SMF so unpopular

I frequent a lot of various online communities, and it is only every once-in-a-while that I come across one that is powered by SMF.

Why is this? I've never really tried SMF, but it seems very plain, less functional than others, and not highly customizable.

I believe we have some huge SMF users and supporters here, so I'd like to hear from them as well as those who don't particularly like SMF: Why is it so unpopular?

 

I think it's ugly and the navigation is difficult and stiff. It's much different from other forum software therefore it's harder for a usually-experienced forum user to get used to which would put people off the site.

 

For the reason you mentioned; not many decide to use the forum software because it's less functional than other softwares, hard to customize and very plain.

I think you've answered your own question.

Then again, I'd also think it's unpopular because the developers/founders are not doing a lot of promoting.

But, like you, I'd like to hear from the users of the SMF script.

 

I'm not a huge fan of how it looks. I wasn't a huge fan of how the ACP was set up. But I'd probably use it over phpBB. But if I'm going free I'd go with MyBB.

 

SMF can be a little "difficult" to work with. Some modifications only install with the default theme. Simple things like recaptcha have been left out of SMF. When I was using SMF last year, just installing a sitemap was a real pain. The permissions can get confusing, the support forums are a little slow.


My opinion - SMF is losing serious ground to MYBB.

 

I agree with both StateDOG and Kevin. The ACP is not so innate, very difficult, support is slow, etc.

MyBB is way over SMF at this point... phpBB and MyBB are the main competitors, in my opinion.

 

phpBB and MyBB competitors? Psh, phpBB doesn't stand a chance.

Anyhow, on topic: SMF is the ugliest Free forum software ever, plus it's not promoted enough. My opinion anyways.

 

Well, let's compare actual numbers.

"Powered by vBulletin" returns 112,000,000 results
"Powered by phpBB" returns 61,200,000 results
"Powered by SMF" returns 34,100,000 results (Yabb gives another 600k)
"Powered by Invision Power Board" returns 5,250,000 results (Invision and IPB give another 800k)
"Powered by MyBB" returns 1,950,000 results

Obviously, your premise is simply invalid. People often dislike SMF's theme system, but I've never seen a major forum that depended on its theme.

 

The theme is the first thing a user sees, along with content. Guests don't see the backend of forums.

 

I used to be an active member of a forum that was quite active using IPB. But the company decided for various reasons that they would no longer have a section of their website dedicated to forums. They let everyone know a few weeks out. People were really disappointed.

But a couple of members got together and started a new forum. They used SMF. And while most people initially made the move over, the activity waned. And I blame it largely upon SMF. Now some didn't care. And still don't. But to me (and quite a few others) SMF just wasn't IPB. I think if the startup with a built in memberbase hungry for the forum would have used IPB again or vB or even maybe MyBB...the sky would have been the limit.

But that's just me. And maybe a different theme would have made the difference. But it was a project from the getgo. But talking to the admin even now, he told me that if he were to start from scratch again he'd go with IPB or vB hands down. He even recommended if I was starting a new forum and had plans on it being big and successful, go with a paid software. I've not done that (yet). But now with his site at between 300k and 400k posts, he thinks it's too "bulky" to atempt a conversion.

 

I have a 40% conversion rate for my targeted terms. Considering the hoops people leap through to join Elliquiy, I'm not exactly convinced that that's a bad number. By far, it seems the key driver for a community's growth is: Are there interesting people here for me to meet?

Theming does not remotely rank on that scale.

 

I agree that quality of the "community and content" trumps software. And I'm glad for that fact in the case of one forum I run. I'm not a fan of the software. It's proprietary. But it's what I have to do if I'm a part of that network.

 

I'm not going to argue that there's nothing wrong with SMF. There's a reason every piece of software in my sig is different. However, every popular package has its strengths. Denying that SMF has a strong following is simply nonsensical. Just search for the copyright string - it is solidly in the #3 position. If MyBB overtakes phpBB, it will be after SMF does. Possibly after Drupal does.

I can't keep track of Blue Moon or Personal Roleplaying with the same finesse that I do with Elliquiy. A part of it is my experience with the software, true, but it really does have a lot to do with SMF itself and 2.0 in particular.

 

If you take a look at "Users online" at Simple Machines and myBB's website, there's a lot more users active at Simple Machines at any time.

MyBB:

Simple Machines:

It's not the number of online users I want you to check out, but the date. Ok, for both, it's been a while since the last peak.
But what will happen when SMF releases version 2.0, probably within this year? I'm sure Simple Machines will get a boost, as SMF 2.0 is packed with new features.

 

I used SMF for a while; I really like the idea of free software with the paid support option to upgrade. Many large open source models run on this, and it works quite well.

SMF is a good forum; a fair amount use it in my particular niche. However, the complaint is always the same. I would say SMF is very clunky. To sum it up in one word, I'd use inefficient. As much as I like and want to get behind this choice, it's not very friendly when dealing with a population demographic that is not technically savvy. I held a little test with a couple of my members, and they strongly disliked the SMF interface. I don't know if that will change in future versions; I hope it does.

Without trying to ignite a powder keg here, some folks are uncomfortable with the license as well, I think. Whether or not you agree with it, I've seen this brought up across multiple arenas. I don't personally feel that way, but I know others who do. I think they probably have to use their license, but I think it ticks off that GPL crowd which says it needs to be done one specific way.

I think SMF is hurt with those two things, and they contribute to the success of software like MyBB.

 

Was this SMF 1 or 2? What was the concerns/what did they not like?

SMF is very little known in my country. MyBB even less. People know phpBB and nothing else. So they got used to that interface, and that's it.
In almost any SMF forum in my country, there's topics about "change to phpBB!". It's just something SMF and MyBB will have to live with for a while.
The profile interface in different forum software, only differs a lot in the menu structure, nothing else. They contain as standard more or less the same options, and they are named similar in most forums.
As for post options, every forum is even more alike. A menu to create BBC, a smiley bar, a message window, etc. No forum is hard to post in. It's BS.

So in the end, it comes down to what people are used to. In my largest forum (international), I asked my members whether they knew SMF. None did (1, actually), they all knew phpBB. But none complained, even I gave them the option to. Now they just love it when I ask.

 

This was for SMF 1.x.

My audience is primarily American, but includes folks from other countries as well.

I think we, as forum administrators, have the disadvantage of looking at things through a certain aspect of rose-tinted glasses. Speaking for myself (which I think can certainly be applied generally), we are technical users (more or less) that don't have a problem adopting to various software. IE: I can jump into a completely new software program and use logic to find certain menu options, etc. We do this with forum software as well. vB, IPB, SMF, MyBB, phpBB, etc -- no problem.

In my case, I deal with a topic that is not exactly technical. I have a wide range signing up starting with teenagers and jumping all the way up to folks that are in there 60s and 70s according to some profiles. Most of these people use a computer on a daily basis, but many don't. I grabbed a cross section of willing and able individuals, including one lady who has used SMF before. The complaints were always the exact same: it came down to difficult navigation and problems finding various features. I personally find the administration panel like navigating a maze sometimes; it's very easy for me to miss a setting and wonder where the heck I last saw it. I might occasionally forget something in IPB or vB, but it's pretty easy to find it.

 

I used SMF for about a week and switched to MyBB. The themes available for it were sub-par and had to be sorted by version number, which is complete bull. The layout is plain, uninteresting, and the ACP isn't great. I'd sooner use phpBB3.
MyBB, on the other hand, is basically free vB. Being a vB user in the past, I felt right at home with it.

 

If you would sooner use phpBB3 for it's ACP, I'd suggest you have never had to deal with tracking users etc.

 

I meant I'd sooner use phpBB3 as a whole.