vB4 is the mark of IB Ownership Transition...?

As everyone should know, Internet Brands purchased Jelsoft, which resulted in creating vBulletin Solutions. There is no more Jelsoft.

Some participants here have voiced their purchase of the upgrade to vB4 (as well as outright new purchase) and additionally those that have declined to continue use of vBulletin (e.g., other forum solutions like IPB).

A 3rd option, if you will, but not limited to, is that some folks are riding out (i.e,. remain at v3.x) the vB4 festival to await its actual delivery, subsequent patches, for the unveiling of vB5.

I'm the latter type person as I see this vB4 festival to be the make or break of vB Solutions. It's the true transition of the vB team from what many of you legacy users have known before. When a company comes under new ownership, operations always change. It's a new business model. My intent here is not to criticize this aspect, but to understand better how it will play out with this forum software amongst you peers here.

Maybe some of you have thought of this and said it elsewhere. I apologize for missing it. Really, this thread here is for some long term thinking.

 

There was a post here by Gordie not to long ago that sumarzied how he felt IB was heading with vBulletin now. For those that were around in the early Jelsoft days, I'm sure can see the similarities between 10 years ago and today.

History always repeats itself...always. And thats pretty much all I have to say about it.

 

Definitely a transition. I believe at this time this is the apex of it and things should calm down by Saturday.

Long term I've been asking myself what the future holds and to me it seems quite bright. As long as they continue to have the current good people involved from the customer support team and others that post blogs at this time at vb.com.


Things were not perfect under the old system either, it took much time to have certain issues addressed.

 

Nick or AA admins, feel free to merge this with Gordie's thread. (my bad)

 

How so? I think that on Saturday you'll see more pandemonium, with angry people who didn't pre-sale upgrade yelling about what they will have to pay as a penatly. Even a 10% coupon will infuriate them.

Long term... I don't know. I see vb4 as a big question mark. I'm not sure what to make of it, if anything at all. No cms shown, none of the extras. To me it just still looks like an unfinished forum that may take a long time just to release that. There is no guide that I've seen that will explain the complete upgrade process so I'll know whether the URLs I've got in indexed will be maintained or the options to ensure that damage is minimized. From a theming and structure standpoint, we are still very far away from being able to properly theme the sucker since structurally it isn't sound. Regarding modules and the social features, I was left very unimpressed. I don't see any example of how this has been improved in what was a very poor area. I can't even think of vB5 while vB4, in development for a year, is still in such a relatively unfinished state as compared to the chart for what people are paying for... and that's without mods that cannot yet be developed. I don't know. If there was anyone thinking of competing, the time is now for sure.

 

I started about 10 years ago on Ultimate BB and have been on vB since 2 something 8 (or 9?) years ago and chose the up & coming VB over the then king UBB based on product and a really slick and happy user community. I'm very glad I did as in my little segment I was the first to use VB when everyone else was using UBB. I saw VB as the greater product. Over time the other boards in my segment went to VB 3x series from UBB.

This feels strangely like a repeat though today it is Jelsoft, err IB, umm, VS is now playing that role of UBB from 'lo so many years ago.

I've waited for years to do VB with a CMS and have in the past few years run a Joomla site with the VB forums (not linked). I'm disappointed that the CMS is finally coming out (limited beta not impressive so far) with VB changing license models.

Today I purchased the discounted upgrade to VB4 Suite for the $130. My current vb license was up for renewal in a month anyway so waiting out was a reduced option. I feel that I may have gambled and given my last payment to VB this morning. Time will tell if my next purchase will be IPB. IPB seems to today have the community spirit that attracted me to Jelsoft 8 or so years ago.

 

Yes but many of them just now finding out about the presale, for example have not checked their email or admincp for the last 2 weeks because they were away, will not expect to actually buy the software.

They will be angry and post, but hopefully most of the employees can get some rest.

That is short term and I am quite hopeful those issues will be cleaned up soon(ish) compared to earlier versions.

Please let me live in hope for the next 2 weeks LOL...

Bingo.

 

I agree that this is a defining moment in vBulletin history. vBulletin 4 could fail or it could put vBulletin on a whole new level.
Things that I consider extremely important in the long term:
- Coding quality
- Extensibility (A well documented API)
- Superb skinning capabilities
- Support and cultivation of 3rd party coders that make addons/plugins (vBulletin.org)
- PROPER integration of new features. The emphasis should be on quality, not quantity. Nothing half-assed like the Social Groups or the Blog in vB3.X
- Communication with the client base
- Consistency, reliability, honesty

If vBulletin Solutions manages to master most or all of the above, I think the future for vBulletin looks bright.
Coupled with that, there's the increased man-power to consider. IB have more people to work on vBulletin and hopefully that will be something that will show its affects throughout the vB4.X series.
It will be interesting to see how the transition to vB5 will be managed.

 

^nicely laid out Been Told. That is something I've been looking for from a more seasoned user. Some other posts have stated very similar points.

Anybody ever detested when their favorite sports team hits a rebuild timeframe???? :handcuffs:

There are two very distinct themes that are present: Hope and Uncertainty

Not to change what I was looking for in my OP, but in addition....some of you are in the Hope Camp and some of you are in the Uncertainty Camp. I'm certain that I am Uncertain. Just sayin'. Well, there are other analogies too.

 

I have a foot in each camp, to be honest.

 

I too have a foot in each camp. Loyalty and satisfaction on what Jelsoft had delivered in the past (except for a CMS :shrug::unhunh as well as the general pain and switching has me sticking with VB for now.

I begrudgingly and reluctantly voted with my wallet this morning for one more chance on VB. I really want to see it succeed and I want my site to grow with it. If it is 9 months before a stable and usable product is out the door I will have been 6 months into testing other software or already on a competing product.

Not even CLOSE to favorite sports team. Drop 'em like a red-headed step child :killpc2:.

 

I have a foot and body headed out of vB and into IPB. The remaining foot is in vB only because my boards are in vB and was about to create a better integration solution. Because we will not upgrade the several expired licenses we have (thanks to Internet Brands making them worthless) we'll be developing all the new boards with IPB's sweet suite and using their well designed integration structure to build bridges for our existing products. Easily the cheaper and better solution right now and for the next several months while vB goes somewhere.

Once I'm done, I really could care less what vB is doing. Regardless of any move, there will be significant pain to move everything to vB4. IB's locking us out of the beta testing team is forcing us to tell them where to go. We simply cannot develop our bridges and products on the outside and waiting several months. We'll try to sell the remaining extra licenses we have since IB backed all of us into the corner to pony up in order to sell and realize any value. We may have a board or two that might remain up but that's it.

 

For us old folk it's like Deja Vu all over again.

I give them credit for for putting a beta-pre beta in a production environment. Lets see how they do.