The Future of Y-Corner Forums - Switch to phpBB3?

Post by **Yoon** » October 9th, 2007, 6:21 pm

Alright, now that I have my own webspace and domain, I now have the opportunity to host the forums directly, instead of using ProBoards.com (our current forum host).

In the past week or so, I've been tinkering around with phpBB3, a free message board software. It's quite impressive, offering much more customization options than what ProBoards.com provides for us. I've listed some of the pros and cons below:

PROS:

* No random advertisements or Google ads!
* Forum is on a dedicated web server and is not bound by ProBoards.com Terms of Services. (No fear of "accidents" or abrupt termination of service)
* Ability to customize the forum looks and layout even more than Proboards.com.
* Users will be able to have more control over which forum theme they want to use while browsing the forums. Unlike skins on ProBoards, themes on phpBB3 do not conflict with each other.
* A variety of forum themes to choose from, such as: http://www.phpbb3styles.com/viewforum.php?f=13
* Users have ability to upload custom avatars.
* Forums load faster than ProBoards.com.
* More "browser-friendlier" than ProBoards.com.

CONS:

* There is currently no method to automatically transfer ProBoards.com threads, posts, and user accounts to phpBB3. This is because Proboards.com does not provide access to their database to allow this.
* Users will have to re-create their accounts.
* Old posts and threads cannot be converted, unless they are manually entered (unlikely, due to the enormous amount of threads/posts).

One way around the old posts/thread issue is that I can directly link to the current Y-Corner forum threads/sections from the phpBB3 Y-Corner and just lock down the current ProBoards.com Y-Corner forum and keep it in place (won't be deleted). The ProBoards.com Y-Corner forum would essentially act as an "archive" forums.

The big question I would like to ask everyone is, should we make the jump to phpBB3? Or should we remain using the current ProBoards.com Y-Corner forums? Please vote and post if we should make this move or not.

I can put up a link to the demo phpBB3 version of Y-Corner, if people are curious in how it looks compared to our current forum.

DEMO PHPBB3 Y-CORNER FORUM LINK: http://www.yoonhuh.com/phpBB3/

Jaegar · Post by **Jaegar** » October 9th, 2007, 11:37 pm

Well, The forum here is cool. The only thing I'd like is a more customized theme, but that's not really important. If we switch, I'm fine as long as we keep something like the /dice command and a shoutbox. We can remake all the important threads anyway.

ghalleon · Post by **ghalleon** » October 10th, 2007, 12:42 pm

I don't really mind either way, its up to you. XD

KillerSmo · Post by **KillerSmo** » October 10th, 2007, 1:03 pm

What about the count to infinity?! NOOOOOOOOO.

Just kidding. I think it would be cool, I just don't like the fact that we'd be losing out on all the threads that have been created such a long tme ago.

I think in the long run, it'd be a good move, so I'm voting for the switch...

Post by **Yahoo** » October 10th, 2007, 1:24 pm

Im voting no.
Dont wanna lose all the threads.
I like the theme of the forums so I dont care about the theme thing

Of course if you find a way to get threads to new forums then Ill vote for change.

Ghost B3N · Post by **Ghost B3N** » October 10th, 2007, 3:04 pm

What about the count to infinity?! NOOOOOOOOO.

Just kidding. I think it would be cool, I just don't like the fact that we'd be losing out on all the threads that have been created such a long tme ago.

I think in the long run, it'd be a good move, so I'm voting for the switch...

i go with dan...

tough.. MY FORUM POSTS/ZENNYS XD
im stli saving for the most expensive item in the shop XD

edit: damm i klicked the "not sure option" .... /swt

KillerSmo · Post by **KillerSmo** » October 10th, 2007, 3:28 pm

Way to go Ben, lol, jk!

I'm sure Mike can transfer zeny to the new board - I can't imagine that process would be very hard.

I think having a new board will be more stable and a better option for the long run...

Post by **Yoon** » October 10th, 2007, 4:44 pm

Thank you for all your feedback, everyone. Given the response, I think for now we will remain with ProBoards.com, but the option of switching to phpBB3 will be left open, if people want to switch, or ProBoards deletes our current board for some reason. Even if we do switch, it won't be for a while, since I'll need some time to get the forum ready and implement board mods such the Shoutbox, level up system, etc.

In the meantime, I've set up a phpBB3 Y-Corner demo. You can check it out at this link: http://www.yoonhuh.com/phpBB3/

You can register and test out some settings, such as uploading avatars, posting, etc. What you see will not be a final version of what you'll see if we do switch to phpBB3, since I can easily change the default board theme. Also, board mods like Shoutbox and the Level Up System are not yet implemented on this demo forum. I'd recommend not posting anything but test threads, since all threads on the demo board may be subject to being wiped prior to a real switch over.

Post by **Yoon** » June 29th, 2008, 3:18 am

SUCCESS! The converter was able to convert all threads, posts, and member databases into phpBB3 format!

The result can be seen over at:
http://www.yoonhuh.com/forums/

The only downsides is that all avatars and passwords couldn't be transferred. All of the transferred accounts on phpBB3 will have to select the "I forgot my password" option when logging on and retrieve the new password from their e-mail accounts. Once members have logged in, they can easily change their passwords to whatever password they wish to use.

Just have to make sure that members login using the same login names (not the displayed names) they use currently. Displayed names can also be changed once logged in.

The next big question to ask is: Should we switch to phpBB3, now that we have transferred all threads, posts, and member accounts? The current board would stay up, but will be locked down in read-only mode, if we do decide to make the switch.

VOTE NOW!

EDIT: That theme that's on the phpBB3 will definitely change; just using that one as a base skin, for now.

Post by **Yoon** » June 29th, 2008, 3:18 am

There are more Shoutbox options for phpBB3 boards, since it is commonly used.

The phpBB3 Y-Corner is more or less ready, if anyone wants to give it a try. Just remember, no need to register a new account. Use the same login name as this board and request for "I lost a password" option to retrieve the password through your e-mail. Once logged in, go to your control panel to change your password and user name to your preferred ones.

I did find a few more bugs while going through the phpBB3 forum:

* Transferred SPAM and D&D posts were counted as valid posts by the converter, so everyone has boosted post counts.
* Poll results made on Y-Corner did not get transferred.
* No dice command available (yet) for the D&D section. I'll have to implement a dice code.
* Slight errors on some posts, usually ones that have long quotes.
* Live Discussion and Go / Baduk / Wei-Chi boards non-functional, as Javascript is handled differently on phpBB3.
* Shop feature and zenny is gone (for now).

If you notice a few bugs or have trouble getting on, let me know. I'll wait a few more days for everyone else's opinion on what we should do about the forums.