Moving from xf to IPS

[fixer]

After a great amount of thought , I have to do whats best for my community, I was one of the very first customers on xenforo. The time has come. It is partly my fault for relying on 3rd parties to bring the functionality we needed , so now we are trapped on old software awaiting 3rd parties to update. I am not willing to wait when the functionality already exists and is professionally supported by 1st party elsewhere especially when i already own 2 IPS sites.

Pros of switching to IPS from xf

1. Groups functionality will be greatly improved and the vitality and use will increase
   1. DEMO - https://www.progungroup.com/index.php?/clubs/
   2. Groups by location - Members will be able to find groups closest to them
      1. ACTION ITEM: Will pay for custom development for software to notify you when a new member joins within specified radius set in your admin cp.
2. Links Directory functionality will be greatly improved
   1. DEMO - https://www.progungroup.com/index.php?/links/
   2. Our links directory is a disaster
3. Site updating would decrease from hours to minutes
4. Increased security and spam control
5. Brighter more Innovative Future
6. 1st Party support for the features we need most
7. Standardization of softwares for staff
8. Plan for monetization
9. Professional widget control
10. Improved Nav Bar
11. Ease of use such as posting and uploading photos
12. Forum Index much cleaner and more functional
13. Registration and log in more obvious
14. Better Permission system
15. Reputation > Trophies

Cons of switching to IPS from xf

1. Styling more difficult
2. Customization more difficult
3. Upstart cost
4. Renewal cost
5. SEO will take a hit
6. Loss Investment from xf core and multiple addons
7. Loss of relationships with xf family and addon developers, some people i wont miss some i will
8. Direct line of communication to core developers will cease
9. Post Bit/ Message User info Customization will be lost
10. Advanced profile fields more difficult

So i assume everyone is going to jump all over these items and break them all down , let me say that some are opinions, and I'm entitled to my opinion same as you.

 

[Tracy Perry]

You have to decide what script fits the needs of each site best. No one script will fit all niches/needs. That's why it's nice that there are a few nice packages out there that allow choice.

The only IPS issue I really have is the fact that styling (customization) can be a real PITA - especially when some of IPS changes breaks the paid style(s) used by many. You then have to wait until the style is updated before upgrading.
The customization of the templates is more difficult than in XF 1.5, but not sure about XF 2.0 as I haven't played with it other than being an end user of sites running it.

 

[Joel R]

Welcome to IPS

It's definitely a much more feature-rich suite to build out an entire community. I encourage you to check out Pages. There's nothing close to that in XF, and allows you to create powerful databases of information and resources. Otherwise, you hit upon some major differentiating factors: the block manager, menu manager, and activity streams are much more powerful and easier to use.

 

[Alpha1]

fixer please post monthly updates to how your conversion goes.

The overview you posted above is very informative. I have done a year of testing with IPS3.4 and then encountered a lot of issues. IPS4 is much better but as no solution is perfect, I do wonder what problems you run into in the coming months.

 

[Daniel]

• Direct line of communication to core developers will cease

may I ask why you think this way?

 

[Immortal]

Interesting to read i was considering IPB or XF for my next project and i went the other (XF) way.

 

[fixer]

I have completed the conversion with no issues, now to add some addons and do some playing

 

[binventive]

i was considering IPB or XF for my next project and i went the other (XF) way.

I also went with XF after looking at IPS and XF through multiple demos of each over a period of a few months (I also had an IPS hosted solution for one month). The main issue I have with IPS is that some of the most desirable features I want (e.g., subscriptions and payment providers, which requires Commerce) cost quite a lot extra if one self-hosts and have rather steep renewal costs as well. If IPS had kept payment providers in the core/forum products and offered at least a few simple ways to monetize (e.g., subscriptions, donations) without requiring Commerce, I might have gone with them. I also think that the hosted solutions that IPS offers are somewhat under-powered at the lowest price points, particularly in terms of available disk space (I understand that cloud-based storage, such as AWS, is an option, but going that route causes the monthly costs to start creeping up).

I also looked extensively at the themes in IPS and styles in Xenforo and came to the conclusion that for me at least, there are more suitable styles/themes available for Xenforo than for IPS. Specifically, I really like the PixelExit and Themehouse themes available for Xenforo.

I plan on keeping my site relatively simple with a small number of simple add-ons (none of which will be crucial for the overall functionality of the site). I have read too many horror stories of people becoming overly dependent on add-ons.

 

[Tracy Perry]

may I ask why you think this way?

He's probably more or less talking about the communication (and support) you receive via the forum. IPS has a different outlook on providing support (ticket only) whereas XenForo provides support both via a ticket and also via the forum on posts requesting help.
That's one of the issues I do have with IPS. Many times something I have ran into I KNOW has effected others, but doing a search on the forum at the most pulls up responses by a few other admins to a query about it. If you happen to see a post from IPS staff, it usually is a reference to "submit a ticket". Many times an issue is a common one, and the most efficient process of handling it would be via a thread that ask for help as others can also find it... but it's like you have to have the secret decoder ring to get any help. I'm pretty sure I know why that is... it keeps a steady revenue stream for IPS as ticket support is only for active license holders... which is the same over on XenForo - but at least on XenForo you know you can go to the forum and post for help and as long as your license is valid (not necessarily active) you are likely to get a response from one of the developers in that thread. With IPS if you want ANY kind of developer support it requires an active license (not just valid).

 

[fixer]

Site is pretty much ready ! https://www.mymilitia.com

I have added some add-ons to extend the "clubs" so far 100% of the feedback has been positive , and the members paid for the update with donations.

Still have a few things i want to hammer out , but so far so good . NO REGRETS

 

[Tracy Perry]

One suggestion on your logo... the TIA blends in to be almost invisible... you may want to contemplate darkening the text.

 

[zappaDPJ]

It looks really good, I'd say a definite improvement over what you had before. As mentioned the logo could use a little TLC but everything else looks good.

 

[fixer]

thanks guys ive been working hard to get it where it is in less than 2 days, i did have a outline on the logo and didnt like it, maybe ill add a little drop shadow.

any other feedback let it rip, havent been this engaged in a long time, i walk outside and everything seems fake lol too much puter time this weekend for sure

my little 13.3 macbook pro was cranking!

 

[fixer]

Fixed

 

[Alpha1]

Looks quite good actually!
Are you going to add more content types like downloads, store, blog, information databases, etc?

 

[fixer]

Looks quite good actually!
Are you going to add more content types like downloads, store, blog, information databases, etc?

I added the gallery and pages to my account , had to buy pages to do the side bar like i wanted , pages is like a wiki database of articles too i may implement that not sure, i have the link directory script too , i have it running on one of my other forums, its on my desktop and ready to go but i just don't know if i need it now that the "clubs" are so feature rich id rather people start a group then post a link to there website in a directory.

Im going to pay to have some custom things done ...
1. Be notified when a member joins within xxxx amount of miles
2. Add GeoIP to Members Map
3. Who's visited today (better than what they have)
4. Latest Groups on forum index by cards and not links

Something i don't like:
1. Automated User Upgrades (subscriptions) requires $100 addon so ill just process manually for a while.

Need to do:
1. Finish the Face Book integration - you can have it post to someones facebook everything they post a new topic on the site
2. Fix google log in API

An idea that really don't apply to me site:
Post to earn sponsorships - Reset every month , x amount of relevant posts earns you ad space. (should be on TAZ!)

 

[Alpha1]

1. Automated User Upgrades (subscriptions) requires $100 addon so ill just process manually for a while.

Could you explain this? That's weird.

 

[fixer]

Member Account for you guys if you want to check out the features

https://www.mymilitia.com

User: test
Pass: taz1

Save $20 on IPS with the code "SWITCH" (can only be used once per account)

 

[TimeDev]

Could you explain this? That's weird.

You need commerce app to do that basically. I *think* there may be 3rd party addons that can do simple stuff though like: https://invisioncommunity.com/files/file/7615-donations/

 

[fixer]

Could you explain this? That's weird.

You have to use the commerce addon to be able to do automated account upgrades
https://invisioncommunity.com/4guid...getting-the-basics_384/what-is-commerce-r180/

Much how you have to buy the Pages application to be able to use custom sidebar blocks

It's sort of a money grab , but once you get the software and see how easy it is to use your OK with it