4 replies to this topic

[MacroMan!]

OK, this is it.

The decision has been made. We are upgrading to phpBB v3.x

This is a new post that I have edited in, the posts below don't really follow on from this message.

Chris is setting up a test server for me which will have an exact copy of this website on it. This will be the platform which the changes will be tested on.

Although the upgrade is important, so are other things on the site, so this doesn't have my top priority, but it will be worked on.

As mentioned earlier you can take a look here to see the benefits:
<!-- m -->http://www.phpbb.com/about/features/<!-- m -->


OK, here is the work plan:

[*:3cz57dh2]Analyze the current forum, break down the code, work out what are custom functions and what's standard.
[*:3cz57dh2]Document all current custom features of this forum.
[*:3cz57dh2]Perform an upgrade of the forum on the test server to see what stops working.
[*:3cz57dh2]Find solutions for the functions that we want to keep. These may be custom mods or could be pre-built addons.
[*:3cz57dh2]Implement these functions into the new forum.
[*:3cz57dh2]Beta testing of the new forum.
[*:3cz57dh2]Build a plan of live implementation.
[*:3cz57dh2]Upgrade the live forum!!!
As you can see from this list, this is not going to be a cake walk in the park. I will need all the help I can get, so if you have modded phpBB in the past or are just a PHP programmer - Please get in touch - We need you!

All comments are welcome.

David

[IsNull]

Upgrading to phpbb3 should make it easier to use extensions like the code highlighting and such. (Have a look for it)

Last but not least: The Moderator Tools from phpbb2 suck and are much improved in v3, so its not possible to merge threads/postings and other important stuff.

I think, best is if you set up a new phpbb3 forum, have a look at it, config and let the commuinty test it and let them make wishes. No need for a panic decision.

[jethrow]

Upgrading to phpbb3 should make it easier to use extensions like the code highlighting and such.

That alone is good enough reason to upgrade, imo.

This will take several weeks of hard work to implement...

That's a few months of easy work. If it were me, I would begin on this now. With as long as the website has be the way it is, what's a few more months?

What benefits will phpBB v3 have over the current version...

A quick google search found this: phpBB2 - phpBB3 Feature Comparison

If people just want the forum to look better, will extra skins suffice?

IMO, extra skins would be neat - but that's it. A new logo would be nice, but added functionality would be best.

[jaco0646]

Here are a couple previous discussions. Searching for phpBB3 and phpBB* produces many more, some of which may be relevant.
• moving forum to phpBB v3? Feature list looks tasty
• phpBB upgrade

If there are beneficial features, can they be implemented into the current forum using custom code much easier than upgrading?

That's the question I was hoping you would answer for us.

Edit: After reviewing the feature list again, I would say it's a small benefit to the community and large benefit to the moderators. Overall, I think it's not necessary if some modifications can be made to the existing software more easily; but that's for someone experienced in phpBB to determine. As was pointed out, some modifications would need to be custom coded either way.

Edit2: I wonder what "Customised Topic Search" entails. I guess a significant portion of my attitude concerning phpBB3 hinges on whether or not it implements much of our missing search functionality.

Edit3: Website changes, improvements and development.

If I remember correctly, the phpBB3 search function is much better than the one included with our current software,

Well there we go.

[SKAN]

This is a new post that I have edited in, the posts below don't really follow on from this message.

In future, you need to bump the topic.

*bump*

The decision has been made. We are upgrading to phpBB v3.x

Awesome! .