Administrata meets Invision

[TPerry]

It’s honestly frustrating — the moment you point out their flaws on the forum, their entire fan club comes after you with sticks and stones.

Call it what it really is.. the Cult of XF. It seems that they can't see reality because they are so involved in the smoke being blown up their anal orifice. It is honestly fun to watch certain parties twist and turn to try to defend them.
If it wasn't for my dependence on Bob's add-ons for my site... I'd kick XF to the curb quicker than you would a hooker with 10+ documented un-curable deadly STD's.

The sad thing is.. I used to be one of the STRONG XF cheer-leaders. One has to wonder why, after 13 years of using their script and being a strong proponent of it for easily a decade, what has driven me to the outer edge. And normally I am someone who will put up with a WHOLE lot since I have had years of experience as an LEO dealing with dumb-asses. When a company has pushed that boundary, it may time to wonder why. I had almost 11,000 posts on their site, most of them support based. So what has changed? I can tell you it sure as hell hasn't been me. It's been the repeated BS being fed out by the current XF development heads and my final exasperation with the manure being fed - not necessarily from the staff (but there are 2 big cheerleaders there of long time association), but generally they toe the line of certain (Chris) people over there. And maybe the control of that person may need to be re-evaluated if continued profit is a concern.
Ironically... I have seen several posts over on the official support site that have been ignored but easily answerable. At one time I was taking the time to answer those questions over on an alternative support site... but figured out it's not worth my time in the few years I have left on this planet. I have better things to answer and do than helping freely support self-centered egotists.

BTW, for certain sycophants over on XF.. as you can see, I elucidate at more length than the person you claim (and wish) I was. He just happens to have similar feelings watching the BS going on as an outside party. And he doesn't really take a lot of time on posting (which is a negative as he has learned). Makes for an easy out instead of having to answer the actual issues.

So

to you few that can't deal with with reality and try to excuse it by diversion.

Currently.. even with the self-hosting questions at play.. I'd suggest Invision for a discussion site over XF... as if you decide to grow into an actual website that offers more than just talk, you already have a lot of the tools on hand.

 

[Cedric]

Call it what it really is.. the Cult of XF. It seems that they can't see reality because they are so involved in the smoke being blown up their anal orifice. It is honestly fun to watch certain parties twist and turn to try to defend them.
If it wasn't for my dependence on Bob's add-ons for my site... I'd kick XF to the curb quicker than you would a hooker with 10+ documented un-curable deadly STD's.

The sad thing is.. I used to be one of the STRONG XF cheer-leaders. One has to wonder why, after 13 years of using their script and being a strong proponent of it for easily a decade, what has driven me to the outer edge. And normally I am someone who will put up with a WHOLE lot since I have had years of experience as an LEO dealing with dumb-asses. When a company has pushed that boundary, it may time to wonder why. I had almost 11,000 posts on their site, most of them support based. So what has changed? I can tell you it sure as hell hasn't been me. It's been the repeated BS being fed out by the current XF development heads and my final exasperation with the manure being fed - not necessarily from the staff (but there are 2 big cheerleaders there of long time association), but generally they toe the line of certain (Chris) people over there. And maybe the control of that person may need to be re-evaluated if continued profit is a concern.
Ironically... I have seen several posts over on the official support site that have been ignored but easily answerable. At one time I was taking the time to answer those questions over on an alternative support site... but figured out it's not worth my time in the few years I have left on this planet. I have better things to answer and do than helping freely support self-centered egotists.

BTW, for certain sycophants over on XF.. as you can see, I elucidate at more length than the person you claim (and wish) I was. He just happens to have similar feelings watching the BS going on as an outside party. And he doesn't really take a lot of time on posting (which is a negative as he has learned). Makes for an easy out instead of having to answer the actual issues.

So

to you few that can't deal with with reality and try to excuse it by diversion.

Currently.. even with the self-hosting questions at play.. I'd suggest Invision for a discussion site over XF... as if you decide to grow into an actual website that offers more than just talk, you already have a lot of the tools on hand.

I know what you mean, I was on their side for a long time as well, and often thought you were overreacting many times. But I realized a while ago that a lot of what you said held truth. Just wasn't ready for facing the truth before that. They can honestly put it where the sun doesn't shine.

 

[zappaDPJ]

A switch from Xenforo? That's a first...

I also migrated all my forums away from Xenforo and gave away all but one of my licences a long time ago.

I had multiple reasons for doing so but it was the loss of a key member of staff, Mike Sullivan that was the deciding factor for me. Without wishing to go into further detail I knew absolutely that would have a negative impact on the product in terms of development.

I also knew that Xenforo was and to some extent still is a desktop product created by developers with a desktop mentality for desktop users. Then there's the reliance on dependencies that contain exploitable code which goes unpatched for years e.g. Froala.

On the more positive side there's not a lot of competition at Xenforo's price point and for the majority it's clearly the product of choice but then so was vBulletin for many years...

 

[Cedric]

I also migrated all my forums away from Xenforo and gave away all but one of my licences a long time ago.

I had multiple reasons for doing so but it was the loss of a key member of staff, Mike Sullivan that was the deciding factor for me. Without wishing to go into further detail I knew absolutely that would have a negative impact on the product in terms of development.

I also knew that Xenforo was and to some extent still is a desktop product created by developers with a desktop mentality for desktop users. Then there's the reliance on dependencies that contain exploitable code which goes unpatched for years e.g. Froala.

On the more positive side there's not a lot of competition at Xenforo's price point and for the majority it's clearly the product of choice but then so was vBulletin for many years...

And they’re exactly heading the same way as vBulletin if they don’t step up their game soon.

 

[Jay™]

Hi everyone,

First off, welcome to the new Administrata: Invision.

For some of you, this might come as a surprise. For others, it’ll take a bit of adjustment. And for many, it’ll feel like coming home. Let me explain why we’ve made the switch.

XenForo’s development has been disappointing for months - arguably years - with little meaningful progress. There’s been a lot of talk, but not enough action. Meanwhile, Invision Community V5 has been steadily evolving, offering strong content discovery tools, solid SEO features, and consistent updates. It just made sense. With much more to come in the near future.

Of course, with any transition, there are trade-offs. We’ve lost a few add-ons, and parts of the forum will need to be reworked. Some things will go, others will be introduced. The goal is to simplify, focus on content, and provide a better experience - whether you're on mobile or desktop.

Give us a little time to get everything set up properly. We promise - it’ll be worth it.

Thanks for sticking with us,
– Administrata

It's a shame XenForo has taken the direction of no movement; IPS does have plenty to offer.
Nice work on the site.

 

[Cedric]

It's a shame XenForo has taken the direction of no movement; IPS does have plenty to offer.
Nice work on the site.

It's good to see you Jay. Hopefully a welcome back?

Thanks for the feedback.

 

[Jay™]

It's good to see you Jay. Hopefully a welcome back?

Thanks, man, I had lots happening personally and professionally, I had to step away and deal with real life, and to get my head back to the fun guy I once was, yes, I will be visiting as much as possible.

I have been playing with IPS for a bit, and I have to say they have lots to offer. 🙂
Keep up the good work.

 

[Cedric]

Thanks, man, I had lots happening personally and professionally, I had to step away and deal with real life, and to get my head back to the fun guy I once was, yes, I will be visiting as much as possible.

I have been playing with IPS for a bit, and I have to say they have lots to offer. 🙂
Keep up the good work.

That's great. Sometimes taking a step back is what we need. I've done that plenty of times myself. Keeps you sane. 😀 We'll catch up soon!

IPS is planning to have some awesome features very soon! 😉

 

[Cedric]

As an exciting update, Administrata will be migrating to Invision’s Cloud platform under the Creator Pro plan tomorrow!

This move unlocks a suite of powerful, Cloud-exclusive features we’re excited to roll out - from live engagement tools to AI enhancements and more. It’s another big step toward making Administrata not just a forum, but a true next-gen community experience. 😄

To ensure a smooth transition, the board will be taken offline temporarily during the migration. We expect to bring it back online by the afternoon.
Thanks for your patience - and yes, this really is the last migration... promise. 😉

 

[TPerry]

On the more positive side there's not a lot of competition at Xenforo's price point and for the majority it's clearly the product of choice but then so was vBulletin for many years...

I'm really getting to where I like Discourse for a simple discussion format. It is rather more complicated to install than Xenforo is, but it also seems to be a lot more mobile friendly.
I mentioned elsewhere, but once they get the new editor out I'll probably be sticking with that version once the bugs are worked out of it in a year or so. Right now what I have works OK and the majority of the traffic to my site is not related to the forum itself but 1st and 3rd party add-ons.

If I wasn't spending so much on gathering telescopes for use in public outreach I would probably have invested that money in converting the site over to Invision, which is what most of my major niche competitors already use. The biggest expense would be getting code to do what XenAddon's add-ons provide.

 

[zappaDPJ]

I'm really getting to where I like Discourse for a simple discussion format.

Usually disliked by forum owners and admins but rather popular with users! At a guess I'd say it's the ease of use on smart devices that helps aid better engagement and activity levels are rather good on the Discourse forums I'm familiar with.

 

[Cedric]

Usually disliked by forum owners and admins but rather popular with users! At a guess I'd say it's the ease of use on smart devices that helps aid better engagement and activity levels are rather good on the Discourse forums I'm familiar with.

I think us old farts who are used to traditional classic forums just need to accept the time is changed and get on with the innovative platforms. Such as Discourse, Invision, etc. (Unlike XenForo. 🤣)

 

[TPerry]

I think us old farts who are used to traditional classic forums just need to accept the time is changed and get on with the innovative platforms. Such as Discourse, Invision, etc. (Unlike XenForo. 🤣)

I think this is one of the primary issues. Usually the ones yelling loudest that certain scripts are "just fine" are the same type that back in the BBS days were yelling they were just fine and did not need to progress forward. Everyone that was around in those BBS days knows how that went.
It took time for Discourse to grow on me.... because I was more comfortable with the "tried and true" format of the staid forum layout.
That is one of the things I do like about Invision. They are willing to shake things up - even if it's not that drastic of a change over the older format. I do have other philosophical differences with them but their desire to try to move forward in design is not one of them.

Usually disliked by forum owners and admins but rather popular with users! At a guess I'd say it's the ease of use on smart devices that helps aid better engagement and activity levels are rather good on the Discourse forums I'm familiar with.

And ultimately... those users are what drive a forum. My biggest complaint with Discourse is if you want your site to be much more than a discussion area.

 

[Ravenfreak]

Discourse is okay, same with NodeBB. Just the traditional layout looks best IMO and more organized. I still have a phpBB forum I need to convert to Discourse lol. Invision is better than both and way better than Xenforo so I think it was a fantastic move to switch to Invision for Administrata.

 

[Nebulous]

The themes you were using on XF were too convoluted and hard to navigate. Your forum now appears to look modern but simple and easy to navigate at the same time. Good move! 😛

 

[Katrina]

I'm not able to log in. I keep a spreadsheet with all my emails/passwords, so I know I'm not using the wrong one. I'm getting emails from Administrata, so I know my account is still active. Help?

Nevermind...I remembered that on other sites that did some changes that sometimes a password reset needs to be done in order to log in. I just reset it to the same password I had before 😀