I don't like the idea of losing journals. Also, if this site does move over I don't know if I would want to archive everything or start over from scratch. Archiving everything would keep us from destroying a year's worth of thoughts and ideas, but it would also be nice to not see the banned members still around. Another brief, temporary concern I have with starting over is some of the postwhoring that was so prevalent for a while after TFP 4.0 started will inevitably occur as people try to regain status, although the mods do a good job of minimizing that.

vB2 is like living in a shack.
vB3 is like living in Bill Gate's house.


I vote for the upgrade and import.

I have no opinion on the journals either way, I am indifferent on the issue.
The one thing I am worried about is the post counts. It took me awhile as I do not just post random shit just to build and with school I do not have time to post more than once or twice a day so it would take quite a while to get back up.
If it ain't broken, don't fix it is my opinion on the issue.

Go for the upgrade, shut us down for a couple of days and keep the threads.

The content is whats important to me, not the software. However If you need to upgrade you should feel free to do so in whatever manner you feel is best. A clean start wouldn't bother me at all, especially if that means the least downtime. It would be nice to save what you could of the old TFP though.

I vote for either not upgrading , or upgrading and keeping the datebase, for the same reasons as others.

I'm suggesting you make the switch to v.3. It would be nice to keep the currently active threads, but not essential.

I'm not an avid reader of the journals but it would be shame to lose them, especially for those folk who've put a lot of time into theirs.

Destroy everything and start over.

This place is proof of what 25,000 monkeys with typewriters can do. It is also proof of what they can't do. Let the cycle begin again. That's where the fun is. The only thing worth saving around here is the interaction. It's time to jettison all the blah, blah, blah.

I doubt I will have a lot of support for this opinion.
-GH

Full support on this one. :thumbsup:

I support giant hamburger not only because we were share the same birthday, but also because i also like the idea of starting anew with a fresh, clean slate.

[IMG]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0RAAxAxkVe!buVrv*02O10IXytx!!!J5k7k6F*x4zLpDhp*6Mo65MTBchsrdjgFZvbDM0RnURfS7YeTZMaXF1yDPqOy5mMeq4uPtgnBMWbb8/cleanslate.jpg?dc=4675467152268867004[/IMG]

Based on the responses so far, my vote is:

-1 on option #3,
+1 on option #2, &
+0 on option #1.

I think we can live without TFP for 2 days (or even 7 days if necessary) if need be, if the return on investment is:

1) Upgrade in vB to a more scalable and featureful version.
2) Keep old posts.

I'd like to note that we appear to have many excellent coders on TFP. Perhaps an option would be to call for people to help with the effort to restore the unique features once the site has been converted?

Hal my tec knowledge is worthless to you.:(
The tfp has grown nicely sort of like my wife of 21 years.
The spark is still there and the glove fits nicely.
I am comfortable and happy with this relationship.

just my 0.02 cents worth

In my opinion:
Start over, start clean, Make the upgrade and delete the old stuff.

Everything has to change sometime!

Features! W00t!

Halx, as stated before,
you KNOW you want to do it,
you KNOW you'll love it,
you'll KNOW it'll make your job more interesting and TFP more managable.

Just do it... keep the old forum as reference (or at least parts of it, I'm pretty sure the TB could afford to start afresh).
Keep it fresh and exciting.

Somehow I keep thinking about a quote from dune:

"And always, he [Paul] fought the temptation to choose a clear, safe course, warning: "That path leads ever down into stagnation."
- from "Arrakis Awakening" by the Princess Irulan

But that's me, and I maybe I'm wrong, maybe it would be a great tragedy....

Hey Halx your place you do with it what you want. Let us know so we don't get panicked when we can't get on if it happens and we do change. I am cool either way.

I like the idea of starting anew, but I still think that the board should be archived. There is a lot of good info here (Computers, Sexuality, How-To, etc) that I dont think should be lost.

I like the look and feel of what we have now, but it is your house, so my opinion really shouldn't count much. The only problem with restarting is the intial flood of all the old information getting posted again. Then again, it could bring some overlooked info back to the top so....keep us posted!

The current look and feel are comfortable, but if this version limits TFP progress, the change is going to happen sooner or later.

If we wipe it clean, I can hear it already..."we beat that subject to DEATH on the old vB2 board!" An archive seems sensible, if practical.

Either way, let's do it!

I'd like to do an upgrade but retain all the old posts. I like having a large archive of previous posts to search through.

Either that or keep it the same way....I just don't want to lose all the old posts.

Hey Hal,

I'd rather not start over. I've found that I have some pet boards (photography, electronics...good idea analog) that I'm fond and proud of. Yes, maybe archiving these and bringing them back would be a great idea.

As for everyone going back to posts=0 mode, it doesn't seem to have any benefit other than a shortened down time. For me, waiting an extra day or two is worth the wait. I also think this helps in more subtle ways: when new members ask questions and get a reply from an "avatar'd" user, it reinforces to them the commitment and comfort level of our home.

On the other hand, as a programmer in a previous life, I can only say that new features can often make your life much easier.

So here's my proposition: VB3 board, retain status for members and donors, down time is a mere two to three days, plus archives.

Good luck. And thanks so much for asking us. This place is really cool.

I'm for an upgrade once the new version is stable and has any bugs worked out. The upgrade is basically inevitable, no point in holding it off.

I don't have any preference if the current posts are kept, it has been a year since the last reset and I can't remember any major trauma resulting from it.

I would like to see vb3 enacted. It would be great if the database could be imported.

I'd stick with what we've got, I love it here :D

That being said, if we do upgrade, I'd like to keep the threads....

Also, upgrading to vB3 doesn't necessarily mean we'll have to give up our journals too. :D ;)

<a href="http://www.vbulletin.org/forum/showthread.php?t=63881" title="So have some hope guys...">Read here</a>.

I think a poll would serve this thread (and Hal) well.

nah, I made my decision. I'm waiting for the vb3 Journal to get released.

So were going to upgrade then? Cool. When is the vb3 Journal coming out? Are you going to import the old stuff over, or do the clean slate approach?

This saved me the time of thinking for myself and saying the same thing.

I vote for v2, Matt's chat reminds me of online gamer forums and such, I really dislike that look, I love TFP's look because its unique and sexah!

i'm surprised everyone is saying that vb3 looks generic when it's the newer version and vb2 has been out for years. Even more, I hardly changed anything with the templates to customize for the TFP.

Anyways, as soon as the journal addon for vb3 is released with a conversion tool, I'll be running the whole database through conversion.

Thanx Halx....good to know

A firm believer in "if it ain't broke, don't fix it".

I think I agree with Hal on this one, especially if the whole process can be completed without the loss of all the original works on the forum. But hey, if you can import all the db's, why the hell not!

My opinion -- we upgrade to v.3 but only after shutting down for a couple of days. Being without TFP for a few days would allow members to re-evaluate their membership to TFP. They will either flock back to TFP with reckless abandon or not come back at all. IMO -- In either case TFP is the winner and everyone will be able to maintain the identity they have worked so hard to create.

I have to go with the keep the threads etc option, even if it means a couple of days of downtime. I'll happily wait for a couple of days to get my threads back, and get the new board, particularly if it will make your admin job easier.
No offence for the amount of work it will entail, but I would really appreciate keeping the threads etc as they are quite invaluble and thier loss would be tragic. Journals too.

Having said that, Hal: Thanks for asking and it's your baby.

I run vBulletin 3 on another site. It's nicer, but not so much so that I'd upgrade a properly operating vb2 forum that doesn't need the new features.

I've seen a few formerly successful forums falter because they upgraded the software and made everyone re-register. A lot of people didn't like the changes, were pissed about losing their accounts and post counts, didn't want to take the time to re-register, and never came back.

irseg, if people get pissed about post counts and don't come back, they aren't TFP material. We've been through this drill before .. a couple times... and each time, the TFP comes back stronger than ever.

I don't anticipate losing the database though, I'm gonna do a trial run before I go through with it completely.

I think I'd leave it alone. It works well, I think.

Hal: Any further knowledge about when the journal option is to be released and the tilted upgrade project gets the green light? ;)

I've always believed in the "if it ain't broke don't fix it" idea.