Forum software switch...

[EvilDragon]

Well, unfortunately, the XenForo team didn't time to look into importing IPB4 yet... and MyBB has an importer, but it doesn't import the posts properly (HTML issues) and has issues importing the Avatars and the attachments...

It looks like there's no real way yet to move to a different forum software.

In the mean time, IPB4.1 is out, which has an improved editor. It is supposed to be faster, quoting works better and maybe I manage to get the BBCode plugin for CKEditor to work (though the EDIT button is an issue - maybe someone who can properly code webstuff could help me out here).

The database format of IPB4.1 hasn't changed, AFAIK, so we should still be able to move to a different forum software later.

What do you think - should I upgrade to 4.1?

Or should we wait longer for a possible migration...?

 

[comradekingu]

Wait and see,

chances are the new one is just as broken as anything they have made thus far.

I have more faith in MyBB ironing out the kinks in their importer.

Upgrading could be turn out for the worse, with even less of a migration path. Let someone else spin the barrels on this one and see.

FluxBB and Beehive look interesting.

 

[TrashyMG]

Maybe a good interim solution to switch to 4.1 as the editor in this version really blows. 

 

[EvilDragon]

Wait and see,

chances are the new one is just as broken as anything they have made thus far.

I have more faith in MyBB ironing out the kinks in their importer.

Not sure. I didn't get a single reply within a few days when I posted about my issues.

About IPB: Version 3 was horrible at the beginning as well. They improved with later versions. So I don't think IPB4.1 is WORSE than the current one (their own forum runs on IPB4.1, and so far, it looks better).

Upgrading could be turn out for the worse, with even less of a migration path. Let someone else spin the barrels on this one and see.

It shouldn't, as the database is the important thing on an import, and that one doesn't usually change.

FluxBB and Beehive look interesting.

A bit too simple

They can't import anything, and FluxBB doesn't even support attachments and PMs

 

[EvilDragon]

Maybe a good interim solution to switch to 4.1 as the editor in this version really blows. 

That's my idea as well... It should at least have SOME of our issues fixed.

 

[comradekingu]

Can you link to your inquiry with the MyBB folk?. Hoping some sort of funding or help can mediate things.

 

[PowerGod]

in the worst case we will have bouncing smiles all around
 

 

[Wally]

Why not start from scratch? Sure we'll need to re-create our user accounts but it'd mean a clean slate for everyone and a fresh new start for the Pyra! 

Few reasons I can think of:

1. We can purge the spammy accounts properly and have proper spam tools to stop spammers from get-go

2. We could rethink the forum structure, although there's really nothing too bad about it. There's probably some areas we can let go of (For example the 15 or so sections in Pandora Development can all be merged).

3. If it makes it better for a more integrated experience, I.E. Wiki (Probably should be called a Knowledge Base anyway) and Bug Tracker then that's a big advantage in itself. (not sure if this is the case though)

4. It looks hella-cleaner and more modern. I love this!

 

[thatgui]

Why not start from scratch? Sure we'll need to re-create our user accounts but it'd mean a clean slate for everyone and a fresh new start for the Pyra! 

Nothing on the whole board that is worth preserving ?

@ED

Imho you should just be patient, and spend the time that this would consume on other, more important things. I would suggest your wife, but I suspect you are a "project driven" beeing, so this probably won't have any impact. Just skip the update and wait till a more viable alternative is ready.

 

[Hooka]

Well, certainly don't wipe them... great treasure trove of information here, much akin to the gp32x.de forums that are still a good read for their tasty, tasty knowledge

 

[comradekingu]

So outside of what is supposed to happen, given the problems we aren't supposed to have, is it possible to do a trial of 4.1 to see if it molests the database further into lockdown?

 

[EvilDragon]

Well, before doing any upgrade, I ALWAYS back up everything.

It won't be time consuming either, as it just means extracting the new files onto the server.

The upgrade to 4.0 was painful because it was a completely new, rewritten version. No one ever realized when I upgraded from 3.1 to 3.2, as it takes 5 minutes and works seemlessly,

 

[EvilDragon]

Well, certainly don't wipe them... great treasure trove of information here, much akin to the gp32x.de forums that are still a good read for their tasty, tasty knowledge

IPB4, MyBB and XenForo offer tabbed forums, so my plan is to integrate gp32x.de and the german boards as it's own tab, so everyone can find them but they don't get in the way of other users.

With XenForo and MyBB, an import would work, with IPB4, there's no importer yet (but I still could add them into the site as menu topic, setting them to ReadOnly...)

The German boards are pretty much dead, sadly, so I am thinking adding german and french sections here (again, as tabs, so that the forum doesn't get cluttered).

I've got some ideas to make the site more structured, but all of them include switching to IPB4 (heavily improved menu system), XenForo or MyBB.

 

[Neelix]

It occurs to me that if XenForo haven't made a start yet on the database you already provided,  you may as well update to 4.1 and if there turn out to be any changes to the database format, you could just provide them with the updated version of the database.   That way when they do make their importer they can make sure to cover both versions.

-Neelix

 

[PowerGod]

@Wally: you are a destroyer of worlds !!

 

[WizardStan]

Wally makes a not-unreasonable suggestion.  Take the current forum, lock everything, move it to archive.openpandora.org so we can find and link to things as necessary, and start over. Wouldn't be so terrible.

But I think the ideal solution for now is to take a backup, start using 4.1, and, if anything is worse than before, revert.

 

[rygD]

I am with WizardStan (and ED, TrashyMG, etc.) on updating it.  While I am used to this editor now it still sucks.

I also don't see a problem with starting fresh for the Pyra.  Lock/archive the old stuff so we can still access it somehow.  The Pyra section can be brought over if we are getting IPB4 (which sorta defeats the purpose of starting from scratch) so that we have the news and other somewhat important discussions (case color, keyboard stuff ).  

 

[levi]

Why not start from scratch? Sure we'll need to re-create our user accounts but it'd mean a clean slate for everyone and a fresh new start for the Pyra! 

Few reasons I can think of:

1. We can purge the spammy accounts properly and have proper spam tools to stop spammers from get-go

That's a fair point, that I can't really counter.

2. We could rethink the forum structure, although there's really nothing too bad about it. There's probably some areas we can let go of (For example the 15 or so sections in Pandora Development can all be merged).

Can this not be done in the current software?  There might still be benefits seen from a fresh start, though whether we have a real idea how to design a rational and effective set of categories is debatable.  It might in fact be easier to start with what we've got and tweak it.

3. If it makes it better for a more integrated experience, I.E. Wiki (Probably should be called a Knowledge Base anyway) and Bug Tracker then that's a big advantage in itself. (not sure if this is the case though)

I'm generally quite picky about the bug trackers I'll work with, and I've yet to find anything integrated that's as good as a dedicated bug tracker.  Perhaps the disparate sites could be tied together better though, with say, a notification box for new bugs being visible on the forum site, reminding people that it exists.

4. It looks hella-cleaner and more modern. I love this!

What does, sorry?  The only experience with designing new UIs for things is that they usually start out looking old-fashioned and ugly, and take a lot of work to become pleasing, especially to users like we've got here who I tend to feel fulfil the old maxim of 'you can't please all of the people all of the time...'.

I tend to think though that if we can come up with out own board software, we should.  Just run it alongside the current stuff until we're happy with it over the current solution though.

 

[fusion_power]

I hope the editor will be back to "usable" as soon as possible, no matter which forum version. I  hate this one here with passion! 

The German boards are pretty much dead, sadly, so I am thinking adding german and french sections here (again, as tabs, so that the forum doesn't get cluttered).

You could visit it more often actualy

 

[Hồng Thất Công]

Why not start from scratch? Sure we'll need to re-create our user accounts but it'd mean a clean slate for everyone and a fresh new start for the Pyra! 

Few reasons I can think of:

1. We can purge the spammy accounts properly and have proper spam tools to stop spammers from get-go

2. We could rethink the forum structure, although there's really nothing too bad about it. There's probably some areas we can let go of (For example the 15 or so sections in Pandora Development can all be merged).

3. If it makes it better for a more integrated experience, I.E. Wiki (Probably should be called a Knowledge Base anyway) and Bug Tracker then that's a big advantage in itself. (not sure if this is the case though)

4. It looks hella-cleaner and more modern. I love this!

Why need a forum?  Why build from scratch?  Just build a Pyra Cafe and we all go there to chat