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When I started using IPB, it was also a free product, but you paid for tech support if you needed it. Then, when I'd been running it for a while, and paying for the tech support too, they changed it into a fully commercial product, with licences required for usage.
I didn't really mind as I was paying for tech support anyway, and the forum was growing and being nurtured at the time - I had neither the time, wish nor inclination to change it. Ok, they were being a bit crap with their tech support even then, but it was overall ok and not worth the hassle of moving.
Now, I've finally got the forum back online. I told IPB that the only was I could see of bringing the forum back online was by installing vbulletin and running their conversion tool! They then came up with a suggestion that actually worked. Funny that...
I've still decided to leave then when my licence runs out, and I'll probably move hosts in the process. Only problem is that will mean doing it all again in a few months time...
I'll probably go over to vbulletin, and I haven't chosen which new host to go with - I'm looking around at the moment.
Why not phpBB or something else similar? Security, pure and simple. I have a friend who works full time in IT security as a consultant. He says stay away from free stuff and go with IPB or vbulletin. It's a fair point really - it's important to me to have very god security on the forum. If the forum did get hacked, it's not like here where people would say "oh well", and give Halx a few days to fix it, then come back and start using it again. The forum is a support forum for rape victims, people falsely accused of rape, people with mental health problems and the like. Thus, if the forum got hacked and crap started appearing all over it, it could be quite damaging to various members of the forum.
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Moo! I'm mooey! 
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