If vB5 was bug free, would you buy it?

Joeychgo · Jun 9, 2013

Try to think outside the box a little...

If vB5 was bug free, good performance, and aside from any personal baggage (ie the lawsuit, etc), would you buy it / use it?

LeadCrow · Jun 9, 2013

Mixed. Neglected 'improvement requests' were my biggest gripe, next to a base package not any longer targetting hobbyists price-wise (especially upgraders from previous versions). Refinements do make a difference compared to lower bug count that excites noone.

After leased licences were gone, I expected an officially hosted service similar URLjet or IPS' hosted communities to take over, for winning lazy admins and cheapskates over before they commit to selfhosted licences (could've been handy and cost-effective for addon development too).
Online software is increasingly moving to subscription-based schemes at least as a side business (or similarly manipulable ones that can ensure regular improving income, like strategic planned obsolescence forcing progressive update/support renewals at impulse-renew rates).

AdamD · Jun 9, 2013

No, simply because IB owns it.

User37935 · Jun 9, 2013

No. It's not just the bugs that put me off, since I come across fairly few of these when using their site. It's the lack of basic features, the lack of innovation. It's not fit for purpose, with or without all the bugs fixed.

Joeychgo · Jun 9, 2013

AdamD said:
No, simply because IB owns it.

That's exactly what I meant about aside from baggage. ---

AdamD · Jun 9, 2013

Ahh! ok
Then no, even if it was bug free? it still looks and feels incredibly dated compared to other forum software(s)

LeadCrow · Jun 9, 2013

AdamD said:
Ahh! ok
Then no, even if it was bug free? it still looks and feels incredibly dated compared to other forum software(s)

Probably comes from the very greyish default theme. A nicer color palette should've helped, especially since modding difficulties have made goodlooking skins scarce, so the default skin shouldve been made more palatable.

Reminds me of some vb5 screenshots showcased somewhere whose palette was a bit more exciting than the current default despite everything else being unchanged.

edit: found

AdamD · Jun 9, 2013

True, but it still sucks, even if it had a new theme, there's just too many issues with it

Like Page navigation, you have to either input a number manually, keep clicking the < or > buttons, or scroll to the bottom of a thread, to click a number

Just a LOT of small things wrong with that site, which makes it, well, awful.

LeadCrow · Jun 9, 2013

Essentially not bugs or showstoppers but necessary refinements, then?

VICE · Jun 9, 2013

If nothing new coming out from IPS or XF, I would buy it but then again, I already bought it last year.

PS: Is that Ami from Tora Dora?

lordi · Jun 9, 2013

nope, I don't like the ACP

cheat_master30 · Jun 9, 2013

No, don't like the style, removed features and general lack of interesting 'stuff' in the product. Even with no bugs or technical issues, I'd just consider it as inferior to Invision Power Board and XenForo, and would ignore it like I do phpBB or the like.

Judge Dredd · Jun 9, 2013

No. I do not support fraud, lack of caring, or greed.

VICE · Jun 9, 2013

Judge Dredd said:
No. I do not support fraud, lack of caring, or greed.

You must hated Corporations a lot.

Judge Dredd · Jun 9, 2013

Vice said:
You must hated Corporations a lot.

Many of them.

watsonly · Jun 9, 2013

No, I wouldn't. I just don't like the overall style, I feel it's all cluttered. I know members on the site I used to admin were upset enough with the change from vB 3 --> vB 4. I can only assume an upgrade to vB 5 would be even worse.

we_are_borg · Jun 9, 2013

Even if vBulletin 5 would be with out any issues i would still not buy it. Its like your back in 2004 with the layout people want better not worse and if you run it it looks and feels dated.

rudedog · Jun 9, 2013

Why would I want to spend all that money and have less features then the last two versions? Not to mention I could go with a free script that does more and is actually supported.

vB has to earn my trust back and it's going to take a long long time and TBH they will have to bribe me. ie: offer me the next version of their software for, at least 50% off of what their closest competitor is offering their latest for.

Once you get past the fact that they have not had a successful release in how X years. They don't have the guts to run their own software (oh it's heavily modded, you would think they have one or two devs on the staff that could handle that...), can't manage themselves out of a wet card board box and have lied how many times? Then there is the speed of their flag ship (should not be used on large sites) software. Then is that a bug or feature?

Sorry but my next forum upgrade with be something other then vB. Oh and I'll also make every effort to tell anyone in my circle of influence that they should stay far far away from anything with IB or vB's name on it.

zappaDPJ · Jun 9, 2013

Setting aside the bugs and speed issues, VBulletin 5 doesn't really have anything much to offer above and beyond any other forum software. In fact in its current stage of development I'd say it's well behind the competition and the final nail for me at least is there's no outside support in terms of modifications.

XenForo is also arguably light on development but other parties have step in and filled many of the gaps. That doesn't seem to be happening with vBulletin 5 and that would certainly stop me from using it. What's missing is a lot, may come in time but I'd say that's very much open to debate.

Gladius · Jun 9, 2013

vB5 is well behind a few open source forums, let alone anything commercial. It's a bad joke of a product with a worse joke of a support licence, so no, can't see myself buying it even if you could wave a magic wand and separate the product from IB.

If vB5 was bug free, would you buy it?

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