Do You Like This Forum's Software?

[davewerden]

Hello, all.

My forum runs on a product called FuseTalk. But for a variety of reasons I am considering switching to vBulletin, which is the software that runs the TubaNews Forum. In general, how do you like the functionality and friendliness (from a technical point of view) of this forum?

If anyone here has used TubaNews as well, I would love to hear your comparison of the features and functionality.

Please note that I am not looking for comparisons of the topics, posters, or general community - just the differences caused by the software.

Thanks!

[RickF]

Do You Like This Forum's Software?

Hi David,

The current software you're using is okay. It took a bit of time for me to become familiar with it. I know that loading images has caused some frustrations with some of the users - but eventually they are able to do it.

I've never be able to get 'email notifications' to work on this forum - but that's not a big deal as I frequent the forum every day... (a few times a day really ) and am able to see and read any new posts. Although this SW supports HTML, it doesn't allow certain ALT codes that I like to use. For instance, ALT-0151, which creates the 'm dash'. It shows up in the preview correctly but gets changed to the small hyphen upon being posted. The dashes in this post I used the alt code and you'll see they're the small hyphen now. Not a big deal, just one item.

I'm not familiar with 'V-bulletin' other than just reading posts and haven't read much on the TubaNews Forum (never posted there myself), but on the outset, looks to be user friendly.

[fsung]

Do You Like This Forum's Software?

I hand code formatting tags (old habit left over from Listserve days), so I prefer FuseTalk's shorter syntax to that of vBulletin.

For my purposes, the only features that Bulletin offers that would be beneficial are thread/post previews, and jump to the (last-read + 1) post in a thread (though, admittedly, most boards I frequent don't implement those capabilities).

The vBulletein feature that I absolutely, categorically, and eternally execrate is image verification for searches: a "feature" which, even in its most user-friendly implementations (such as TubaNews'), exists only to actively discourage forum users from searching the forum archives, and which, in its more common, user-hostile implementations (e.g. themouthpiece.com) is virtually impossible to navigate for users with poor eyesight and/or partial (or complete) colorblindness (I fall into both categories). If the price of thread/post previews and jump to (last read +1) is having to put up with image verification, I'll do without the previews and jump-to, thank you very much.

[fsung]

Do You Like This Forum's Software?

By the way, since you're considering vBulletin, have you looked in YABB? It's open source, it does just about everything vBulletin does (including thread/post previews and jump-tos, and DOES NOT have the idiotic image verification "feature."

Brass-forum.co.uk is one forum that uses YABB.

[jeffo]

Do You Like This Forum's Software?

Hi David, Don't know if this is a software issue or a configuration issue and I don't really hit TubaNews so I don't know if this is any different there:

I hit this site from two different computers. If I read 5 posts from computer A in the morning, they'll show as unread on computer B that evening. It would be nice if the program determined read/not read by the login instead of the machine you're using to access the site.

Aside from that, everything's cool (as Rick mentioned, posting images can throw me, but that's likely a deficiency in the user, not the software)

Thanks for soliciting feedback, and thanks for hosting this excellent forum. --Jeff

[davewerden]

Do You Like This Forum's Software?

Felix,

I have looked at YABB and also phpBB. One reason I like vBulletin is that it is a commercial product, and their support is quite good. But mostly, it is the only one I have found that is both good and will allow me to import the existing forum posts! That's a huge issue.

At work, one of our sister sites just started using it. I'll ask the implementer if he has found a way to simplify the image verification.

And for a little more background:

I would stick with FuseTalk because it is also a commericial product and it works pretty well, but FT is moving to a version of ColdFusion that my host does not currently offer, and they are no longer going to support the MySQL database that I have been using. To stay with them, at least if I want to keep up to date, I'm going to have to switch hosting providers and migrate my database (a service they don't offer any help with).

[littleguino]

Do You Like This Forum's Software?

When I am at home, I find that I can navigate the forum easily enough. However, if I try to reply to a post I cannot type into any of the forms. I'm not sure if this is a glitch with my computer or if it has something to do with Windows Vista, but I can only add something to the forum when I have down time at school. I'm not sure if this would be fixed by a switch to vBulletin or any other format, but that is my only complaint with this forum.

[bearphonium]

Do You Like This Forum's Software?

I am familiar with V bulliten from several motorcycle forums that I frequent, and I know that Tim Mayhew (from pashnit dot com) really has a huge volume of traffic on his site. As long as you're supported by this software, I'd keep it...just sayin'

[JBrassLee]

Do You Like This Forum's Software?

I like what you have now. It is very user friendly and easy to follow along in conversations. I hate image verification for searches. This one searches very easily and I can find a wealth of information very quickly with you currents et up.

I prefer your site over anything else because of this software and because of all of the very knowledgeable professionals lurking in the forums!

My .02

[prototypedenNIS]

Do You Like This Forum's Software?

Hey Dave,
When a large photo gets posted (like in the Yamaha Neo euph thread) it stretches the screen off to the sides but does not add a scroll bar for the page.
On The Trombone Forum, they have scroll bars in the post to prevent this, I don't know if your software can do this or whether it can do a master scroll on the bottom because I'm dragging to go back and forth to read long posts.

[carbogast]

Do You Like This Forum's Software?

Regarding long threads, it would be nice to have a setting to show the most recent posting at the top. - Carroll

[lsanders2012]

Do You Like This Forum's Software?

No, I don't.

I primarly use my phone as my main connection to the internet, On the 3 smart phones I've tried to reply to topics on non of them have worked. (and iPhone, HTC Evo (android), and a Crackberry of sometime).

About to go respond to the posts, because Im finnaly on a computer.

[davewerden]

Do You Like This Forum's Software?

Originally posted by: lsanders2012 I primarly use my phone as my main connection to the internet, On the 3 smart phones I've tried to reply to topics on non of them have worked. (and iPhone, HTC Evo (android), and a Crackberry of sometime).

Can you point to other forums that work well for a smart phone? How is TubeNet, for example?

Thanks.

[lsanders2012]

Do You Like This Forum's Software?

Originally posted by: davewerden

Originally posted by: lsanders2012 I primarly use my phone as my main connection to the internet, On the 3 smart phones I've tried to reply to topics on non of them have worked. (and iPhone, HTC Evo (android), and a Crackberry of sometime).

Can you point to other forums that work well for a smart phone? How is TubeNet, for example?

Thanks.

TubeNet works.

vBulletin which you mentioned earlier, also works.

Anyothers You'd like me to test?

[davewerden]

Do You Like This Forum's Software?

Luke,

Thanks for extra info. At this point in time, vBulletin is the only other software I'm considering, mostly for two reasons:

1) It can import from FuseTalk forums (i.e. this one)
2) It offers support, and co-workers at my day job speak highly of that support.

Good to know vB is up to date on mobile devices. It's possible that the new version of FuseTalk would be as well, but the price has gotten painfully high for a non-commerce site like mine, and my current website host doesn't support the right version of the underlying software. So vBulletin still seems like the best choice; now I just have to find time to do the change-over. It gets complicated, because I also have to set up a hosting account for vBulletin and (with luck) figure out a good way to redirect any inbound links to the current location so they go to the new location, which will be something like forum.dwerden.com.

Unless some of the working facts change, that's the plan for (probably) later this year.

Thanks again to all of you for your feedback. I'm not closing the discussion, so readers: feel free add more comments if you like.