I think it would be a lot better if you used the current sign up process and select a username but then in your profile be able to change your display name which by default would be your username but you could make that anything within a character limit even if someone else did have it or a variaton of it.
As long as the feature could be turned off in the AdminCP, I wouldn't mind. I hate display names.
So is it like a rename your self? another a sec display name?
if it was the 1st, then mybb allows users to change their username from the usercp, this permission is limited within the usergroup permissions.
regards
yes this allows you to your username but you cannot have the username someone else already has where as you could have the display name someone else had
Yes a custom field for it would be good but it would need to be coded so that when the option is turned on then it replaces the username is the user cp
If you would want to make a custom user field, you would have to replace a lot of things on many places.
yes but it can be done
Also many other forum providers use this as it means that display names can be character mapped etc,