2014 MyBB vs phpBB vs SMF

[aznetcowboy]

I run a php website which in the beginning had phpBB as the default forum. I just didn't really care for it, so I switched to SMF. While SMF was more secure, it lacked the phpBB ability to automatically register new website users into the SMF forum like phpBB.

Will I be able to run MyBB and have my website member automatically be registered into MyBB? I do not allow people to register into my website without my security software and my permission to join.

It sure would be nice to have any new user that I have approved to be a member of my website to automatically be setup as a registered member of the MyBB forum.

[error]

I started with SMF in my first forum I built, back in '08
Since then, I have used punBB, BBpress, Vanilla, and good ol phpBB. I always come back to MyBB for its ease of use.
I like the look of phpBB, but the ACP is too difficult, plugins are not as smooth to install..... and is it me, or is the default font smaller on phpBB? I know I could change it in the CSS, but I really dont like to tinker with all that. The only forum software I would switch too now, would be XenoForo (if I had cool $140 laying around)

[Cameron:D]

Will I be able to run MyBB and have my website member automatically be registered into MyBB?

Yes, there are plugins for bridging MyBB with other major things such as Wordpress.

[anori]

What makes phpBB valuable is that you can have a decent amount of faith in its future development.

As a MyBB user, I am very stressed about the future of MyBB's development. 1.8 is like two years late and 2.0 seems impossible to reach. Simple things, like mobile themes, seem to have no hope of being included in the default package. Most plugin authors have left the scene.

I wouldn't select MyBB for a new project at this point.

I agree mybb 1.8 should have been released at this point and looking at competitors like woltlab: https://www.woltlab.com/wbb/ it lacks many features in comparions to it, i think woltlab would now have my preference over MyBB.
On the free front PHPBB seems to have more regular updates and a more active community.

Think the fact that 1.8 is delayed as much as it is, is also causing many plugin developers to wait/do nothing.

[Leefish]

+1 on woltlab for paid software, it looks very well made indeed.

I see a lot of activity on the github MyBB repositories so I haven't given up quite yet. It's a shame 1.8 is being so delayed, and I think anori may have a point regarding the lack of activity on plugins.

[Eldenroot]

Yes, I agree - MyBB 1.8 should be there last year. I dont like the system how the new features are added. There should be a minor versions with new features... not add all features to major build and wait for them 5 years.

You know, release MyBB 1.8 and every 2 months new version with bugfixes and new feature/improvements -> 1.8.1 etc. Why to wait another 5 years for a major build? phpBB changed policy, because they had same problem - now there will be a minor builds with (3.1, 3.2, ...) with codes changes.

To all devs - please think about it... it would be better for community!

[StefanT]

We have added new features in e.g. 1.6.4, 1.6.5 and 1.6.7. However it is not possible to convert to JQuery or change the default theme in a minor update; that's why 1.8 has been started...

[Eldenroot]

I agree with you. But alert system, mention system and others improvements are planned to MyBB 2.0. There should be more minor versions which would be a bridge between two major releases.

[slickforum]

More constant updates would be nice.

[sayannara]

Hallo,

fresh air...

I'm testing both PHPBB 3.1 and MyBB 1.8 to create a company documentation repository. According to my needs I noticed that PHPBB has

1. a built-in LDAP method  authentification
   
2. search engine can be used with +, -, *
   
3. Community is more reactive 
   
4. I think the user interface is just more simple (and cleaner)
   
5. It is really easy to add BBcode in the editor
   

but

1. You can't create "Category" (Forum - Category)
   
2. The editor is really poor compared to MyBB! No WYSIWYG
   
3. The view a printable Version is graphically not as nice as MyBB