Anybody have any experience with IPB? Thinking about moving

[The Rocketeer]

Hello, I am seeking some advice from members, current or former vbulletin license holders who have had some experience with IPB and other forum suits in the past year or two?

Personally I have ran a IPB community back in early 00's, never really took much interest on the internet and have only recently taken some interest on online forums again(around 2007 - 2008), Currently I have two communities, both running vBSeo, last I remember the bigger one I think runs on a VPS the smaller one is still on a high end shared server. The smaller one of them has become more of a close personal place for me since its directed towards a specific region however its very less active / popular. So I mostly look after it myself


Anyhow, So I am just feeling the urge to switch to a different platform than vBulletin 4, I just dont feel its enough anymore and with a few mods to make it better my forum starts to slow down and opens security vulnerabilities that aren't possible to solve soon enough, I have also been put down by some security issues I have been having from the beginning of this year. things like this http://www.avgthreatlabs.com/siterep...o.nz#analytics also half of the members complaining that the forum takes them 15 minuets to load up!.... Now I have seen Xenfro but it didnt really interest me as much, I have used phpBB2 and phpBB3 before and they just dont cut it for us. So I was leaning more towards perhaps IPB and hosting it on one of my servers, but I am open to other suggestions as well. So hoping to get some input from all of you..

oh and did i give you a link to our forum? : here it is


a note to the moderators: this by no means is to invoke a fight or something thats deemed bad for business, but I am just looking for some honest advice and suggestions. I wasn't too sure where to put this and have the attention of licensed members who might have experience with both the software. So feel free to move it if you wish.

[we_are_borg]

To be fair think you should ask this on IPB forum there plenty of people there that can help you a few migrated from vBulletin to IPB.

[Paul M]

also half of the members complaining that the forum takes them 15 minuets to load up!....

If thats really the case you have a far more serious issue than what forum software you are running, you need to fix that long before you look at changing software.

[IcEWoLF]

If thats really the case you have a far more serious issue than what forum software you are running, you need to fix that long before you look at changing software.

What he said.
I'd suggest checking out this section and asking for Server optimization: https://www.vbulletin.com/forum/foru...-Configuration
This will help track down the main issue with your server.

[joeychgo]

From what you have said, the problem isnt the forum software. Of course, you can switch if you want to but thats not going to solve the problems you discussed.

Page load speed - I jsut went to your forum and saw this: Page generated in 0.3447 seconds

Security issues: vB is very secure and a patch is issued anytime something not secure is found. You wont find better with another software.

Then again with all the experience you say you have, you should know all this already. That said, why would you come here asking for IPB advice? Do you go to a Ford dealer and ask about Chevy cars?

[The Rocketeer]

Well Thanks Everyone for your input, I just consulted a friend of mine, he has a big rep around the internet for being a pioneer of a few things but I am not going to name him here.

Well, considering the amount of hacked forums I have been fixing lately and the amount of data that is either injected or uploaded into vBulletin pwered forums I would say stay away from vBulletin, until maybe they get a proper development team and not a bunch of monkeys! vBulletin has gone down hill in many peoples views, I know one guy that alpha tested vB4 and as now got his name removed from the ACP because he nolonger wishes to be associated with them.
vBSEO I stopped recommending, along with vBulletin 4 - both can easily be injected and hijacked then a SHELL script added to take over the complete users account. I'm fixing 2-3 per week on average, with upto and in excess of 20 on a really bad week.
IPB is far more solid, especially 3.3.x along with all the additional applications. Security flaws come few and far between.

Then again with all the experience you say you have, you should know all this already. That said, why would you come here asking for IPB advice? Do you go to a Ford dealer and ask about Chevy cars?

I dont really have "much" experience with the internet, coding, and any of this stuff actually. Its just that I remember seeing so many displeased users of vBulletin, I thought perhaps I could get some first hand experience and advice from others who might have been in the same situation. I myself feel the software is incomplete to say the least, But I understand what you are trying to say, I will try another forum and ask around a bit more.


I wish this was moved to a different forum that chit chat, somewhere it would catch the eye of potential members or people who had similar experience and might have something to offer...

[eJM]

...I just consulted a friend of mine, he has a big rep around the internet for being a pioneer of a few things but I am not going to name him here.

Well, considering the amount of hacked forums I have been fixing lately and the amount of data that is either injected or uploaded into vBulletin pwered forums I would say stay away from vBulletin, until maybe they get a proper development team and not a bunch of monkeys! vBulletin has gone down hill in many peoples views, I know one guy that alpha tested vB4 and as now got his name removed from the ACP because he nolonger wishes to be associated with them.
vBSEO I stopped recommending, along with vBulletin 4 - both can easily be injected and hijacked then a SHELL script added to take over the complete users account. I'm fixing 2-3 per week on average, with upto and in excess of 20 on a really bad week.
IPB is far more solid, especially 3.3.x along with all the additional applications. Security flaws come few and far between.

I dont really have "much" experience with the internet, coding, and any of this stuff actually. Its just that I remember seeing so many displeased users of vBulletin...

Your friend has WHAT kind of rep - that of someone who exaggerates? If you (or he) keeps vBulletin up to date, security issues are the least of your worries. I can't attest to all the many plug-ins and add-ons, but the vBulletin script and the vBSEO add-on have any security problems addressed very quickly.

vBulletin has its issues and I am certainly not happy with current development, but the problems have nothing to do with its security. The only forums I hear about getting hacked or exploited are older versions whose owners don't think the latest patches or security fixes apply to them. Or they think the cost is too high - it is too high, but if you buy a high end product, you better be prepared for high end maintenance.

If your friend is "fixing" 2-3 or even 20 vB installations in a week, it's because those installations are far out of date and neglected for too long. I doubt his work involves current versions. Or the work is really fixing problems with crappy plug-ins and add-ons, not the actual vB script.

Why do I get the feeling you only started this thread to bash or malign vBulletin?

Jim

[AusPhotography]

vB is very secure. The problems that do arise are fixed PDQ.
The only hack attacks (2 since 2006) we have had have been due to faulty add-ons.
We also had a DDOS attack that crippled us for 4 hours while our hosting service sorted it out.
We do keep up to date, have a good hosting plan strong passwords on all the critical bits, good backup strategy etc.

Kym

Edit: I had a close look at IPB 2.5 years ago, I don't like the license model, the code (architecture) or the way IPB can inflict their personal values onto forum owners.

[Alfa1]

The code of IPB 2.5 years ago can not be compared with now. Back then they were miles behind of vb. Now its the other way around. The few devs of vb have been busy repairing vb4 for the last 2.5 years, while the full IPS dev team has been rolling out update after update during that time.

IPB is not perfect, but unlike vbulletin its heading in a clear direction, has fast development, keeps their customers informed and its not competing with its customers.

[Paul M]

vBSEO I stopped recommending, along with vBulletin 4 - both can easily be injected and hijacked then a SHELL script added to take over the complete users account.

As far as vBulletin goes, this is complete nonsense. I cannot speak for vBSEO, but I seriously doubt it, otherwise they would be getting hacked all over the place.

For advice on other software, you need to go to their sites, vbulletin.com is not the place to ask. However, as already stated, if your users are really telling the truth, then the software isnt your issue anyway (btw, I dont believe that figure, most browsers timeout after a few minutes, so wouldnt respond after 15 anyway).