Not Using phpBB

Discussion of general topics related to the new version and its place in the world. Don't discuss new features, report bugs, ask for support, et cetera. Don't use this to spam for other boards or attack those boards!
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Discussion of general topics related to the new release and its place in the world. Don't discuss new features, report bugs, ask for support, et cetera. Don't use this to spam for other boards or attack those boards!
moneyman2010mn
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Not Using phpBB

Post by moneyman2010mn »

It's somewhat to determine where this topic should go so please move it if necessary. It has to do with the release of phpBB3.0 but also other topics.

A forum that I’m currently very active in is deciding whether or not they should switch forum software. Currently they are using the latest of version of phpBB but can’t decide whether or not to wait for the release of phpBB3.0. I’ve always liked and even used phpBB for one of my websites. I’m trying to encourage them to stick with phpBB and just wait for the release of phpBB3.0 but I’ll need some help. I’m asking for pros and cons for phpBB in general and phpBB3.0. Of course I know a bunch myself but I’m very interested to hear what the actual developers say. Specific examples would be nice by directly comparing phpBB/phpBB3.0 to other forum software but I do not want this to be a bashing thread.

Thanks. :)

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Highway of Life
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Re: Not Using phpBB

Post by Highway of Life »

Well first off, I must point out, that you are going to get a biased response from 95% of us, since we all love/use phpBB2 and phpBB3.

Personally, when choosing a forum software, I would have been choosing between vBulletin and phpBB3.
I don't consider phpBB2 much of a comparison between Olympus, vB and IPB.
What tips the scale between the vB - phpBB3 option is the price.

Obviously vB is going to cost you over $100, whereas phpBB3 is open source.
phpBB3 has all the potential for many of the same features that vB has, true it does not have all of them right now, but since the core code on phpBB3 is so much better than phpBB2, I think the potential and possibilities are endless.

Before I get long winded, I should ask... has the forum you are active in tried phpBB3 yet, or are they just thinking about it at this point?

Also, they should not consider switching to phpBB3 until at least RC1 (Release Candidate 1).

- Highway 8)
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moneyman2010mn
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Re: Not Using phpBB

Post by moneyman2010mn »

Well first off, I must point out, that you are going to get a biased response from 95% of us, since we all love/use phpBB2 and phpBB3.
That's alright with me because I'm for keeping and upgrading to phpBB3. ;)

So if price didn't matter at all even though it does, would you choose vB over phpBB3? Is vB more secure than phpBB3? I've heard that phpBB in general is a security mess.
has the forum you are active in tried phpBB3 yet, or are they just thinking about it at this point?
I don't know whether or not they have. I'm not part of the staff but they are holding a debate to see what the members want and like. The tech admin there is experienced and wouldn't install phpBB3 util its RC1. I believe he supports phpBB over anything else but the staff wants to be open to anything.

Also, what about IPB and SMF? What features do they lack that phpBB has?

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Highway of Life
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Re: Not Using phpBB

Post by Highway of Life »

moneyman2010mn wrote: So if price didn't matter at all even though it does, would you choose vB over phpBB3? Is vB more secure than phpBB3? I've heard that phpBB in general is a security mess.
phpBB2 is a security mess, this is correct.
If the price was the same between vB and phpBB3, I would go with vB.
Unless I was on shared hosting, then I would go with phpBB3, as you do have to have a pretty powerful server to go with a vB board, but this I have two of.
moneyman2010nm wrote: Also, what about IPB and SMF? What features do they lack that phpBB has?
Well, I really don't know much about, nor have I ever, to my knowledge, used a SMF board, so I can neither discredit them, nor can I vouch for them.
All I know is it looks like a mix between phpBB2, some elements of phpBB3 and vB. But it looks pretty basic.
However, between SMF and phpBB, since phpBB has a bigger audiance, (community) I would go with phpBB just because of the larger amount of support and MOD selection that would exist.
As far as IPB goes... phpBB3 has nearly ALL of the IPB features...
Plus, phpBB has the added benefit of: Being open-source
IF they were the same price, i would still go with Olympus.
It's strange, and I have not put my finger on it yet, but every IPB I've been to, even though it's packed with really nice features, for some reason, I just don't like posting on it.
Or something about the way it looks or functions just does not sit well with me.
I think it's probably just me, but there is just something about it that seems to have bad Karma, and I have not a clue what it is besides the default style.
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agent00shoe

Re: Not Using phpBB

Post by agent00shoe »

I don't consider myself to bee *too* biased when it comes to forums. I was very close to swtiching from phpbb to smf for one website because smf is the best(IMHO) free alternative to phpbb. But the more I used it the more I realized it just wasn't going to be good enough in the long run. phpbb still seems to be the most refined, free forum there is. Vb is good for some. It's a little more feature heavy than I like and it can be rough on your server, depending on how busy the forum is.

We could all list pros and cons of all the software all day long, it really comes down to what you like and what you're comfortable with. I'm sticking with phpbb because I like to mod things and it has the most logical layout of code and separation of style and function. Its admin control panel is also the most intuitive one I've seen, making it easy to use, even in olympus. If you try out the admin sections of some other forums, you'll see how hard some of them are to figure out where things are.

DazzaC
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Re: Not Using phpBB

Post by DazzaC »

agent00shoe wrote: I'm sticking with phpbb because I like to mod things and it has the most logical layout of code and separation of style and function. Its admin control panel is also the most intuitive one I've seen, making it easy to use, even in olympus. If you try out the admin sections of some other forums, you'll see how hard some of them are to figure out where things are.


Possibly one of my favorite things about phpBB. It's extensible, and (in Olympus at least) the administration is incredibly intuitive and simplistic (phpBB2's admin system is ok, but there are a few management features I feel which are missing from it. That, and the iframes annoy me alot :P)

I'm going to be sticking with phpBB for quite a while; It's basically taught me alot of what I know about php and web technologies, and the more I play around with it, the more I learn. And I'd much rather tinker around in a large, free open-source community than with a $100 upwards package like vB or IPB.
Highway of Life wrote: As far as IPB goes... phpBB3 has nearly ALL of the IPB features...
Plus, phpBB has the added benefit of: Being open-source
IF they were the same price, i would still go with Olympus.
It's strange, and I have not put my finger on it yet, but every IPB I've been to, even though it's packed with really nice features, for some reason, I just don't like posting on it.
Or something about the way it looks or functions just does not sit well with me.
I think it's probably just me, but there is just something about it that seems to have bad Karma, and I have not a clue what it is besides the default style.


I know my biggest pet peeve about IPB is that it really is too big. Every page has so much crammed into it its hard sometimes to find what you're looking for (the best examples I can think of is the profile page and the (gulp) administration features. God, it's like finding a needle in a haystack with that system!)

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NNO-Stephen
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Re: Not Using phpBB

Post by NNO-Stephen »

I am currently a regular at many forums, of which IPB, SMF, vB, and phpBB are used in at least one each (though primarily vBulletin, SMF and phpBB) 

I gotta say, phpBB 3 by far has the cleanest feeling to the layout and whatnot.  SMF is more powerful than phpBB 2 by a long shot, they also "borrowed" some icons from phpBB (like the poll bars and such) which I think is kinda cheap, but wadda ya gonna do, it's open sauce ya know?  anyway, it works too, though it just feels more basic, less refined.  

vB is powerful and bloated.  if not for the price it'd be a much more attractive option as it's got a lot of "cutting edge" features while still maintaining a familiarity that everyone knows how thins work you know.  it's got quick reply, rating of topics, "soft" deletion of topics, AJAX all to hell on posting and stuff, no post confirmation screen.  lots of little things like that.  

when it comes dow to the ballance of features, style, price, and load, phpBB 3.0 looks like it's going to come out on top by a pretty decent margin.  
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Theberge43
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Re: Not Using phpBB

Post by Theberge43 »

Well I've been a PHPBB user for sometime now ...
PHPBB3 is going to be an interesting product no doubt, but my next site will be on a SMF board.

The thing I like about PHPBB is the html template system, SMF is a little harder to style. But the mod and update system of SMF is by far superior to the one from PHPBB. ANd it's the only reason why I chose SMF. For the rest they kinda are equal.

Oh and SMF RC3 is already out ... and waiting for RC1 from PHPBB has been a long process ... :?
My other board is a phpbb 2.0.x
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agent00shoe

Re: Not Using phpBB

Post by agent00shoe »

Theberge43 wrote: But the mod and update system of SMF is by far superior to the one from PHPBB.

That's what I thought, too, until I had a few mods installed and then nearly every mod after that gives that red letter warning saying it can't install the mod I wanted.

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Theberge43
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Re: Not Using phpBB

Post by Theberge43 »

You're right, the only thing the mod system does replacing files like you would do manually in PHPBB2 ... and if 2 mods change the same file you're kinda screwed ... but still if you keep the number of mods to too high, it's easier than PHPBB ...

But I have to say that a release of PHPBB3 RC1 in the next couple of weeks, could make me change ship again ... :mrgreen:
My other board is a phpbb 2.0.x
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