New forum software

[Shaun]

Just a heads-up that we will be moving to new forum software in the coming months.

I realise that this simple statement may scare the pants off more than just a few of you, but it'll be done gently and you'll all get to have a good play with it before we switch-over.

Why am I doing it?

I've always planned to add more content and features to CC, but wanted something that would integrate with forums. This new software offers this modular integration, as well as a good range of fully supported add-ons to offer new functionality.

I've got a test installation in place and am in the process of exploring the differences and testing some of the add-ons.

Rest assured I'll keep you all well informed and take my usual care to make things go as smoothly as possible when the times comes.

Cheers,
Shaun

 

[kendalcottages]

Out of interest, what software is it going to be using?

I'd always thought vBulletin was one of the most feature-rich...

 

[Shaun]

Out of interest, what software is it going to be using?

I'd always thought vBulletin was one of the most feature-rich...

vBulletin has been the industry leader for many years, however the company was bought-up and the new owners rushed vB4 onto the market in what amounts to a beta state.

I bought a pre-sale license for vB4 last year on the promise of a CMS in version 4, but I'm still not confident in the software six months down the line.

I want to move CC forward so have found a company who I feel we can put our trust in, and who produce forum software with the content management features I feel we need.

I don't want to name the software just yet because I plan to customise it and make it our own before opening it up for preview, but you'll get to know soon enough.

I didn't take the decision lightly by any means, but I'm feeling positive about the move and looking forward to what the new software will bring to CC.

Lots of coffee and candlelight for me for the next few months ...

Cheers,
Shaun

 

[mangaman]

I've always planned to add more content and features to CC, but wanted something that would integrate with forums. This new software offers this modular integration, as well as a good range of fully supported add-ons to offer new functionality.

Hi Shaun

Without the risk of being banned I don't really understand this.

I know you always want the best for CC but could you translate this for the IT ignoramuses like me?
And do we have to do anything as users?

Thanks

ATB

 

[Shaun]

Hi Shaun

I don't really understand this.

I know you always want the best for CC but could you translate this for the IT ignoramuses like me?
And do we have to do anything as users?

Thanks

ATB

There's nothing for you to do just yet. I'll get you all involved nearer the time.

Put simply the new software will allow us to add some new non-forum sections to CC and expand the site further. The key benefit being that it is all centrally managed.

It's still very much in the early stages, but I wanted to get everyone used to the idea that changes are coming.

Cheers,
Shaun

 

[mangaman]

There's nothing for you to do just yet. I'll get you all involved nearer the time.

Put simply the new software will allow us to add some new non-forum sections to CC and expand the site further. The key benefit being that it is all centrally managed.

It's still very much in the early stages, but I wanted to get everyone used to the idea that changes are coming.

Cheers,
Shaun

Sounds exciting

 

[Jezston]

If you need any beta testers, I'm in!

I 'helped' set up this forum through testing in the past: http://www.soundonsound.com/forum although it is looking rather dated these days.

 

[Shaun]

Thanks for the offer.

The new software is quite different; layout, navigation, functions, etc. so I may ask a few people to give it a pre-test drive beforehand to try and find any areas that we can tweak to make the transition easier.

I'll put a call-out on the forums when I'm ready to let a few of you loose on it ...

The new software is due for an upgrade itself, so I'll likely wait for that to be released before attempting to do the CC switch-over. That way we get the latest features and don't have to 'upgrade' twice.

Cheers,
Shaun

 

[HaloJ]

Heh and with that I believe I know just what you're moving to. We're doing the same over at oaps.org (Old Age Playstationers) and waiting on the next release of the software before going ahead with the move.

Abs

 

[ACS]

If you need any beta testers, I'm in!

I 'helped' set up this forum through testing in the past: http://www.soundonsound.com/forum although it is looking rather dated these days.

Also happy to help with beta testing.

 

[rogerzilla]

Not SMF, then? I'm no lover of it although there are loads of user mods available and it is at least guaranteed to be free (as in beer) in perpetuity.

I dread the imminent release of SMF2 because I know how much we had to hack about with SMF1 to get it the way we wanted it.

 

[Shaun]

No, not SMF.

It's everything I'd expected from vB4, but didn't get.

I've been researching and testing to try and preserve features and ensure a smooth transfer from one platform to the other. Hopefully all the background work will pay off when we do migrate.

The new software is currently going through a point release upgrade which will bring in new features akin to what we have here, and a few new ones we don't.

The public beta is due in a few days so I'll be installing the latest packages on the CC server to give it a test drive. Once it's out of beta I can start to roll out the switch-over.

I expect it'll take everyone a little while to get used to it, but hopefully not too long.

Cheers,
Shaun