POLL: So what's up with the board?

[VirtualPlay]

Okay, so the board has been reverted to vB from SMF. Personally I don't see why this was done. I've been told vB has more features, but I never saw them implemented in previous vB incarnations of TPM.

So my poll: What do you think about the switch back to vB?

Personally, I don't like it one bit. Currently the only two new features are the ability to add your Skype name and to add a "profile picture." The SMF board we were on added so much functionality, like board and poster statistics. Plus, the SMF board itself was free, whereas vB boards cost money per board, which either means the admins will have to shell out more money, or we'll have to see a lot more ads to not only support the actual server (which is what they were there for with the SMF) but also to pay for the vB board. Plus, I know the posts weren't deleted, but especially for RPG, fanfic, and ASB, losing a week's worth of posts actually posted on the board is extremely annoying.

Personally, there had better be some darn good upgrades for this switch to be worth it. Otherwise I'm just going to go back and start posting on that "backed up" SMF board again.

[Shizo]

I am afraid I am not in support of this change, either. The loss of posts is certainly a problem for me as an RPGer, and I prefer the setup of the SMF board.

I shall await a full explination for why this switch was considered necessary or worthwhile before passing final judgement, but my initial reaction is a lack of pleasurable feelings.

[Blademaster]

I am inclined to agree - this new board reminds me of a site I used to go to that was pretty popular; after it switched to a board like this, it died. Slowly and painfully. I don't want that to happen to TPM...

Besides, there was no reason to do this. The old board was free and it worked just great; this one costs money, doesn't allow pictures, looks and feels more cluttered and complex, and it seems to have a volatile temper! Hundreds of posts (as well as all my PM's!) deleted, a refusal to mark newly-read posts as 'read'... What is this?

[Knight of Time]

I can't really stand the change either. For one, it really screwed up some of my posts in various topics around TPM (among them, one of my ASB battles lost some posts, including a reffing, and the last post I made in the Crystal Caves Capture Center today (it was after I was updated earlier today) before the big change.

There are some things I can easily get used to, but this one, I'm afraid it's going to take a heavy toll on me for a while...

'absolutely hates being in a forced bad mood'

[The Blue Avenger]

I'm happy the switch took place. I heard that SMF was easy to exploit and that patches were not being released for it, so I'm guessing that vB is more secure. That could prevent a lot of problems in the long run.

[Drago]

Meh I didn't really post often enough to become to attached to the SMF board, though the stats were interesting, I'd imagine they wouldn't have been accurate dating back to the UBB, rending the percentage of posts I had in certain forums awry.
For now, I like the vB. It loads quickly on my pitiful computer, and it's got a nostalgic feel to it that reminds me of an older TPM. That was fun.

EDIT: As long as that remains, all is well.

[Waves_of_Darkness]

I won't take into account the posts that didn't get moved into my decision; that was to be expected. However, I can say that it took me an awful long time to finally figure out how to get my advanced options when posting a message and whatnot... I think that these advanced options for a post are actually better than the old board.

However, I do agree that there were some features about the old board that will be missed, such as the stats, and the "read" markings... at the moment, I'm not too happy with the change, though I do believe that I'll get used to it.

As far as which way my vote swings... I say we go back to the old board, for one reason only- it was free. I don't know the admins of this site, but that doesn't mean I'm going to make them shell out money for my enjoyment. I stopped playing World of Warcraft for the simple reason that it cost money; damn good game, but I didn't feel like paying for it month after month. Here, they have a choice to use a free board (that was wonderful,) so all I can say is, I'd better see some pretty damn good upgrades in the future, otherwise there's going to be some flaming.

[Lady Vulpix]

Well, there's the security issue Jeff mentioned, which is quite important in itself. There's also the fact that admins can make their own additions to the code here, so I would expect a new feature or two coming soon.

I also like the fact that I can run IP checks and post announcements here, but I understand that not everyone will appreciate the benefits of that.

[woz]

Doesn't it seem a little excessive for you people to whine about no new features and a weeks worth of lost posts when the transfer to (the vastly superior) vB has only just occurred? Wait for a few weeks and for the code modifications before making threats of "flaming" or posting on the backed up SMF.

I think the switch was a good idea because Kevin and Chris can make changes to the code (which they seem to want to do).

[Chris]

I think it's entirely unreasonable for people to expect that Kevin and I can completely convert a forum that has thousands of users and hundreds of thousands of posts to another forum software's format in a matter of days, especially considering that we're both in highly-demanding full-time higher education, we both work, and that everything we do here is entirely voluntary.

SMF was abandoned because, regardless of the pretty bells and whistles that people liked (which can be hacked in to vB, by the way), it was horribly insecure. Converting back to SMF is not an option and the matter isn't negotiable. Things will return to the way they were over the next few weeks. I'm sorry about the posts that have been lost over the last week; I'm doing what I can to import them to vB but again, that might take a while.

[Heald]

wtf my sig iz ghei n mi comentz on saddm hav bn dltd

chris shuld b band

---

Seriously though, stop complaining. We lost, what, some crap on hanging Saddam, two birthdays and nothing else. RPG is pretty badly hit by it, considering how slowly RPGs are moving and with the deleted posts now people will be lost, but just pick up from where you left off. No biggy.

[Weasel Overlord]

Precisely. If you're a sensible RP'er you'll have a copy of every post you've written saved anyway, so it shouldn't be a problem, ay? Stop yer complaining dudes! We've only been on here for like, not even a day!

And anyway, it's awesome, now TPM's back to the way it was before the server move!

[VirtualPlay]

SMF was abandoned because, regardless of the pretty bells and whistles that people liked (which can be hacked in to vB, by the way), it was horribly insecure. Converting back to SMF is not an option and the matter isn't negotiable. Things will return to the way they were over the next few weeks. I'm sorry about the posts that have been lost over the last week; I'm doing what I can to import them to vB but again, that might take a while.

Alright, security issues are worth the switch, but there are still quite a few features that many people here are expecting back, as well as some "features" that we'd like to see away with. I plan on making a topic in the TPM/Forum Help forum for features people would like to see, but not for people to flame about features they don't have.

PS: I didn't start this board for flaming; I was asking an honest question with some argumentative proof. As I have been given a reasonable response, I will back down.

[Inferno_Dragon]

True, we did lose a lot of posts due to switch-over but most of the posts on the previous sites were probably not needed. Sure, I am angry but at least it wasn't every single post.

And I have gotten used to this. When I was Tyranitar Master (soon to be Snakes N' Legends and now with my new log-in name Inferno_Dragon because I couldn't get my other account to work), the boards switched back and forth. At one point I was Alexenti & Diablenti for a short while before everything switched over to a new board.

Sure, some of your posts were deleted but maybe that will give us a fresh start to give this new board a better chance.

[Blademaster]

OK, first of all, I'm not complaining - I'm merely stating my opinion.

And second, Inferno_Dragon is Snakes N' Legends!??! I never knew that!

(holds out a paper and pen)

Autograph, please!!!

[Shizo]

Praise to the Weasel for re-posting those posts in RPGs!

I'm satisfied with security problems as an answer for the move, as well. There are many asses on the internet who enjoy messing with other people's sites for fun. My only consolation is that they will mostly likely remain eternal virgins.

[mr_pikachu]

*falls over*

You're T-Tar Master? When the heck did this happen?



...

Okay. To the poll.

Yeah, SMF was horrid in terms of security. Remember the series of spam attacks and accounts cracked earlier this year that disrupted the forum for several weeks? SMF's massive weaknesses were a large part of why they occured and why they continued for so long.

I think a few lost posts are a small price to keep that from happening again.

[Magmar]

I think Im' Magmar again, which I kinda don't like. But I don't care what the board looks like, as long as I can continue to mock DTZ and participate in Axis Mundi

[Hyperness is a Good Thing]

speaking of Axis Mundi, it's disappeared so I guess we need to start it up again ^_^
I haven't been active for a while, so I didn't lose much, therefore, I don't mind this new board - plus as some have mentioned, it does make one feel very nostalgic

[Gavin Luper]

I was personally excited to return to the old vB. (Must ... resist ... beer innuendo ...) It's how TPM used to be awhile back so it's got a bit of nostalgia to it - frankly, I prefer the layout so much more. Plus, I get to read all the PMs that were sent to me as far back as 2001.

More importantly, the server move was made for security reasons, as Chris and others have mentioned. The admins know what they are doing in regards to the forum more so than any other members do, so I think it would be a good idea to keep that in mind before criticising their decisions.

[midnightangel]

Heck it took me forever to get back into TPM with getting a new password and resetting that, and I had to lower my junk e-mail filter on my Hotmail account so TPM could send me the password.

I'm glad I was able to keep my signature as is, and as for the rest of the features, I'll wait for Kevin and Chris to fix it as they go along

I'm just glad TPM is back up and running again

[Austrian ViceMaster Alex]

Well personally I prefered TPM being a UBB but from the looks of it the current board isn't bad. Sure, it's maybe disheartening to see many of the old posts gone (thus giving TPM a currently rather abandoned look) but if the vBoard is more secure then it's a good thing we've switched to it. This isn't the first TPM board version I've seen us switching to and I doubt it'll be the last one. You'll all get used to it soon enough.

[Kris]

In the end this is Kevin and Chris's choice, Chris has already explained the security problems and how this was a needed change.

You want more features though? My heart goes out to you, I dont know how youll cope without them. I'd like to see you run a board, study full time for a degree and go to work to pay for University. Oh and on top of that, its nice to have a bit of a social life. Reckon you can do better? Go on then, give it a go.

[Starry Might]

I'm cool with the change.

Yeah, I had to reset my password, and the lost posts and topics stink, but as long as it isn't completely wiped out, I can learn to accept it.

Oh, and until I read this topic, I never realized that SMF was so vulnerable! (But then again, there WAS that thing I read about accounts being hijacked awhile back...)

[homeofmew]

I found Pms in my account since 2001 and I had to reset my password too.
No big deal.

[darktyranitar]

I was away during the timeline where the posts were deleted, so I didn't suffer much. Funny enough, I posted on a few ASB topic at 16th Nov, but they still remain there.

Of course, I miss the SMF board, but I'll get over it.

And Inferno Dragon is Snakes N Legend? o_O How come I never know about this?

*join Blademaster and ask for autograph*

[firepokemon]

I was an UBB fan as well.

As for the idiot who said the board will lose people cause we swtiched over. Its not like we went to ezboard. Now that was a situation that was truly bad.

[Vejodi]

I really have no idea what features the SMF had. I never enjoyed the change from vB to SMF, and I am extremely glad it has returned to the vB.

vB v3 has a very similar feel to UBB6, so yes, I am indeed all for it!