Internet Brands Is Sunsetting vBulletin.org

[Num7]

It dates from Sept. 18th, but I just found out about this last night.

It's a pretty sad day for former vBulletin fans and users. I count myself as one, and I'm pretty sure @Cosmo will relate as well. vB.org has been online for over 2 decades... Figured I'd share a few good memories.

Paranormalis used the vBulletin forum software from about 2005 to 2011. (We switched to XenForo in 2011-2012) It was, back then, the #1 forum software available. It was a paid app, but a very good one. It simply was the best. And we loved it!

Here's TPN in 2005:


vBulletin 3's "What's going on" section, at the bottom, is imprinted in my memory forever.


Here's Paranormalis in 2007 on vB3. So many memories.


We used to install a ton of plugins back in those days. Among them was vB CMPS. It was a framework of widgets that allowed you to turn your site into a portal, and control which widgets you'd display in the forum's sidebars and the likes. It was ground-breaking at the time. A must have. And it was free!

Here's a screenshot of Paranormalis in 2009. The sidebar on the right was created using the vB CMPS plugin.



We also had other plugins. Like the chat. IIRC, we used to use AddonChat as a chatroom. I'm not sure if it was in Flash or in Java... But it worked great. It integrated seamlessly with vBulletin. Discord didn't exist back then!

Another one I can remember, was the vBarcade. It was a good arcade plugin with a lot of games that would install and work fine. It was reliable. Good plugin.

Obviously, ALL those plugins were available on the vBulletin.org forum. You'd go there, login, find what you were looking for, then download the plugins you needed.

Look at the stats on this baby:


Yep, 2.3M posts. There was a shitload of plugins available on there.

You could pretty much do anything that you can imagine with vB back in those days. Integrations, weird site sections, custom fields, styles, blogs, articles, chat, games, forum shops, you name it.

Here's the announcement by Wayne Luke of vBulletin:

Sunsetting vBulletin.Org - vBulletin.org Forum

Sunsetting vBulletin.Org News and Announcements

www.vbulletin.org

It's been a good run, vB.org. Rest in peace!

--Num7

 

[TimeWizardCosmo]

Oh man. They've finally done it. Farwell sweet prince.

Around 2005, out of the blue, Satan/John proposed transferring ownership of TimeTravelForum.net to me. I've recounted this tale before - I stumbled upon this site in 2003 or 2004, a fresh extension of Gavin’s old Time Travel Hotell (I believe), and joined as the "tech whiz." Up to that point, a group including CaryP, Sosuemetoo, SnowFireWatches, Phoenix, Satan, JediStryker, and a few more were in charge. In hindsight it was a comically large group to have as a moderator team, but it was fun. Never a dull moment.

As the newbie, the reason behind this offer remains a mystery to me, but I’m grateful for it. Definitely a curveball, and I remember pacing around the cheap apartment I shared with my step-brother trying to get a grip.. Back then, we used some version of Invision Free. I chiefly recall the Invision boards, though there might have been a change somewhere before or in between.

I remember the anticipation and sweaty hands before finally deciding to purchase vBulletin... Something in the neighborhood of $160, which in 2005 money for 22 year old Cosmo, that wasn't a small amount. I loved the idea of what it could become though, and it seemed a more worthwhile investment than Guitar Hero. There's something magical about continuing places like this for sure.

vBulletin was a dream. Seamless operation, sensible admin center, and overall functionality set me on the path to becoming a programmer. Messing with those addons and exploring what weird shit I could do set me on my path to becoming a programmer. That community (and others) ultimately endowed me with the skills and knowledge to build a wonderful life for me and my family.

Some of those people seemed like absolute wizards with the ideas or the beautiful implementations of that idea. Now I'm following in their footsteps, trying to do the same.

I've never made a dime from Paranormalis and TTI in the traditional sense (it's cost me an absurd amount over the years), but the things I've learned and the communities like vB.org changed my life in unimaginable ways if you think about it enough.

I ponder the alternate reality I'd be stuck in had I stayed on Invision, or never changed the name (paranormalnetwork.net was way too long, says the guy from timetravelinstitute.com). What would have happened if I'd never accepted the offer at all? That one decision decided the course of my life.

How wild is that?

You never realize you're in the good old days while it's happening. Rest in peace, vborg.

 

[Num7]

Forums like Paranormalis and TTI shaped (and still shape) how I see the Internet as well.

Acquiring Paranormalis from you in 2009 has been a major milestone in my life. The forum has been omnipresent in my existence since then. 22 year old me was already in IT in 2009, but the stuff I've learned along the way served me well in my career. It's cool to mix your hobby with your job.

Man, do I miss the old vB control panel! Do you remember it?



It was awesome. As the first forum software I've ever been an admin on, it'll always be special to me.

Admitedly, XenForo's AdminCP is pretty similar, except we're not nostalgic about it.

 

[TimeWizardCosmo]

Those gradients!