AVForums: the vB 3.x forum that looks like XenForo

[carntheroos4eva]

Can't actually see the announcement. In fact they have closed it off to the public.

Yeah looks dodgey.

[sensimilla]

Hi,

AVForums is a forum running vBulletin 3.8.2 but now it looks like XenForo in some parts: http://www.avforums.com/forums/index...=switch_to_exp

Why? From the announcement:



Interesting! I wonder how much Kier charges per hour of job. Maybe US$1,000?

Thank you,
Jonathan

better go buy vbulletin iphone app for 300 $ ROLFMAO

[Alfa1]

Not bad. Not awesome yet. Surely some very cool elements.
One of the best advancements I see is that you now have a lot of free space on forum index and forumdisplay. You could benefit form this by increasing thread title character limit. Or reduce the wasted space between subforum columns.

I always found the default forum icons butt ugly. Why not throw them overboard?

[Spinball]

Obviously significant effort and cost went into this... Does this mean your planned switch to XenForo is still a long ways away? Seems like a lot of work for something that's just going to be up a few months?

We will take key elements of the new design (which isn't finished, by the way) with us to xenForo. The the cost of the design is not lost when we swap platforms.

if someone was actually paid to do it, they paid too much.

The Complete vB guys. I couldn't recommend them in all honesty.

Thanks for the calcification. I never noticed the slight difference in name.

AVSForum have been around a lot longer than us and are a US based AV retailer who happened to launch an AV Forum which took off big style. David Bott (and others) have done a good job with AVSForum, I think.
We at AVForums are UK based and do nothing but run the forum. We started after AVSForums so have less traffic, but given that we have a significantly smaller market, we will always be so, I think.

Either way, IB dropped the ball big style with vB4 and nothing I said over a year ago made a jot of difference.

[Mr. Mikey]

Looks good, cant wait to see you running XenForo

[BirdOPrey5]

Thanks for the calcification. I never noticed the slight difference in name.

[Arkham]

I agree, if I was running vBulletin sites like AVS Forums would have a direct number to my office.

Just to clarify, while AVSForum is another prime example, Spinball runs AVForums.com.

(Which still sometimes confuses me when I try to log in as "Arkham" instead of ".Arkham" because someone used my name on AVForums.com. )

[BirdOPrey5]

I agree, if I was running vBulletin sites like AVS Forums would have a direct number to my office.

[Arkham]

Obviously significant effort and cost went into this... Does this mean your planned switch to XenForo is still a long ways away? Seems like a lot of work for something that's just going to be up a few months?

With the high profile and established prestige of his site (it's the best-of-breed for internet A/V users), I suspect that the XF folks are going all-out to assist in making this a spotlight example of XF. Smart moves, all around.

I don't necessarily agree with all of Spinball's criticisms, but most of them have merit. This has been an opportunity wasted on vB's part. They should have bent over backwards, forwards, and sideways to keep him happy. Avsforums.com is probably in the Top 3 biggest, best-est, brightest vB-for-now communities out there.

[BirdOPrey5]

No, you can't polish a turd
It's a good way of easing our members into the xenForo style, though.

Obviously significant effort and cost went into this... Does this mean your planned switch to XenForo is still a long ways away? Seems like a lot of work for something that's just going to be up a few months?

[Loco.M]

I wouldn't say it looks like xF either, it just looks real "bubbly" and makes the page real long IMO

nice video..lol

[Private_Ale]

Jonathan:

Personally, I don't think it looks too hot. At first impression, an overinflated balloon comes to mind when one looks at the overall structure and color scheme.

It's still no less table-based than a stock installation and buttons are still image-based. Other than giving the table headers a superabundant amount of padding, funkifying the forumbit, and a lavender-ish color that rivals my girlfriend's favorite bra, I don't really see anything 'exciting' about it and if someone was actually paid to do it, they paid too much. Frankly, the only nice piece is the breadcrumb and it's not exactly unique any more.

My biggest question, for you Jonathan, is why copy/paste the same exact message on both the .com/.org forums? Does this make you feel 'big' or like you are 'fighting the system'?

Thank you,
Maurice

No, you can't polish a turd

Wanna bet
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBj6PonX14A

[Ace]

No, you can't polish a turd
It's a good way of easing our members into the xenForo style, though.

Touché.

[Spinball]

Indeed. Bit much to say it 'looks like xenforo' at the moment though.

No, you can't polish a turd
It's a good way of easing our members into the xenForo style, though.

[Mark.B]

There are some similarities and it's obvious that's the design direction they are heading in, ahead of an eventual switch.

My breadcrumb bar also looks a bit like XenForo's, but then their breadcrumb design, in appearance, is not entirely unique it has to be said. (The way it's actually built is though).