like most forums, it doesnt take long for a thread to go off-topic....and the purpose of this section is for feedback on vB5 connect, so....since i have nothing else to do...here's my honest evaluation of the new software as it sits today.
i thought at first it was totally_________ to call forums "channels", but after months of working with it, i think the new term is spot on. you have one forum. that forum features "x" number of channels. your users subscribe to the channels that interests him/her.....good idea. there have been license holders complaining about load speeds since day one, but i have never considered load speeds to be a factor in a software with a trillion bugs in it. these bugs are what slows things down...think of them as viruses. the more you have, the more wonky your computer runs....same deal with bugs. when the bugs are gone, there will be very few people griping about load speeds. what upsets me today is that vB announced the release of their all new forum software last september...outlining the many new state-of-the-art features previously unavailable in any other software....including vB4.2.1. its now 10 months later, and there isnt a members list, a "who's online", a last post button (or a last unread post button), no cms, the rss doesnt work, and it doesnt connect to anything.
in all actuality, a person could launch a vB5 forum with a few minor things fixed. first, "goto last unread post" is a must....and is probably the thing that will upset the apple cart with your most patient users. if i'm tracking a topic, and see there are new comments....i want to go to the last post i read, and read everything newly added. it is impossible to fathom that a forum software does not have this 10 months after it was deemed "ready for purchase". what i dont want to see is to be taken to the middle of the second page of comments. next....you have to be able to easily upload images and video. this is something you can do with free software. many people have requested a calender. any community has to have one of those....and then people want to see who's currently online, and a members list. if those things worked, a person could launch a site....but then, all those things work in 4.2.1.
when you display your wares in the marketplace, you must be ready to put your best foot forward. when you interview for a job, you get one shot at further consideration. last september, vB5.0 should have been AT LEAST even with where 4.2.1 is today with regard to functionality. release what you will, but make sure it works. facebook connect doesnt work? no problem....get it working and include it in a future update, but at least make sure that what i bought works when i bought it. this isnt a harley.....i dont want a box of parts i have to assemble. no one outside of vBulletin should ever see a "product" in such disarray. this tells your customer base that no one in the company cares enough to offer a competitive product to a return customer willing to spend hard earned dollars. this reminds me of the monty python "dead parrot" skit. vB5.0 isnt pining for the fjords! i've been watching the tracker more and more each day, and i see things being worked on that quite frankly are a waste of time when the most basic operations dont work.
for those of you who are contemplating an upgrade, i would suggest you wait. 4.2.1 works great at the moment. its php will be supported for up to a year....plenty of time to wait on 5.1. the reasons for me buying 5.0 are still valid today. the plan for my community can only be served properly with 5.1. if we could have made it happen with 4.2.1, i would have never bought 5.0 in the first place. as it is....5.0 is the best looking software out there......its just that vBulletin could not possibly have done a worse job at presenting a new product into a very competitive marketplace.
i thought at first it was totally_________ to call forums "channels", but after months of working with it, i think the new term is spot on. you have one forum. that forum features "x" number of channels. your users subscribe to the channels that interests him/her.....good idea. there have been license holders complaining about load speeds since day one, but i have never considered load speeds to be a factor in a software with a trillion bugs in it. these bugs are what slows things down...think of them as viruses. the more you have, the more wonky your computer runs....same deal with bugs. when the bugs are gone, there will be very few people griping about load speeds. what upsets me today is that vB announced the release of their all new forum software last september...outlining the many new state-of-the-art features previously unavailable in any other software....including vB4.2.1. its now 10 months later, and there isnt a members list, a "who's online", a last post button (or a last unread post button), no cms, the rss doesnt work, and it doesnt connect to anything.
in all actuality, a person could launch a vB5 forum with a few minor things fixed. first, "goto last unread post" is a must....and is probably the thing that will upset the apple cart with your most patient users. if i'm tracking a topic, and see there are new comments....i want to go to the last post i read, and read everything newly added. it is impossible to fathom that a forum software does not have this 10 months after it was deemed "ready for purchase". what i dont want to see is to be taken to the middle of the second page of comments. next....you have to be able to easily upload images and video. this is something you can do with free software. many people have requested a calender. any community has to have one of those....and then people want to see who's currently online, and a members list. if those things worked, a person could launch a site....but then, all those things work in 4.2.1.
when you display your wares in the marketplace, you must be ready to put your best foot forward. when you interview for a job, you get one shot at further consideration. last september, vB5.0 should have been AT LEAST even with where 4.2.1 is today with regard to functionality. release what you will, but make sure it works. facebook connect doesnt work? no problem....get it working and include it in a future update, but at least make sure that what i bought works when i bought it. this isnt a harley.....i dont want a box of parts i have to assemble. no one outside of vBulletin should ever see a "product" in such disarray. this tells your customer base that no one in the company cares enough to offer a competitive product to a return customer willing to spend hard earned dollars. this reminds me of the monty python "dead parrot" skit. vB5.0 isnt pining for the fjords! i've been watching the tracker more and more each day, and i see things being worked on that quite frankly are a waste of time when the most basic operations dont work.
for those of you who are contemplating an upgrade, i would suggest you wait. 4.2.1 works great at the moment. its php will be supported for up to a year....plenty of time to wait on 5.1. the reasons for me buying 5.0 are still valid today. the plan for my community can only be served properly with 5.1. if we could have made it happen with 4.2.1, i would have never bought 5.0 in the first place. as it is....5.0 is the best looking software out there......its just that vBulletin could not possibly have done a worse job at presenting a new product into a very competitive marketplace.
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