Howdy folks!
Like many, I was quite disappointed to discover the changes at vBulletin. It's not so much an issue of cost as it is simply how vBulletin has handled this entire fiasco. I'm just not convinced that vBulletin is viable right now as a future company, especially if they continue to raise prices for basically outputting the same code with a few minor features. Let's face it, "4.0" is basically 3.9 with a new skin.
MyBB has emerged as a leading candidate for me. It's running neck and neck right now with vB 4.0, IPB, and phpBB. I've used all of the aforementioned software before, so I'm pretty familiar with everything.
My questions are simple.
1) I'm looking for stable and secure software. In the community's experience here, is MyBB generally pretty good at quickly responding to events -- or are they even better and tend to head off security at the pass by releasing secure software in the first place?
2) Is there any kind of copyright removal available for a fee? It's not that I will not promote MyBB, I just don't like the idea of script kiddies being able to pull my community up based on copyright lines.
3) I'm looking for a blog system. Is the current MyBB mod worthwhile?
4) I'm further considering a CMS setup for the central part of my community; are there bridges with other open source software or a mod that you would recommend?
5) Is MyBB generally friendly, in your opinion, with users that might be less technically-inclined?
6) Last but not least, is there anything else that you would throw in that would help me choose MyBB over the alternatives?
Thanks for your time!
Hi there
1. MyBB went through a paid professional security audit, and 1.4.2 was released after that - you can read a little bit more about that
here. There have been security issues found since then but most of them were low/medium priority (you may have needed admin or mod powers to exploit them). Only two high risk security issues have been found since the audit (remember that the audit was over a year ago) and both were patch very quickly. Unfortunately a lot of people were hacked due to a vulnerability in <= 1.4.6, however the vast majority of these just didn't update in time, running 1.4.6 for weeks or even months with a known high risk vulnerability present, despite a patch being released. Some people have been hacked on versions 9+ months old, a year old, or even pre 1.4.2 (i.e. pre-audit) and to be frank, there's not much we can do about that.
2. You're free to remove the copyright if you wish, unfortunately however that would mean you couldn't get support here. We are more than happy for you to replace the copyright with an image, so it won't appear in searches, but still shows your support. There was talk of a fee to allow users to remove it and get support but nothing's come of that yet, so that wouldn't be happening for a while yet, if at all.
3. -
4. I think MkPortal has a bridge, some people have that working. You could also expand on the Portal page that comes with MyBB, via templates if you just want HTML, or via the plugin system for dynamic content. You could, in effect, do anything you want to the portal with plugins.
5. I'd say so, I found my way around it when I starter better that other software. The User CP is nicely set out for users and the general layout of the board is clean and uncluttered; it's not very often we have people saying a user can't find something or is getting lost/confused with things.
6. [wiki]
Free never tasted so good[/wiki]
We are, and always will be, free. We also have a very good plugin system which means file edits are very rarely needed, and plugins are installed by just uploading a few files. You can also check out the 1.6 SVN code and test the features for the next major release. After that, 2.0 will come, a full rewrite, but guess what, still totally free, and will be a serious competitor to paid software.
To address 4...
You can integrate it with Joomla using the JFusion plugin for Joomla; and imo Joomla is one of the better CMS systems out there.
Hi CrazyTech. You will be making the right decision by switching to Mybb. I have switched to Mybb recently as well and it was the best decision I have ever made regarding my forums.
Mybb has got a solid rep regarding teh security. And if a security issue or bug has been discovered, then rest assure that the developers will bring out a patch almost immediately. All you have to do is to make sure to keep your forum up to dated with the latest version and you got nothing to worry about.
Regarding the community, there are some folks here who help out a lot the users taht have problems with their forums, like Matt above for ex. However, by using the search system you can solve most of the problems yourself as the chances are that they have been asked and answered numerous times before.
Whereas for your sixth question I would say this, install mybb and its alternatives to your server and have a look around each and everyone of softwares and you will see which one will come out a winner. But I will tell you this, you won''t regret it if you converted to Mybb. And not to speak of Mybb 2.0 which from what I have heard will be a mind blower.
Thank you all kindly for the information and time!
Looking a little more closely, MyBB seems to be just as good and perhaps better in the core forum area. My only issues at this point come down to the added functionality that IPB (and vB) have in the form of user blogs and a gallery. I'd really like to find some way to introduce the user blogs with MyBB but I'm just not sure. I know PHP to a degree, but I've never really coded any sort of modification or script. Perhaps this could be the impetus to learn.
There's several blog plugins
Seriously, i was a vB user, swapped to MyBB and never looked back
Come to the dark side,
WE HAVE COOKIES XD
FYI I think it's going to be sooner rather than later that MyBB will have a CMS properly integrated by a third party.
There is a couple decent blog plugins for MyBB.
I was using VB before I switched to MYBB and have had several successful forums with it.
Quote:5) Is MyBB generally friendly, in your opinion, with users that might be less technically-inclined?
I'll be honest. It really depends on you. If you act with some courtesy and professionalism then it's likely you'll have a very good relationship with the community. Realize that MyBB has a small staff and that they do this on a volunteer basis. "Free" doesn't exactly inspire people to run out and fix other peoples problems. They mainly offer good forum support but do expect members to read wiki's and take time to learn a few basics (XHTML, FTP, and such). Sometimes there are complete noobs that join and want help with some amazingly basic stuff. It's tough to help someone in that situation as they have so much to learn and expect MyBB team to assist them.
MyBB is brilliant software. If you have base knowledge and can take the time to learn then it's likely that this is the softare for you. I would not recommend this to someone without a clue. I wouldn't recommend any forum software to noobs. But you don't seem like a new person to software or forums. You also seem courteous and professional too.
And for those Gallery & Blog Plugins (And More) can be found at more sites than just this sites Mod Database; There are many other sites offering premium mods (Some for subscribing for a very very low fee of no more than $10 and some in which you post to gain access to plugins)
www.mybbcentral.com
www.mybbsource.com
and their are many more if you look around, although the above two offer the best plugins available.
Any time I have had a problem, I have posted it here on the forum and the technical support was fast and solved my issue every time.
I own three vB forums and they are all on owned licenses, but they will stay on their current versions for years to come, most likely I will never pay vBulletin another dime unless they make security updates and bug fixes free for my current versions.
Honestly, IPB > vBulletin (sorry guys if I am saying that). IPB has a much better community and support, I've hated vBulletin since this fiasco started, and I do feel sorry for you.
Having said that, making a switch to MyBB is a very good idea, I think it's honestly a lot simpler than vBulletin, and they have their similarities. I think MyBB has the best Admin CP, simple, and user-friendly (though it might or might not have the mod_security problems though). You'll also easily find a lot of vBulletin-looking themes with MyBB, making your switch easier. My next forum project is running on MyBB, and I've always been impressed with the theme quality and the ease in installing mods (pretty similar to vBulletin and IPB 3, it's XML-based).