Threads will be a separate product, but we WILL be trying to create some standards across all of our products (for consistency). You mentioned UBBCode, and yes that would be one area we have already discussed coordinating so that we have a standard of some kind.
There are also some terminology things that may need to be addressed, if only so that we do not confuse different customers on our site. For instance, Rick refers to the personal settings area as a "Control Panel" in 3WT. We use that term to refer to the admin area.
These are minor points, though. :)
The differences in the products are as important as the similarities, however. For instance, we are excited about the fact that Threads offers both threaded and linear views, while we have no plans to make UBB "threaded".
Threads has its own flavor, its own style. I've been in Rick's shoes and I know I would be upset if a stranger tried to tinker with my recipe. We are very sensitive to that. We think Threads can maintain its character while making some subtle adjustments to address certain "platform" issues.
