Patrick – I am better and more serious than you
June 22, 2004
vBulletin vs. phpBB is a common, generally fruitless, argument that takes place on web development communities across the Internet.
My response is generally something like this:
What will determine the success of your community will be your work as the administrator.
However, one ugly monster that often pops up in these discussions is something like “Well, if you’re serious about your community, you’ll use vBulletin.” or “phpBB is alright for amateurs, but I want to run a professional community.”
Phooey. This is offensive.
You are a better community administration than me because you paid $160? You are more serious than me because you paid $160? I have news for you. Chances are – you’re not better than me. Chances are – you’re not as serious or as dedicated as I am.
vBulletin is great. No arguments there. But, keep the serious/amateur stuff out of the discussions.
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I just wish the debates would stop. Presonally I prefer using vB but only because I’m used to using it now. It’s got nothing to do with the money aspect. After all, look at how many sites use Apache, PHP & MySQL. They are all open source products too!
The only thing I find mildly bizzare is the fact that you run the biggest non-official phpBB site, but say you prefer vB. I mean I understand that phpBBHacks was started around the time vBulletin got started…would you say that helping in "suiting most people’s needs" is something that phpBBHacks does?
That makes phpBB less for ameteurs, though, wouldn’t it? You need to add doo-hickies for quick reply, attachments, custom titles, post count configuration, subfora, and so forth. All of that adds g33k experience…
I’ll write on this later on my blog and track back. Because I can blather there and not be a fool :P
Hey AJD,
I run the biggest phpBB related downloads site period. ;) :-D
And I say vBulletin is better. I can see how someone would find it bizzare and look at me funny. :) I prefer vBulletin… and I don’t. I feel its better – yet I don’t use it on any of my own sites. Part of this is that I don’t feel the expense of vBulletin is justified – in my case – and part of it is that I like phpBB. So, although I feel vBulletin is better, I really prefer phpBB. That’s confusing, isn’t it? :)
I would definitely say that phpBBHacks.com helps people to make phpBB suit their needs and desires. That is one of the reasons I started it. There was no hacks site, no organized database of hacks. I wanted an easier way to find them myself.
I don’t mean amateurs in the sense of programming and installing hacks (I am "decent" at installing hacks and even some basic troubleshooting, but very much an "amateur" at programming – maybe if I didn’t have to run the site!). I mean in the community management sense, which is a whole different, important and not easily mastered skill in and of itself.
No worries on the blathering. You’re fine.