Announcement: Forum Software Migration from vBulletin 4 to Xenforo

El_Goretto

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UPDATE - 14 May 2017


We will do the migration to the new software on Tuesday 16 May 2017. We will shut down the forum around 8.30AM for a (hopefully) maximum of 24-48 hours, most likely less.

Thank you for your patience and support!

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Dear Forum Member,

As our forum grows, and technology advances, it has become evident that the forum software we are currently using is no longer capable of meeting our needs. The current software we use is vBulletin 4, which is now almost 8 years old, and at the end of its life cycle. As such, the makers of vBulletin 4 no longer provide updates other than the most critical security patches and even some bugs are beginning to creep up that will no longer be patched, as per the vBulletin developers themselves (the space bar bug in quick reply for instance).

Unfortunately, the developers of vBulletin are now focusing on their vBulletin 5 software, which by our own experience (this is what LIIF was updated to), and by many other forum administrators, is considered a failure. We have tried to forestall this, but the longer we postpone this, the more difficult it will be when the inevitable happens.

Therefore, we have decided to move on to an improved platform, a software called Xenforo. We know that transitioning successfully to a new platform can make or break a community which is why we have been working behind the scenes for several months now to ensure a smooth transition. We are now ready to advance to the next step: involve our community in this transition.

For the past week, a select group of users* has been selected for a sneak peek preview as well as to test the new software and get some invaluable feedback. We are now moving onto the 2nd testing phase with a public testing period of one week or so (depending on our availability).

Once we have tested the new forum thoroughly in terms of bugs, functionality and usability, we will then do an up-to-date copy of the old forum, and hopefully seamlessly transition to the new forum. No address change will be required. We will turn-off vBulletin 4 on https//forum.expatindo.org, do the migration, then turn on Xenforo at the same address.



Some of the advantages of the new platform:



  • Mobile responsive design. Our data shows that about 70% of our users use mobile devices such as smartphones or tablets to access the forum. In Xenforo, the mobile version is far superior and easy to use than on vBulletin. The forum will be responsive to your device and adjust the layout automatically to the smaller screens of a mobile phone, which means that the mobile version will feel very familiar compared to the full size version.
  • A Private messaging system that allows multiple participants. You are no longer limited to 1 person direct messaging.
  • More integration with the sister website. We will eventually install a plug-in that allows people on the website to comment on articles, which will link to the forum. We hope this will encourage more participation from current readers.
  • Better post quoting. The quoting system in Xenforo allows for much more flexible quoting, by just highlighting what you want to quote. So no more deleting superfluous text when quoting.
  • Customizable personal alerts. You can choose to get alerts when your post is answered, you receive a private message, or when you receive a “like”, etc.
  • Better social media integration
  • Frequent updates and bug fixes. As the developers are still active developing this platform, we expect kinks to be worked out rather quickly, enhancing both usability and security.
  • Administrators who have switched to Xenforo from vBulletin have seen significant improvements in terms of:
  • User activity: Existing members were more active on the forum due to it’s better layout and responsiveness which encourages participation
  • Search Engine Optimisation: because Xenforo uses a more modern “code” which is more likable by search engines. This translates in better ranking on Google and increased traffic.
  • Less stress on the server: because the software is well optimised, the server doesn’t have to work as hard to make the forum running which in turns helps us to save on hosting costs in the long run.
  • It’s a huge improvement for us behind the scenes. It feels like upgrading from an old clamshell phone to the latest iPhone in terms of features and usability.




How to participate in the 2nd testing phase?


Simply head over to this thread where you will find all the instructions to access it.

You will also notice that as a registered member, you will see a new sub-forum called Test Feedback. This is where you will find all the information regarding our progress so far as well as the best place to provide your feedback

Here are some useful threads in that sub-forum:





We look forward to your feedback!

Enjoy!


The Expat Indo Team

* A special thank you to our members who helped with the testing of the first phase:

Anglian
Bad_azz
CaturMuka
Davita
Euc
fastpitch17
jstar
macvert
Nimbus
steveandpenny
waarmstrong
William King
 
Last edited:
Another pro for the new format is that is just feels new & shiny, the whole thing seems cleaner & clearer to read.

& the fact that the forum members are being notified in advance, involved in the development /bug fixes etc- BEFORE it goes live is brill.
 
I agree with bad_azz. New and shiny. Even comes with that new forum smell so to speak. You can get in, drive it around and easily figure out all the new features this model has without worry of crashing.
 
One really cool feature of Xenforo that you may not immediately see, but definitely will feel, is that it is much easier to modify.

If you check out this thread, you can see how many adjustments EG was able to make in the 1 week we did the Phase 1 testing.

There are multiple reasons for this:

1) Active community of modders - being the hot item, it has a large group of people developing modifications (mods). A lot of them are even free! In fact, many of the modders of VBulletin have moved to modding for Xenforo. So many things that people request have already been coded by a modder.

2) Easier coding language with what they call xen:tags. Basically it allows quickly editing the forum for small features to be added. For instance, EG added a functionality for highlighting hot topics with a flame icon by adding a few lines of code. We have complete control over how many views/posts a thread needs to have before it is considered hot (in this case 20 posts or 150 views, right now).

3) A lot of the things are already included. Such as better spam protection functionality (we had to add this to VBulletin).
 
I forgot to mention that our members who have gladly participated in the first testing phase deserve a special thank you:

Anglian
Bad_azz
CaturMuka
Davita
Euc
fastpitch17
jstar
macvert
Nimbus
steveandpenny
waarmstrong
William King

Your feedback has been invaluable: most of the extra features wouldn't be there and the bugs wouldn't be squashed!

And as if that wasn't enough, your encouragement has also been greatly appreciated!
 
Do you have a timeline?
Customizable personal alerts. You can choose to get alerts when your post is answered, you receive a private message, or when you receive a “like”, etc.
Yay!
 
Do you have a timeline?

Yay!

Timeline for? The above feature? Or actual migration?

The above feature is already implemented by default and can be tested on the test forum.

The actual migration, not sure yet. "Soon". We need to find a large block of time where several of us mods are available.
 
I've used Zen on another forum. Had some hiccups here and there, but mostly a good experience.
 
We will do the migration to the new software on Tuesday 16 May 2017. We will shut down the forum around 8.30AM for a (hopefully) maximum of 24-48 hours, most likely less.

Thank you for your patience and support!
 
We will do the migration to the new software on Tuesday 16 May 2017. We will shut down the forum around 8.30AM for a (hopefully) maximum of 24-48 hours, most likely less.

Thank you for your patience and support!

Wheee....it's alive!!

We're still doing a few adjustments, but for the most part it should be working as intended.

Please let us know if there is any weirdness. Thanks!
 
Wheee....it's alive!!

We're still doing a few adjustments, but for the most part it should be working as intended.

Please let us know if there is any weirdness. Thanks!
Well done you techo techies! Good job and thanks!
 
Wheee....it's alive!!

We're still doing a few adjustments, but for the most part it should be working as intended.

Please let us know if there is any weirdness. Thanks!

that's fast, it looks very nice and I like it, Congratulations !
nothing weird yet but if possible put the "what's new" more in front, more visible.
 
Waiting for everyone to get banned.... When does that happen? And why does the updated site seem like it actually still works and has even improved?

Seriously though, thank you for doing this efficiently and inclusively. I really like the new digs so far!
 
Likes and trophies. Yay.

Like Trophy.jpg

































































:llama:



















































:deadhorse:
 
Great job El and all the Mods that were involved in getting this changed over. Looking very good. Smilies didn't seem to come with everything though. not a big deal.
 
Also from my side a big hug for the great work and effort the responsibles have done on this site.

Thank you to keep this forum a life.
 
Yesh... New and shiny and very readable!

The last is a good thing as I seem to have misplaced my eyeglasses...
 

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