discussion The difference between what we have and what we had

[John]

It might just be me but I can not get my head around how VB is so much different to Xenforo, I've done side by side screenshots, using XF default theme from their site



XF is cleaner without the descriptions, but I can fix that.





Once in the forum the layout is again the same, the only difference here is the new post buttons are on opposite sides.





The WYSIWYG editor for starting a thread or posting a reply, the VB one has more options and uploading pictures is no different to XF

So when people are saying it's totally different then I must be missing something, please enlighten me because from what I can see there shouldn't be an issue.

 

[PaulTRose]

Its not just you

But i am on a phone not laptop

Once i took time to work out what buttons did what and where things are im actually finding it a lot easier than the old place so go figure

To be honest it was just like joining a new forum.....you have take time to learn the ins and outs

 

[John]

They should be similar as the developers of XF used to work on VB, but some of them broke away to start XF, I’m pretty sure a lot of the code went with them.

 

[Mark1]

It doesn't seem much different to the old forum to me either, can't see what differences would make people want to jump ship

 

[Andy T]

I've only used the mobile format so far, but after you had done your tweaking over the initial couple of days, I would say the two formats have far more similarities than differences, and there are some features that I prefer now.

 

[Jim R]

In the first couple of days the new forum did seem less user friendly and more "clunky". Since those first few days John has sorted out most of the awkwardness. It's still newish but I'm happy with how it works for me.
I am very saddened seeing members leave. It is of course their choice and I wish them well but I will miss their posts, their friendship, their help and support and the friendly banter.

 

[Valeron]

It's slightly different in my opinion but only slightly. I'm having no problems adapting to it. I've used it on my Windows desktop and on my phone.

It is a real shame some of our longstanding members have struggled so much to the point that they felt they had to leave.

Mike

 

[Ian M]

I have been in here on an android tablet, a lap top and a desktop windows PC.
I very seldom use my mobil but I will have a look.
I admit at first I had a panic attack. I am a technophobe and hate changes lol.
the only real bump in the road was photo uploads and inserting them in posts.
On reading it was still under construction I just waited. After a day or so I notice very little difference, maybe the five attachment limit is a bit low...
other than that no issues.
As the Japanese crisp advert said; "same s#*t different wrapper".

Ian M

 

[Geoffers]

I quite like the new set up

I struggled to upload pictures initially but think I’ve cracked it since John pointed me in the right direction

I only use my iPhone so am not sure how it may differ on a PC.

I think it looks neater and I can do all the things I could on the old site so no complaints from me.

Its a shame some of the longer standing guys feel they don’t want to stay but that’s their choice I suppose

Geoff.

 

[Steven000]

I'm getting used to the new format as well, forced myself a bit to make use of it, trying to give it a chance.

I could be wrong about it, but I guess the fact that all of the older topics lost their images including many long-term projects still under construction made people feel very disappointed. I understand the technical issues, so it's not a complaint from my side, but some people put so many effort sharing detailed images of their projects, and all that feels a bit 'scredded', like the forum has been 'reset', blank page...

Again, might be wrong about it, but I think it's at least a piece of the bitter pie for some people...

all the best, cheers

 

[colin m]

It's a bit like having a new car. Yes the radio still produces the same sounds, but it's just a different button or two to get there. Imagine never changing your car because the controls are different.
So, are you missing something John ? I don't know. I'm not comparing this format to the old one, I'm just moving on with it.

 

[John]

The image conversation is still WIP, I posted previously that I sent them the pictures which was over 40GB and they are converting them, it will take some time due to the directory structure, there is over 350 directories but they all have subdirectories

 

[HAWKERHUNTER]

At some point things have to change particularly when your dealing with software that is always changing and developing. I am not technically minded so how you have managed to keep the new forum almost a mirror image of the last one John is a mystery to me. Why some people have thrown their "teddy out of the cot" over this change absolutely baffles me and I believe at some point they will be back. I am sure that I speak for many on this forum who very much appreciate the work that you and the team have done in pulling this move off and hope that you dont let the actions of a few disgruntled members impact on you too much.

 

[Tim Marlow]

No real issues with the new format myself. It looks different, and some buttons are in different places, but that’s about all. I honestly can’t remember if the site banner at the top of the page is the same, but in this format it looks pretty amateurish. Not to worry though, that’s just window dressing.

The big issue is that we seem to have lost quite a few long standing members as a result of the change. This is to be expected, because some people simply do not handle change well, but is still a real blow. The take home message, that this has enforced, is that a forum is its members, not its software. Not everyone is tech savvy and able to negotiate change, so perhaps more thought could have been given to this aspect before the change was made. I know John has offered support to those that are struggling, as have others, and now we have moved it is too late to reconsider. That ship has sailed. However, it may be prudent to keep the lesson in mind going forwards.

The loss of John R and Chris is a particularly big blow. They were probably the most supportive, kind, warm hearted and prolific posters on the site, and I, for one, will miss them greatly. There are several others I have not seen posting on here since the change over as well, and hope (forlorn though it probably is) that is just a blip. By losing these members we, in my opinion, have lost the soul of the site. This may be just a feeling, but it seems that the number of active participants has dropped markedly since the switch.

The second big issue is the loss of the pictures of old builds. I know they are still there, but in the current form they are pretty much unintelligible. I know you are working on that John, but after this length of time I will be pleasantly surprised if we get a positive outcome. This means that, unless things change, we have lost the history of the site. I very much hope I can be proven wrong here, but time will tell.

I know some of this is esoteric compared to the nuts and bolts of the software side, but at its best this site has always been about more than just sticking plastic together and throwing paint at it.

 

[Ian M]

could I just add a comment that as far as I am aware chris fell away due to a computer problem and not because of the change over.
Also as it has been said so many times. The Old pictures are not gone forever. VB have them and they are chugging through the 30odd gigabyte of data trying to line the hundreds, if not thousands, of pictures up with the slot they belong in. There are literally thousands of lines of data, directories and sub directories. It will take a while.

 

[John]

I can't attached am image to a comment, so Tim Marlow I got it wrong, there isn't 40gb of files, that is when they are archived, it takes up a bit more space than that, and with the subdirectories there are a lot to go through, I have them all on my PC at work, but they are all called something like 100004-ccf2696bb1a9f14eac1300e4e5839242.data so it's not that easy to tell what they are



Oh and as for the header, I will be the first to admit I'm graphically challenged, if anyone can do a better header feel free, I'm more than happy to change it

 

[Tim Marlow]

I get all that guys, and am really not questioning the process, so please don’t be so defensive. The picture issue is just an unforeseen impact of the change, that’s all. It may get sorted out, and I hope it does, but I’m not holding my breath. My professional experience of software houses is that they allocate a certain number of hours to a project, and when they are used up you are left pulling teeth trying to get more than basic help out of them. You may not be there yet, but that time is probably looming large in the window.
As to Chris, he struggled with the old format, so was obviously going to struggle here as well Ian. The PC issue might be the clincher, but you can bet your boots getting to grips with a new format is also contributing to his withdrawal from the forum. All I was pointing out was how I saw things pre and post change and that the loss of members was a shame.

 

[davecov]

It's a bit like having a new car. Yes the radio still produces the same sounds, but it's just a different button or two to get there. Imagine never changing your car because the controls are different.
So, are you missing something John ? I don't know. I'm not comparing this format to the old one, I'm just moving on with it.

I was thinking the same thing yesterday, Colin. A short while ago, I exchanged my 21 plate Grandland X Elite Manual for a 24 plate Grandland Ultimate Automatic - the first automatic I have ever driven. As much as they look almost the same from the outside, there are differences, not just the transmission, but equipment that is no longer in the car and new equipment to get used to.

First few times I drove the car, it would take an age to buckle up, do all the settings and get going. I was also grabbing for a gear lever that didn't exist. I have done a lot of journeys totalling 1,000 miles now and getting started is a lot easier now and I no longer grab for that gear lever! I don't look back at the old car as that is history. Now, I just look forward.

The same with this forum (and others when changes take place). It just takes a little time to adjust and John and the Admins/Mods need to change things to make the forum more user-friendly - but they have to learn how to do it first. At the end of the day, the forum is the members within, not what it looks like.

Dave

 

[John]

I changed to an automatic years ago, it was a bit strange I kept lifting my left foot when I thought I needed to change gear, very weird feeling, but now I wouldn't go back to a manual.

 

[Steve-the-Duck]

Okay, my experience here is a loss of a few things, like the ability to add emojis and text formatting. Plus 'Like' etc. A lot of buttons just show '?' for me now
Of course this IS because I'm usually on the PS4, and that doesn't like a lot of little things on teh intraweb. Still, our 'new' PC seems to actuallly go online now... (can't find my sig pic yet tho'...)

One thing is I've only just noticed the 'get thread updates' button, whereas before you just had to reply to a thread to keep getting it. Usually

Kind of like the 'in post' comment function