Upgrade to vBulletin 5.1

[friesjh]

First let me just say that I little experience using vBulletin or any other forum software.

We are currently using vBulletin 4.2.4. We would like to upgrade our software, but one of the board members is suggesting Xen Foro. We would like to upgrade to software that is Facebook, Instagram, etc... compatibility. Can anyone explain the advantages of staying with vBulletin? I also need costs to upgrade our site to the latest version of vBulletin. Lastly, is there a user's manual for vBulletin 4.2.4 and 5.1? Our thoughts are to fix a couple issues with the site presently, then upgrade, but like I mentioned I am a newbie and need some help navigating the control panel to start. I can't find the scrolling banner and that's what I would like to fix first. I'm sure I'll have other questions moving forward, but these will get us started.

Thanks in advance!

John

[Wayne Luke]

You should be upgrading to vBulletin 5.3.1. vBulletin 5.1 is not supported anymore and is a couple of years old now. It won't work well with modern versions of PHP.

The cost to upgrade from vBulletin 4.X to vBulletin 5.X is $209 dollars. If you want us to do the upgrade, that is $149 additional.

vBulletin 4 and vBulletin 5 both support Facebook Connect. Neither has discrete Instagram support. Your request is the first that I have heard for Instagram support. vBulletin doesn't have a scrolling banner feature so that wouldn't be covered by the manual. This is most likely a third-party addon.

vBulletin 5's biggest new features include:

• Site Builder - This allows editing individual pages with a drag and drop interface. You can put content, advertising, HTML, and PHP modules on any page. You can also use SIte Builder to edit your header, select styles, create channels (forums, blogs, social groups), and modify your site navigation.
• Style Support - You can choose from 15 different styles or create your own. Advanced design can be handled through standard CSS or you can use Style Variables to change over 350 items in any Style.
• Wide content support - There are a variety of content types including Text, Photo Galleries, Video Embedding, Internet Links, Polls, and Events.
• Advanced Editing - Whether you use BBCode or HTML, you have access to one of the most advanced editors in any forum software. Resize images with drag and drop, move images in content, float content around attachments. The editor allows creating any type of discussion topic or article.
• Responsive Mode - The display will adapt to the device being used. We support phones, tablets, laptops, and high-definition desktop screens.

The documentation is located at https://www.vbulletin.com/docs/html. Select your version from the drop-down.