Shifting this site to vBulletin 5 Connect?

[SamHowell]

@SamHowell
...thanks for clarification...bear with me, don´t know what the base had since my last visit is so long ago ;) we can keep that in mind, thanks!

...recreation? hopefully not..that would mean absolute standstill ;)

Cool

Keep up the good work.

[EricTRocks]

Security should be a top priority and if vBulletin is going to be the best, most regularly developed and patched software then that is a no brainer. Forum software isn't that much of a beast and from what it looks like, the vBulletin features are in line with that of phpBB if not better and easier to navigate for both users and moderators alike.

One thing to keep in mind is to not use any extravagant add-ons or templating systems. This is what prevented XSIBase from being frequently updated and in the end what killed it due to security issues. Things like a job board is nice but not really something I think is necessary. If companies are looking for Softimage users for a project, then know where to go to post. Here, creative heads, and the xsi mailing list. I'm not saying a proper job post / available for hire feature wouldn't be nice but honestly if it means sacrificing the immediate availability to keep the site updated and secure I think it should be skipped.

You could try to port this phpBB database into a test vBulletin site (maybe in a dev folder on your server?) and see if you hit any roadblocks before you actually do the swap.

[SamHowell]

Well if it means security being compromised then of course do whats right. Nobody wants another Softimage forum dying.

As for the jobs board not being necessary. Yes we do know where to go and the usual word of mouth system does work some of the time. Unfortunetly Softimage users are a rare breed and finding people at short notice can often be a problem. There are many competant Softimage freelancers in London that go nowhere near the mailing list and never have.