04-14-2017, 01:47 PM
This has been an update that needs to happen for a loooong time and I'm finally ready (almost) to pull the trigger.
What?
The forum is going to be migrated from the existing, old-school installation of phpBB to the current iteration of myBB. myBB is forum software that looks and feels very similar to phpBB, but provides a more modern take on administration and moderation while allowing for some new user-facing features that we currently don't have.
Why?
I'm sick of hearing students bitch that they can't get access or that the MM forums don't support X thing that other forums do. It's a pain in the butt to add new features to phpBB, whereas myBB both gives you more to start with, and adopts a WordPress-esque "plugin" functionality that doesn't require a ton of coding work by comparison.
Why Not <vBulletin> or <other software>?
Because vBulletin costs a lot of money - $250 at minimum. Some other options I explored either didn't provide all of the features we currently have, looked even worse from an administration standpoint, or were "free" but charged a monthly subscription fee. myBB was the best option I could find for $Free.99 that was feature-rich and actively developed.
When?
I'm hoping to finalize the layout/CSS shortly. From there, I'll need to shut this existing forum down for about half a day while the database is backed up, migrated, and everything on myBB is finalized. I may do it next week after work, or one day next weekend.
Questions
Ask away. I wanted to get a solid base before I made this post, but things are by no means final, so ask questions and I'll do my best to answer quickly.
What?
The forum is going to be migrated from the existing, old-school installation of phpBB to the current iteration of myBB. myBB is forum software that looks and feels very similar to phpBB, but provides a more modern take on administration and moderation while allowing for some new user-facing features that we currently don't have.
Why?
I'm sick of hearing students bitch that they can't get access or that the MM forums don't support X thing that other forums do. It's a pain in the butt to add new features to phpBB, whereas myBB both gives you more to start with, and adopts a WordPress-esque "plugin" functionality that doesn't require a ton of coding work by comparison.
Why Not <vBulletin> or <other software>?
Because vBulletin costs a lot of money - $250 at minimum. Some other options I explored either didn't provide all of the features we currently have, looked even worse from an administration standpoint, or were "free" but charged a monthly subscription fee. myBB was the best option I could find for $Free.99 that was feature-rich and actively developed.
When?
I'm hoping to finalize the layout/CSS shortly. From there, I'll need to shut this existing forum down for about half a day while the database is backed up, migrated, and everything on myBB is finalized. I may do it next week after work, or one day next weekend.
Questions
Ask away. I wanted to get a solid base before I made this post, but things are by no means final, so ask questions and I'll do my best to answer quickly.
Now:
'16 Ram 1500 | '97 BMW M3 | Some Press Loan
Then:
87 BMW 325e | 91 BMW 535i | 96 BMW 328i | 95 BMW 325i | 95 Mazda Miata | 13 Focus ST | 09 BMW 128i | 00 Pontiac Firebird | 05 Yukon Denali | 96 BMW 328iC | 11 Ford F-150 | 06 BMW M3 | 10 Range Rover SC | '03 Ford Ranger | '18 Ford F-150 | '01 BMW X5 | '98 Volvo S70 T5M
'16 Ram 1500 | '97 BMW M3 | Some Press Loan
Then:
87 BMW 325e | 91 BMW 535i | 96 BMW 328i | 95 BMW 325i | 95 Mazda Miata | 13 Focus ST | 09 BMW 128i | 00 Pontiac Firebird | 05 Yukon Denali | 96 BMW 328iC | 11 Ford F-150 | 06 BMW M3 | 10 Range Rover SC | '03 Ford Ranger | '18 Ford F-150 | '01 BMW X5 | '98 Volvo S70 T5M