Xenforo 2 to 3 years behind vB??

[Alpha1]

So if all these add-ons are available for the functionality, then why don't the Xenforo makers add these to the core of the software?

XenForo is coded very well and bug count is kept very low. Not all addons are coded by the same standards.

Such as?

Essential / missing functionality implying data loss on import:

• thread tags
• user notes
• reputation comments
• negative reputation / dislikes
• friends
• conversation folders
• tables

Major functions currently missing:

• blogs
• groups
• albums
• navigation tab manager
• task manager (even though this was abandoned by IB, it is still used on many sites)
• calendar

Other missing functions:

• display user age
• better subforum display / show moderators
  
• more payment methods
• edit thread title
• better profile privacy
• open the quick reply editor at the end of the thread
• warning system improvement
• message read tracking
• delete conversation
  
• see who is browsing a forum / thread
• Birthday emails
• Moderation functions in search results
• Show who closed a thread and why
• Similar threads
• forum icons
• online status icon
• latest profile visitors
• enhanced profiles
• mobile apps

The above only relates to vbulletin and can be found in the suggestion forum as popular requests. If you compare to IPS then the list will be much larger. IPS suite has much more functionality than vbulletin. For example: Widgets, Gallery, Store, Helpdesk, Task Manager, Sitemap, google charts for polls, CMS, Database system.

 

[RobParker]

Blogs and Albums aren't "major missing functions" for forum software.

 

[Dakis]

I guess what is essential to some people isn't for others. I started reading this list and halfway through most of the things I don't really consider essential. Some of them I wouldn't even care less about (reputation comments for example, or friends, or tables)

 

[Gazhyde]

Some of my random ramblings.

1. It always makes me smile when people expect version 1.x to have everything that something v4.x of another program has.
2. All forum software has to have the same functionality or it's flawed. <-- that's sarcasm
   
3. If XF 1.x had everything that every other forum had, would this not stifle the add-on community? We have some exceptionally good add-on developers, bringing out high quality add-ons. OK some you have to pay for, but I haven't regretted one add-on purchase yet! I bought a car, but I don't really like the wheels. I bought different wheels. Now the car is how I want it. Simples.
4. Bacon (just because no one has mentioned it in a while).
5. Just because you think something is core, doesn't mean anyone else does. Core means what the developer wants it to be.
6. My forum is just better on XenForo than it was on phpBB. It just is. Happy admin here.

 

[Sheldon]

I guess what is essential to some people isn't for others. I started reading this list and halfway through most of the things I don't really consider essential. Some of them I wouldn't even care less about (reputation comments for example, or friends, or tables)

Agree completely...

 

[Alpha1]

Blogs and Albums aren't "major missing functions" for forum software.

In the above list I marked things as essential that would incur data loss on import from vb. Some of those functions may only be essential if you need to import from vbulletin to xenforo. The above list has popular functions, but surely not everyone needs all of it.

 

[Paul B]

In the above list I marked things as essential that would incur data loss on import from vb.

That still doesn't make them essential.

 

[Deriel]

It's sad to lose data, anyway. I lost some, but no regrets (yet).

I see XF with a great future and with great new things to come, and intend to wait for them, unless a major pressure from my userbase - they're at my neck because the usergroups functionalities, but voted to trust the new plataform and wait to see.

 

[Alpha1]

That still doesn't make them essential.

If you are not able to migrate from vbulletin to xenforo without data loss, then that can be considered essential in that situation. However, the functionality alone is not necessarily essential. That depends on what your community is used to and how much it values those functions.
The addon community makes up for a lot of missing functionality. Its thriving.

 

[Paul B]

Essential for you, yes.
Essential for the core, no.

As is always the case when it comes to discussing "essential" functionality.

 

[rainmotorsports]

One item on the list always kills me, deleting a conversation. In a 2 person conversation, essentially nothing differs from stock vBulletin as long as the user also save their sent messages. In that scenario no regular user has ever deleted their own PM.

In vB with sent messages saved the message is not deleted and until all participants have deleted it. The differences being leave versus delete, maximum number of participants in XF is greater than 2, deletion immediate versus cron.

When introducing the ability to have multiple people in a PM and being able to later add and remove participants some changes had to be made. The biggest real difference is that there are 2 methods of leaving one where new replies rejoin you and one that doesn't. In the database everything is the same. There is one copy of each message which isn't deleted by the user but by the system at a point when it is appropriate. The system works, the users are just confused.

 

[steve_aust]

How is invision Power board (abbreviated IPB, IP.Board or IP Board) regarded by XF users?
Last time I compared forum software (before XF was released) IPB was well regarded.
In some ways, IPB (5-10 years ago) was kind of where XF is now, the new kid on the block taking on the bigger established forum companies.
Matt Mecham (writer of IPB) was a highly regarded php programmer and his coding was considered a cut above others.

 

[Digital Doctor]

Xenforo already has more customers than IPB. Many IPB customers are moving to xF. IPB has a outdated legacy feel to me. But at least it works. (VB5 barely works). 3 years ago xenforo was a gamble (lawsuit, etc.), now it is the safest/best choice.

 

[wedgar]

Some of my random ramblings...
Bacon (just because no one has mentioned it in a while).

Sometimes you just have to have the sizzle!

 

[Alpha1]

How is invision Power board (abbreviated IPB, IP.Board or IP Board) regarded by XF users?
Last time I compared forum software (before XF was released) IPB was well regarded.
In some ways, IPB (5-10 years ago) was kind of where XF is now, the new kid on the block taking on the bigger established forum companies.

Invision has ramped up their feature set quickly in recent years and is years ahead of vbulletin in terms of feature set IMHO. I own a full suite and would have migrated to that if XenForo would not be here. I opt for Xenforo because it feels much more natural coming from vbulletin. Even if IPS has much more features, my staff and I just cant get used to it. Invision Power Suite 4 (IPS4) will be out in the coming year and seems to be a game changer. I think this healthy competition is good for XenForo as it will up the expectations for community software in general and for XenForo.

 

[Liam W]

XenForo is coded very well and bug count is kept very low. Not all addons are coded by the same standards.

Essential / missing functionality implying data loss on import:

• thread tags
• user notes
• reputation comments
• negative reputation / dislikes
• friends
• conversation folders
• tables

Major functions currently missing:

• blogs
• groups
• albums
• navigation tab manager
• task manager (even though this was abandoned by IB, it is still used on many sites)
• calendar

Other missing functions:

• display user age
• better subforum display / show moderators
  
• more payment methods
• edit thread title
• better profile privacy
• open the quick reply editor at the end of the thread
• warning system improvement
• message read tracking
• delete conversation
  
• see who is browsing a forum / thread
• Birthday emails
• Moderation functions in search results
• Show who closed a thread and why
• Similar threads
• forum icons
• online status icon
• latest profile visitors
• enhanced profiles
• mobile apps

The above only relates to vbulletin and can be found in the suggestion forum as popular requests. If you compare to IPS then the list will be much larger. IPS suite has much more functionality than vbulletin. For example: Widgets, Gallery, Store, Helpdesk, Task Manager, Sitemap, google charts for polls, CMS, Database system.

User age is displayed. No sure where you're getting that from...

 

[rainmotorsports]

User age is displayed. No sure where you're getting that from...

He is probably commenting towards postbit which I use a @Chris D plugin that I have updated a little personally.

 

[Russ]

User age is displayed. No sure where you're getting that from...

Post bit, Message Element is what he's referring too(I believe )

 

[Kevin]

Sometimes you just have to have the sizzle!

[OT]Visit http://baconforum.com as a guest. [/OT]

 

[feldon30]

Whoever is wrong or right it was something read when browsing the Forums not something I said.

It's a bit irresponsible to say "I read something" or "Someone said". It's best to link to the forum it was posted on and identify the poster.

In this day and age i think most us are past the 'troll' kind of comments...

The identification of a forum troll -- someone who posts not with the intention of stimulating a useful conversation, but instead incites argument for their own amusement -- is perfectly reasonable and not a question of maturity on the identifier's part.

So if all these add-ons are available for the functionality, then why don't the Xenforo makers add these to the core of the software?

Nobody is going to argue that XenForo yet stacks up against the feature juggernaut of vBulletin 3.8/4.2. And as Kier has indicated, that's not the goal of the software.

Looking back to vBulletin 3.7, the piecemeal addition of features on top of a labyrinthine foundation was already starting to significant development problems. Minor changes would have unanticipated ripple effects. The whole platform was becoming unmaintainably fragile. At this stage, Kier strongly discouraged vBulletin management from doing a 3.8 release and instead wanted to immediately commence development on a complete rewrite for vB4 (a promise he delivered upon years later with XenForo).

Please look at XenForo 1.2 released in July 2013, and XenForo 1.3 due to release this month. In one year, we've seen two point releases which include many of the addons and features people have been requesting. The team have listened to customers, communicated their immediate plans, and clearly documented new features with video tutorials and pictorals, all while maintaining the quality and stability of the software without weakening the flexible modern OOP MVC architecture.

During this same time period, vB5 has delivered only minor improvements, while each version has had unthinkable feature reversions, and show-stopping bugs which go unresolved for months.