Topic: smf vs phpbb3

[shadow82x]

I think a good board also means to have alot of default options rather then infusing or moding it

Not exactly why would you want a bloated forum software? It simply adds more forum load time.

[adicrst]

because if something is there by default it wont affect the forum every time you have to upgrade. Mods can mess with your database and months later after giving up on them you still find trace in the DB structure

[Jade Elizabeth]

I think a good board also means to have alot of default options rather then infusing or moding it

YEAH!!
+100000000000000000000000000000000000000

[nick09]

besides there is over 1000 mods on the SMF website.

it is too much work, too much time, ETC!

if SMF were to do that it would mean SMF 2.0 will be delayed year by year.

constantly updating with the new mods being released and being updated.

[Ben_S]

because if something is there by default it wont affect the forum every time you have to upgrade. Mods can mess with your database and months later after giving up on them you still find trace in the DB structure

Best install the quick reply mod then

[Jade Elizabeth]

not every mod lol

perhaps those that actually should be there, or would benefit the forums.

and then something to help us with the others (like the ability to make custom profile fields, main menu buttons and stuff in the admin center) or just leave them out and we pick and choose ourselves

[metallica48423]

... i accidentally voted for 'smf must catch up' option

Anyone aruing if i edit the poll and enable the ability to change votes (i can't touch the votes themselves this is not an SMF option) but really don't want my vote for being that LOL

[Highway of Life]

BlackMage: haha!! though it sounds like with the release of 2.0, SMF will catch up.   &
Two great products.

[Jade Elizabeth]

... i accidentally voted for 'smf must catch up' option

Anyone aruing if i edit the poll and enable the ability to change votes (i can't touch the votes themselves this is not an SMF option) but really don't want my vote for being that LOL

accidentally on purpose?
SPRUNG!!

MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAA!!

*bolts*

[Lsg_1]

I much prefer SMF

[Sverre]

I can never see myself using phpBB again, but I welcome their new release, because if Bloc & Co. hadn't already realized the urgency of a semantical default theme, it should be clear as day now

My only critisism is that I'm not convinced that they have made the best decisions with their feature set. There seem to be a number of features that are getting very close to being "bloat"

Somehow, this statement would be a lot more assuring and comforting to me if a feature such as Birthday Greeting hadn't already been confirmed for 2.0 Although the check to see if a feature is enabled/disabled doesn't have much of an impact on performance on its own, it certainly isn't negligible as the number of deactivated features grow... Even more important than the millisecond(s) of extra loading time, at least in my opinion, is the seemingly overlooked aspect of administrative overhead caused by unused features though. Just look at all the settings and permissions related to Karma in the ACP.

[Grudge]

Sverre,

Agreed that feature choice is most certainly a balance that's sometimes difficult to get right. The birthday email is a good example though - it's disabled by default and doesn't have any overhead at all when not enabled (It's a scheduled task hence it only gets run if it comes to the top of the pile which it never will if it's disabled).

One thing I'm really pleased with in 2.0 is the "Core Features" switches. These enable the admin to turn on and off who sets of functionality like Post Moderation, Karma, Custom Profile fields, Calendar etc and hide all of the admin interfaces for these things if off - specifically to "unclutter" the admin area for things not used on a board.

[Sverre]

One thing I'm really pleased with in 2.0 is the "Core Features" switches. These enable the admin to turn on and off who sets of functionality like Post Moderation, Karma, Custom Profile fields, Calendar etc and hide all of the admin interfaces for these things if off - specifically to "unclutter" the admin area for things not used on a board.

That sounds very promising, and I'm really looking forward to see its effect in the ACP! Although this might remove/limit one of my main concerns regarding the rapidly increasing number of default features, I still think I'd prefer that peripheral features such as the aforementioned Birthday Greeting was left (read developed specifically) to promote and highlight the Package Manager instead of coming bundled with the default installation. Mozilla's aggressive marketing of extended functionality through mods/extension has certainly not had a negative impact on Firefox' popularity - rather on the contrary - and this is coming from an Opera "fan boy"

If the improved Package Manager in 2.0 is promoted properly, you could very well see a major benefit from this similarity with Firefox. For this to be possible though, the average SMF admin needs to become more aware of and confident in the Package Manager. In my opinion, there is no better way to achieve this than through a series of high-profile officially released and supported mods - if the feature is popular enough to have been considered as a default feature, that's even better. This way, a user who's previously been hesitant and reserved about using third party mods would be able to install mods without any doubt about future support and compatibility. These official mods could also serve as a guide line for proper coding and integration of mods, as well as being an excellent opportunity for the SMF developers to showcase the possibilities and flexibility of the software.

[redone]

It's good news that phpBB continues to work on releases and develop new feature sets for users. I agree with Grudge that this forces alternative providers such as Simplemachines to drive that bit further to deliver what users want from a forum.

[karlbenson]

Indeed the feature sets are constantly developing and expanding.

Exponetial growth of the project base will eventually lead to bloat.
I wouldn't mind seeing implemented features reevaluated to see whether they should continue to remain implemented as a core feature or whether it would be better as a modification.

(especially with the improvements to be made in smf 2.0)

[christicehurst]

I think it's important for forum software to push each other in terms of development and growth. So that it doesn't become lazy and boring.

[DivineMessage]

I just think phpbb looks non professional (no offense to those who like it).

[Dannii]

SMF must catch up, though really only in the area of theming.

[Augh]

I had smf-forum installed about a year ago, then db crashed during version update and I didn't get much help for that, so I chanced to phpbb3. Man what a mistake that was...

Jesus what rules they have at phpbb community forums. Ridiculous rules and police state control over their board. Insane modification control/install-methods...I'm NEVER going to install phpbb3 again. In finland we say: "vittu mitä paskaa". And that is not a compliment

Just waiting Jay to finish that phpbb3 to smf converter and it's goodbye to phpbb for ever.

[Jade Elizabeth]

I just think phpbb looks non professional (no offense to those who like it).

agreed.


in truth, i organised someone set up a board for me on their server. its almost exact to the beta, except it has a few tiny tweaks. the admin panel is still a mess, hard to navigate, and the permissions are SO HARD to work out -they are gonna have a field day to teach that to noobs...forums need to be noob friendly because noobs will try to run them...and with their systems they are gonna need a nice thick manual, and tolerant support teams

and speaking of support, i spent 2 years with phpBB...in that time, and the 4 months ive spent here, i can honestly say this;
support for mods, and ANYTHING here is SO MUCH BETTER.
the support team is SO MUCH nicer.
and the community actually wants to help.
phpBB may be better known, but their reputation compared to SMF is better kept in the closet.