Just a Few Questions

[KidneyBoy]

Heyas

I've been considering the change from phpBB over to vBulletin. Well I've got a few questions:


1. When adding "modifications" (hacks) is the process similar to phpBB? If not, is it easy to pick up? Is there any "examples" to get an idea of the process? I'm reading about v3.5 and the "plugin" system, which everyone seems to say is simple, but can you still install "hacks" for 3.0.X on it as well? From what I could see over at vbulletin.org, there's not a heckuva lot available for the beta's yet. (OK I guess #1 had several questions in it)

2. I'm currently using Powweb as my hosting provider. They limit the number of dbase queries to (I believe) 72,000 queries per hour. What is the average queries/user ratio on a "fresh install" of both 3.0.X and 3.5.0?

3. You mention that a test board may be set up, but that it must block access to general users. Can I assume that I am allowed to invite a few select users to test out features on the test board for bug finds/thoughts/opinions? Or am I allowed only 1 login/pass (my own)? (strange question, but I don't want to risk losing my license if I fork out $160 for it).

4. What are the overall bennifits of switching over to vB from phpBB? (no I don't mean "you get access to vbulletin.org as well as support" because I have access to phpbbhacks as well as phpBB). What I guess I'm trying to figure out is, is it a more secure solution? What features does it offer that phpBB doesn't offer? Does it run more efficiently? Is it more administrator-friendly/developer-friendly?

Thanks for your input!

KidneyBoy

[Steve Machol]

1. The best place to get info about hacks and plugins is at wwww.vbulletin..org. These are not officially supported.

2. That is difficcult to say for sure. Obviously this depends solely on how busy your forums are. I have heard of some people having problems with PowWeb hosting. You should to a search on these forums for them.

3. Yes that's fine. Just password protect the test directory so it's not publicly accessible.

4. I'll let our customers answer that. However you should check out the Admin Demo. You can set one up for your own use from this page:

http://www.vbulletin.com/admindemo.php

[KidneyBoy]

Thanks for the input. I'll direct question #1 over to vbulletin.org. I've tried out the ACP demo, and although there's quite a bit more content, and it appears a bit more "involved" than phpBB, it appears the "in-the-box" features/options are fairly straight-forward. I will also say it really has a more "professional" look and feel compared to phpBB.

I look forward to hearing responces from vBulletin users on question 4 (especially those who have switched from phpBB 2.0.X to vBulletin 3.0.X and/or 3.5.0 BetaX.

Thanks!
KidneyBoy

[pieman666]

I swaped from phpbb 2.0.10 after all the security problems that they had as my site was getting hammered from the bots, even though it was never compromised it did get taken off line by my isp due to excessive demands on the mysql server.

The conversion was very easy although I didn't have very many hacks on my phpbb.

The hacking process is simular although having templates etc which can be accessed through the admin make it better for that. I have no experiance with the new plugin system but hacks with no code mods must be a good thing. There is also less of a requirment to hack the boards as more things are supported out of the box especialy on the admin side.

I have had one upgrade to do since I got the board running and that was a simple case of copying over the files and running a script. There again I didn't have any hacks at the time.

The increased admin features are very good, the security seems excelent and users like vB boards. It is well worth the money in my view.