There's GOT to be at least an option to have the attachments stored in the file system, having them in the DB becomes impossibly unwieldy very VERY quickly as the forum builds content. Kier and Mike are too old a hand at this to try to force it all into the DB all the time, I have total faith.
I *would* like to see all attachments stored in the file system but the references to them stored in a flexible database that makes them organizable and reusable by members. Every time I see an image or useful xls, txt, rtf etc as an attachment in vB I cry inside for the lost opportunity that such buried content represents. And seeing someone upload the same file multiple times every time they want to show it in a thread... :: sigh ::