TGO's continued evolution: Help me test out NEW forum software!

[TGO David]

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!

[UncleJak]

I like it better. It is as easy to use as the current forum and seems to be slightly more user friendly. Thanks1

[buck1032]

And less cluttered. Seem ok. How stable is it?

[TGO David]

And less cluttered. Seem ok. How stable is 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.

[gnmwilliams]

It looks pretty good. Could you possibly post a list of the features that make it better in your eyes? Maybe that would help us decide. For example: Is it easier to post pics on the new site? Are there customizable color schemes for each user? Is there more storage for PM's and the like? Is it more stable? Does it auto-ban dummies who like to troll? Just a thought and thanks for all your hard work David!

[Guest JHatmaker]

Like the layout a lot better, looks better graphics wise, loads faster.

Overall, thumbs up for me

[mikegideon]

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.

Gut feel... cleaner code. Vb feels klunky in comparison.

[Lumber_Jack]

Is it compatible with tapatalk? I know this is a small concern in the grand scheme. Just curious

Sent from my Mom's basement

[DWARREN123]

Looks different from our standard setup, seems okay but I am a old guy and it takes me time to get use to new stuff.

Edited January 6, 2012 by DWARREN123

[Guest db99wj]

Hmm, where have I seen this being used......

I like it, fine with it, when I started with it, it took a few minutes to get use to, then I was off to the races. It did take me a while to figure out what to hit to go directly to the last post. But I found that.

[buck1032]

And less cluttered. Seem ok. How stable is it?

What I really meant was how prone is it for locking up, glitches, need to reboot servers, etc. Sorry I didnt explain very well earlier, I was in a bit of a hurry, my 5 y/o wanted the computer. LOL

[Slasher]

Is it compatible with tapatalk? I know this is a small concern in the grand scheme. Just curious

Sent from my Mom's basement

I'd say this is very important. Tapatalk is probably the best mobile reader out there.

[TGO David]

I'd say this is very important. Tapatalk is probably the best mobile reader out there.

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.

[TGO David]

It looks pretty good. Could you possibly post a list of the features that make it better in your eyes? Maybe that would help us decide. For example: Is it easier to post pics on the new site? Are there customizable color schemes for each user? Is there more storage for PM's and the like? Is it more stable? Does it auto-ban dummies who like to troll? Just a thought and thanks for all your hard work 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.

[Grunt67]

David, I'm a Mod on another board, CoachT.com. They use IPB as well. Works fine

there. Been in use for quite some time.

[Will H]

I like it. a lot.... Just sayin.

[Fallguy]

I like it...

The moderation tools look good too...

[jtmaze]

I am good with it. Would like to see the mobile version since I do 90% o my posts from tapatalk.

JTM🔫

Sent from my iPhone

[Fallguy]

I am good with it. Would like to see the mobile version since I do 90% o my posts from tapatalk.

JTM

Sent from my iPhone

It does work with TapTalk...but as mentioned above it really not necessary...IPB has a great native mobile skin. Looks good on my iPhone.

There is also a specific IPBoard app for iPhone...but again the native skin works good for me.

Edited January 7, 2012 by Fallguy

[Lumber_Jack]

The mobile version is really nice! Could definitely eliminate the need for tapatalk.

Sent from my Mom's basement

[Lumber_Jack]

Fallguy beat me to it

Sent from my Mom's basement

[Fallguy]

Fallguy beat me to it

Sent from my Mom's basement

LOL, not by much it appears...

[Guest Mad4rcn]

​I really like my dark background that we have on the original site,just saying.

[Trekbike]

I'm guessing the community groups would go away since I don't see the tabs for that section but please confirm. I do find the groups area useful for posting reference info for others in the group.

TGO David, on the same subject, different matter, were you able to figure out why all the discussion topics vanished?

[TGO David]

I'm guessing the community groups would go away since I don't see the tabs for that section but please confirm. I do find the groups area useful for posting reference info for others in the group.

TGO David, on the same subject, different matter, were you able to figure out why all the discussion topics vanished?

I don't think IPB has anything like the "groups" but I will check into it. As for the other, no I wasn't able to determine what happened. I think the groups discussions got wiped inadvertently during the last vBulletin upgrade as when I went to check and see, the feature was off and the posts were completely gone.