Hello 500E Runners ...
I have begun receiving e-mails from the vBulletin folks about an upcoming release of Version 5 of the vBulletin forum software. It appears that vBulletin will, when Version 5 is released, probably curtail active support for version 3.X of the software (which is what sites like Benzworld.org, MBWorld.com and Peachparts.com are using). At the same time, they will continue to enhance the current Version 4.X of the software that we are currently using. I expect they will continue to enhance Version 4 for at least the next 3-5 years, so we have a long life left on the current platform.
There are no plans at any time in the near- or mid-term future to move this site to the Version 5 software. There are several reasons for this:
- The first version of vBulletin 5 will likely contain A LOT of bugs
- The first version of vBulletin 5 does not contain as much functionality as the current Version 4 does
- The add-ons we have (such as the vBulletin 4 CMS and VaultWiki, not to mention the add-ons that provide the "Thanks", enhanced Gallery, and random header image functionality, will NOT be compatible with vBulletin 5
- There is significant cost involved to upgrade to the vBulletin 5 platform
Of course, there are other reasons too.
Some other things to mention, in terms of the long-range planning and scoping for 500Eboard.com. I have become increasingly disenchanted with the vBulletin platform since implementing it a little over a year ago. It is one hell of a large, bloated, and increasingly sizable piece of software -- much like Microsoft Windows has become over the years. The vBulletin folks have tried to add everything and the kitchen sink into the vBulletin 4 platform, and the result is a usable but really quite sizable and bloated platform, of which we realistically use perhaps 30% of the capability of. (How much of the functionality of Microsoft Word or Excel do you find yourself using, in real life?)
Furthermore, a few years back, the original company that created vBulletin, a firm called Jelsoft, was sold off to a larger company called "Internet Brands". Not long after this happened, the founders of Jelsoft (and the original creators of vBulletin) left the company and founded a new company and have created a new forum platform called XenForo. This software was introduced last year and is still in its infancy, but it is (from a software architectural standpoint) much more advanced, and the vBulletin creators were able to take much of what they learned from the creation of vBulletin and put it into the creation of XenForo.
With the advent of vBulletin 4 in late 2009, it became MUCH more of a commercial platform (with the intent of providing a platform to make money for forum operators and for Jelsoft/Internet Brands) and much less of a platform for hobbyists and such. All of this creates software code and overhead (which affects site performance) that is 100% unneeded for a forum of our type here.
Furthermore, one of the primary drivers of the adoption of vBulletin 4 for this site, was to provide a quick and seamless migration path in case the original 500Ecstasy forum ever surfaced -- 500Ecstasy was also based on vBulletin 4.X. With every passing month, it seems that the possibility of the content and brain-trust of the original 500Ecstasy ever surfacing becomes more and more remote. It is my desire to integrate all of that content with this site, but it also is becoming more and more out of date. Furthermore, the content here on THIS site has reached the point of critical mass as to where it can stand alone against the accumulated knowledge that was encapsulated at 500Ecstasy. The main value, in my opinion, of 500Ecstasy at this point in time is of historical information, as well as the contributions of certain members of that forum such as Talbir and LiquidIron.
Unfortunately though, it appears (and I fear) that 500Ecstasy content may well never see the light of day again. What a crying shame.
While I have no plans to adopt XenForo as the platform for this site, I am watching the maturation of the XenForo platform with interest. When it reaches full maturity, likely in the next 2-3 years, I will actively look at it as a POTENTIAL alternative platform, depending on the functionality and capabilities. There are also other modern and less-bloated forum platforms, such as the IPB (Invision Power Board) that are also fairly mature, notable, and worth considering at the point of any sort of future migration planning.
If, and ONLY if there is compelling reason to migrate, would we do so. And if the decision to change platforms were EVER made in the future, certainly it would be a gradual process, and as with the migration to vBulletin the members of this site would be kept well informed along the way.
I reiterate, there are NO current or future plans to migrate this forum platform away from vBulletin 4, or to adopt vBulletin 5.
However, I did want to give all of you a bit of insight into my long-term thinking. It is important to devote time to think about future plans, investigate alternatives and potential routes to take this great site into the future, and to stay abreast of current trends in forum platforms.
Thank you for your time and interest.
Cheers,
Gerry
