Hi all,
Sorry for the late reply, I was only just made aware of this thread, I would like to say a few words on behalf of the MyBB group and also Ryan.
Firstly we are very sad to see Ryan leave but at the same time grateful for all of his work over the past five years. I am personally happy for Ryan as he has made this decision for himself and he very much deserves to do so after so many years of giving up so much for everyone else.
To clear up the situation regarding Chris and Ryan: there was certainly nothing dramatic like many of you would like to believe. I can assure you that the discussion Ryan refers to in his blog was not the cause of his resignation; rather I suspect it was a catalyst that made Ryan consider where he saw his future. The discussion was about 2.0 development and the stage we are at with 2.0 development represented a point where Ryan could make a relatively painless departure before having to commit to another release cycle of at least two years. Ryan and the team are still on great terms, I have spoken to him today and I’m sure the friendship many of the staff have forged with Ryan will be maintained.
To bust a few myths from this thread, Ryan has definitely not been offered a job by IPB or VB (or XenForo) but I’m sure he would be flattered that people have proposed this idea. I also can’t see him entering the forum software game for himself; his dwindling interest in the forum software industry was a significant reason for his decision to leave. I know he has been doing some very cool things with Robots and the Microsoft Kinect so I suspect that will consume a lot of his programming interest. Finally, MyBB will certainly always be free so you don’t need to worry about that.
In response to Ryan Ashbrook and AnthonyCea, I think it’s unfair to pass judgement on Ryan’s character based on your experiences when he was younger. A few years makes a huge difference from when someone was 13 or 15. In my experience he has been mature, level headed and above all ready to take on whatever challenge he decides to peruse.
On one last note, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the XenForo developers on producing an excellent product and once again rising to the top of the industry they pioneered. We are big fans of XenForo at MyBB and we are proud to be considered a competitor.
Yours Sincirely, Tim B.
-MyBB Product Manager.