Hello, possible vBa Newbie here.

[C_P]

Hello all,
I have recently been under a issue to look for a different board/portal system.
In my looking, I have contacted aproximately 6 boards to ask for advice in their forum/portal systems.
Out of those systems that I chose, 1 has responded... vB.
Now, we are currently using a SMF board and a BETA portal that was in developement but has since died.
This started me on my quest.
Our site Computer Paradise (http://www.cpfools.com) uses a portal system.
Ok, in order to do what I need, I would have to first either purchase a IBF
One Year License · $69.95 or
Lifetime License · $199.00

I have posted my situation at a total of 6 boards. ONLY 2 offer a converter and portal add on.

The only ones that replied to me were at vB in person. IBF sent me PM
vB offer a converter but I am not as familiar with vB.
vBulletin Leased License is $85
vBulletin Owned License is $160

So far, I REALLY like vB!
It is VERY nice and offers nice features. IBF has some nice features too.
My biggest concern, besides cost is upgrading after conversion as well as speed (page load times). When you add a portal add on, upgrading can be a bear and slow things down.
IBF has a simple "Dynamic Lite" portal included with theirs.
vB has one that is vbadvance CMS system which is a add-on.
Before I make my final decision, I hope someone can address my concerns:

1. How difficult will it be to do future upgrades once I add a portal on to vB?
2. Will there be costs for future upgrades?
3. Will a portal system effect my page load times negatively?

THE main reason I am seriously considering this MAJOR comitment to join here and start using this board is because of the amount of response I have received from the staff and comunity here.
I have not received one reply to my post made over there (IBF). Not one.
Here is my delima now, not asking you solve it for me, just stating facts as I see them:

vB
$160 for just license and support, no one to install and convert this for us and $30 for each additional upgrade. Will need to add on a portal and possible upgrade issues cause of it that I would require assistance doing.

IBF
$199.00 includes instalation and conversion as well as no additional costs (at this time) per upgrade as well as support. Portal is included in product.

Me being a doofus on installation process, as well as coding, I would need as much help as humanly possible or have someone do this for us.
Because of my need for conversion and a portal.
Trust me, do not get me wrong OR anyone reading this later, I really like vB and am in no way putting them down for their prices. It just appears that this could get quite costly for someone that does not know how to do all of this and when it comes to upgrades and add ons, etc.
THIS has got to be one of the best support responses for a board I have been on. It is amazing to get so much help on concerns such as mine. Normally you get one or two responses and a "Well, you need to choose" we are done replying to you kind of response.

I think if I could get past the initial upgrade/conversion to the vB system, my worries would be over. UNTIL the upgrade plans once the portal was installed also. However, I would not have a clue nor the time to do this instalation most likely.

Can I PLEASE get your all's advice on this?
I will most likely be looking at the advanced system here, but as I stated, I am concerned this add on will also cause me issue when attempting any future upgrades in vB as well as slow down issues.
If the staff here is concerned about some of the replies they make in open forum here, please reply via PM here or feel free to IM me.

Thank you VERY much!

[C_P]

I just saw this by Zachary:
"We do NOT provide vBulletin support here, only support for vBadvanced and related products. for vBulletin support please go to vBulletin.com"
I hope this did not break the rules but I am concerned on how this portal will effect the vB I may purchase.

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[KW802]

C_P,

If I'm understanding your questioning correctly....

The vBadvanced CMPS installation is relatively simple with only 5 (if I remember correctly) modifications to the default vBulletin files. What that means is that even if you do a fresh install of vBulletin (like, when upgrading from 3.0.1 to 3.0.3) you'll need to just modify a few files again to have the vBadvanced CMPS portal up & running again.

Based upon your message above I'd recommend sending a PM to Brian directly. The vBadvanced CMPS portal is free but if you'd like the author of it to install it for you he'll provide that service at a very nominal fee. He could also answer some of your questions directly about the number of queries, etcetra needed for the portal home page.

As for support, with the core vBulletin software you're looking at three different sites. vbulletin.com for the actual product and support is provided by the actual vBulletin staff, vbulletin.org for any user "hacks" or modifications by the VB community, and finally vbulletintemplates.com for any user style modifications (eg: skins, buttons, etc.) by the VB community.

As for the vBadvanced CMPS support, Brian has shown some amazing patience with helping getting people up & running with the product. If you poke around the forums here a little bit I think you'll see that the support for the portal is top-notch and as a whole the community here is pretty helpful towards each other.

My personal recommendation would be to go with the vBulletin / vBadvanced CMPS combo based upon the flexibility it provides & ease of us but, again, that's just my own personal thought process and your needs may be different. ;)

Good luck in which ever choice you decide to go with. :)



PS: I have no affiliation with either vBulletin or vBadvanced CMPS other than being a happy customer of both.

[Brian]

1. How difficult will it be to do future upgrades once I add a portal on to vB?
It shouldn't be very difficult at all. You will simply need to re-apply the file changes that are necessary for vBa CMPS and run the install file to reinsert your CMPS templates. The whole process should take about 5 minutes.

2. Will there be costs for future upgrades?
For vBa CMPS? No.

3. Will a portal system effect my page load times negatively?
It will not affect anything on your forums at all. The portal itself may vary in load times depending on the size of your forum and what modules you have active. The Stats and Quick Moderation modules can sometimes have an effect on performance, but all modules can easly be turned off.

$160 for just license and support, no one to install and convert this for us and $30 for each additional upgrade. Will need to add on a portal and possible upgrade issues cause of it that I would require assistance doing.
Installing vBulletin really isn't hard at all, though they do offer installation service if you're not comfortable in doing so. Upgrading vBulletin is very simple - Just upload the new files and run the upgrade script. Usually takes about 5 minutes. I think you may be misunderstanding the vB license system as well... Once you purchase a license you are allowed to download any upgrades that are released within a year from the time you purchased your license. After that, it's $30 per year to renew your access to the member's area.

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[C_P]

Thank you very much for the reply and suggestions, opinions.
Hopefully Brian will contact me or send me a PM so I do not have to bother him first. ;)



*D'oh he replied faster than I typed. Reading now...........

[C_P]

Thank you Brian, do the "blocks" follow you throughout the forum or can you turn them off and/or pick and choose wich to display and where?
Here, I notice they are not in the posts.

[Brian]

By default they only appear on the portal page. We've made it fairly simple though to include any modules that you would like on any of the forum pages as well. It requires adding a page in the CMPS, adding two lines of code to the file you would like the portal to appear on, and then changing one line of code. :)

[C_P]

Thank you Brian.
This too would cause issue for an upgrade using vB also or need to be considered as well as template issues when you are adding skins correct?
Also, do you charge to do this?
IE, if we bought the license and have vB installed, do you charge to install the portal for us too? You can send me a PM or IM on this if you wish.

[Brian]

As for upgrading vBulletin, you will have to re-apply any file changes you make. That really shouldn't be a big deal though. And there shouldn't be any template issues when adding skins as the vBa templates are added to the master set.
As for installations, we do offer installation service for $14.99 (you'll see the option when you go to download the product). This does not include adding the portal to other pages though. If that's something you needed done though you could let me know when the time comes and the price wouldn't be too high. ;)

[C_P]

OK, I think I am convinced!

[C_P]

I did it!
I made the plunge and bought the license!
You all at vB.com, vB.org,and here convinced me!
Now, who can get all of this up and running for us?
;)

[C_P]

As for upgrading vBulletin, you will have to re-apply any file changes you make. That really shouldn't be a big deal though. And there shouldn't be any template issues when adding skins as the vBa templates are added to the master set.
As for installations, we do offer installation service for $14.99 (you'll see the option when you go to download the product). This does not include adding the portal to other pages though. If that's something you needed done though you could let me know when the time comes and the price wouldn't be too high. ;)

Hello Brian,
With the GREAT, FATASTICO, help (ok, he did it all) of Zachery The GREAT, I now have a portal and board.
I am responding to your offer of adding blocks to a portion of our forum, could you?
Or PM me and let me know.
Thank you VERY much