Any news about Xenforo 3.0, can we expect modern forum?

qnkov

qnkov

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Hello. For half a year, I have been looking for a modern forum system to start an anime/manga site with various features. For example, a video system for watching movies/episodes, a way to add manga/anime as pages with information about them, topics with posters, etc. I saw that all of this is possible with Invision Community.

I waited to see version 5, but it turned out that the self-hosted platform is extremely expensive and has functionality limits. They also changed the way we acquire add-ons, significantly restricting options, and almost no themes exist for their latest version.

On the other hand, XenForo seems like a better alternative in terms of user base and price, but the forum and themes, in general, look like they’re from the early 2000s. I understand that some may find this nostalgic, but it looks incredibly outdated and is not visually appealing.

That’s why I’m wondering what exactly to expect with version 3.0. Can we anticipate a modern interface similar to Invision Community? I really don't want to go to invision as they may drop self-hosted in next version, as they aim for big comapanies, not common users now.
 
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Next version to be released is 2.4 (primarily new editor and quality of life features), and 3.0 will likely come after that from what has been said. 2.4 was said to be released Q1, but there has not been much more information if that timeline is still accurate. 3.0 does not currently have a slated release date, though hopefully it will be by summer or soon after.

I'm going to assume you're wanting to do something similar to MangaDex, and I've worked on a similar community in the past (abandoned due to crackdown on scanlation/fansubs). Regardless of platform, without custom development, you are going to be butting your head up against limitations of each platform as the features (and UX) do not work well with what is generally expected for such communities.

Themes are generally made with ease of use and compatibility in mind, so they do not change much of XF. You can heavily modify XF (more so than Invision imo), however you will struggle with updates or add-on compatibility (the same goes for any platform however). Because of UX needs for a media heavy site, you are likely going to have to go the custom theme route either by doing it yourself, or by hiring someone.
 
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Forsaken said:
Next version to be released is 2.4 (primarily new editor and quality of life features), and 3.0 will likely come after that from what has been said. 2.4 was said to be released Q1, but there has not been much more information if that timeline is still accurate. 3.0 does not currently have a slated release date, though hopefully it will be by summer or soon after.

I'm going to assume you're wanting to do something similar to MangaDex, and I've worked on a similar community in the past (abandoned due to crackdown on scanlation/fansubs). Regardless of platform, without custom development, you are going to be butting your head up against limitations of each platform as the features (and UX) do not work well with what is generally expected for such communities.

Themes are generally made with ease of use and compatibility in mind, so they do not change much of XF. You can heavily modify XF (more so than Invision imo), however you will struggle with updates or add-on compatibility (the same goes for any platform however). Because of UX needs for a media heavy site, you are likely going to have to go the custom theme route either by doing it yourself, or by hiring someone.
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Not really like that. I'm using Wordpress, but users doesn't have that much of freedom with that platform. I know it won't be easy, but right now Invision has what i need as platform and addons, even for V5, but i belive it's not that that safe to go with it. As they have app for - videobox, thread movie start, books, and etc app that are all cool for what i need. But Xenforo looks like platform that will have better support that's why i'm asking how next big version gonna looks like. Like i say, i would like that 2000s outlook to be changed to something more modern.
 
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qnkov said:
the forum and themes, in general, look like they’re from the early 2000s. I understand that some may find this nostalgic, but it looks incredibly outdated and is not visually appealing.
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Can you give an example of what “modern” looks like to you? I don’t want to prejudice and dismiss what you’re saying, but this quoted part makes me think you weren’t actually involved in forums back in the early 2000s.

I fail to see how requiring images to do gradients and using low-resolution images to create pill-shaped buttons, or abusing tables to orient content (e.g. vBulletin 3.0) is in any way, shape or form comparable to the current XenForo theme.

I haven’t heard of anyone needing to “slice a layout” for XenForo either.

Also, the XenForo theme is mobile friendly. In fairness mobile browsing wasn’t super popular back then, but it still speaks to the difference in theming.

So again I ask; can you please share what your idea of a modern forum software looks like?
 
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DragonByte Tech said:
Can you give an example of what “modern” looks like to you? I don’t want to prejudice and dismiss what you’re saying, but this quoted part makes me think you weren’t actually involved in forums back in the early 2000s.

I fail to see how requiring images to do gradients and using low-resolution images to create pill-shaped buttons, or abusing tables to orient content (e.g. vBulletin 3.0) is in any way, shape or form comparable to the current XenForo theme.

I haven’t heard of anyone needing to “slice a layout” for XenForo either.

Also, the XenForo theme is mobile friendly. In fairness mobile browsing wasn’t super popular back then, but it still speaks to the difference in theming.

So again I ask; can you please share what your idea of a modern forum software looks like?
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Indeed, the current XF layout is outdated. While it is flexible and customisable, the default layout feels obsolete.
 
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Forums are far superior to providing content compared to social media. And most of us are here because we acknowledge that and most of all, prefer it above social media.

I think most would like to see more modernization towards social media, but that’s not feasible. Forums serve a different purpose and audience.

Yes, some modernization would be nice, but not in the way of social media. Content and UIX always needs to be prioritized.
 
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DragonByte Tech said:
Can you give an example of what “modern” looks like to you? I don’t want to prejudice and dismiss what you’re saying, but this quoted part makes me think you weren’t actually involved in forums back in the early 2000s.

I fail to see how requiring images to do gradients and using low-resolution images to create pill-shaped buttons, or abusing tables to orient content (e.g. vBulletin 3.0) is in any way, shape or form comparable to the current XenForo theme.

I haven’t heard of anyone needing to “slice a layout” for XenForo either.

Also, the XenForo theme is mobile friendly. In fairness mobile browsing wasn’t super popular back then, but it still speaks to the difference in theming.

So again I ask; can you please share what your idea of a modern forum software looks like?
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Back in the day, I used PhpBB—probably started around 2002-2003 with a forum. Just looking at the default XenForo interface takes me back. The options, the dropdown menus, the media, even the existing themes—they all seem quite basic. I'm not here to argue, just asking if there will be any changes to the overall visual interface of the forum to make it look more modern.

When someone sees something more visually appealing and pleasant to the eye, they recognize it instantly. That’s what I saw in Invision Community the moment I looked at it and explored it, but the people there just don’t focus on the average user anymore, so for my hobby, it’s a completely unnecessary platform.

I’m not trying to offend anyone, nor do I want to get into details or argue with anyone over that. Those who understand what I’m saying—understand. That's just question of mine, as i my goal are to reach the new generation, young people with modernization.
 
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Dad. said:
I wrote up some thoughts a few years ago https://adjourn.audent.io/how-we-can-improve-the-forum-user-experience-41e4e036a27f/
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Well written article!

These are the exact points, I have been wondering in my subconscious now that I'm starting a community again, using xenForo platform. I wasn't able to concentrate my thoughts in to this well-made output, but certainly something was missing when I started the setup.

Design-wise the look is certainly outdated, and would definitely need a refresh. The theme is not bad, but the colors, borders, shadows and typography need a bit of tweaking to get a up-to-date look. The new editor is certainly going to do lot, but not enough.
 
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qnkov said:
Back in the day, I used PhpBB—probably started around 2002-2003 with a forum. Just looking at the default XenForo interface takes me back. The options, the dropdown menus, the media, even the existing themes—they all seem quite basic. I'm not here to argue, just asking if there will be any changes to the overall visual interface of the forum to make it look more modern.
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I'm still not understanding what part doesn't look "modern". I'm not trying to argue either, but I'm sure you can understand that developers cannot read your mind. If you say "make it more modern", that is the equivalent of telling an artist "make it pop more". Or telling a mechanic "the car doesn't do what I want". How is the mechanic supposed to know what you want? Would it not help if, say, you point out your car is making a rattling noise when you go above 60 km/h?

You need to give actual concrete lists of things you want to see improved. Show us a mockup screenshot, or a screenshot of another piece of software, that you want the developers to take inspiration from. At the very least, point to specific parts of the layout and explain exactly what's wrong.

Here's an example; let's say I want the postbit to look more like Facebook or like the intro of a newspaper article. I can say "make the layout more modern", or I can say "on longer posts, there's a lot of horizontal space wasted by the block-style postbit. Can you please either replace or offer an alternative where the text wraps around the avatar/username/title/other info, so the space isn't wasted?"

Hopefully that makes it more clear. Also, I apologise if I came off too strong in my previous posts.
 
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Unpopular opinion, but whatever: There's nothing wrong with the current layout. The thing is, people already know how to use forums, and upsetting that layout is only going to confuse people, especially older-skewing members who don't need any of the "algorithm" crap that social media forces on anyone. IMHO, if people want something like social media, they can go stay on those platforms and leave my forums alone.

If 3.0 changes too much, I'm out.
 
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So older users don't mean crap to the Internet anymore?

Nice. Really nice. 🙄 Good way to spew more hatred in these divisive times.

I've been working in web forums since 1997. Was with Compuserve several years prior, some of that time as a sysop. Don't tell me what works and what doesn't.

Got news for all of you. We still get younger users on our forums and you know what? They have no problems whatsoever figuring it out. None. There is nothing dated about the functionality. If it looks old, put a new frickin' skin on it and be done with it.

It's the clueless dolts from social media who can't use a forum. And no forum wants that level of stupidity visiting their community...the ones who can only write in acronyms and end every sentence with "lol" instead of punctuation they learned in effing grade school, and ask questions without doing the most rudimentary of searches. They are the ones who need the crutches of algorithms to push content around so they actually notice it, as they have the attention span of a flea with ADHD.

I'm done with this pointless conversation.
 
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Wildcat Media said:
So older users don't mean crap to the Internet anymore?

Nice. Really nice. 🙄 Good way to spew more hatred in these divisive times.

I've been working in web forums since 1997. Was with Compuserve several years prior, some of that time as a sysop. Don't tell me what works and what doesn't.

Got news for all of you. We still get younger users on our forums and you know what? They have no problems whatsoever figuring it out. None. There is nothing dated about the functionality. If it looks old, put a new frickin' skin on it and be done with it.

It's the clueless dolts from social media who can't use a forum. And no forum wants that level of stupidity visiting their community...the ones who can only write in acronyms and end every sentence with "lol" instead of punctuation they learned in effing grade school, and ask questions without doing the most rudimentary of searches. They are the ones who need the crutches of algorithms to push content around so they actually notice it, as they have the attention span of a flea with ADHD.

I'm done with this pointless conversation.
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Ouch, 1998
 
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