UBB.Dev
Posted By: The Team UBBThreads™ v6 - 04/04/2002 9:30 PM

UBBThreads™
By: Allen Ayres

Outgrowing your UBB™ and looking for an easy upgrade path to a php/mysql solution? UBBThreads™ is undergoing a major revision and it shows. smile

Editor's Rating:

  • Performance - 9
  • Features - 8
  • Usability - 6
  • Design - 7
  • Price - 7
  • Support - 8
  • Dev Community - 7


At A Glance:
Pros:
  • blazing fast
  • templates
  • xhtml compliant
  • strong support
  • developer is rapidly adding new features/improvements

Cons:
  • GUI is still maturing
  • html isn't 100% editable in templates
  • development community is still maturing

Review:The first major revision of the threads line of forum software since being aquired by Infopop in the Fall of 2001, Version 6 is a major step up in terms of features, speed, and usability. We check in on how they are doing with an early beta of the coming soon software.

Building upon the history of the wwwthreads softare, Rick "Scream" Baker has done a major rewrite of the code in developing the next generation in threads software. Major reductions in system overhead have been accomplished through a massive effort to reduce the number of queries each page requires. XHTML 1.0 transitional compliance helps to ensure your site looks the same across all browsers who support standards compliance. Templates have been introduced with this version, including a section in the control panel to edit them online. Additional features such as thread and user ratings, layout improvements, custom header/footer/stylesheets per forum, and many many more look to make this a must-upgrade for current threads owners as well.

As threads makes the transition from the v5 series to v6, several things remind me of the same time period in the UBB™ transition from v5 to v6. The code, while undergoing a major rewrite, is finding its placement in the product lineup at Infopop, being positioned as the go-between UBB™ and Open Topic™. This tends to keep the investment a bit more pricey than other possible choices. The software's GUI still seems to be aimed at the more experienced owner and member, as the usability is a bit more difficult to get a handle on for a newbie to forum software. The development community ( www.ubbdev.com ), while having several excellent contributors and and a nice friendly atmosphere, is still obviously in its infancy as a support site, with so much to do and so little time smile

Overall, an excellent choice if you are looking for a php/mysql solution, as the strong points make it on a par with any other choice and the rapidly improving weak points will soon make it a superior choice among all choices of forum software. smile

Key Features:
  • Fast Php/MySQL Solution
  • Easy upgrade path from UBB
  • Famous Infopop Support Team Backing it up
  • Developer rapidly improving features and performance
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