My feedback for 1.2.4 is: disappointing

[Alteran Ancient]

Do you know what a feedback is, claudio? It covers MY experiences, not yours or someone else experiences.

Coming from a Customer Service background, I understand what feedback is. The gist of your feedback is that you had a less-than-straightforward experience, but what people are trying to tell you here is that much of your hardship could have been avoided if you had done your research.

As Liam stated, you don't have to perform template edits to define ranks and styles - there are several different ways to achieve what you one, be it the default staff mark-up, an add-on that uses template hooks, or adding user box colour definitions to EXTRA.CSS (this is not over-written in any software update - it's what it exists for).

I'm extremely sorry to hear if you had a difficult time trying to migrate your forum - we'd like to see you jump the vB4.2 ship as much as you probably do. You'll find that there are people in this community prepared to bend-over backwards for you and help you achieve this if you ask them for the help. Constructive feedback and critiqué is more than welcome around here, but biting people's heads off won't get you any favours.

When preparing for a new web server configuration, style overhaul or some other significant change, I always clone my Database and Filesystem onto a private test install and ensure that everything I plan on doing goes-off without a hitch. Once I have confirmed that everything works, I prepared a "plan of action" that I will follow for the real upgrade, because through testing, you may find that it is a better to do things in a different order.

Also prepare for what you're going to do when your service is offline for migration - from the switch-off and Database backup right until you're ready to turn everything back on. I have a fully-branded static page with information that tells my users what is happening (backup, maintenance, upgrade, server migration, DoS mitigation, etc.) combined with useful links to our community's Twitter, IRC and TeamSpeak services. All I need to do when the process is complete is turn-on the new forum and point the DNS records to the new server.

There is an absolute Goldmine of experience and talent here. It's up to you to make what you can out of it.

To each their own.

 

[rainmotorsports]

first of all: Hi to all.

@Russ: I run boards since almost 12 years. And in all these years I learned on thing for sure: Keep changes in the templates as less as possible, because the next software-update is around the next corner, with the result that you can re-do alot of modifications, because the software-update overwrite them. I paid for the style and get updates for this style whenever the board-software requires it (because of an update). But this style is not exclusive and this means that I have to do the changes again, after an update of the software. But having the icons in a folder on the server, the worst thing is uploading "my" icons again via ftp and voila, back in business.

@Optima: I gave up on this issue. I installed it two times already and dont want to spend a third day with importing again.

The reason Optima asks is the question is very relevant. A small board might take 15 minutes. I imported a small 4,000 member board with 25,000 threads in a time not worth mentioning but a 100,000 member board with 1 million threads might have been pushing towards the big board importer. Before 1.2 there was no official importer. But at least the community support is here and one did exist (the free one not the big one).

The change to node icon size in the template would survive the update that is coming. I mean sure bad example but thats not an example to be worried about either. My theme while being based on our gaming site theme from vB 4.2 is still close enough to the stock theme code side that automatic merges will work and the rest isn't going to take a day. But I do that kind of work and when your paying someone else it does become a different story. To me its a days work to update the theme and your going to be waiting a lot longer than that for all your plugins to be updated. This is something you do on your test install while waiting for everything else to line up. Same with any other forum software.


I personally having dove into this fully committed will agree Xenforo is not where vB 4.2 is. Though keep in mind one feature I am missing that people wanted since vB 3.0 did not even exist until vB 4.2, 4.1 lacked a feature that Xenforo also lacks. Some features are not core because the vast majority of boards wont use it so I forgive those. The main things missing right now that I would be concerned about has to do more with forum moderation. Some of these turned up in 1.2 looks like maybe one or two in 1.3.

Its young and the lawsuit did slow things down as well. Xenforo IS what vB 4.x was supposed to be, thats a solid fact since the lead designer for both is the same person with the same goals. Time has changed things a bit and time will allow the software to mature. It might not be right for everyone right now but it will get there.

 

[rdn]

FYI @mrad Importing takes too long if the server you're running the import is not optimize.
I mean Mysql Server.

You must have a fast server that power's your mysql, as it is the one heavily used during conversion.

 

[trizz]

FYI @mrad Importing takes too long if the server you're running the import is not optimize.
I mean Mysql Server.

You must have a fast server that power's your mysql, as it is the one heavily used during conversion.

couldnt have said it better myself.

 

[Digital Doctor]

But if I choose this option, I expect that the importer cleans the database, but I dont expect a simple note that this option will add the things again to the database.

It would be so easy to warn users at the time .... there is no reason why Xenforo shouldn't take a few more words and be exact about what will happen if you restart the import. Many people have made the mistake you made. You aren't the first to point this out.

 

[duderuud]

Based on the average sales per month of this importer, vs the time investment I alone put into it, at my usual hourly rate, I won't make any money on it for another 2 and a half to 3 years. Then you have Digitalpoints contribution AND Jake Bunces, and thats not even counting the ongoing maintainance and updates.

I know of at least 6 people who have purchased the original version released by digitalpoint, and after weeks of trying and failing end up buying this one and realising just how much effort has gone into making it as robust and easy to use as it is.

It's "expensive" for a reason, and arguably I could put the price up to $300 or $600, the boards that need it would still be happy to pay that amount, but we keep the price reasonable to make it more accessable for more people.

It's not expensive at all. I paid $500 for a custom importer and even that is not too expensive in my opinion. You could always do it yourself or let one make a custom converter like I did...but prepare for some more $$$ then

 

[rdn]

By the way, Xf 1.2.5 is coming tomorrow

 

[Moshe1010]

By the way, Xf 1.2.5 is coming tomorrow

More like February 4th

 

[rdn]

Because of the 10 bug list ?

 

[Moshe1010]

Because of the 10 bug list ?

Because last point releases were out 5-6 weeks from each other. 1.3 features aren't really out yet, so I guess they will delay some releases or go above .5 release to .6 and so on.