Olympus vs. the rest

[KeLLie]

I know what you're saying. vBulletin and IPB shouldn't really be in the running because as a pp pointed out, they are paid boards and so therefore really in a different kind of realm.

I've used SMF - free versions and I wasn't really impressed with the templating features or layout of the board itself but that's just me.

I guess it really depends on what one is looking for when choosing a discussion board software. I know that for me, phpbb3 has the features that I wish phpbb2.x had. There seems to be more control of the admin panel and mods play a slightly bigger role than before, which is very helpful if you have a bigger community.

For me personally, it's more than just looking at the features list. I have to enjoy the layout, the admin panel, and the overall easibility of the board.

[yexusbeliever]

We choose our features well.

This is why I like phpBB the most. While vB is much like a heavily modded phpBB, Olympus is simple with all necessary features. This is why Olympus is faster.

I am glad that the phpBB devs do not compromise in features to compete with other BBS. And I hope the ACP will not change its look and style. It is neat and different from many of the other BBS.

[Aldenhier]

if you're looking for a good equal to vB that's free, try out myBB (http://myBBoard.com/" target="_blank). It looks and feels like vBulletin, but it's free and it has a few less features and such. I like it. of couse, Olympus is much better IMO because I like phpBB because i've been with it longer.

[gLiTcH_]

phpBB is going the same path as the Nintendo Wii. They are not into the competition as well.

[soundboy]

Thanks, interesting replies.

No one has given any real reasons as to why they think SMF is not up to par, though. OK, vBulletin is a bit heavy and expensive... but what about SMF? I've played around for a couple of hours and I'm just setting up a test board, and it seems pretty light and feature-rich. Where's the real downside?

[Acyd Burn]

There is no downside if it is doing what you want. Some noted that it has a totally different "template system" (though it seems to be only some functions having echo statements), that it is not GPL (it has it's own license), that it has an automatic mod installer (adjusting the files directly, so no need to touch it by hand)... this is what i gathered as "important for people" while reading through this forum. I think no-one here is able to give a proper comparison since you will always get biased opinions (the same would apply if you ask at SMF of course).

[Mr.Jester]

I have never used/setup vB, I have ran IPB, but as stated they don't really compare.

I will try to point out the differences between SMF and phpBB that I have found.

This is all IMO so take it or leave it, chew it up or spit it out, put in on your plate or pass it back. Its all on you.

I have found the coding for phpBB to be more readable. SMF, from what I remember doesn't do a very good job of seperating the code from the presentation.

Templating SMF I found to be much more difficult. Probably for the above reason and my lack of experience with it.

SMF does have the mod installer which phpBB would GREATLY benefit from.

I think the phpBB ACP/UCP/MCP are much better organized and layed out. Especially with phpBB3. I was always trying to figure out where SMF put things. It didn't seem logical. Again, this could be lack of exposure.

phpBB for it being pure GPL.

The modding community for phpBB, I feel is the best of any BB system. There are thousands of mods. SMF I couldn't find what I was looking for most of the time.

Asthetically, I prefer the layout of phpBB over SMF. The organization of the information, etc. This is for the most a template issue, but there are things that I have found phpBB does that SMF had a different take on and it didn't jive with me as well. Exposure and bias I am sure.

phpBB feels so much more flexible in what it can be made to do. I felt like I was locked into the design the developers wanted when I was using SMF. Again, this could be an exposure issue.

Overall SMF felt clunky to use. The user experience doesn't have the refinement that phpBB2 does, let alone phpBB3.

If/when phpBB gets EasyMOD integrated into it, it will remove my one complaint about it.

This is all subjective and should be taken with a grain of salt.

[Eelke]

Thanks for your take on it, and the pinch of self-criticism you put in there. Much appreciated.

[xelloss]

When I had to chose the board to my site, I start to search in all over the net for a board that will be a simple for any user and easy to administrate it. I think that main difference is in style of forum, and phpBB interface is mostly easy to understand and easy to percept.

[balding_ape]

Thanks, interesting replies.

No one has given any real reasons as to why they think SMF is not up to par, though. OK, vBulletin is a bit heavy and expensive... but what about SMF? I've played around for a couple of hours and I'm just setting up a test board, and it seems pretty light and feature-rich. Where's the real downside?

From a user perspective (I've never admined SMF), SMF has two big problems that I see:

(1) Weak PM system. I can look at messages someone has sent me, but there is no "Sent Messages" box or "Outbox" box. There is no savebox.

(2) (Note: this may be an issue with the forum style, which is black, or my PC somehow.) In the message entry interface, it's very hard to see where the cursor is within the text entry field. It drives me crazy, because I'm constantly editing as I type.

Other than that, SMF has some nice features (I like its implementation of subforums, for example).