Olympus vs. the rest

[code reader]

i haev to disagree*.
it is true that smf has some weak points. but so do any other software. it also has some strong ones. (specifically, a functionality similar to its pacakge manager is sorely missing from phpbb).
code quality is also not the point. smf has some very good and some not-so-good code in it, and so does olympus.
the main issue is the license. smf is not open source. yes, it is free, and yes, anyone can read the code, but its unique and (somewhat) bizarre license is, imo, the main detterant for using it.
i suspect that if smf used GPL/LGPL, it would be a much more serious contender for olympus.

as it is, i hesitate to use it. i think that as long as it sticks to its own unique license, there is very slim chance for it to develop a community like that of phpbb.
and after all, the community is really the differentiating factor that sets phpbb apart from any other bbs system i know of.

personally, if i would hesitate between olympus and another system, it would probably be phorum. in this comparison, phpbb wins hands down for features (except threaded view and the plugin system, it tops phorum in every feature category by lighyears. phorum is extremely feature-sparse).
phorum wins in performance (ttbomk, there are no standard benchmarks, but i believe the concensus is that phorum is the bbs performance leader), code quality, and stability. also, (probably because of its much smaller community), phorum developers are much more responsive to problem reports, complaints, criticism and suggestions of mere mortals.


* what i mean is, i disagree that what distinguish olympus from smf is a specific feature (such as the pm system) or appearance

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

My personal opinion is that Olympus' greatest weakness compared to vBulletin is its lack of a good inline moderation system. Sure, there's the Moderator Control Panel, but that takes longer, especially when you're moderating a large forum (which I do).

[Highway of Life]

Well... like what in-page MOD controls does vB have? Besides AJAX that lets you edit posts inline without loading the page.

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

Well... like what in-page MOD controls does vB have? Besides AJAX that lets you edit posts inline without loading the page.

Deleting, moving, merging, approving, etc. Just via a checkbox in each post.

[Highway of Life]

Well... like what in-page MOD controls does vB have? Besides AJAX that lets you edit posts inline without loading the page.

Deleting, moving, merging, approving, etc. Just via a checkbox in each post.

Deleting posts can be done right there in viewtopic with one push of the button per post.

Of course, the Quick-Mod tools allow you to Lock the topic, Delete the topic, Move the topic, Split the topic, Merge the Topic, Copy the topic, Change the topic to a Sticky, Change the topic to an Announcement, or Change the topic to Global Announcement.

But if you are talking about items like, split from post, split selected posts, or merge selected posts, it is one link (button) away.
And then approve posts can be done there in the viewtopic as well.

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

Deleting posts can be done right there in viewtopic with one push of the button per post.

Then you have to click "Yes, I really do want to", then wait to redirect back to the thread, then delete the next post... in vB, it's just select a bunch, hit delete, type in a reason, and done.

Of course, the Quick-Mod tools allow you to Lock the topic, Delete the topic, Move the topic, Split the topic, Merge the Topic, Copy the topic, Change the topic to a Sticky, Change the topic to an Announcement, or Change the topic to Global Announcement.

And similar in vB, except vB allows you to select individual posts that you can then split off to another topic - no need to go to another page to select the posts.

But if you are talking about items like, split from post, split selected posts, or merge selected posts, it is one link (button) away.

And in vB it's right there.

I'm just trying to make the point that vB has a moderation system that seems to be designed for speed and ease - everything is streamlined so you use minimal effort. It's very easy to use on a large board. Something I'd like in 3.2... as 3.0 already added good moderation features and a more useful MCP than vBulletin offers.

[Highway of Life]

Okay, that makes more sense now.

Oh, the thing about the "Delete Post", I would want it to ask me... "Are you sure?", otherwise you could end up with a bunch of accidently deleted posts.

If you want to delete a bunch of posts, just hit the "Moderator Control Panel" and select as many posts or as few as you want and hit the Delete, or other options.

Yes... so it's one more click away...
It's not vB, I'll give it that.
But it's still pretty easy, not instant, but easy.

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

Oh, the thing about the "Delete Post", I would want it to ask me... "Are you sure?", otherwise you could end up with a bunch of accidently deleted posts.

It does. It shows you a page asking if you want to "soft" delete them (show them only to mods and admins, with a note showing why they were deleted) or "hard" delete them. But you can do as many as you want at once - even over multiple pages.

If you want to delete a bunch of posts, just hit the "Moderator Control Panel" and select as many posts or as few as you want and hit the Delete, or other options.

Yes... so it's one more click away...
[/quote]
Exactly.

It's not vB, I'll give it that.
But it's still pretty easy, not instant, but easy.

I have a feeling it would be rather simple to MOD in.

[Highway of Life]

I agree.

Actually, I'm thinking of making a "Soft-delete" MOD, I've seen it requested a few times, and I know that I would like that feature.

Also, doesn't vB have an option to PM the user automatically if you delete his/her post?
With the quoted post and the reason for deleting?
That I don't feel is as 'critical' but it would be *nice* to have as a MOD.

[phoenix-cms]

but dont forget this is where mods come in, and this has been build groundup where vb inprove the current code and has taken many years to get where it is now..

Steve