XF 2.4 XenForo 2.4 status and what's new under the hood?

Where are we?​

TL;DR: We're working hard to release XenForo 2.4 ASAP, but it's taking longer than expected due to scope changes and strategic decisions to wait for certain upstream developments that will benefit the long-term roadmap. Here's an analogy to explain why:

Software development is like planning a cross-country expedition with multiple destinations.

When you set out for version 2.4, you're not just driving to the next town over. You're charting a course through unknown territory with several strategic stops planned along the way - each representing a major milestone or feature release.

But the challenge is the landscape keeps changing along the journey.

• New roads open up (better technologies emerge)
• Bridges get washed out (dependencies break or become obsolete)
• You discover scenic routes that would benefit all future travellers (opportunities for architectural improvements)
• Weather conditions shift (market demands or user needs evolve)
• Your vehicle needs unexpected maintenance (technical debt must be addressed)

You can't just focus on reaching the immediate next stop. You must consider how each decision affects the entire journey ahead. Taking a shortcut to reach 2.4 faster might leave you stranded when trying to reach 3.0, 4.0 or even 5.0.

This is why scope changes occur: experienced developers are constantly recalibrating the route based on new information, ensuring the expedition can successfully reach not just the next destination, but all the strategic waypoints that follow.

The delays aren't detours, rather they're course corrections that keep the long-term journey viable.

To be slightly less cryptic, these are some of the specific challenges we have faced along the way:

A new Tiptap version is coming​

When we announced that Tiptap is coming to XenForo 2.4 it was 95% complete, and we then took a bit of a pause to work on other projects, which we have talked about since and will be discussing in this thread. Since then, Tiptap have announced Tiptap V3 which is currently in beta. Given how core the editor is to the forum experience, it makes a lot of sense to ship XenForo 2.4 with Tiptap V3 rather than Tiptap V2 as originally planned. While the changes involved are not too extensive, we also don't want to ship 2.4 with a dependency that is still in beta and subject to change. While we are not planning to wait for Tiptap V3 to be stable, necessarily, we do at least want to give it a little bit more time so we have a higher degree of confidence that we're shipping a stable editing experience.

We started talking about a rewrite (again)​

While this is not currently the direction we've decided to go in, it's responsible for us to at least consider all routes available to us to help us reach our destination.

After nearly 8 years since the release of XenForo 2.0, many of the technologies we use are showing their age, many of the decisions we made have started to slow us down more than we would like, and as a framework, XenForo becomes a less productive framework to work with. The solution to this problem can be to start from scratch, but we have ultimately decided that this is not something we need to do at this stage.

Instead, over the next few versions, including 2.4, we will be attempting to make iterative architectural changes to the framework so that we all have greater tools at our disposal to improve both the developer and user experience, particularly focusing on the implementation of developer tools and features that have become commonplace in other frameworks, such as Laravel.

Some of our best features are simply not finished​

There are one or two features that we see requested consistently from customers in our community forums and feedback channels, and we're excited to confirm they are coming in 2.4! However, it serves no one well if we release such highly-anticipated features before they are ready and before they have the usual level of quality, polish, and extensibility you would expect from a XenForo release. We'd rather take the extra time to get them right than rush them out and disappoint users with a subpar implementation that requires immediate patches or lacks the flexibility for customisation. We'll be sharing exciting details about what these features are and how they work in the coming weeks, so stay tuned!

We can't keep up!​

I just counted and there are about 15 features that have been merged or are pending to be merged into XF 2.4 that we haven't announced yet. Some of these are smaller and aren't worthy of a dedicated HYS of their own (so they'll probably be rolled into a "miscellaneous" HYS or two), and some of these are going to be mentioned below, but while we have been "cooking" (as the kids say these days) it has meant that things like code reviews, and writing HYS posts hasn't been easy to balance. There is also potentially more stuff coming from generous contributions from esteemed developers such as @Xon and @digitalpoint, assuming we have time to implement (otherwise they will wait for... a future version).


With all of that now being said, while 2.4 is taking longer than we wanted, we have been busy and we are very much nearing the end of development.

And, while disappointing (to all of us) it is important to maintain perspective. XenForo 2.2 was released in September 2020. XenForo 2.3 was released nearly four years later. XenForo 2.4 is not 3 more years away.

But, you clicked this to find out what's new, right? So let's go.

 

[lutenic]

I have been on forums for over 2 decades now. Last year one of the major forum I was active on shut down and some of us active members got together and started a follow up forum. I became part owner and admin. A lot of things are new to me now from that perspective.

However, I feel the members who stuck to the forum in this world where social media and short video apps took over majority traffic; are not really bothered about which version any forum is running on unless it starts bothering them in posting on threads and connecting with fellow forum members.

If new version comes then it is good, if it takes much longer then again it fine for us. Bigger issue would be managing funds to renew license for new version as my forum is currently working with the contribution from the admins and moderators and occasional donations from few members.​

 

[Walter]

I think what some members are trying to convey is this ...

Its highly unprofessional what you are doing here. Single out a customer who voices valid concerns.

I say this as a Xenforo customer since the beginning of the company who has paid thousands of dollars for this software. But his voice is equal important than mine or of customers who have the same opinion than you.

 

[Mendalla]

Last year one of the major forum I was active on shut down and some of us active members got together and started a follow up forum. I became part owner and admin. A lot of things are new to me now from that perspective.

Wow. Sounds very familiar. This was my site 11+ years ago. Congratulations.

However, I feel the members who stuck to the forum in this world where social media and short video apps took over majority traffic; are not really bothered about which version any forum is running on unless it starts bothering them in posting on threads and connecting with fellow forum members.

Exactly. If it works in a way they like, they could care less about the platform. We have no major issues crying out for a fix. We have no features that we particularly need. And even if we did, the members would leave that to me and the other admin and carry on.

Bigger issue would be to renew license for new version as my forum is currently working with the contribution from the admins and moderators and occasional donations from few members.

Same. I have been paying the software maintenance, other admin pays the hosting. I own the domain but usually renew for 4 years so that's just a once in a while expense.

Our big question (our = admins) right now is whether there is much point to going to 2.4 and beyond. Our needs are pretty minimal and I don't know that I would use Xenforo if I was doing it again today. In its current form, it is kind of overkill for us. We have not really made use of any 2.3 features, for instance. The only benefit I see coming with 2.4 is the new editor and, as far as I have heard, I am the only person on the site having issues with Froala (Firefox user).

So if 2.4 doesn't ship by our next renewal date, we might just hold on whatever release is current when that renewal comes due. That said, it's close to a year until then so surely by then? Whatever. I am in no hurry.

 

[JamesBrown]

Its highly unprofessional what you are doing here.

Not really. Giving him his money back and telling him to sling his hook for his incessant whining, that would be unprofessional, though I'd probably still do it. Just for the giggles.

 

[Nousia]

I don't have any concerns about XF future. I'm not sure why some people are making such a song and dance or drama about it - maybe they are the problem, not the developers or the software.

Maybe people choose XF in the first place because it is a sound product.
Maybe people choose XF because it isn't bloated - the bells and whistles that some people want to "futureproof" the product, will be a nightmare for the majority of admins.
Maybe people choose XF because it is an affordable solution.
Maybe the reason people choose XF is because they don't want an Invision, vBulletin, phpBB, etc
Maybe they choose XF because they don't want a social media clone.

From what I've seen, there is a small minority of customers, voicing concerns - some valid, but mostly absurd - I don't think you need to post over 100 times in a thread repeating the same things over and over - I'm sure the delevopers "get it" as do all the other admins and customers that visit this site.

XF isn't perfect, and it needs improvements. I'm sure the developers are working towards perfecting their product.

Finally, @Wing, yes you are a paying customer but from what I can tell you haven't renewed your license or you haven't updated since 2022 so you've probably used your "I'm a paying customer" card too many times but I'm not sure what gives someone who has a mediocre hobbyist website the right to think they are the only voice that matters and everyone else is wrong or unprofessional - honestly, what do you know about "making XF remain competitive and afloat for years to come" and what makes you think you know better than the developers?

This constant moaning is tiresome and probably does more to deter potential customers than anything else.

 

[Wing]

Finally, @Wing, yes you are a paying customer but from what I can tell you haven't renewed your license or you haven't updated since 2022 so you've probably used your "I'm a paying customer" card too many times but I'm not sure what gives someone who has a mediocre hobbyist website the right to think they are the only voice that matters and everyone else is wrong or unprofessional - honestly, what do you know about "making XF remain competitive and afloat for years to come" and what makes you think you know better than the developers?

I have 2 licenses. I have supported XF for years, and one of my licenses is on latest version. I also have run marketing programs over the last 20 years in my career. Thanks for trying to put words in my mouth tho.

Most of us, including myself have been very patient and quiet over the last couple years. People are now beginning to finally come out of the shadows and speak up. We can all sit here and sing along "every thing is fine" or hunky dory year after year. Or we can speak up about concerns... Both are valid points of view tho. Instead of getting frustrated at certain customers "the constant moaning is tiresome", maybe look at the big picture of why said moaning has been happening over and over year after year now with Xenforo, more so about communication in the last 1.5 years. The last version thread was over 70 pages long and I personally barely even posted in there.

 

[Nardo]

This happens when you spend so much time with the same software.

 

[Nardo]

Sorry, I expressed myself wrong. This happens when you spend a long time with the same software

 

[koraldon]

This constant moaning is tiresome and probably does more to deter potential customers than anything else.

The reason I migrated to Xenforo is that it was regularly updated and improved.
To claim people don't take into account whether the software they consider is barely updated or improved is not true. To claim that people who look for updates and improvements in software are "moaning" is just ad hominem that is without sense except to insult.
You should see that in the original post, 2.5 months ago, @Chris D promised more new updates to come, which has not happened.
While the reasons can be 100% legitimate, the lack of communications is constantly eroding customers trust and loyality.

The software industry is full of once successful software that decayed from its glory days to being obscure and not relevant.
I think that customers who care about that, are supporters of the software / xenforo.

 

[mjda]

The software industry is full of once successful software that decayed from its glory days to being obscure and not relevant.

...and every time one falls, another rises up to take its place. If, and that's a big if, XF is on its way out, it's only a matter of time before there's a new frontrunner. Until that happens, XF it is (at least for me)!

 

[Jimsef]

...and every time one falls, another rises up to take its place. If, and that's a big if, XF is on its way out, it's only a matter of time before there's a new frontrunner. Until that happens, XF it is (at least for me)!

XF is definitely one of the best there is… head and shoulders above phpbb for so many reasons.

I suspect IPB is the absolute front runner in terms of pace of evolution, but I don’t trust them as a company at all.

Another thing I didn’t appreciate at phpbb is how defensive the mods were. I hoped this community would be better but I am seeing some fairly negative replies from staff members.

Personally I would like to see a few features that are available as addons brought into the main build as it always makes me nervous relying on addons.

I absolutely love how customisable the framework is and am more than happy with what we have now, but a bit of a roadmap would be really nice to see.

 

[mjda]

I suspect IPB is the absolute front runner in terms of pace of evolution, but I don’t trust them as a company at all.

Maybe so, but I don't judge forum software based solely on which one is the most evolving. In fact, I'd put that very low on my list of priorities. I judge based on the totality of the software, when used on my sites. Also, each site is different so XF might be best for one site while vB is still best for another. If all I cared about was flashy bells and whistles, sure, maybe I'd look into something different. But, none of that matters to me and, evidently, it doesn't matter to any of my members either. I've never had a complaint from a member about the forum software lacking something.

 

[Konon]

I’m not a customer yet and I’m looking at this situation from a different perspective. I’ve been waiting a long time because I don’t want to spend our limited donation budget now only to have to do it again when 2.4 is released and many third‑party add‑ons are updated. Initially I saw an XF 3.0 announcement and believed it would be released soon, so I told people on my forum that we were going to migrate to a modern platform. But nothing happened and some of my members became frustrated.

My members keep asking for new features and we’re stuck: our current software is outdated and I don’t want to develop new things for it, while the promising, modern replacement still isn’t available. It’s a pity I lowered my expectations and am not waiting for 3.0 now — the new editor is the only thing I really need to see. Maybe @Chris D could post an update about the current progress.

 

[Suzanne O]

I’m not a customer yet and I’m looking at this situation from a different perspective. I’ve been waiting a long time because I don’t want to spend our limited donation budget now only to have to do it again when 2.4 is released and many third‑party add‑ons are updated. Initially I saw an XF 3.0 announcement and believed it would be released soon, so I told people on my forum that we were going to migrate to a modern platform. But nothing happened and some of my members became frustrated.

My members keep asking for new features and we’re stuck: our current software is outdated and I don’t want to develop new things for it, while the promising, modern replacement still isn’t available. It’s a pity I lowered my expectations and am not waiting for 3.0 now — the new editor is the only thing I really need to see. Maybe @Chris D could post an update about the current progress.

Maybe you should start getting the process of becoming a customer and get your forum migrated over here.

 

[duderuud]

What I find most surprising (or telling) is that despite all the discussions about the delays, some of the XF staff replied here but only to specific remarks about random stuff but nothing about the real reason this topic has so many replies.

Really makes me wonder.

Stop beating around the bush and tell what is going on. Communicate, just as promised.

 

[Wing]

What I find most surprising (or telling) is that despite all the discussions about the delays, some of the XF staff replied here but only to specific remarks about random stuff but nothing about the real reason this topic has so many replies.

Really makes me wonder.

Stop beating around the bush and tell what is going on. Communicate, just as promised.

Yep, XF staff even telling customers to “get a new hobby”.

 

[Miri]

What I find most surprising (or telling) is that despite all the discussions about the delays, some of the XF staff replied here but only to specific remarks about random stuff but nothing about the real reason this topic has so many replies.

Really makes me wonder.

Stop beating around the bush and tell what is going on. Communicate, just as promised.

Do you really want it?! Aren’t you tired of hearing the same old line for the past 4 years: '...we’re cooking something...'. The truth is, they’ll never admit what’s really happening — that Chris went on vacation, was supposed to be back since early August, but he’s enjoying the good life so much that he doesn’t want to return... and they can’t even get hold of him anymore!

 

[tajhay]

While this is not currently the direction we've decided to go in, it's responsible for us to at least consider all routes available to us to help us reach our destination.

Looks like they got lost traversing through all the routes that they dont know where the destination or direction is anymore.

 

[Chris D]

Do you really want it?! Aren’t you tired of hearing the same old line for the past 4 years: '...we’re cooking something...'. The truth is, they’ll never admit what’s really happening — that Chris went on vacation, was supposed to be back since early August, but he’s enjoying the good life so much that he doesn’t want to return... and they can’t even get hold of him anymore!

Cool story, bro.

 

[Wildcat Media]

Another thing I didn’t appreciate at phpbb is how defensive the mods were.

I haven't used that trainwreck in over a dozen years now. And back then, my experience was to...not even participate. Read-only for me. The mods were toxic, and I used to see support threads they didn't like with a sarcastic "locky locky" as a response. I do not see that here from anyone on staff, and I doubt I ever will.

But phpBB was free and fit my budget at the time, so I acknowledged the fact that I got what I paid for. It actually ended up costing me dozens upon dozens of billable hours just dealing with their crap coding, and constantly playing Whack-a-Mole due to the software being a spam magnet. Even after all of my modifications, it only took a month or so each time for the bots and spammers to adapt.

Yet SMF was also free, and while their versions were also stuck for years upon years, at least they were always courteous, if not helpful.