New Cove Forum Software - Should we?

[Marc]

I am looking at changing forums software. I have been watching a perl board software program called WWWThreads. To see it in action please go to www.wwwthreads.com/perl/wwwthreads.pl

Please STOP BY THERE and TAKE A LOOK. Give me your thoughts - feedback. It has many neat features and (the reason I am even considering it) I can import all the current messages from this software.

Opinions, please!

[Laura M]

Marc,

What did you like about it? I suppose I could get used to it.

[Marc]

Well, if you 'register' it does a lot of things. Any user can upload files for people to snag - like if you want to share a spreadsheet. You can subscribe to daily digests of posts in forums. You can get a 'All new messages in last 48 hours' listing (a lot of people have asked for this - the 24 hours thing cuts off a lot of posts). You can view in either flat mode (like this board does) or threaded.

I dunno - just a lot of things that I like. But I am asking you folks in case I'm just in love...

On my end it's database driven and thus faster, for 1 thing. There's some neat stuff like you can see who's online while you're online.

Let me ask you this, since you seem 'apprehensive' (I guess I can get used to it...) -- What don't you like about it? Anything specific?

[Laura M]

I suppose I should have given it a fair shake before responding. I didn't see the screen where you can view all the replies to a given topic.
Also - any chance you can change the colors?
Petty, I know, but I didn't like it!

I guess if it had the basic features of:
- indicating which topics have new posts
- search
- looking at a certain number of days of posts
- scrolling down the entire post of a given subject
- and, of course smilies!

I also didn't try any of the reply features, but assume that's pretty standard.

Your the boss, whatever works best for you.

Laura

[Marc]

I know it would be faster on the server - that doesn't mean it will appear faster to the user if they have a slow internet connection - which is most often the case.

As far as I can tell the switch would only take a few minutes but I plan to have the board down for a few hours - possibly as long as a day as 'insurance'. As I understand the importer it takes all the old messages, forums, member details and such and imports them into the wwwthreads database - so I would expect topics and such to stay the same. Supposedly even the members database is carried over - but that might be a problem as many people ask the software to memorize their password in a cookie - and thus don't remember what it actually is.

Of course, that's in a perfect world. I've migrated enough data in the last 25 years to know imports (migration) seldom go as planned.

The idea is to stop using UBB if the migration works. The plan is to end up with the same content - just a different program.

One of the features that really turned me into a believer is the option for 'members' to attach a file to a post. That would (could) end all the "...e-mail me a copy of that, too..."

There are a couple of trade-offs, but that's the way it is with all software. One program does something one way, another program does it another way, etc.

One last thing I like a lot is anyone who posts to an existing thread can get an e-mail when the thread is replied to. With UltimateBB only the forum moderator and the originator of the topic can get e-mails of responses.

Well, we'll see. If I do change over, I will probably do it this coming week.

[Marc]

Laura - I'm not sure how many accompany the program its self, nor will I guarantee I'll make up and put in a bunch, but the program does allow style sheets which the user can set in their preferences. Different people cvan see it differently. Just like the people who like the flat layout of posts can view them that way and those who prefer the threads format casn view them that way. This does allow you to post a reply to a message in the middle of a thread easily and the thread view shows that link. In the flat mode there is a 'reference' link with each message which (I think - haven't clicked it yet) takes you to the message you replied to. You might say it allows threads to break out into sub-threads within a master thread.

Now that I'm all hyped, I'll find out the threads and forums from this set of forums won't import... I better start praying to the migration gods now...

Marc,

Looks good.

Would it be and internal forum of current cove members (and future memebrs)?

Would the topic fields/headers stay the same?

How long would the switch take to complete?

I like the part about it being faster!

ASD...

Marc,

I'm one of the masses that still has slow connection at home. 28,800 on a good day. (If I wasn't so cheap I could go cable!)

I do like the ability to attach a file or form.

Good luck!

ASD...