Is it true vBulletin is the world's most popular BBS?

[Quillz]

I was browsing some random website (don't remember the URL) when I came to some interesting statistics. It said that vBulletin is the most widely used commercial BBS software, followed closely by phpBB and IPB. Is that really true? If so, how did Jelsoft market vBulletin so successfully?

[Floris]

The statistics page on big-boards.com show that vBulletin runs the majority of the reported big web sites. I think professional developers and trained staff members, 24/7 support and caring for your product, services and especially your customers really helps. Putting priority in listening to their demands like security, flexibility, expandability and usability for both the users as the staff as the site owner. Coming up with innovating features and complete them with proper overal integration, permissions and options for global and usergroup or forum settings .. makes you a leader in the market. Rather then trying to catch up.

[Quillz]

That's cool... But how did vBulletin get popular in the first place? I mean, commercial software doesn't utilize television commercials. vB debuted in 2000, right? Did it catch on just by a "word of mouth" approach?

[MGM]

That's cool... But how did vBulletin get popular in the first place? I mean, commercial software doesn't utilize television commercials. vB debuted in 2000, right? Did it catch on just by a "word of mouth" approach?

Word of mouth, Google, backlinks, etc.

MGM out

[free thinker]

That's cool... But how did vBulletin get popular in the first place? I mean, commercial software doesn't utilize television commercials. vB debuted in 2000, right? Did it catch on just by a "word of mouth" approach?

Are you writing the "unofficial" biography?

j/k ~ lol

[Guest]

That's cool... But how did vBulletin get popular in the first place? I mean, commercial software doesn't utilize television commercials. vB debuted in 2000, right? Did it catch on just by a "word of mouth" approach?

This comes up so often, there are a few threads around here about it if you use search .

In my mind this is kind of how it all came to be, at least this is how I saw things happen. Of course my short term memory is not that good anymore .

Way back when (98 or 99 can't remember) ubb was what most people used, unless they where willing to put up a lot of money for something custom. The linear thread layout was on of the biggest things people liked about ubb, most other scripts used a threaded approach to get things done.

When I say ubb I refer to ubb.classic, at the time known as ubb 5.x. You don't see many of these running anymore, but back in the day most forums used this script (or a pirated copy of this script) for their forum.

We won't go into ubb's short comings, that's been done to death. To make a long debate short many of the infopop customers where having problems keeping their servers up when their forums got large, ubb stored everything in flat files and was a big resource hog even unhacked.

Around this time mySQL was starting to become more widespread and people where releasing scripts that used it for storage. We where desperate to get mySQL support in ubb and turned to infopop to add it to ubb, promises where made but never delivered. At one point it looked like something might come to be but it turned out to be 'Open Topic' a hosted solution that costs more then your wife and first born child are worth.

Somewhere around that time people in the ubbdev community started passing around links to posts by John on an ezboard (iirc). He was in the process of coding a php/mySQL clone of ubb for the VBworld forum. At one point vBulletin was going to be sold to infopop but infopop was not interested. In time vBulletin became more then a simple ubb clone and Jelsoft begin selling it to the masses.

A lot of the early customers came over from ubb (at least from what I saw), simply because Jelsoft was doing what infopop refused to do, give us a downloaded bbs script that used a database for storage for a fair price with good support. People took notice at ubbdev and infopop's support forums, at one point the word vBulletin was censored on the support boards at infopop.com

I think one of the main reasons people liked Jelsoft in the early days was it was a group of people working from their homes. Unlike infopop who spend a lot of money on their headquarters Jelsoft put theirs towards improving the product and support.

Thats the history lesson for today more or less, if you have questions ask, there are a ton of 'old timers' around here that where active in that time peroid I think deep down inside everyone still loves a good UBB vs. vB debate

[MGM]

That was a great read Brad, loved it Good job.

MGM out

[noppid]

I was browsing some random website (don't remember the URL) when I came to some interesting statistics. It said that vBulletin is the most widely used commercial BBS software, followed closely by phpBB and IPB. Is that really true? If so, how did Jelsoft market vBulletin so successfully?

If it's not most widely, it should be!

[eXaulz]

If it's not most widely, it should be!

Look, noppid...
..some people here can't take an opinion. But NOOO, they can't accept the fact vBulletin is not the best choice for everyone.

[tgillespie]

Look, noppid...

While most of the people here believe that vBulletin is the best around, it isn't. It's a great forum software solution, but, it doesn't fit every body's needs. It might fit your needs, Brads, and MGM's too. Mine's in a way.. but not really. Now, why do you think peopel sue phpBB? Either because they can't afford $80 or $160 (by the way, all of you who think $80 or $160 is such easy money, it actually isn't, for teen agers -- and, usually, the parents don't help them with the money). Or, because, they think that vBuleltin ahs too many features, or the default theme is ugly (yes, I know, it can be changed), or horrible programming (this is ually the reason why most "good" programmers don't use vBulletin). People use IPB because they like it, not because they are stupid or dumb, but because it's actually good.

Now, Quillz, yes, vBulletin is one of the most popular bulletin boards. But, it certainly is not the best, at least in my opinion.

My 5 cents. ;D

To his, his own, but please do not start a forum discussion war. Those statements are not needed in this type of a thread.

[eXaulz]

I'm not. What statements? I'm just sayng what I beleive.

[Bad_i_BILL]

Look, noppid...

While most of the people here believe that vBulletin is the best around, it isn't. It's a great forum software solution, but, it doesn't fit every body's needs. It might fit your needs, Brads, and MGM's too. Mine's in a way.. but not really. Now, why do you think peopel sue phpBB? Either because they can't afford $80 or $160 (by the way, all of you who think $80 or $160 is such easy money, it actually isn't, for teen agers -- and, usually, the parents don't help them with the money). Or, because, they think that vBuleltin ahs too many features, or the default theme is ugly (yes, I know, it can be changed), or horrible programming (this is ually the reason why most "good" programmers don't use vBulletin). People use IPB because they like it, not because they are stupid or dumb, but because it's actually good.

Now, Quillz, yes, vBulletin is one of the most popular bulletin boards. But, it certainly is not the best, at least in my opinion.

My 5 cents. ;D

Granted, parents may not hand the teen the money. My teen & many others seem to get money for what they really want. Some teens probably have no business with a forum at all.
There are ways to pay the software fee, I support my family on a very weak income & we manage. I own a vB license because mine was donated.

I also believe in your free speach, but to come to vB & say they are less than the best is quite rude. Not all opinions needs to be expressed all the time. I mean, if you came to my house & insulted me you would not be here very long.

I too tossed in 2 cents

[Matthew Gordon]

My 5 cents. ;D

Inflation isn't that bad.

[AlienSector]

Word of mouth is one of the best types of advertising, just my personal opinion. If one person likes what they purchase, they will refer it to others.

As for IPB, I won't say anything negative about it, though I find vBulletin's skinning system a bit easier, seeing as it deals directly with HTML. While variables are involved, not quite as many as IPB.

Matt has done a good job with IPB's development, but I personally prefer vBulletin as the support team has never let me down when I needed help so I have no reason to look elsewhere when it comes to a new forum license .

vBulletin, all around, suits my needs for just about anything. What isn't included with the software can be added with a bit of extra coding and through the use of hacks at vBulletin.org.

[C.Birch]

I was browsing some random website (don't remember the URL) when I came to some interesting statistics. It said that vBulletin is the most widely used commercial BBS software, followed closely by phpBB and IPB. Is that really true? If so, how did Jelsoft market vBulletin so successfully?

http://www.google-rankings.com/forum-google/bulletin-forums-google-index.htm