05-09-2007, 03:57 PM
With the upcoming release of phpBB3 RC1, I will be converting the forum to that next version.
For a short discussion of the previous beta version of the forums, check <a href="http://www.ironsongtribe.com/viewtopic.php?t=2216&highlight=phpbb3">here</a>. Keep in mind it's in the Member's Meeting forum, plus the beta forum is no longer up.
A couple of downsides I foresee:
<li>No WoW theme (initially; I'm sure the author of the theme will make new ones for phpBB3)
<li>No itemstats plugin (the author of this mod has stated the most recent version was the last version they would put out - hopefully someone else will pick up with it or design a new one, or something similar)
(Check <a href="http://area51.phpbb.com/docs/features.html">here</a> for more information. A table of the features is below.)
<center><h3>Feature Highlights</h3></center>
<table width="95%" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="4" border="0" align="center"><tr valign="top"><td width="50%"><h3 align="center">What is improved?</h3>
<p class="genmed">Features that are already available in 2.0.x but were improved and/or enhanced for Olympus. This list only highlights the most important improvements.</p>
</td>
<td width="50%">
<h3 align="center">What is new?</h3>
<p class="genmed">Features that did not exist in 2.0.x and were implemented for Olympus. This list is not complete, but only highlights the most important feature additions.</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><hr></td>
<td><hr></td>
</tr>
<tr align="left" valign="top">
<td>
<p>
<b>Private Messages</b>
</p>
<ul class="menu">
<li>Send to multiple recipients</li>
<li>Send to groups</li>
<li>Send Blind Carbon Copies (BCC)</li>
<li>Forward messages</li>
<li>Friends list works as address book</li>
<li>Attach files to PMs</li>
<li>PM Drafts</li>
<li>Conversation view</li>
<li>PM folders</li>
<li>PM filters</li>
<li>Export Messages</li>
</ul>
<p>
<b>Registration</b>
</p>
<ul class="menu">
<li>Enable/disable COPPA</li>
<li>Limit registration attempts</li>
<li>Set min/max username length</li>
<li>Set min/max password length</li>
<li>Limit username chars</li>
<li>Set password complexity requirements</li>
<li>Force password change</li>
<li>Allow/disallow e-mail address re-usage</li>
</ul>
<p>
<b>Search</b>
</p>
<ul class="menu">
<li>Search inside topics</li>
<li>Select multiple forums and categories to search</li>
<li>Search within topic titles only</li>
<li>Search within first post of a topic only</li>
<li>Set search flood interval to limit server load</li>
<li>Select search backend (mysql/phpbb)</li>
</ul>
<p>
<b>Admin Control Panel</b>
</p>
<ul class="menu">
<li>More flexible and accessible tab layout</li>
<li>Modular system allows for easy extensions</li>
<li>Allow/disallow access to different functions</li>
<li>New founder status for the board creator</li>
<li>Completely re-structured for better handling</li>
</ul>
<p>
<b>Moderator Control Panel</b>
</p>
<ul class="menu">
<li>Manage the moderation queue</li>
<li>List of warnings and reports</li>
<li>Forum, topic, and post detail views</li>
</ul>
<p>
<b>Polls</b>
</p>
<ul class="menu">
<li>Multiple options per user</li>
<li>Allow/disallow vote change</li>
</ul>
<p>
<b>Usergroups</b>
</p>
<ul class="menu">
<li>Multiple group leaders</li>
<li>Set display colour for group members</li>
<li>Set group rank</li>
<li>Set group avatar</li>
</ul>
<p>
<b>Profile View</b>
</p>
<ul class="menu">
<li>More user statistics on profile view</li>
<li>Signature on profile view</li>
<li>Usergroups on profile view</li>
</ul>
<p>
<b>Permissions</b>
</p>
<ul class="menu">
<li>More powerful and flexible permission system</li>
<li>Simple permissions through roles</li>
<li>Fine-tune admin and moderator access</li>
<li>Super moderators</li>
</ul>
<p>
<b>User Management</b>
</p>
<ul class="menu">
<li>Advanced user editing interface</li>
<li>Edit user preferences</li>
<li>Edit group memberships</li>
<li>Show and edit all attachments of a user</li>
<li>View permissions directly</li>
</ul>
<p>
<b>More Improvements</b>
</p>
<ul class="menu">
<li>Moderator and admin control panels</li>
<li>Set temporary bans</li>
<li>Comments for bans</li>
<li>Manage group memberships in the ACP</li>
<li>Search members by all attributes</li>
</ul>
</td>
<td>
<p>
<b>Full UTF-8 support</b>
</p>
<p>
<b>Attachments</b>
</p>
<ul class="menu">
<li>Attachments in posts and PMs</li>
<li>Automatic image thumbnails</li>
<li>Attach images, documents, video streams, archives</li>
<li>Multiple attachments allowed</li>
<li>Display attachments inline</li>
</ul>
<p>
<b>Unlimited Subforums</b>
</p>
<ul class="menu">
<li>Create unlimited subforums</li>
<li>Display active topics of all subforums</li>
</ul>
<p>
<b>Custom BBCodes</b>
</p>
<ul class="menu">
<li>Create your own BBCodes</li>
<li>Add buttons to posting screen</li>
</ul>
<p>
<b>Custom Profile Fields</b>
</p>
<ul class="menu">
<li>Add new fields on user profiles</li>
<li>Display them at registration</li>
<li>Display them on the profile view</li>
<li>Hide new profile fields</li>
<li>Support different data types</li>
</ul>
<p>
<b>User Control Panel</b>
</p>
<ul class="menu">
<li>Manage subscribed topics & forums</li>
<li>Manage bookmarked topics</li>
<li>Manage saved drafts</li>
<li>Manage private messages</li>
<li>Manage usergroups</li>
<li>Manage friends and foes</li>
<li>Manage attachments</li>
</ul>
<p>
<b>New Moderating Tools</b>
</p>
<ul class="menu">
<li>Moderation queue</li>
<li>Topic merging</li>
<li>Topic copying</li>
<li>Locking of single posts</li>
<li>Topic history</li>
</ul>
<p>
<b>Caching and performance</b>
</p>
<ul class="menu">
<li>Templates are cached</li>
<li>Permissions are cached</li>
<li>Forum config is cached</li>
<li>Database queries are cached</li>
</ul>
<p>
<b>Friends and Foes</b>
</p>
<ul class="menu">
<li>Add other members as friends or foes</li>
<li>Posts by foes are hidden</li>
<li>Friends are shown in friends list</li>
</ul>
<p>
<b>Warnings and Reports</b>
</p>
<ul class="menu">
<li>Users can report topics and posts</li>
<li>Moderators can warn users</li>
</ul>
<p>
<b>More Improvements For Users</b>
</p>
<ul class="menu">
<li>Bookmark topics</li>
<li>Subscribe to forums</li>
<li>Jabber/xmpp support for notifications</li>
<li>Mail or print topics</li>
<li>"You got beaten at posting notification"</li>
</ul>
<p>
<b>More Improvements For Admins</b>
</p>
<ul class="menu">
<li>Global announcements</li>
<li>Display forum rules on forum page</li>
<li>Prune inactive users</li>
<li>User, moderator, admin and error logs</li>
<li>Language pack editing</li>
<li>User notes</li>
<li>Detect search spiders</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
For a short discussion of the previous beta version of the forums, check <a href="http://www.ironsongtribe.com/viewtopic.php?t=2216&highlight=phpbb3">here</a>. Keep in mind it's in the Member's Meeting forum, plus the beta forum is no longer up.
A couple of downsides I foresee:
<li>No WoW theme (initially; I'm sure the author of the theme will make new ones for phpBB3)
<li>No itemstats plugin (the author of this mod has stated the most recent version was the last version they would put out - hopefully someone else will pick up with it or design a new one, or something similar)
(Check <a href="http://area51.phpbb.com/docs/features.html">here</a> for more information. A table of the features is below.)
<center><h3>Feature Highlights</h3></center>
<table width="95%" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="4" border="0" align="center"><tr valign="top"><td width="50%"><h3 align="center">What is improved?</h3>
<p class="genmed">Features that are already available in 2.0.x but were improved and/or enhanced for Olympus. This list only highlights the most important improvements.</p>
</td>
<td width="50%">
<h3 align="center">What is new?</h3>
<p class="genmed">Features that did not exist in 2.0.x and were implemented for Olympus. This list is not complete, but only highlights the most important feature additions.</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><hr></td>
<td><hr></td>
</tr>
<tr align="left" valign="top">
<td>
<p>
<b>Private Messages</b>
</p>
<ul class="menu">
<li>Send to multiple recipients</li>
<li>Send to groups</li>
<li>Send Blind Carbon Copies (BCC)</li>
<li>Forward messages</li>
<li>Friends list works as address book</li>
<li>Attach files to PMs</li>
<li>PM Drafts</li>
<li>Conversation view</li>
<li>PM folders</li>
<li>PM filters</li>
<li>Export Messages</li>
</ul>
<p>
<b>Registration</b>
</p>
<ul class="menu">
<li>Enable/disable COPPA</li>
<li>Limit registration attempts</li>
<li>Set min/max username length</li>
<li>Set min/max password length</li>
<li>Limit username chars</li>
<li>Set password complexity requirements</li>
<li>Force password change</li>
<li>Allow/disallow e-mail address re-usage</li>
</ul>
<p>
<b>Search</b>
</p>
<ul class="menu">
<li>Search inside topics</li>
<li>Select multiple forums and categories to search</li>
<li>Search within topic titles only</li>
<li>Search within first post of a topic only</li>
<li>Set search flood interval to limit server load</li>
<li>Select search backend (mysql/phpbb)</li>
</ul>
<p>
<b>Admin Control Panel</b>
</p>
<ul class="menu">
<li>More flexible and accessible tab layout</li>
<li>Modular system allows for easy extensions</li>
<li>Allow/disallow access to different functions</li>
<li>New founder status for the board creator</li>
<li>Completely re-structured for better handling</li>
</ul>
<p>
<b>Moderator Control Panel</b>
</p>
<ul class="menu">
<li>Manage the moderation queue</li>
<li>List of warnings and reports</li>
<li>Forum, topic, and post detail views</li>
</ul>
<p>
<b>Polls</b>
</p>
<ul class="menu">
<li>Multiple options per user</li>
<li>Allow/disallow vote change</li>
</ul>
<p>
<b>Usergroups</b>
</p>
<ul class="menu">
<li>Multiple group leaders</li>
<li>Set display colour for group members</li>
<li>Set group rank</li>
<li>Set group avatar</li>
</ul>
<p>
<b>Profile View</b>
</p>
<ul class="menu">
<li>More user statistics on profile view</li>
<li>Signature on profile view</li>
<li>Usergroups on profile view</li>
</ul>
<p>
<b>Permissions</b>
</p>
<ul class="menu">
<li>More powerful and flexible permission system</li>
<li>Simple permissions through roles</li>
<li>Fine-tune admin and moderator access</li>
<li>Super moderators</li>
</ul>
<p>
<b>User Management</b>
</p>
<ul class="menu">
<li>Advanced user editing interface</li>
<li>Edit user preferences</li>
<li>Edit group memberships</li>
<li>Show and edit all attachments of a user</li>
<li>View permissions directly</li>
</ul>
<p>
<b>More Improvements</b>
</p>
<ul class="menu">
<li>Moderator and admin control panels</li>
<li>Set temporary bans</li>
<li>Comments for bans</li>
<li>Manage group memberships in the ACP</li>
<li>Search members by all attributes</li>
</ul>
</td>
<td>
<p>
<b>Full UTF-8 support</b>
</p>
<p>
<b>Attachments</b>
</p>
<ul class="menu">
<li>Attachments in posts and PMs</li>
<li>Automatic image thumbnails</li>
<li>Attach images, documents, video streams, archives</li>
<li>Multiple attachments allowed</li>
<li>Display attachments inline</li>
</ul>
<p>
<b>Unlimited Subforums</b>
</p>
<ul class="menu">
<li>Create unlimited subforums</li>
<li>Display active topics of all subforums</li>
</ul>
<p>
<b>Custom BBCodes</b>
</p>
<ul class="menu">
<li>Create your own BBCodes</li>
<li>Add buttons to posting screen</li>
</ul>
<p>
<b>Custom Profile Fields</b>
</p>
<ul class="menu">
<li>Add new fields on user profiles</li>
<li>Display them at registration</li>
<li>Display them on the profile view</li>
<li>Hide new profile fields</li>
<li>Support different data types</li>
</ul>
<p>
<b>User Control Panel</b>
</p>
<ul class="menu">
<li>Manage subscribed topics & forums</li>
<li>Manage bookmarked topics</li>
<li>Manage saved drafts</li>
<li>Manage private messages</li>
<li>Manage usergroups</li>
<li>Manage friends and foes</li>
<li>Manage attachments</li>
</ul>
<p>
<b>New Moderating Tools</b>
</p>
<ul class="menu">
<li>Moderation queue</li>
<li>Topic merging</li>
<li>Topic copying</li>
<li>Locking of single posts</li>
<li>Topic history</li>
</ul>
<p>
<b>Caching and performance</b>
</p>
<ul class="menu">
<li>Templates are cached</li>
<li>Permissions are cached</li>
<li>Forum config is cached</li>
<li>Database queries are cached</li>
</ul>
<p>
<b>Friends and Foes</b>
</p>
<ul class="menu">
<li>Add other members as friends or foes</li>
<li>Posts by foes are hidden</li>
<li>Friends are shown in friends list</li>
</ul>
<p>
<b>Warnings and Reports</b>
</p>
<ul class="menu">
<li>Users can report topics and posts</li>
<li>Moderators can warn users</li>
</ul>
<p>
<b>More Improvements For Users</b>
</p>
<ul class="menu">
<li>Bookmark topics</li>
<li>Subscribe to forums</li>
<li>Jabber/xmpp support for notifications</li>
<li>Mail or print topics</li>
<li>"You got beaten at posting notification"</li>
</ul>
<p>
<b>More Improvements For Admins</b>
</p>
<ul class="menu">
<li>Global announcements</li>
<li>Display forum rules on forum page</li>
<li>Prune inactive users</li>
<li>User, moderator, admin and error logs</li>
<li>Language pack editing</li>
<li>User notes</li>
<li>Detect search spiders</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
hock: