Is PHPBB Ready For The Big Time....NOT!

[gmartfin]

Why should the developers have to do everything for you? They already give their time and knowledge to create software that they allow you to use, completely free. If you're not willing or able to learn how to use the software and/or run a website then don't. Learn to do things for yourself or employ someone to do it for you. The sense of entitlement displayed by some people makes me spit feathers. It's free software, nobody owes you anything.

The point that so many of you seem to be missing is:

If the sofware was user friendly it would gain more following and the coders could start developing apps or plugins or whatever to go with it. They could make money from selling these accessories. Just like they do in wordpress. Work for free yes but build on that to make money.

I personally have hundred of sites where I could make a forum work but it's too much work! I've been dealing with the current one 6 years and would happily delete it tomorrow.

It's not a lack of appreciation for the work that gets put it believe me I've been there myself more than a few times. But once the baby is born.....time to figure out where it's going next and how to really substain it.

Right now the software is poster friendly, admin relatively friendly and webmaster horrible. There's little defense against comment spammers, scrapers or hackers. These are areas people could/should be making money on.

Just consider me an idiot. I'm sure some of you do. But I have a standard for our company. Software HAS to be user friendly and INTUITIVE. Not just for me but for anyone that has to work with it.

The sense of entitlement displayed by some people makes me spit feathers. It's free software, nobody owes you anything.

Told you someone would get offended.

It isn't about me being owed anything I'm asking what you owe yourselves for all this work?

I would PAY for good forum software that eliminated the problems. I pay for good software all the time. I appreciate free but I (and others now) are asking why this isn't being made into something better.

[Ger]

There's little defense against comment spammers, scrapers or hackers.

that's simply not true.

[Lumpy Burgertushie]

yes, but the whole concept of phpbb is not about creating anything that you have to pay for.
it is about free and open source. it is about sharing and helping each other to learn etc.

nothing wrong with charging for software or addons to free software etc. that is a viable marketing approach.
however, that is not what phpbb is or ever has been about.

you seem to be the one who is missing something. you keep talking about phpbb like it is hurting for downloads and users. I assure you, it is not. I do believe it holds a very large market share now and has for many years.

If the developers/coders of phpbb wanted to create new extensions/styles etc. for sale, they would be doing it.
Some have over the years and some probably still do. However that is not the focus of phpbb and never has been.

Now, who is to say what the future will bring but the fact that it is free and user supported and very secure etc. is the main reason it has been and continues to be the most popular bulletin board software around.

oh, and this:

There's little defense against comment spammers, scrapers or hackers.

really shows that you apprently have no clue about phpbb and how it works etc.

might want to spend some time researching and know your facts before posting nonsense like that.

luck,
robert

[koraldon]

.......
p.s. asking "regular" joe to delete all files on server and use FTP to upload all of them is way too technical not to mention bugs that might occur due to issues with FTP upload.

simple tasks like these are nowadays to complicated to be done by the average user who has even access to a server ?!

Some people those days manage and write sites/ forums via mostly (or only) smartphones and tablets. Also, make the distinction between a site owner vs. developer. some people operate forums after the original developer left, or the site was setup by a friend...
So average users - yeah, don't count on them to know FTP is... You can ignore them, and they will ignore phpbb and just use other platforms.
Which is a loss to phpbb imho.

The big competitor at town is facebook - once you could open a small forum with a few dozen users, get a hunderd posts a days and have a nice site. Those forums today show-up as facebook groups - and you cannot compare the complexity of opening up a group vs. opening a forum. So if we want to help new forums succeed, we need to make the path easy as possible...

[AmigoJack]

via mostly (or only) smartphones and tablets

So phpBB is limiting them? Aren't those systems (on their devices) limited in the first place?

Which is a loss to phpbb imho.

IMO it is a win to not appeal amateurs but instead professionals.

facebook

That's neither a free software, nor uncensored. And you have no control over the data: it could vanish from one day to the other. Not to speak of interlinking it all and thus be known to industries and governments. I have not the slightest idea why people still go for it, and the easiest installation in the world (which phpBB might aim for one day) wouldn't change their minds either.