How long will it take for xF to catch vB on the development side

Paul M said:
Im not arguing anything - you made the initial claim, not me.
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In my opinion it is. That is all that needs to be said really.
After all the opinion of an individual is something which creates reality to that person... is it not? Therefor, any opinions can not be squashed by current software.

I am even considering giving away one of my IPS accounts with 3 IPB Licenses and all addons, as a posting contest. That is how much I like XenForo.
 
From what I've seen and forming my own opinion I'm very happy with xenForo in its current form when compared to default ipBoard and vB.

For example..(Real Quick)

The thread marking on new posts with my little avatar on the threads I've posted in -vs- a black dot on a square envelope you can hardly see
Inline quick reply -vs- scrolling down to the bottom of the page to hope there is a quick reply or having to click quick reply on the last post to spawn the editor
smilies you can see without a magnifying glass -vs- smilies that you need a magnifying glass to see
pm conversation display -vs- screw this lets use the phone (ever try to carry on a conversation via pms? PITA)

now for a negative

the Nav Bar mimics vb4 tremendously even the "whats new" ... i cringe as that's exactly what vb4 says and its in the exact same place as well , and with the 2nd tier nav bar that changes with the tab selected leave me looking for links thats MIA and i have to click threw all the tabs to find them = BAD :( JUST LIKE VB4 !!! :( , im not one to complain with out offering advice but the cure for the main navbar has been haunting me for years , ive done CSS nav bars , java navbars etc.. etc.. and have yet to find a way that i felt was perfect. so i cant suggest an option all i can do is complain that the current set up is not the way
 
Please note that vb users take a lot for granted , i didn't know this until i started an ipBoard and was like WTH thats not default !!!

For Example on ipB ,

No Thread preview on scroll over
You have to click back 3 times to return to new posts after replying to a thread, (first back reopens editor = RETARDED!)
when installing a mod the functionality/setting for said mod is merged with in 300 places and to set it up you have to start a search party
 
DieselMinded said:
No Thread preview on scroll over
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That wasn't in xF from the start either, it was actually suggested by me. :p

Anyway, I never got why there isn't a navbar admin tool to let you set up your own links etc.without having to edit templates.

On vB3 I actually created an entirely own navbar, but it's just too much trouble to go through usually.
 
I know a lot of people have mentioned that a major plus point for VB is the add-ons, but with my old gaming site that I updated to VB4 and I had endless hassles with the add-ons. Some of them with 50 odd pages of people trying to get them to work - I really don't see that as much of an advantage. Out of all the mods I added, I would say that I removed about 60-70% of them just due to them being unstable or the developer has run for the hills.

For me if it's a base package comparison VB4 vs XF, I think XF is already in the lead even if it doesn't have all the features like the CMS etc. XF is stable, a joy to work with, very little in the way of spam issues, my users love it, it's developed with social networking in mind, making designs are pretty easy and I update it without a worry - all of these things are what VB4 is not.

One last thing and its just an observation, despite being a 'beta user' here, I don't feel like I'm being treated as a 'beta tester' - there is quite a difference. I don't appreciate e-mails TELLING me to 'upgrade and report back whether an update is working or not' which I have had from staff from across the road, I don't mind helping to make a better product, but don't treat me like I'm being paid.

Can't wait to see what happens once XF becomes officially stable, I feel it's going to be very interesting.
 
@Crazyfruitbat - nicely said. Not just the stable version will be interesting, but everything after that and the speed at which XenForo will further develop.

I'm happy the XenForo dev crew (two of the industry's best programmers) can come out with new functions, function enhancements and bug fixes at a fairly customer pleasing pace. Sure, we all want it to go faster, but I think most everyone accepts the pace Kier and Mike are setting for "just two guys". I sure do. Sometimes it actually amazes me.

What I also feel sets XenForo apart is the transparent exchange of information about the product and industry, which the customers get here. There is no hidden customer feedback forum. Think about it. You want to buy a product, buy it because you see only discussions about problems and solutions, but then after buying the product see a new forum with a whole slew of complaints and criticism that might have stopped you from buying in the first place. Then you start to also notice the same things being criticized. That is just a huge trust builder. I think the crew here understand what building trust with customers means.

Also customers can look for "leadership" here. What I mean by leadership is, the people working and supporting the software need to be very specialized, very professional programmers/ devs or experienced user/ admins, who really know what they are talking about, so customers can come here to actually learn and grow better at being forum owners/ admins/ programmers. This can only happen, when the level of intelligent conversation here about the forum/ community business is high. And it is! At the same time, there are no stupid questions. This makes for a fun place to be for all types of XenForo customers and those who want to be.;)

I don't know about the rest of you, but being here and working with XenForo invigorates my appetite to learn and do more with web design and programming. I've even bought books about the Zend Framework and jQuery and I have a long way to go. This "a great place to learn" feeling for me is also something that possibly sets XenForo apart from the rest. I feel it definitely pulls talent to it like a magnet and at the same time keeps most humble.;)

xenDach
 
Haven't seen this mentioned in this thread... Apparently we're not the only ones who feel XF has surpassed "the competition" in many ways. :D

Item #17. Based upon my involvement in the computer industry for over 13 years, my knowledge of the vBulletin software since 2006, my extensive background in computer programming for 15-20 years, and my review of the source code used in the XenForo software, in my opinion, it would have been impossible for a software company of Xenforo's size to develop XenForo from scratch between June 30, 2009, and July, 28, 2010, ... It took Jelsoft and VBSI more than ten(10) years to develop vBulletin to this point with Darby working on the project. The fact that Darby was able to program and release a bulletin board software program that included certain more advanced features than vBulletin in a mere thirteen months is a clear indication to me that XenForo and its programmers simply copied vBulletin's code, and spent the last year adding to this product the new features that were planned for subsequent versions of vBulletin.
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http://vbtruth.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/031111479680.pdf
 
In fact, I believe that vBulletin will catch up IF AND ONLY IF they stop sticking their head in the sand, stop doing agile development long enough to fix the bloody bugs and start from scratch.
 
ManagerJosh said:
In fact, I believe that vBulletin will catch up IF AND ONLY IF they stop sticking their head in the sand, stop doing agile development long enough to fix the bloody bugs and start from scratch.
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Yeah, I would agree with that. If XF is to be a success they will eventually face the same issues - bloat, thousands of customers each demanding features be built in that are only important to a limited number of users, all of which leads to more development, more demands, etc. etc. So I don't necessarily fault IB. It's just become a mess over there and for now I'm really enjoying the software and the community vibe here.

I'm really hoping XF sticks with the forum only, constantly working to improve and keep it modern, and leaves things like photo albums, calendars, etc. as add-ons for those who want them. Certainly not opposed to them making them available, but don't really care to see all of it built-in (well, a photo album would be nice ;)).
 
Personally, at the rate of current development and faith that I have in both the developers/staff and product, I somewhat think that XenForo could catch up to vBulletin (in terms of a development stand-point) in a matter of 2 years or less. Call me crazy, but... I think it's entirely do-able.
 
It took Jelsoft and VBSI more than ten(10) years to develop vBulletin to this point with Darby working on the project. The fact that Darby was able to program and release a bulletin board software program that included certain more advanced features than vBulletin in a mere thirteen months ....
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This is where IB's defense is going to wind up with egg on their face. As I mentioned in another thread, it did not take vB 10 years to develop their product--it has evolved over 10 years. I don't think it is impossible to build an entire new forum from scratch in a year. It is difficult to build a good forum system though...and that's where XF has others beat right now. :D Clean slate, preexisting components (a bit of Zend framework, some JQuery, etc.), and a lot of talent made it happen. I know from my own limited experience that it is often faster and usually less frustrating to start from scratch, rather than try to adapt what is already built.

Some of my moderators haven't really used our test XF board all that much, but they are really taken by it right now! Exciting times for us. I'm about to do a final import in the overnight hours and get it launched. I'm excited to give my long-time visitors something new, cutting edge and forward-thinking as opposed to what else is out there. Sure I could use a few more features, but I prefer the core of XF be stable. The mod authors will be along to fill in the blanks.

I do have a dedicated server running vB3.8 right now, although we do have the 4.0 license. I have played around with it in our test forum, and don't like it...wish we'd waited, as I would have put XF up as an option.
 
How long is it going to take for vBulletin, IPB and most other forum software to catch up with XenForo style property and template system?
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Miko said:
How long is it going to take for vBulletin, IPB and most other forum software to catch up with XenForo style property and template system? ;)
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smart though
i think xf is way ahead in forum quality
threads, forums, newsfeed, follow-follower, like, trophy, pages, and many more
the only thing missing is a gallery and maybe cms whcih i don't really use
 

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