OK, a little history lesson here ... I don't feel too bad about giving a history lesson since I have been around here for ten years, now.

As far as I know, BoardMod did not 'break off' from YaBB in any sort of objection as to where it was going. It was always to be the place where new features could be -added- to the original software.

And it has pretty much always been good for that purpose, and still is. Back when we were still using the YaBB 1 series, the main software was kept really lean, and nobody who was really pushing for things saw any reason to add all the extra features to the 'main' package, but just encouraged people to use BoardMod to expand.

Then they started creating the earliest version of YaBB 2. To the best of my knowledge, that version focused on three things ... security (Ron and others, and all the hard work on the Guardian), cleaning up code (stuff that had been tweaked and tweaked and tweaked, and therefore bloated and confused and so on), and adding a very small number of mods that were seen as being so important that nobody would argue against their inclusion. Most specifically, OMario's add more smilies mod and Dave Baughman's attachments mod.

Somewhat early on, one of the biggest, most difficult to install mods got added in to the main package ... Michael's Extended Profiles mod. At the time, that was one of the two biggest, most difficult to add mods. When you have a forum and you wanted to start modding it, there were two mods that were the first you tried to muscle in, before anything else, because they were the two with the most steps, at around 100 each ... extended profiles and YaMS. (This was even before the member map was added into the YaMS package.)

As time went by, they started throwing more and more mods into YaBB, and I was (and remain) amazed at how many new mods and new features were thrown in, while there were two mods that shocked me solely by their not being added into the main build, compared to the features that were ... YaMS and the calendar mod.

I have no idea why I am typing all this. It's late, my mind is shutting down, and this seems awfully long-winded to mainly say I don't think there was any sort of annoyed split creating BoardMod, but just a well-designed division of labor planned from virtually the very beginning. With, hopefully, some interesting details added in.

Shutting up now ... sorry for rambling.

I would like to see YaMMS added myself. I tried to install it a while back but it conflicted with so many of the other mods that I had previously installed. I really need to attempt it again and make it work.

Yup, I hereby put myself to the challenge

Oh yea, I like history lessons.

hay batchman good to see you back as for
Quote:

why and what rambling ? we need all the input we can get  


Dandello wrote on Jul 23^rd, 2012 at 5:30am:

^+1  and as for YaMMs  i know this can't be turnd off like Calendar but think this shud be part of it is this ok with you Dandello ?.

westwegoman wrote on Jul 23^rd, 2012 at 5:44am:

if you need help just send me a pm 

xnoddyx wrote on Jul 23^rd, 2012 at 1:40pm:


I think we're possibly looking at a multitude of choices for newbies.
What appears to be consensus is 3 versions, all with anti-spam mods built-in as well as the additional Admin functions and the current Ajax based functions.

Basic: lean, mean, stable with low inherent server load - possibly without extended profiles as that can be a server hog. (OR, a rebuilt and well integrated Extended profiles that isn't such a server hog.)
Standard: A stable, bug-free version of 2.5AE/Next with calendar.
Pro: The kitchen sink version - All the bells and whistles.

Along with these 3, recode the old templates to current html/css standards so Admins who are upgrading can still have the look and feel of their older versions. (Kind like turning YaBB into a Datsun 810 - 240Z drive-train and engine, family sedan body. It's what's under the hood that counts.   )

Now, I admit to not having looked hard at YaMMs - but I'm wondering if there isn't a way of making it an Admin choice like Calendar. If that can be done, then adding it to Standard and Pro would definitely be the way to go. Hmm... I have a walkway to finish building today, but I think I'll install YaMMs onto one of my test 2.5+ installs later and take a look at it.

Upgrading shouldn't be an issue thanks to the way YaBB is already built. In downgrading the Admins will probably lose many of their mod specific settings simply because some things just won't be supported for a downgrade. (This has to do with how .Admin/NewSettings.pl is built - the first time an admin hits Save (or SFS does it' thing) the old .Variables/Settings.pl will be over-written with the 'new' version of  Settings.pl. On the bright side - since the underlying data files will have (almost) the same structure, no membership or message data should be in danger. (This obviously will be one of the big things we'll have to watch out for.)

Bill Myers wrote on Jul 23^rd, 2012 at 5:48pm:


Cross-compatibility between the 3 versions is a must, as well as a version of FixFile that can take data from any older version of YaBB and bring it safely into the new version. One of the (IMHO) slow-spots in YaBB2.5 is having on-the-fly conversion of 2.3/2.4 (and sometimes even older) data configurations. Perl is fast, but every decision that has to be made takes time and even nanoseconds add up. And if you're talking about BIG boards, it will become noticeable.

xnoddyx wrote on Jul 23^rd, 2012 at 6:46pm:


The file convertor would be for moving the data files from one 'format' to another. I'm thinking more the issues with saving Admin settings to Settings.pl. When downgrading, the Admin will need to keep the 'enhanced' version of NewSettings.pl to keep from having those settings disappear if they want to upgrade at any point in the future. The rest will depend on which mods end up in 'Standard' and 'Pro'.

Dandello wrote on Jul 23^rd, 2012 at 8:59pm:

yes this was what i was thinking When downgrading convertor would move the 'enhanced' settings from Settings.pl to Standard_Settings.pl or Pro_Settings.pl and save them and then if or when they start Upgrading agen it will check Standard_Settings.pl or Pro_Settings.pl and pull back the info it is looking for and say they go from pro to basic then upgrade to standard then all the convertor will need to do is pull the info from Pro_Settings.pl as all the info for Standard will also be in pro and then just save that to Settings.pl.

but in saying that maybe just a Enhanced_Settings.pl so downgrading will save all Enhanced Settings here and if they go from pro to basic then upgrade to standard then all the convertor will need to do is pull part of the data from Enhanced Settings and just leave the data for Pro.

and are we set on
xnoddyx wrote on Jul 21^st, 2012 at 7:14pm:

this for basic as if we are then we need to ask the Mod Writer permission next.

westwegoman wrote on Jul 23^rd, 2012 at 11:58pm:

cool