Thanks.
Some specifics...
1. Can you mention here or PM me any three forums so I can have a looksee and do tests?
2. "More functional" and "more pleasant to use" are subjective terms. "Search" can always use some improvement, but there are limits to any search engine including Google's. Can I get specifics on which forum software that is more functional, more pleasant to use, and the search is better?
I have done a number of software comparisons and tests now and in the past. There are legacy features on this site that I'm sure you don't care about. An upgrade to 2018 will mean a lot of those features will be removed and a lot of what you want will be added. Nothing wrong with that.
I think the biggest feature I see is mobile, which this version of software is lacking (Tapatalk provides a bandaid), but I've tried other forum software (that auto revert to mobile) and it's ok, again subjective.
I have to say, though, if you're here unfortunately until your current build is done, this discussion becomes moot.
“More functional” with regards to comparing like-for-like application platforms really isn’t subjective, it’s simply a matter of comparing functionality...
But you’re correct that “more pleasant to use” sure is a subjective term, though, given my professional and technical background (won’t rattle off my resume here), I’d say I’m well-qualified to comment on whether something is pleasant to use.
In my comments, I didn’t even bring up mobile because, until quite recently, no forum platform really did mobile well - vBulletin provides an “enhanced mobile view,” but until recently it was buggy... it’s improved, but in my mind, the jury is still out. However, XenForo recently made some updates to their mobile interface, which seem to be pretty darn good.
Since Sprinter-Source is running (currently) on vBulletin 3.8.9, I’ll start with the most direct comparison... WranglerForum.com, which is (currently) running on vBulletin 3.8.8... perhaps due to the either indexing or the way it’s organized, as well as, maybe, features that are enabled on WranglerForum that are not enabled on Sprinter-Source, this forum is (in my opinion) easier to use, seemingly more functional and feature rich, and a lot easier to search.
Next up, Expedition Portal and Overland Bound, which are both (currently) running on the XenForo platform. This is what I wish this forum would convert to... in my experience of using both of these forums, as well as others that are on XenForo, the user experience is superior to vBulletin, both on mobile and desktop.
As an aside, Wayalife (I rarely use this unless I cannot find information elsewhere or unless they have some sort of exclusive information / leak, because the forum owner is a cancer to the Jeep community, and bashes manufacturers if they refuse his “pay to play” scheme on his forum) is running on 4.2.4, MTBR (mountain bikes) is running on vBulletin 4.2.0, and BimmerForums appears to be on at least vBulletin 4.0+ (maybe 5.0?). It appears version 4.0+ has come further along to being better able to better compete with XenForo, but I still personally find that XenForo to be a superior experience all around for the end user.
I will say, one thing about the organization of this forum that I found not to be easily apparent in the beginning is the “RV & Conversion” section, which I
think (as I’ve learned more about Sprinters) was intended for discussion Airstream, Gulfstream, Outside Van, Prestige, Sportsmobile, Winnebago and the like (in summary, large brands that do RV conversions)... however, maybe it’s just me, but as a new user, “RV & Conversions” was not apparent to me in this context, and so I posted my NCV3 144 adventure van conversion build thread under the “RV & Conversions Write-Ups” section, when really the more appropriate place for it is *probably* the “NCV3 Write-Ups” section since it is not a “branded” conversion... but, it is a conversion, so... you see how there is ambiguity there? I also notice how there are sections for “NCV3 Talk,” or “T1N Talk” for “general discussion” but there’s no corresponding section for “technical discussion” (e.g. “T1N tech talk”).
The way a forum is organized is key to its ability to be searched effectively.
Anyway, I hope this is seen as helpful, constructive criticism and not as just complaining or being critical for the fun of being critical, because I am intending it to be constructive feedback that hopefully can help contribute to improving things for both users and moderators.
Cheers.
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