Attention Members - Forum Software Change

[angellionel]

We will soon be making preparations to move to another forum software platform, though at this point exactly when that will be has not been decided. There will be a period of testing before migrating to the new platform, but once that has been completed an announcement will be posted with a set date for the move.

As with any such change, we may experience a few bumps along the way, but we hope to limit them to a few. Moving to the new platform, vBulletin, however, will allow for better features and a more robust forum.

Please note that there are a few features available now that may not migrate to the new platform. One will likely be the member's Media/Album feature. Also, member avatars and currently saved PMs may not migrate to the new platform, though this is still in question. On a happy note, the new software platform does have a nice album feature members can use to create albums and showcase their finds.

We hope to be able to make the move as painless and unobtrusive as possible, and hope that you will bear with us during the transition.

Thank you!

The American Detectorist Team

[coinnut]

Oh boy, I got a feeling I'm gonna be deleted lol Nice knowing everyone and I hope I don't come back as a oxknob hunter :shocked04: I hope everything goes smoothly. See you in oblivion rofl :devilish:

[angellionel]

Oh boy, I got a feeling I'm gonna be deleted lol Nice knowing everyone and I hope I don't come back as a oxknob hunter :shocked04: I hope everything goes smoothly. See you in oblivion rofl :devilish:


Hey, that would not be a bad user name. lol

[milco]

Very cool! Thanks to all whose efforts make this forum possible! The vBulletin format is a nice one.

[randy]

Hopefully, we'll be able to keep our favorite emoticons :happydance01: :clapping: :cheering: :bangahead01: :beatdeadhorse:

[angellionel]

Hopefully, we'll be able to keep our favorite emoticons :happydance01: :clapping: :cheering: :bangahead01: :beatdeadhorse:


Me too. lol I don't think that will be a problem, though initially it may require some setting changes. I will be testing this part of the migration to the new software, but the testing cannot be performed for a few weeks. The server needs to move from PHP4 to PHP5, as the latest vBulletin software is not compatible with PHP4. That change will not take place until October, unfortunately.

[Jason in Enid]

If you are changing software, you must be upgrading it! I can't wait to see the new American Detectorist website and forum!

[angellionel]

If you are changing software, you must be upgrading it! I can't wait to see the new American Detectorist website and forum!


We will be moving to vBulletin. :yes:

[RobW]

I'm not real technologically savy and don't really understand the whle thing, but does that mean the website address will change:huh:thinkingabout:?

[Epi-hunter]

I'm not real technologically savy and don't really understand the whle thing, but does that mean the website address will change:huh:thinkingabout:?


No, the website address will remain the same. :) It's just the software that hosts the forum which will change. It will look a little different but the overall structure will be kept the same.

There are some things that this software does not support, such as allowing us to feature threads, that vbulletin does support, plus many additional member profile options and a better PM system. And better administration and moderation tools for upkeep of the forum.

[Ill Digger]

I like the looks of this format over Vbulletin. Lots brighter and cleaner lookin'. With that said there are some nice features that come with the other format. Like being able to see a members posted threads and look at that same members replys to other members threads seperatly ,rather than seeing all posts by that member all balled into Show Post. Kinda nice. Also the vb format allows for visitor messages on your profile page. This also means I won't have to resize my pics to post them anymore! Right ? 8)
That means I better go through my PMs and write down some phone numbers so I don't lose them...just in case ;)
Thanks for the heads up AD team. thumbsup01

[Epi-hunter]

I like the looks of this format over Vbulletin. Lots brighter and cleaner lookin'. With that said there are some nice features that come with the other format. Like being able to see a members posted threads and look at that same members replys to other members threads seperatly ,rather than seeing all posts by that member all balled into Show Post. Kinda nice. Also the vb format allows for visitor messages on your profile page. This also means I won't have to resize my pics to post them anymore! Right ? 8)
That means I better go through my PMs and write down some phone numbers so I don't loss them...just in case ;)
Thanks for the heads up AD team. thumbsup01


The looks of the forum are not driven by the software. We will still keep the same look as much as possible. There are hundreds of templates for how the forum looks, for both vbulletin and SMF (our current software). The decision was really driven by features (such as the examples you mentioned). :) We want to keep the rest of it the same.

[Ill Digger]

The looks of the forum are not driven by the software. We will still keep the same look as much as possible. There are hundreds of templates for how the forum looks, for both vbulletin and SMF (our current software). The decision was really driven by features (such as the examples you mentioned). :) We want to keep the rest of it the same.
Ohhh 8/....Good! thumbsup01 I thought maybe it would look different all together :dontknow:
I like the looks of the site the way it is. You know... old dog, new things lol

[Jason in Enid]

I understand that this must be a lot of work to change. Any ideas on when the switch might be?

[angellionel]

I understand that this must be a lot of work to change. Any ideas on when the switch might be?


There is an issue with testing the vBulletin software since it requires that PHP5 be installed at the server, but my webhost currently has PHP4 as the default. The webhost will be switching to PHP5 as the default though, but it may not be until the end of this quarter. 8/