Considering a move for multiple boards

[jonirvine]

Hi,

Our company runs a few discussion forums for ourselves and clients. All are using phpBB and have been for years. Due to increased spam problems I'm considering a change but have some questions.

1. SPAM - Does vBulletin NOT suffer from the current spam bot problems that phpBB does?

2. Updates - I notice a pricing structure whereby something needs to be paid on a yearly basis. phpBB recommends always keeping the software up to date, is this the same with VBulletin?

3. Templates - Many of the forums have been customised considerably. Is the templating system similar, better? How does it handle updates to the software?

4. License - For all clients we have two versions of their websites. Locally on an internal server accessible ONLY in our offices and on our server. We do this so we can customise sites (including forums) and then upload once we've checked for issues. Will any key/license/code inputting prevent us from doing this, and if so can it be avoided?

5. Bulk Prices - Do these count over time, or do I have to buy in one go?

6. Community - I'd be interested in finding someone who can import the data from a custom forum style application we built, into vBulletin (for a price of course)... is this likely?

7. WYSIWYG - What editor is this using?

Look forward to any response.

Regards,

Jon

[steven s]

This is what little I know.

Hi,

Our company runs a few discussion forums for ourselves and clients. All are using phpBB and have been for years. Due to increased spam problems I'm considering a change but have some questions.

1. SPAM - Does vBulletin NOT suffer from the current spam bot problems that phpBB does?
vBulletin suffers the same bots as everyone else but there are some builtin features to curb it. There are alos plugins you can install.

2. Updates - I notice a pricing structure whereby something needs to be paid on a yearly basis. phpBB recommends always keeping the software up to date, is this the same with VBulletin?
There are patches that are free but it really is a good idea to keep your software up-to-date. It is much easier updating vBulletin if you have mods than phpBB.

3. Templates - Many of the forums have been customised considerably. Is the templating system similar, better? How does it handle updates to the software?
Sorry, I don't recall phpBB templates. The templates are just html, shouldn't be any different.

4. License - For all clients we have two versions of their websites. Locally on an internal server accessible ONLY in our offices and on our server. We do this so we can customise sites (including forums) and then upload once we've checked for issues. Will any key/license/code inputting prevent us from doing this, and if so can it be avoided?
You are allowed to run a test board provided access is password protected.
I forgot the other condition.

5. Bulk Prices - Do these count over time, or do I have to buy in one go?
Unfortunately the bulk price is not cumulative.

6. Community - I'd be interested in finding someone who can import the data from a custom forum style application we built, into vBulletin (for a price of course)... is this likely?
There is an import program but you may be better asking on vBulletin.org.

7. WYSIWYG - What editor is this using?
Don't know.

[Colin F]

1. While we suffer from spam as well, our latest image verification currently is able to stop all forms of automated spam, and only people manually spamming are still a problem. Thus number is fairly low though.

2. With a leased license you'll need to renew your license each year if you want to continue using vBulletin. An owned license allows you to use vBulletin forever. If you want access to upgrades after a year you can optionally renew it.

3. I can't compare it. Template edits of templates that have been changed between versions will have to be manually updated.

4. You are allowed one test board per license, as long as this is in a folder called /testvb/ and is not generally accessible.

5. These are over time.

6. We have an import software which you get free access to as a customer, but you'll probably have to develope a module for your custom forum, or find someone to develope this for you.

7. This is a custom built WYSIWYG editor.

[---MAD---]

What does he mean by bulk prices?

Buying in bulk means buying lots for cheaper..is that what he means?

"Do these count over time, or do I have to buy in one go?" - That just confused me thats why :s.

[Colin F]

Bulk prices means getting a cheaper license if you have multiple licenses.

If you buy one now and two later on, then the second two will be a bit cheaper.

[steven s]

Bulk prices means getting a cheaper license if you have multiple licenses.

If you buy one now and two later on, then the second two will be a bit cheaper.

You sure? I've been reading that they need to be purchased at once.

[Colin F]

Yes, I'm sure

[Steve Machol]

Colin is right. The discount depends on the number of license, including those already purchased plus the new ones being purchased. So if you own 1 license and purchase 5 more, the five will be at the 6+ price.

[feldon23]

I believe templates in phpBB are actual HTML or PHP files.

In vBulletin, templates are snippets of HTML (With some logic/conditionals mixed in) stored in the database. There are ~160 templates used in all. Styles have inheritance. What this means is you can make a copy of a style, change just 1-2 templates and maybe some colors, and publish it and if you make a change to the main style, that child style will get the changes.

As others have said, most of the mods and add-ons for phpBB are built into vBulletin or can be installed by uploading an XML file which does not impede upgrading your forum. If plugins cause a problem on your forum, there is a master switch to turn them all off. Most of the security flaws in the last year and a half in vBulletin have been fixable with one or two PHP or XML files. Less than 60 seconds in most cases to be secure again.

And vBulletin has recently added a POST whitelist which prevents a lot of cross-site scripting attacks.

[Gaia]

I have styled both phpBB and vBulletin, and i personally, find vB much easier to style/customize template wise. Specially since all the templating tools are available in the AdminCP, so no file editing is needed.

[jonirvine]

Hi Guys,

Thanks for the anwers. The bulk pricing method is much better like that as it allows us to test for one client first and install, convert and customise one at a time (rather than several).

two more questions...

1. Presummably (like phpBB) if the style looks different the copyright can be remopved/changed?

2. I also notice is possible to remove the Powered by link, what's the cost for this?

Thanks,

Jon

[Gaia]

The copyright cannot be removed or changed unless you've purchased copyright removal. The branding free fee is 120 USD ( per license ).

You can remove the Powered By from the browser title bar for free, but not the copyright text in the footer.

[Steve Machol]

1. The 'branding free' license is available at a cost of $120 per license.

2. You can remove the 'powered by' words themselves, but the rest of the vBulletin/Jelsoft copyright notice must be maintained unless you purchase the branding free option.

[feldon23]

The only reference to vBulletin you must keep are the Copyright notice at the bottom, and the copyright notice in each of the PHP source files. You can change the graphics, the style, the buttons, etc. etc. without paying anything extra.

If you choose to pay the Branding Free option, then you are also allowed to remove the Copyright notice.

Even with the Branding Free option, you may not put Powered by >something else< or anything to suggest that you are running some other forum software.

[jonirvine]

Hi,

Hmm. Seems strange that the Copyright needs to stay, even if the board has been completely redesigned. Can understand Powered by. Regardless, I guess it would mean adding... Board Template designed by... or similar.

One more question.

1. Will users passwords transfer from phpBB to vBulletin with no problems? i.e. Are they both md5()!