a backup of the style of the site and ofcurese of the database.

phpbbb 3.1.2 has great new functions simples one but usesfull, install mods in phpbb 3.1.2 just need to click for install or uninstall it. You don't need to modify any line in the code, the new version is very good, too much.
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Fred Barclay
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Re: We need your help!

Post by Fred Barclay »

Having tested both forums a bit, it sort of feels like the Mint vs. Ubuntu controversy.
phpBB is the Mint of the forums. It's familar, and everything is laid out logically. I didn't have much of a learning curve due to this consistency. I'd call it a "real working forum"--I feel like it's efficient and well-designed. However, I wouldn't call it boring! It has enough eye-candy to be pleasing, but not be overkill.
myBB, on the other hand, seems more like Ubuntu on Unity. It's flashy and has visual effects, but these are rather in the way of accomplishing much at first. Once I learn my way around, I'm sure it will be usefull enough, but I don't like it presently.

They both have their good points, but my vote is to stick with phpBB!

Don't create an archive! Keep the forum in one piece.
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kromaz
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Re: We need your help!

Post by kromaz »

Fred Barclay wrote:They both have their good points, but my vote is to stick with phpBB!
Don't create an archive! Keep the forum in one piece.
Well said. I totally agree with you. :)
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BlueKnight

Re: We need your help!

Post by BlueKnight »

phpBB 3.
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ingeva
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Re: We need your help!

Post by ingeva »

BlueKnight wrote:phpBB 3.
phpBB 3 is good.
I've been working with phpBB for some years, and it serves its purpose well. With 3.1.x we have a good responsive template.
Old templates must be re-written for 3.1.x, but life goes on, and we all want to be part of the evolution, so just do it.
Mint rules! (20.1 MATE) Cinnamon go home! :)
mintybits

Re: We need your help!

Post by mintybits »

I would like to see:
A better way to mark threads as solved
Be taken back to where I last was after I am prompted to log in
A means to add an avatar image without needing to link it to some existing url
The link symbol for going directly to the last post in a thread could be larger and more obvious so it can be selected more reliably using a touch screen.
:)
r00t

Re: We need your help!

Post by r00t »

mintybits wrote:I would like to see A better way to mark threads as solved
I think there is a feature in MyBB which allows someone to add (or at least edit) their original post to include different headers (for lack of a better word) marking the post as 'SOLVED' or as a 'TUTORIAL' or whatever else the Admins define in the control panel.

Of course this shouldn't be the ONLY reason for switching to MyBB even if it is a pretty nice feature :)
killer de bug

Re: We need your help!

Post by killer de bug »

phpBB shpuld be a logic step. Why changing something that people like? :)
RacerBG

Re: We need your help!

Post by RacerBG »

killer de bug wrote:phpBB shpuld be a logic step. Why changing something that people like? :)
+1 on that one. :)
bawldiggle

Re: We need your help!

Post by bawldiggle »

Upgrade to phBB-3 is my vote.

Some forums are so clever they outsmart themselves.
- especially forums that assume I am familiar with their "structure"
- the most incorrectly used word in IT speak is "intuitive"
- if it requires previous experience it is NOT intuition -- (another rant for a chat room)

Win-8 was a disaster because the UI was completely turned on its head
- some users might have time to play with Lego for juniors
- the monumental change (and downgrading (?) to Win-7))cost me big money and clients, because of the upheaval.
- (I run 6 PCs for AutoCad and 2 laptops for internet research)

I like the simplicity and logical layout of the Mint forum
- it was the major catalyst to give Linux a try
- years ago I had experimented with Libre Office but due to the lack of "real" support I gave up.

One annoyance in some forums are massive signatures (sometimes animated) that are nothing more than ...
1. a waste of screen real estate (a lot of scrolling to get to the meat of each post)
2. very boring -- like a joke I have heard 200 times
3. bordering on nag wear.
4. a waste of server resources

Some of the worst forum structures I have discovered ...

Australian Broadband news plus everything else under the sun
- most obscure sub-forums are not on the "home page"
mozilla support
- the Firefox link from Mozilla home page
- and the constant drilling down only to end up back where I started
- there is no board index
HerzeleidMeister

Re: We need your help!

Post by HerzeleidMeister »

Why/what do you need to change? I ask becasue I have worked with both forums in my job as a freelance web designer for 9 years and maybe there is something I can help you with in info to fix a problem or whatever. vBulletin is my specialty but I have a personal phpBB3 hobby site and have used MyBB in the past many times.

Here are some things to consider:

1. Do you have a lot of mods installed on this board currently? If you do then if you plan on upgrading to phpBB3 you may want to go on their site and look to see if the mods you have isntalled have been ported to the latest version of phpBB3. The latest version from what I remember is phpBB3.1 which was just released and may not have the mods built up yet. I've personally held off on updating my hobby site as I have TONS of mods installed and do not want to lose any of the function I have currently on the site. I run 3.0.12 on my hobby site and opted not to upgrade currently. So that is something to think about when you are making a decision.

2. Migrating from phpBB3 to MyBB may seem like an easy solution but if you or someone on the staff is not well versed in how to do the conversions you could be opening up a can of worms that could lose data, corrupt the database, or completely crash the site. So migrating from one forum to another is something you should not go into lightly. So if you are not prepared its a lot of work migrating one forum software into another one especially if the forum is a large forum like this.

I would personally stick with phpBB3. No I have not PM'ed anyone to test out the software but I'm familar with both boards and know them well from my work. I've found in the past that the folks over at MyBB are not quite all that worried about helping you if you have a problem, at least that has been what I have seen in the past. Things may have changed over there, but I was personally not impressed with their line of "Support".
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