Bulletin Boards - help!

[eunice]

OK, I don't know squat about bulletin boards.[nbsp][nbsp]I just downloaded the UBB freeware thingie to give it a try.[nbsp][nbsp]I think maybe I can figure out how to follow the directions and get it up.

Before I launch into this, though, does anyone have any general advice about the whole UBB thing that may save me headaches and heartaches as I venture into this new area?

Really - any words of wisdom will be appreciated.[nbsp][nbsp]I hate new stuff.[nbsp][nbsp]Well that's not true, but new stuff does generally cause me a fair amount of pain.

Thanks
------------------
--Laurie

[Mandi]

Do not dismiss the advice about uploading in ASCII mode instead of binary mode.[nbsp][nbsp](I am better known for uploading my graphics in ASCII and doing the 2 hour head bang, wondering why they won't work . . . )

Get the paths right (and those can be found in your CNC, nice and laid out for you)

...and even though the directions say 777 or 755 for chmod settings, here at FQ you can use 700 - better security, and it works fine.

There's an FAQ someplace on AOTA.net about using UBB at FQ, I think.[nbsp][nbsp]Check it out :)![nbsp][nbsp]Enjoy the ride!

[Jag]

Hello Laurie,
The FAQ mentioned below,

There's an FAQ someplace on AOTA.net about using UBB at FQ, I think.[nbsp][nbsp]Check it out

I believe is the one located here,
http://www.aota.net/Script_Installation_Tips/saveubb.php3

Hope this helps,
Jag
[This message has been edited by Jag (edited 01-24-01@9:51 pm)]

[John Kennett]

Eunice

Before you settle on UBB, I would suggest that you have a look at IkonBoard (http://www.ikondiscussion.com/). It's free, and does far more than the freeware version of UBB.

You will see on the site that most of the talk is about the forthcoming version 3, but version 2 works well, is very easy to install, and is available now!

John

[eunice]

Thanks all - I think I'll procrastinate until the weekend and then I'll probably be back here whining.[nbsp][nbsp]I may try both programs just to see - before I sink any money into one.
------------------
--Laurie

[Deb]

I just downloaded and installed ikonboard on a test site and I must say it was E A S Y and fast...[nbsp][nbsp]In less than 10 minutes I had a fully operational bulletin board.[nbsp][nbsp]Of course there would be more time spent actually putting in the colors and many configuration options but overall I would have to say it's one of the simplest I've installed and at first glance appears to have many of the features required for a successful forum.

Still a lot of digging to do to create a valued judgement, but at first glance I'd have no problem recommending a first timer grab this one... it's free, simple, and functional. :D

Deb
[nbsp]- A+ on install

[John Kennett]

Deb

Have you had a look at V3 yet? It's only in Alpha release, but Matt's got the prototype running publicly (http://www.ikondiscussion.com/ibv3/ikonboard.cgi), and it works!

A really nice feature is the ability to skin the design, which will make customising the look and feel really easy. He's already got a UBB style option available!

By the look of things, a lot of effort has gone into making this board work really well, with efficient use of resources. Given that that Matt has declared that it will continue to be free, InfoPop had better look out.

John

[Charles Capps]

Pseudo-related note: The respect I had for Matt and his efforts with Ikonboard went out the window after he pursuaded two moderators over at UBBDev to let him into the private forum, then was given access to a private beta board....[nbsp][nbsp]:(

[Jeff]

I've been monitoring the forum at IkonBoard and I really like that they have a community-spirit going there.[nbsp][nbsp]I asked about their new database format which is supposed to be very fast, and if it would speed up searches, and Matt jumped right in to answer.[nbsp][nbsp]I find it hard to believe that he could be a bad guy :)[nbsp][nbsp]

Lines like this on the Infopop page make me dislike UBB:

Support plans: annual support (8 incidents/ yr) $999; single support incident $145
It just sounds so much like Microsoft...

[Terra]

let him into the private forum, then was given access to a private beta board.... I don't even care to mention how often our competition signs up for throw away accounts just to see how our servers are setup...

Some of the more devious will sign up, snoop around for awhile - and then pull a credit card chargeback...[nbsp][nbsp]:o)

Most use the old (need) FrontPage (or some NT only offering) ploy to justify saying we (insert favorite demoralizing comment here)... :P

--
Terra
--Another day in the life of big business and corporate espionage--
FutureQuest

[Jeff]

Ya, but just think how bad they must feel when they go back to their own and can't make them better ;)

-it's not exactly what you have today which is important, it's where you'll be tommorrow

[Jeff]

I should have said in my previous post that even though I don't like their corporate-quality, I _do_ respect UBB for being the first...

Now, what is the history of UBB?[nbsp][nbsp]How original was UBB?
[This message has been edited by Jeff (edited 01-30-01@8:51 pm)]

[Charles Capps]

I thought UBB was free, developed and maintained by some college comp-sci group.That sounds like Discus, actually... and they've gone corporate since then.

Jeff: Those support charges are only needed when Infopop needs to go in and do massive repairs (or in one case that I'm reminded of, the less than intelligent admin kept doing the same thing over and over to screw the board up, then called IP in to fix it)... to the best of my knowledge, other than a few large corporate entities buying tickets for protection, there have only been a handful of people ever asked to pay...[nbsp][nbsp]Support on the forums and the support ticket system should always remain free.[nbsp][nbsp]You ain't gonna get IP for THAT.[nbsp][nbsp];)[nbsp][nbsp]

The UBB hasn't changed much since 5.25, which was, uhm... about two years ago.[nbsp][nbsp]*smirk*[nbsp][nbsp]Needless to say, that's why people poke fun at it.[nbsp][nbsp](That and IP's tendancy to do the right thing at the worst possible time.)
[This message has been edited by Charles Capps (edited 01-30-01@7:43 pm)]

[eld]

I thought UBB was free, developed and maintained by some college comp-sci group.

It isn't rare that some corp starts selling a proprietary version, but is there a free version still available? Any links?

thanks.

[Paul]

Hi Eld..

Yes there is, but I warn you.. it is rather crippled. :)

http://infopop.com/services_ubb/services_ubb_free.html

Hope that helps..
Paul


[This message has been edited by Paul (edited 01-30-01@12:26 pm)]

[eld]

So is there any problem with ikonboard that anyone knows about that makes UBB still worth the 200 dollars?

http://www.ikondiscussion.com/ikonboard/

It looks like a clone with bugs at the moment... :(

But its free :)