TGO David

I'll sit down this weekend and come up with a list of features that I think you all will enjoy. In the meantime, definitely go over there and post some stuff, kick the tires, use it. That's the best way to see what it has to offer. Increased storage for PMs is something I can definitely add. Stability can be a function of good (or bad) code but it is also a function of the server itself. We've had some growing pains in the past with our server being overwhelmed by traffic and hamstrung by vBulletin's clunky code. IPB is already faster and I think it will absolutely scream once TGO's traffic is no longer being funneled through vBulletin whatsoever. As for auto-banning trolls, it actually has a lot of power baked into it for the moderators and there are some features that automatically deal with spammers.

Yes, it is supported by Tapatalk. IPB also has a GREAT built-in HTML mobile skin that makes Tapatalk unnecessary unless you just really, really want to use it.

I'm not entirely sure what you mean but so far it's running much quicker than our current installation and it's sharing all of the same CPU, Memory and Disk resources so it's not like it is off in it's own little bubble unaffected by what's going on here. That says quite a bit to me about the elegance of the underlying code.

History: Last year I made a few posts sharing my discontent with the direction that the vBulletin forum software had taken with the advent of Version 4, and I expressed a desire to move to something else. Something better. One of the candidates that i mentioned to you was Invision Power Board (aka IPB). At that time there were some complications that caused me to postpone any such changes. Since then I have had the opportunity to set up and use IPB on another forum project and I have become completely enamored with it. The software is leaner, more elegant, less cluttered and provides an overall superior "user experience" for both our guests and the moderators. Further, the IPB software developers have continued to make improvements and add features which I felt were critical to the success of any software on TGO. To that end, I have been spending a lot of time over the past month testing out the software in a closed environment, working out the logistics to convert TGO from vBulletin to Invision Power Board. The State of Things: I now have a Research and Development copy of TGO running on IPB and I would like for you all to give it a spin, kick the tires, and let me know what you think. For the past day, the Benefator members here on TGO have had the chance to do just that. Now it's everyone's turn. There are several important things to keep in mind, however: The copy of the database that I used to do the test conversion is current as of January 3rd, 2012. If you were a member of TGO prior to that date, you can access the R&D forum using your normal login information. You will find that all posts and private messages are current as of that date. Anyone who was not a member of TGO prior to January 3rd cannot sign in. New user registrations are not being accepted on the R&D site, so please do not ask. I'm sorry if this excludes you but it is the most efficient way for this test to be conducted. Absolutely nothing you post or send privately on the R&D site will translate or transfer back to the vBulletin site you are using right now. Everything over there is temporary. Once this test is complete, all of that data will be wiped out and we will start over with a copy of the current database from here. Keep that in mind. It is purely a "sandbox" to test and tinker with. Don't post anything important there because it will eventually be deleted. The look and feel of the site are rough. There are problems with the way it renders on the Apple Safari web browser, including that on iOS devices such as the iPhone or iPad. I am aware of that; don't report it. Yes, later there will also be a darker version of the color scheme so that those of you who prefer light text on dark backgrounds are accommodated. So with all of that in mind, point your web browser to www.tngunowners.com/ipb/ and check it out. Explore. Tinker. Post your comments in this thread here and let me know what you think of it. I expect that we will leave the R&D site up and running through the weekend ahead and then plan on converting TGO to the new software by the end of January barring any unforeseen problems. Thanks!

Congrats!

I am no more or less prepared for 2012 than I am for any other year. I'm not much on Mayan prophesies either. "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." -- Matt 24:36

Highly doubtful that the cost will decrease any time soon since our operating expenses continue to rise as the forum grows. There is always the option of the 6-month membership if you're on a budget.

Welcome, Jim!

That's a heck of a cardboard box.

Yeah, you won't find those kind of rules on the TNJeeps forum. JK-Forums tends to be really, really overbearing with some of their policies.

From the article... I don't like Monday Morning quarterbacking but it's Tuesday and I'm feeling a little snarky. So, can we please get Officer Weary some remedial firearms accuracy training?!? Those four shots went somewhere which concerns me about as much as the idea that the other ghetto vermin were also just shooting indiscriminately into the crowd of people.

Welcome to the forum and Merry Christmas!

Already a member there.

Congrats!

Beats a Red Ryder any day.

You need to go watch the 24hr marathon of A Christmas Story and lay off the old Charles Bronson vigilantism movies for a while.

I've used Headworks in the past. Good company.

Nicely done!

I've successfully avoided Blade Forums because I know what it will do to my wallet. I wish you luck.

Odd... I'll check into that for you.

Merry Christmas! Hope you all find yourselves surrounded by those you love this holiday. And barring that... I hope you at least find yourselves not surrounded by people you can't stand.

I'm doing what I hope you all will be doing: Spending today and tomorrow with my family.

Were you using Tapatalk or just Safari? More information would be quite helpful.

Over 13,000 members and only a few seem to have this problem. Clearly it's not the server. I can't be of much more help than that. Sorry.