I don't like this new forum software

[RougedAndReady]

but this new vbulletin is horrible. I don't think it's just a matter of getting used to... it's just kinda bleh. It's got WAY too many kinks, it's not easy on the eyes... why'd you guys change it, out of curiosity? I can't send/recieve any mail because it keeps saying I have 30 messages in my folder. I have 5. Tons of posts are missing. Etc, etc, etc.

At the time specktra needed donations, I apparently came in a few hours too late, since you guys'd already recieved enough donations... which is great. But didnt the contributing members do so because they wanted to keep Specktra the way it was? I suppose I can't really talk, because I didnt get a chance to donate, but I'd be furious if I HAD donated, just for you guys to change this, and not for the better!

 

[kristabella]

R&R: that's a little harsh, no? the staff didn't take the donations & run. they took the donations & bought something which they think would improve Specktra.

i had a few questions & problems as well but Janice was extremely patient & they are putting in their own time to work through all these issues. as far as i know they get absolutely nothing out of this.

it's not my place to answer to your post as such - i'm not a staff member. but i do know
- if you don't like the purple skin you can change it in your User CP
- you may have messages in your sent folder which also counts towards the 30 messages limit
- i also lost a bunch of posts but Janice was able to restore my access to the Clearance Bin at least. other than that, what does the post count really matter?

vBulletin isn't as simple but it has really great functions which i think most people will come to appreciate. it's fairly user friendly as well. most of it is intuitive.

 

[Juneplum]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kristabella R&R: that's a little harsh, no? the staff didn't take the donations & run. they took the donations & bought something which they think would improve Specktra. i had a few questions & problems as well but Janice was extremely patient & they are putting in their own time to work through all these issues. as far as i know they get absolutely nothing out of this. it's not my place to answer to your post as such - i'm not a staff member. but i do know - if you don't like the purple skin you can change it in your User CP - you may have messages in your sent folder which also counts towards the 30 messages limit - i also lost a bunch of posts but Janice was able to restore my access to the Clearance Bin at least. other than that, what does the post count really matter? vBulletin isn't as simple but it has really great functions which i think most people will come to appreciate. it's fairly user friendly as well. most of it is intuitive.

well said. i couldn't have said this any better. vbulletin DOES have some really great functions and once we all adjust to it, it will be a pice of cake to use. the admins have worked EXTREMELY hard to improve specktra for all of us to enjoy. yesterday was the 1st day of the launch, so of course we were going to have a few bugs that needed to be ironed out. The admins and mods are here to help ANYONE that needs assistance .

 

[Janice]

Instead of spending 5 minutes reading through the few posts in this forum and learning how to utilize & maximize your forum browsing experience with this software, you criticize it AND my decision to switch? Instead of exploring its functionality and seeing what an AMAZING alternative to PHPPB2 it is, you condemn it?

We aren’t going to make 2,900 members instantly happy (or ever at that) with this switch, but we can at least attempt to educate them on the new software and once they have had a few days to bang around on it and customize it they will see how enhanced and superior this forum software is.

Also, in the Donation thread it was CLEARLY stated (with a link) that the money was SPECIFICALLY going toward a license for this product. I’m not quite sure how you came up with the ‘because they wanted to keep Specktra the way it was?’ idea.

http://specktra.net/forum/showthread.php?t=27562

Kristabella very helpfully pointed out that your sent messages are most likely the problem with your PM’s. If you would have read this thread you would have read me point that out in answer to another members Q’s.

If you are going to criticize something at least be helpful with the criticisms. Just stating “kinks” isn’t being helpful, though I am sure that’s not your point anyway.

This IS for the better whether you feel like it or not. Period.


Quote:

Originally Posted by RougedAndReady but this new vbulletin is horrible. I don't think it's just a matter of getting used to... it's just kinda bleh. It's got WAY too many kinks, it's not easy on the eyes... why'd you guys change it, out of curiosity? I can't send/recieve any mail because it keeps saying I have 30 messages in my folder. I have 5. Tons of posts are missing. Etc, etc, etc. At the time specktra needed donations, I apparently came in a few hours too late, since you guys'd already recieved enough donations... which is great. But didnt the contributing members do so because they wanted to keep Specktra the way it was? I suppose I can't really talk, because I didnt get a chance to donate, but I'd be furious if I HAD donated, just for you guys to change this, and not for the better!

 

[Chelsea]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kristabella it's not my place to answer to your post as such - i'm not a staff member. but i do know - if you don't like the purple skin you can change it in your User CP - you may have messages in your sent folder which also counts towards the 30 messages limit - i also lost a bunch of posts but Janice was able to restore my access to the Clearance Bin at least. other than that, what does the post count really matter? vBulletin isn't as simple but it has really great functions which i think most people will come to appreciate. it's fairly user friendly as well. most of it is intuitive.

EXACTLY. The purple layout is *not* staying, we are completely re-doing the entire site. There are two additional layouts available for use which are easier on the eyes. We got donations to improve specktra. We could not have kept the forum on phpbb with the growing user count and traffic. All the modifications we had to do to the board made it unstable and it had to be changed. That's just the way it is. Once everything we have in mind is completed, the site will be much, much better.

Anyways, you're free to leave if you don't like the way we run things/the layout/etc. You only use this site for the clearance bin anyways and are hardly a contributing member.

 

[CaliKris]

I actually prefer vbulletin, just because I am used to it from some other message boards I am a member of.

Thanks for all your hard work ladies!!!!

 

[user4]

Quote:

Originally Posted by CaliKris I actually prefer vbulletin, just because I am used to it from some other message boards I am a member of. Thanks for all your hard work ladies!!!!

i agree... u just kinda need to surf around and check what there is. i like it a lot better... there are so many more options... thanks guys!

 

[mac_obsession]

Quote:

Originally Posted by CaliKris I actually prefer vbulletin, just because I am used to it from some other message boards I am a member of. Thanks for all your hard work ladies!!!!

Me too honestly! Ive been on several vb boards, and I am quite used to them. If anyone needs help please just ask, we as mods and admin are here to help!

Also the fact should be recognized. Chelsea & Janice (as well as Redslush, leppy and all the other staff) DO NOT GET PAID to do this. The donations were for software and server upgrades! No one here gets any profit by being here other than the sheer delight of helping people. loving mac, and being part of Specktra.

All I can say is, if you really dont like it, you have two choices. You can stay and try to adjust to it, or you can go and not bother.

One would hope you would at least give it a week and see how you feel then. My mother always told me even when I HATED something to at least give it a week to adjust and then see how you feel. You may learn to love it.

 

[angelwings]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chelsea EXACTLY. The purple layout is *not* staying, we are completely re-doing the entire site. There are two additional layouts available for use which are easier on the eyes. We got donations to improve specktra. We could not have kept the forum on phpbb with the growing user count and traffic. All the modifications we had to do to the board made it unstable and it had to be changed. That's just the way it is. Once everything we have in mind is completed, the site will be much, much better. Anyways, you're free to leave if you don't like the way we run things/the layout/etc. You only use this site for the clearance bin anyways and are hardly a contributing member.

What colour lay out are you going to get?

 

[orodwen]

i'm just a long for the ride. i like hitting the hills going 60 from time to time but i usually like it slow. i'm waiting to see how this all turns out in the end. i commend ANYONE who puts in the time a site like this does & allow members to actually become a true part of it.

btw, i LOVE the black & gold combo. :hump:

 

[Janice]

Quote:

Originally Posted by orodwen btw, i LOVE the black & gold combo. :hump:

Guess what? I installed that one with you in mind.

 

[orodwen]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Janice Guess what? I installed that one with you in mind.

aw, thanks, janice.

the warm white text & black bg is just so easy on my eyes. :loveya:

 

[kristabella]

oooh the black & gold is interesting.

but i'm going to stick with GreenLeaf for now because B&G is full width on my widescreen laptop & my eyes get tired darting left to right so much. :spy:

 

[Raquel]

Umm, just wanted to ask if you guys ever considered Invision board software? It's what I run my forum on.

http://alleniversonfantasy.com/mb/index.php?act=idx

It's the top rated forum software, and the possibilities for skinning and modification are literally endless. Plus I'm sure you guys would LOVE a shoutbox, lol. I know my members do.

But maybe I'm coming with this suggestion a bit too late? <img>

 

[Janice]

Yes, IPB was a candidate in my search for forum software. In fact it was down to between VB and IPB.

They are both great forums but VB won out in the end for me.

 

[Raquel]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Janice Yes, IPB was a candidate in my search for forum software. In fact it was down to between VB and IPB. They are both great forums but VB won out in the end for me.

Really? Why? I guess I'm biased, though. I've been using IPB for about 3 years, and I can't imagine anything different or better.

 

[Janice]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raquel Really? Why? I guess I'm biased, though. I've been using IPB for about 3 years, and I can't imagine anything different or better.

I have been active on several forums for years that use both IPB and VB. The forums that run IPB are all very slick, great interface, neat custom options, but inevitably these are 'hacks' installed. That's not a *bad* thing, don't get me wrong.

What I really loved about VB and made me ultimately decide to go with it in the end was the extensive admin panel (you can do vitually everything you could think of back there). The 'style' editor is amazing and intuitive from a design point of view. The fact that vB "Gold" (being released soon) will have a modification 'plug in' type of console, which will require no manual edits of files and make the 'hacking' process more secure as well as stable. This plugin system will also allow for easy removal which, if you've ever customized your forum, you're aware can be QUITE difficult, and ultimately facilitating the upgrade process of a customized forum.

IPB has alot of great features, enough to be a serious competitor when it came down to decision time, but VB won out for numerous reasons (the small list above being the *key* points for me). The top one in my mind being the security and ease of modification/customizing without the need to compromise the forum with hacks.

 

[Raquel]

Very true. A lot of IPB's cool features are modifications you have to add yourself. Which is PAINSTAKING and RISKY as hell...

I didn't know all that about VB. But if you ever decided to convert, take a peek at IPB's new upgrade, 2.1, which has done the same as VB and made the hacks default features.<img>

 

[Wontpayretail23]

I was one of the first to donate, and I'm very happy with Specktra and how informative it really is. I haven't figured everything out yet but I'm sure in time I will (like how to leave feedback, etc). I'm probably using Specktra now more than I ever did in the past.

 

[mspixieears]

It'll take a while to figure out what's what (I know I've already bombarded Janice with a few dumb questions) but it's not too bad, it has so many more features than the previous one.

Btw, I've always liked the background/layout - it's not hard or glary on the eyes.