Topic: Punbb 1.3 status

First of all, It's not my intention to blame anybody here at the development level.

I have heard about a possible 1.3 release from quite a long time now. When I read that forum, I cannot see any official update on this release.
I know that "it will come one of those days", "don't ask for it, it will not update the process", "we are not able to say anything" and some others.
But as an end user, I must listen to my final users asking for new functionalities and I have to plan this. So if I could get any official information about Punbb down here, I would be able to decide whether I have to wait for this new release or move to a different forum. This would be a pain for me as Punbb is this kind of script I enjoy but "competition" is hard by now and I cannot have my users being disappointed without being able myself to communicate with them.

So, would it be possible to get any roadmap (let's talk in quarters, if not in days) with planned addons, rejected ones, and "on the waiting list" ones.

Again, I am not saying that this has to be published whatever happens, I just say that it would be fair to keed people informed and to give them the possibility to take actions, or not.

Thanks for your understanding.

2

Re: Punbb 1.3 status

Have a look at the dev site : http://dev.punbb.org/report/1

Re: Punbb 1.3 status

spikeweb wrote:

I must listen to my final users asking for new functionalities

What about all the mods?

FluxBB - v1.4.8

Re: Punbb 1.3 status

spikeweb: What features are your users asking for that PunBB 1.3 will provide?

Re: Punbb 1.3 status

@lie2815
it's true, there are mods, but this is core code modifying most of the time with no warranty that next release or sub-release will support them. At least that's my understanding.

@Smartys, they (and I !!) would like to have among these:
- MP
- possibility to add a reputation in the leftbar user profile (different from ranking which is based on post number)
- RSS out of posts and/or forums
- add images to posts (stored on the punbb server, not external url
- Search Engine Friendly URLs, I tried to play with the mod found somewhere on this forum but this was not a real success
- use of the fulltext search from mySQL instead of the native index engine from punbb which works but takes a very large place in the DB (I'm closed to 100.000 posts with more or less 100 Mb in my DB, using fulltext search reduces a lot this size). About this, I currently use a mod but again a core integration would facilitate any upgrade

Why I love Punbb ? Because it is reliable, easy to use, has a low requirement among the DB server and a high level of performance. This is mostly why I don't want to move to Phpbb forum, but I must admit that it is attractive on the pure functional side. And I am pretty sure that you  guys are able to provide even better.

Thanks for listening wink

Re: Punbb 1.3 status

- MP

Not sure what that is

- possibility to add a reputation in the leftbar user profile (different from ranking which is based on post number)

There is no reputation system planned for 1.3's core

- RSS out of posts and/or forums

You can already use extern.php to get a feed for a specific forum

- add images to posts (stored on the punbb server, not external url

Again, not a planned core feature

- Search Engine Friendly URLs, I tried to play with the mod found somewhere on this forum but this was not a real success

Fair enough, but SEF URLs are really more of a vanity option than anything else tongue

- use of the fulltext search from mySQL instead of the native index engine from punbb which works but takes a very large place in the DB (I'm closed to 100.000 posts with more or less 100 Mb in my DB, using fulltext search reduces a lot this size). About this, I currently use a mod but again a core integration would facilitate any upgrade

Fair enough, but as you said you already have this implemented. smile

Re: Punbb 1.3 status

Smartys wrote:

- MP

Not sure what that is

PM. He's probably a neolatin language speaker, Private Messages in italian would be Messaggi Privati therefore MP.

(sorry for the OT).

Re: Punbb 1.3 status

Oh.
Well, that's not going to be a core feature either tongue

And adding modifications now should not impact upgrading to 1.3, since 1.3 will simply be a "replace all files" type upgrade.

Re: Punbb 1.3 status

Clean/fancy/SE (whatever one wants to call it) URl are a little more than just a vanity option wink

Re: Punbb 1.3 status

Thanks for your answers. MP was PM, sorry about that (my french speaking language ...) wink

Well, that's not good news, it means that none of the features I am waiting for won't happen.
For my understanding, based on your experience, are they commonly requested, or I am asking for 'gadgets' ??

From what I understand, 1.3 will be some kind of maintenance release ?

Re: Punbb 1.3 status

No, 1.3 has some new features and improved existing features.
The most important feature is the extension system, which is described in more detail on the blog.
http://blog.punbb.org/2007/02/14/mods-extensions/

12 (edited by yemgi 2007-06-17 19:34)

Re: Punbb 1.3 status

Every feature you request is available as a mod for 1.2.x  and some are translated in French, the PM sytem as an example

Re: Punbb 1.3 status

As far as I understand, extensions could answer my needs, so that's a possible way. I have no doubt that there will be extensions related to what I need.
Now, back to the original question, and I apologize for that, but what about the roadmap ?
In other words, shall I have to start thinking using mods if extensions come soon with 1.3 or will this release come only next year or worse ?

14

Re: Punbb 1.3 status

spikeweb wrote:

Now, back to the original question, and I apologize for that, but what about the roadmap ?
In other words, shall I have to start thinking using mods if extensions come soon with 1.3 or will this release come only next year or worse ?

When it's ready for production use, one would assume.

Re: Punbb 1.3 status

I work for a software editor so I have a good idea of what a roadmap means ... but even not a rough idea about 1.3 is hard to believe, no ?

Re: Punbb 1.3 status

http://dev.punbb.org/report/3
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PunBB | Wikipedia has a list of some of the major features

17

Re: Punbb 1.3 status

To clarify something. RSS and Atom feeds for forums and topics are part of the 1.3 core, there is even a rather sweet little icon.

18 (edited by Jérémie 2007-06-17 22:04)

Re: Punbb 1.3 status

spikeweb wrote:

For my understanding, based on your experience, are they commonly requested, or I am asking for 'gadgets' ??

Some:

Private Messaging

Is requested a lot, but I never understood (and I've been using web forum for over ten years, and online forums for over 15) why it was accepted by forum administrators. People have email, and in fact in most forum are obligated to have one since they can't register without one. Email is "all in one place", so you don't have to check your PM for the 10, 30, 750 boards you are registered to. Emails are faster and cleaner for the client, and nicer on the server. Emaisl can have links to various places (such as subforum, threads, posts) just as PM. In fact, email can do everything a PM can, while a PM can't do half of what email can.

- possibility to add a reputation in the leftbar user profile (different from ranking which is based on post number)

In most case that's a gadget, and it's not for the vast, vast, majority of PunBB user. So it's definitely a plugin (oops, extension).

- RSS out of posts and/or forums

That's mostly doable right now. The rest is for 1.3 (assuming 1.3 support Atom feed, I don't remember if I have to bug someone for that or not tongue ).

add images to posts (stored on the punbb server, not external url

Not in the PunBB spirit, but it would fit nicely as an option. Even if the dev won't make it, an extension will.

Search Engine Friendly URLs, I tried to play with the mod found somewhere on this forum but this was not a real success

Scheduled for 1.3, even if 1.2 is the most (not one of the, but the) best forum software for spidering and indexing.

use of the fulltext search from mySQL instead of the native index engine from punbb

Scheduled for 1.3.

From what I understand, 1.3 will be some kind of maintenance release ?

No a major release, but most of the work is "under the hood". However, each and everyone of the killer extension that will come out will rely on that part.

19 (edited by mindphaser 2007-06-18 15:02)

Re: Punbb 1.3 status

For starters. I just love PunBB and am amazed about all the work that has been put into it. Thanks to Rickard, his fellow developers and the mod creators. It is an amazing product you have, for free no less.

This is an attempt to do an unbiased guesstimate of an release date of 1.3. I have no insight in the actual work more than anyone else out here eagerly waiting for the next milestone.

My assumptions are based on two things:

1. The "All Tickets By Milestone (Including closed)" http://dev.punbb.org/report/6
2. My experience as developer and project manager that tickets, in a non 'dot zero' milestone, takes longer to close towards the end of the development phase.

1.3 has as of now 27 open tickets. Assuming that these tickets will not take, in average, shorter time to close than the already closed ones we can assume that we can get an estimate by examine the closing date 27 closed issues backwards. Issue #46 was closed 12/12/06 wich gives us a little over six months of development time.

An educated guess (ducking first wave of flame :-) would be that we are more than lucky to see 1.3 being released during 2007.

//Joakim

20

Re: Punbb 1.3 status

I would also love to hear about the release date, I have a list of mods that I want to develop, but I don't want to develop them for 1.2.x now and than redevelop them for 1.3 again in a few months...

Almost two years ago (I guess) the developper said that it would take a few months, in february Rickard told me it be a few months,...

Re: Punbb 1.3 status

I know we are not competing with anyone, but phpbb is approaching version 3, and it would be nice to have some beta of the 1.3 just to show off wink

punbb rocks!

http://tinymailto.com/oliversl <-- my email after a captcha

Re: Punbb 1.3 status

Unlike phpBB3, 1.3 will be ready when it's ready.

Re: Punbb 1.3 status

elbekko wrote:

Unlike phpBB3, 1.3 will be ready when it's ready.

oh SNAP! big_smile

~James
FluxBB - Less is more

Re: Punbb 1.3 status

Let's wait for 2008.

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