vBulletin 4

[mp3u]

Hi there,
I have made the decision to go with vBulletin and will be importing my existing WWF database as soon as we get the site copied to new servers.
Two quick questions:
1) If I buy the current version will I get a free upgrade to v4 when it comes out?
2) When is v4 expected to be released?
The blogging feature is something I am extremely interested in!
Thanks for your time,
Dave

[Shamil.]

Hi there,
I have made the decision to go with vBulletin and will be importing my existing WWF database as soon as we get the site copied to new servers.
Two quick questions:
1) If I buy the current version will I get a free upgrade to v4 when it comes out?
2) When is v4 expected to be released?
The blogging feature is something I am extremely interested in!
Thanks for your time,
Dave

1) Yes, (assuming that it comes out within a year of you pruchasing the owned/leased license.
2) No one knows - Beta 2 of the software is scheduled to be in late Q2 2009, STABLE will probably be much later.

I am glad that you have chosen vBulletin, and I am more than sure that you and your community will be more than satisfied!

[mp3u]

Thanks for the reply, yes I will be buying the full owned licence.

I run a website for bands and the forum is pretty active but the whole site is about to be revamped including the forum. Currently we have just under 25,000 members with about 15,000 on the forum generating 28,500 threads and 281,500 posts.

I'm trying to shorten the distance between the forum and website content - ho wgood is vBulletin for multi media eg embedding a flash player?

[Fusion]

2) No one knows - Beta 2 of the software is scheduled to be in late Q2 2009, STABLE will probably be much later.

That's Beta 1, just so no one's confused about where they can get it already.

[Shelby]

1. Yes and no. The cost regarding 4.0 has not been announced. You may have to pay a free to get Vbulletin 4.0.
2. Beta will not start until sometime around July, and release likely not until the fall of this year.

[mp3u]

No point hanging around so, will just take the plunge with the current version. I expect to be back annoying everyone with simple questions!

[Shamil.]

That's Beta 1, just so no one's confused about where they can get it already.

Sorry, yeah, bad typo

[GHOwner]

Thanks for the reply, yes I will be buying the full owned licence.

I run a website for bands and the forum is pretty active but the whole site is about to be revamped including the forum. Currently we have just under 25,000 members with about 15,000 on the forum generating 28,500 threads and 281,500 posts.

I'm trying to shorten the distance between the forum and website content - ho wgood is vBulletin for multi media eg embedding a flash player?

Depends on what you're referring to.

You can make custom BB code via Admin CP (no php coding needed) and you can edit any template vBulletin uses. So, it all depends on your needs and expertise, but otherwise, yes, it provides many methods and means of custom content.

The current version will do fine for the long run, even after v4. So, don't feel rushed on converting from v3-v4, you'll have time to do that.

[hosting-talk]

If I buy the current version will I get a free upgrade to v4 when it comes out?

Right now, your best bet is to wait until 4 comes out, because if what is being posted is true, you'll be seriously screwed when it does.

[Baba Wawa]

Right now, your best bet is to wait until 4 comes out, because if what is being posted is true, you'll be seriously screwed when it does.

Hosting-talk, we do not know that. The company apparently intends to charge "a fee" to current owners for the upgrade to v.4. Possibly even to recent purchasers, although that is less clear. But we don't know what that fee will be. (Do we?)

It is not, in any case, fair to say that someone will be "seriously screwed" if he or she purchases before v.4 comes out. If a person really wants to get moving on his or her forum, they might want to go ahead now and purchase the software. They will still have all the usual advantages of vBulletin and will be able to continue using v.3.8.2 far into the future.

[hosting-talk]

It is not, in any case, fair to say that someone will be "seriously screwed" if he or she purchases before v.4 comes out.

Based on what has been publicly displayed, yes, it is fair to say that, especially if that someone is just after the forum + blog. That means that they're going to not just have to pick up the "basic" forum, but "advanced" forum, which is a load of crap.

Of course, this is all speculation, but when it comes down to it, if Jelsoft aren't denying it, they're as much as confirming it.

[Baba Wawa]

It seems that someone who wants the additional products might be well-advised to wait until the new price structure is announced.

However, if someone wants only, or primarily, the forum, they might want to go ahead and purchase now so that they can get started. They will certainly be able to use 3.8.2, if nothing else, for a long time.

[hosting-talk]

Certainly, if someone wants any of the additional products, it seems they would be well-advised to wait until the new price structure is announced.

The blogging feature is something I am extremely interested in!

So, by your own definition, waiting would be advised, otherwise this potential buyer could end up being screwed.

[Baba Wawa]

It depends on what the potential purchaser wants. He or she might well be interested enough in the forum software to go ahead now. If the blogs are critical to the poster's plans, he or she might want to wait. There is definitely uncertainty at the present time. I am not myself prepared to tell anyone that I think he or she might get "screwed," let alone "seriously screwed."



<sigh>

[hosting-talk]

I am not myself prepared to tell anyone that I think he or she might get "screwed," let alone "seriously screwed."

Naah, you'll just sit there with your head in the sand and pretend it doesn't exist. Warning something about this potentially serious mistake is something that should be done, without a doubt.

You're right, maybe vBulletin won't make the change. Maybe the images floating around are all fakes, maybe pigs fly. The point is that if this user does what they are planning to do (based on their original post, buy the system + blog), they will be seriously screwed, based on all current information. Since Jelsoft have refused to comment on the situation, they are essentially saying that what has leaked is factual.

Regardless of whether or not you think that someone should be warned about this potential disaster, they should. This could affect the customer in a number of ways.

Firstly, when it's time to renew, they'll be forced to pay a MUCH higher premium. 3.8 isn't going to continue to be developed forever, eventually they'll drop it, just like they'll drop 3.7 when 4 comes out, 3.8 will be dropped when 4.1 comes out. Then, security fixes, patches, all that good stuff are gone, toast.

Secondly, this is a surefire way to kill a company, cutting off and alienating a good deal of your customer base like this. Of course, Jelsoft doesn't care, they're just out for the buck, the return on their investment. So, what happens a couple years down the road when this change bites them in the tail and the company goes poof? All the customers go too.

Right now, until this issue is addressed by Jelsoft, purchasing any license (owned/leased/blog/project/whatever) is going to be a huge risk that will in all likelyhood (given the events of the past few days) come back to screw them.