SOFTWARE UPGRADE
Background Information
- We’ve reviewed other software platforms and even considered nesting within a larger car forum. The cost/income balance and future-proofing were key factors in the decision-making process.
- Important note: This is not the final decision. If needed, we can explore other platforms/solutions in the future, depending on the budget.
Transition to Cloud-Based Hosting
- No Longer Self-Hosting: We’re moving our forum to the cloud, with vBulletin (VB) hosting it for us. At the time of writing, it's VB Cloud ver. 6, always same version as the self-hosting. However, Cloud means there will be some limitations compared to the self-hosted version.
- While we’ll still be on the latest version of VB, we won’t have full access to customization tools, third-party scripts, or other advanced features that were possible with self-hosting.
- 3rd-party scripts and custom forms will not be supported.
No Trial Period
- Since we are no longer self-hosting, our existing database must be converted before it can be moved to the VB Cloud platform.
- VB will not carry out the database conversion process until payment is received.
- Anyone with an email address can download the latest VB software for a 7-day trial. However, this is not cloud-based and doesn’t reflect the NSXCB Forum content—it's more for previewing the interface.
Domain: nsxcb.co.uk
- We’ll keep the .co.uk domain for now, staying with the HTTP protocol instead of HTTPS.
- Many have moved to HTTPS, but VB Cloud doesn't support private certificates (HTTPS) for .co.uk or .ws domains.
- Moving to HTTPS would require purchasing an SSL certificate, which we can consider later.
- Why stay with HTTP?: For security, there’s no sensitive data (e.g., bank details, home address) stored in the forum software. Unless you added extra info, only the email address, user ID and birthday are stored. Payments (like Platinum contributions) are handled through PayPal, not within VB itself.
- Note: While HTTPS is more secure, HTTP is sufficient for the kind of data we handle. Plus, if someone wants to, using HTTPS won’t prevent one from monitoring what is typed, though it’s not a major concern here.
Limitations of vBulletin Cloud
- Fewer Features and Customization:
- No support for third-party plugins, custom styles, or advanced customization. Any third-party styles or plugins won’t be migrated.
- If your forum experience relies on custom scripts or styles, you may find the transition difficult.
Potential Content Migration Issues
- Some content like photos, videos, and emojis may not transfer properly due to the changes made in VB ver. 5 and 6.
- The structure of the forum has changed significantly between ver. 4 (currently used on NSXCB) and newer versions.
- Old structure (VB 4): Each thread’s content (text, photos, etc.) was stored in separate folders.
- New structure (VB 5/6): All content is stored in one large "container," meaning that specific files (like images or links) may not convert properly, especially if they used plugins or scripts in VB 4.
Why the Upgrade is Necessary
- Some users may resist the change, preferring the old system. However, maintaining the current setup is no longer feasible:
- If the server goes down, the forum will be inaccessible.
- The admins have been manually rebooting the server multiple times a day, but we can’t continue 24/7 monitoring.
- If no more funds, the forum will close and may become an archive-only site.
Conclusion
We appreciate your understanding and support during this transition. We know the change may be frustrating, but it’s a necessary step to ensure the continued availability and functionality of the NSXCB Forum.Once again, thank you for your understanding.
Kind Regards,
NSXCB Forum Administrators.
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