What forum software were you running before you switched to vBulletin?

**Soliloquy** · 07-23-2008, 10:49 PM

When I took over one of my forums it was running PHP-Nuke, was slow as molasses, and members were jumping ship left and right. I quickly converted it to plan phpBB which stopped the hemorrhaging, but it was some time before I had some spare cash for vB.
I still have a few tiny phpBB forums, but I don't think they'll ever be popular enough that I'd need vB.

**Caddyman** · 07-24-2008, 05:43 AM

vbulletin from the beginning. when i starting getting on forums, as a user, it was only vB sites, idk why. then i worked my way up the ranks at a vB site to admin. then that admin pushed me to start a forum, and vB was the logical choice...

**BWorld** · 07-24-2008, 05:45 AM

i was running phpbb3, easy to code and style and was quite secure. But my members didnt like it very much and alot of my members liked invision (competing forums are all invision) so i gave them something different and i liked vbulletin

**Caddyman** · 07-24-2008, 05:54 AM

theres another large DE forum (for fire fighters) im about to advertise on, it runs phpbb3, trying to talk the guy into moving to vB...

**BWorld** · 07-24-2008, 06:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Caddyman

theres another large DE forum (for fire fighters) im about to advertise on, it runs phpbb3, trying to talk the guy into moving to vB...

should be easy :p

**Big Dan** · 07-24-2008, 07:24 AM

I ran phpBB 2 when I first started, then got fed up with that and went to MyBB, finally I went to vB and 3 licenses later haven't looked back.

Now a days sometimes I'll setup a forum with myBB to see how well it takes then convert later on.

**ArnyVee** · 07-25-2008, 01:19 PM

I starting setting up one using phpBB, but quickly realized the superior product that vBulletin offered. So, after two members joined (me and a friend), I started vBulletin.

Dan, that's a good idea as far as seeing if the forum 'takes off' or not and then convert to vBulletin. Can you actually avoid losing posts and all of that as well when converting?

**trumpetmaster** · 07-25-2008, 02:13 PM

phpbb early on.

**Yogesh Sarkar** · 07-25-2008, 02:16 PM

Earlier I was using phpbb on my forum and then switched to vBulletin and ever since I haven't looked back. Though I do run a couple of SMF forums

**Soliloquy** · 07-25-2008, 03:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ArnyVee

Dan, that's a good idea as far as seeing if the forum 'takes off' or not and then convert to vBulletin. Can you actually avoid losing posts and all of that as well when converting?

Sure, if you turn off the phpbb forum (and make a backup) before beginning the conversion you shouldn't lose any posts. On the other hand, I always manage to lose everybody's avatars :frown:

**Caddyman** · 07-26-2008, 06:34 PM

why is it that impex is SOOO Large, i had to use it one time and i remember it taking like 10 years to upload to my server....

**Greek76** · 07-26-2008, 06:39 PM

I was running a phpbb type forum . Real bad in my opinion unless your good with raw coding. I had to pay someone to install hacks on it. Thank goodness for VB.

**Caddyman** · 07-26-2008, 06:57 PM

thats the thing for me, i have always run vB but a client i tech admin'd for had a phpbb board i helped him with somtimes, all i gotta say is "it was greek to me" :P

**Rocket 442** · 07-28-2008, 11:31 AM

Way back when I had a phpBB forum, then went to SMF, and then to vBulletin.

I still use SMF if I don't have the cash to drop on vB at the time, then import it to vBulletin later.

**MsJac** · 07-31-2008, 08:57 PM

I was actually running a pirated/nulled vBulletin - just to test of course....
I loved it and made the switch to 100% legit within a month of the testing

Jacquii.

**ArnyVee** · 08-03-2008, 10:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ArnyVee

I starting setting up one using phpBB, but quickly realized the superior product that vBulletin offered. So, after two members joined (me and a friend), I started vBulletin.

Dan, that's a good idea as far as seeing if the forum 'takes off' or not and then convert to vBulletin. Can you actually avoid losing posts and all of that as well when converting?

Actually, it was not phpBB that I was using...it was proboards.

I just found the old link .... Walt Disney Boards - Home

**Cori** · 08-03-2008, 11:25 AM

I have always just used Vb. I did a lot of homework before making a decision and found that Vb was exactly what I needed!

**Nick R** · 08-03-2008, 03:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big Dan

Now a days sometimes I'll setup a forum with myBB to see how well it takes then convert later on.

This is sorta what my situation was.

I started my site on MyBB and was planning on eventually switching to vB, depending on the site's popularity.
My site surprisingly FLARED, so I switched to vB about two weeks and 50 members later.

I have never used anything else other than MyBB (in terms of free scripts). I have tested the others, been administrators on them, etc. but never for my own sites.
I think MyBB is the best free script (that's my opinion).

**Soliloquy** · 08-03-2008, 03:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Caddyman

why is it that impex is SOOO Large, i had to use it one time and i remember it taking like 10 years to upload to my server....

I guess because so many other forums are supported for conversion... but I don't know why it takes that much room for each either. You don't have to upload all the modules though, just the ones for the boards you're converting from.

**Caddyman** · 08-03-2008, 07:47 PM

maybe that is what i did wrong. i upload like the whole damn thing!!

**Soliloquy** · 08-03-2008, 08:39 PM

to upload only the modules you need you have to create the folders so you have the right directory structure, upload the module, then go up to the higher directory and upload the rest of the impex files, whereas you could just upload the whole damn thing in one click and do something else while you wait... so, six of one, half a dozen of the other!

**OS Master** · 08-07-2008, 11:06 AM

I used MyBB before I switched to vBulletin. They say the database structure of MyBB is similar to vBulletin, so the import went well. And I recently heard about 1.4 of MyBB being released.