My feedback on vBulletin

[Fergal]

This is something I posted a little earlier on vBulletin's Licensed Customer Feedback section. Maybe it will interest other forum admins?

I started a new forum recently and wanted to use VB forum software for it. Having used VB for years, I didn't want to have to learn how to admin and manage new forum software. However, I purchased XF instead, for the following reasons;

• The release of VB5 in it's current state is an indication that VB have little respect for their paying customers.
• VB management and staff seem unwilling to listen to customer feedback.
• It really irritates me that VB staff ask members to report issues raised on the forum to Jira. Personally I don't know what Jira is and I don't plan on learning how to use it for the benefit of VB. If I take the time to report an issue or bug to VB staff, it's because I care about the software. If VB staff agree that there is an issue, in my opinion it is their responsibility, not mine, to communicate that issue internally. When a user of one of my sites points out an error or opportunity for improvement, I thank them for bringing it to my attention, I don't ask them to jump through hoops.
• IB don't use the latest version of their own software for their own forums.
• Lynne is great, she is extremely helpful and in my opinion if more VB staff and management had her attitude the company would have a lot less problems with their software. Lynne knows a lot more about VB software than I do, she knows a lot more about how to get the best from VB than I do. If Lynne believes that VB3 is the best version of VB for her active forum, with over 1.7 Million posts and over 83,000 members, well then VB5 is probably not the best software for my new forum.
• VB's recent lawsuit, says a lot about the company in my opinion. To me it appeared to be an act of corporate bullying, for the sole intention of stifling competition. Hardly the spirit of sharing that the Internet and communities are built with.

VB was great once, personally I hope they will be great again, if they are I'd be happy to purchase a VB licence at that time.

This isn't a goodbye post, I still use VB on one of my forums and I will continue to use this forum for support.

 

[AndroidOS]

This is a great post Fergal.

I've got to say I agree with you. I've used VB once or twice in the past, and I remember it being half decent. Now however that does not seem to be the case. VB really need to "pull their socks up" and start trying to turn the company and software around.

 

[Ashley]

Awesome stuff, Fergal. I've heard similar feedback from other customers or people looking to buy licenses at all, and to be totally honest, after this stupid lawsuit absolutely none of it surprises me at all. When VB first started out, I used to think of them as a very reputable forum host. However, now after all this, I'll take XF over VB anyday. Personally, if I were to ever upgrade from an open source software to a paid software, Vbulletin would certainly NOT be my first option. Xenforo would be. Xenforo is far more reputable and respectable than Vbulletin ever will be.

 

[Abhirup Manna]

I have not heard about VB's recent lawsuit. Can you enlighten me ?

 

[VirusZero]

Kier Darby and Mike Sullivan worked on vBulletin until 2009 when vBulletin made some decisions that the developers (Kier, Mike and others) didn't like so they left vBulletin.

In (October) 2010, Kier and co launched Xenforo. vBulletin sued them (in November 2010) for using proprietary code owned by vBulletin in Xenforo.

Over the next year and a bit, vBulletin tacked on other charges and added others to their lawsuit.

Recently the lawsuit ended with some sort of undisclosed settlement that allowed Xenforo to exist and continue releases.


In terms of vBulletin, I've used a few versions as member in the past and I've never really liked it as much as IPB (or MyBB). I found that it looks clunkier than other software. (Could very well just be the themes they were using.)
So I probably wouldn't go with vBulletin because I don't like how it looks alone. But having it a fairly expensive paid software with a rather dubiously launched lawsuit hanging on it certainly makes me even less likely to use it. (Especially when there are other great forum software out there. For paid, IPB or even Xenforo are good. For free... MyBB or maybe phpBB. Personally I like MyBB more, but some people like phpBB and it works too. Though these are by no means the only good forum software.)

 

[Ashley]

Kier Darby and Mike Sullivan worked on vBulletin until 2009 when vBulletin made some decisions that the developers (Kier, Mike and others) didn't like so they left vBulletin.

In (October) 2010, Kier and co launched Xenforo. vBulletin sued them (in November 2010) for using proprietary code owned by vBulletin in Xenforo.

Over the next year and a bit, vBulletin tacked on other charges and added others to their lawsuit.

Recently the lawsuit ended with some sort of undisclosed settlement that allowed Xenforo to exist and continue releases.


In terms of vBulletin, I've used a few versions as member in the past and I've never really liked it as much as IPB (or MyBB). I found that it looks clunkier than other software. (Could very well just be the themes they were using.)
So I probably wouldn't go with vBulletin because I don't like how it looks alone. But having it a fairly expensive paid software with a rather dubiously launched lawsuit hanging on it certainly makes me even less likely to use it. (Especially when there are other great forum software out there. For paid, IPB or even Xenforo are good. For free... MyBB or maybe phpBB. Personally I like MyBB more, but some people like phpBB and it works too. Though these are by no means the only good forum software.)

To this day, I still feel that lawsuit was a complete waste of time. As a friend of mine said, classic case of bullying right there. VB was just flat out scared of competition and therefore thought the only way out was a lawsuit. The whole thing was pathetic. Honestly, Xenforo doesn't look a thing like VB at all! It's enough to make anybody wonder what on earth VB was playing at, that's for sure!

 

[Fergal]

Thanks everyone, it's difficult to understand what VB are up to. They have so many unhappy customers voicing their displeasure in their Licensed Customer Feedback forum section, but the staff still seem to think that everything is fine, there is no issue.

 

[master412160]

One might wonder what they (the staff) then consider a real issue...

 

[Ashley]

Thanks everyone, it's difficult to understand what VB are up to. They have so many unhappy customers voicing their displeasure in their Licensed Customer Feedback forum section, but the staff still seem to think that everything is fine, there is no issue.

Sounds to me like they're just turning deaf ears to everyone's complaints. Typical.

One might wonder what they (the staff) then consider a real issue...

When you're dealing with people like the Vbulletin lot, it's hard to understand what the real issue is. If it's not security or the fact that sites are easily broken into, then what is it?