vBulletin 4 to XenForo comparison, part 2

[Rigel Kentaurus]

A while ago, I listed the features currently missing in XenForo (here: http://xenforo.com/community/threads/xenforo-versus-vb-4-comparison.13987/#post-183055)

So .. I am doing an update now that 1.1 is in progress. It is amazing the progress that has been made. Almost all the "core" features that were missing from the package now are either available or there is existing functionality that can be used for that.

Completed in 1.1

• Userfields
• Thread prefixes
• Notices
• Announcement (kinda, we can have forum-scoped notices)
• Infraction System

Missing forum features

• Custom BB codes
• Tags
• FAQ system
• Subscription to forums (and not only threads)
• Reputation

Minor annoyances (some of this might not be needed at all)

• Ability for users to rename their thread
• Ability for moderators to ban users (or a modcp, kinda could be done with Warnings)
• Including HTML into your post
• Spider detection in who's online (and filters, and some other controls)
• Global RSS feed
• external.php (syndicate info) with support for csv and xml
• User Notes

Major addons/features not present

• Blogs
• CMS
• Social groups
• Albums
• Calendar

 

[AlexT]

Deleted

 

[Marcus]

Rigel Kentaurus,

- you can put your FAQ in a single "xenforo page" with #anchors for each item
- custom BBCodes are in xenforo now: BBCode Media Improvements

social groups (personally I could live without the social groups, but my users have grown fond of it)..

Social groups are intensively used only from a minority in my community (although a vocal one), I bet in your community it is the same as well. In this case, take the importer from Paul.M where all social groups are saved as threads. Then put these threads in a forum. And then make these forum accessible for the former group users.

 

[bambua]

Rigel Kentaurus,

- you can put your FAQ in a single "xenforo page" with #anchors for each item
- custom BBCodes are in xenforo now: BBCode Media Improvements

Social groups are intensively used only from a minority in my community (although a vocal one), I bet in your community it is the same as well. In this case, take the importer from Paul.M where all social groups are saved as threads. Then put these threads in a forum. And then make these forum accessible for the former group users.

The users on my forum that were using the social groups just use conversations now since you can easily add people to them

 

[Digital Doctor]

The users on my forum that were using the social groups just use conversations now since you can easily add people to them

Wouldn't an invite only forum be more effective than that ?

 

[bambua]

Wouldn't an invite only forum be more effective than that ?

Less permissions for me to manage

 

[Marcus]

The users on my forum that were using the social groups just use conversations now since you can easily add people to them

Great find!

But now I wonder - that could be very bad for the community if users start to use private conversations instead. Can I stop users from adding people to their conversation?

 

[bambua]

Great find!

But now I wonder - that could be very bad for the community if users start to use private conversations instead. Can I stop users from adding people to their conversation?

I don't know how much that changes the community, if they were in a private social group before that information wasn't getting shared with others anyways.

 

[Marcus]

I don't know how much that changes the community, if they were in a private social group before that information wasn't getting shared with others anyways.

It is just more annoying to have several 1:1 conversations instead of one 1:x conversation. The more annoying a feature is, the less it is used.

 

[Reeve of Shinra]

To be fair, we should do a roundup including ipb and a few other leading solutions as well for comparison.

We should also highlight where there are suitable mods available for providing that functionality (ie: bbcode and blogs), although it should be designated as such since some people are stringent about those things.

 

[Marcus]

Can I stop users from adding people to their conversation?

ACP>usergroup> Maximum conversation recipients

 

[George]

To be fair, we should do a roundup including ipb and a few other leading solutions as well for comparison.

We should also highlight where there are suitable mods available for providing that functionality (ie: bbcode and blogs), although it should be designated as such since some people are stringent about those things.

The only problem about listing the mods that cover what is missing, is that if Mike and Kier add their own. Lets say for instance the Blog. There is a wonderful blog addon here in the addons section. Lets say Mike and Kier add their own official blog and my members have 100+ blogs from the addon. If no converter is made then we lose that content, URL's may change etc. A lot of times mod authors move on in life and the mod is not compatible with future versions of the core software. We lose content that way as well. One thing I did notice if you add a feature to your site and your users use it and enjoy it. Then you take it away they find another site that still has that feature.

That's why a lot of times I try and wait for the software to come with a feature for what I need. Before using a addon.

 

[kkm323]

Minor annoyances (some of this might not be needed at all)

• Ability for users to rename their thread
• Ability for moderators to ban users (or a modcp, kinda could be done with Warnings)
• Including HTML into your post
• Spider detection in who's online (and filters, and some other controls)
• Global RSS feed
• external.php (syndicate info) with support for csv and xml
• User Notes

my opinion, these feature are the most needed feature now !!

 

[ibnesayeed]

The users on my forum that were using the social groups just use conversations now since you can easily add people to them

Good hack!

The only issue here is the discovery. One cannot search for existing social groups. It is more like and invite only system. Also, I am not sure if I can quit from a conversation (if someone has added me).

 

[Marcus]

By the way, you can remotely put html in your post by custom bbcodes.
User notes can be - uncomfortabely - written as custom preference profile fields which the user himself can not see.

 

[Paul B]

Also, I am not sure if I can quit from a conversation (if someone has added me).

You can leave a conversation temporarily or permanently.

 

[ragtek]

• Custom BB codes
• Subscription to forums (and not only threads)

• Ability for users to rename their thread
• Ability for moderators to ban users (or a modcp, kinda could be done with Warnings)
• Including HTML into your post
• Global RSS feed PAID
• external.php (syndicate info) with support for csv and xml PAID
• User Notes

• Blogs
• Albums

All this stuff is available via 3rd party add-ons (sorry if other points are also possible.. i don't know 100% of the available add-ons^^)
Just for info^^
Only because it's not in core doesn't mean it's missing IMO....

I'm only missing the things, which aren't available (in core OR as add-on)

ATM i can think only of social groups

 

[principia]

I dont understand why everytime people compare xf with other forumsoftware.
You can test it and if you like it, use it and forget the rest.
If vb ist so great, why are they searching for another forum software?
nothing is perfect, we have to live with this.
i like xf very much and i think its getting better and better over the time. we have just startet.

 

[Jeremy]

Rigel Kentaurus,

- you can put your FAQ in a single "xenforo page" with #anchors for each item
- custom BBCodes are in xenforo now: BBCode Media Improvements

Social groups are intensively used only from a minority in my community (although a vocal one), I bet in your community it is the same as well. In this case, take the importer from Paul.M where all social groups are saved as threads. Then put these threads in a forum. And then make these forum accessible for the former group users.

Those are NOT custom BBCodes. That's a how you set up the options for the media BBCode. BBCM and actual code is the only way to get custom BBCodes in XenForo.

 

[AlexT]

Deleted