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Future of bbPress

(54 posts) (31 voices)

Started 4 months ago by matt
Latest reply from matt

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matt
Key Master

A few people have reached out to me and I just wanted to let everyone know that bbPress is still an important project for the WP community. (It powers our forums and plugin directory, for one thing!) It's not going away.

Strategically the most important thing we need to figure out is how to integrate bbPress better with WP more for people who want that -- right now it's easier to use one of the WP plugins for forums than bbPress.

As to where bbPress goes in the future, I'd be curious to hear who wants to help with that. The world is our oyster. :)

Posted 4 months ago #
chrishajer
Moderator

Thanks for stopping by Matt.

Posted 4 months ago #
grassrootspa
Member

Amen, chrishajer.

Posted 4 months ago #
matt
Key Master

Happy to be here. :)

Posted 4 months ago #
chandersbs
Member

Wow, the legendary Matt :D

Posted 4 months ago #
wiseacre
Member

Thanks for the answer, Matt. :)

Posted 4 months ago #
citizenkeith
Member

Thanks Matt! :)

Posted 4 months ago #
talgalili
Member

Thanks for stopping by matt.

If I may use this stage for a request:
I hope to see an integration of bbpress login system with other methods of authentication (especially twitter, facebook and google - maybe through intense-debate ?).

Thanks,
Tal

Posted 4 months ago #
johnhiler
Member

Can you give us an update on the revamping of the bbpress.org website? Sam was about to launch that when he left.

Currently, the Plugins tab is on a separate bbPress version than the Forums tab (so you have to sign into each separately), and there's no Codex for documentation...

Thanks!

Posted 4 months ago #
rvlawrence
Member

Hi Matt, I think you could learn a lot from simplepressforum.com

If you could make BBpress as easy to use as that, everyone would use it. Make BBpress a plugin with full integration into the control panel and 1 click installation.

Right now, it's like frankencoding trying to get all these things, BBpress, Wordpress MU and Buddypress to all work together.

Make BBpress and Buddypress an already built-in option in the wordpress control panel that we simply have to check off to activate and everyone would use it.

Also, when is buddypress coming to single member wordpress installations?

Posted 4 months ago #
PickledPC
Member

I agree making it integrated part of wordpress, or a plugin that is easily installed would help me and many others use bbpress. I am trying to theme it now and it's not playing very nice. I do like the simple nature of bbpress, the light install and how the user integration but could like to see it implemented into wordpress, instead of a separate entity that works with wordpress. But those are just my thoughts.

Posted 4 months ago #
rvlawrence
Member

Hi Pickled, are you using buddypress as well? Trying to figure out all the theme issues is a real problem.

Posted 4 months ago #
matt
Key Master

talgalili, we'll probably leave external authentication to plugins just like with regular WordPress.

johnhiler, Sam did have some cool designs and ideas for the site, I'll try to track that down and see if we can get a refresh going.

rvlawrence, PickledPC, totally agreed. It's way too hard to use and integrate right now.

Posted 4 months ago #
rvlawrence
Member

Wow, I can't believe the "Matt" actually wrote back to me. :-)

One of the reasons why I went with Wordpress is the strength of the plugins and community. I toyed a bit with Joomla but the interface stinks, and it's too difficult to use and not pretty behind the scenes. People say that it's stronger than Wordpress and more adaptable but I think Wordpress is quickly surpassing it as the defacto blogging/CMS building tool. New users like me can get up and running quickly and it's fun to use!!! Joomla was nothing but a nightmare, ugly and not enjoyable at all. The people in their community are ok to deal with but many are tech-snobs. Thank you Wordpress!!!

Any other information on BBpress is appreciated, including a timeline of features to come and integration. Please give us a peek to what the future holds...

Posted 4 months ago #
Gautam
Member

Thanks for the answer Matt, looking ahead for a great future of bbPress. :-)

Posted 4 months ago #
michayu
Member

Matt,
1. Automattic should to acquire SimplePress and to merge it with bbPress (just as you did with Buddypress - smart move).
2. The best forum software is vBulletin (and now they have a full-featured CMS). Look at vB, and you'll see the roadmap of all the forum software.
3. Stop calling Wordpress "blogging platform". It's a CMS, FYI! I even hope WP3.0 will become a CMF.

Posted 4 months ago #
Kawauso
Member

michayu:

1. SimplePress looks horrible, and the cleaner bbPress codebase is, the better. It also implements a lot of what in bbPress mentality would be plugin-based.

2. vBulletin is clunky and the opposite of what bbPress aims to be (light, adaptable, etc.)

3. WordPress IS a blogging platform. It has supplementary CMS features such as pages, and can be adapted into a CMS, but it's primary focus and purpose is blogging. I pray it never gets turned into yet another CMS (and look on discussions on the WordPress support forums about its current shortcomings when used as a CMS if you want proof it's not one).

Posted 4 months ago #
michayu
Member

@Kawauso

1. SimplePress looks better than BuddyPress did before Automattic has acquired it. I intent to emphasize rather business aspect, than technology one. It would be better for Wordpress community if the resources will concentrated, not dispersed.

2. Try vBulletin4.0(beta). It's "light, adaptable, etc"...

3. My company develops 4-6 [WP-based] sites (not blogs) a month. God bless WordPress!
CMS=ContentManagementSystem, isn't blogging about content management?
And you're right, hopefully, it's CURRENT shortcomings will be overcame in 3.0 :-)

Posted 4 months ago #
grassrootspa
Member

@matt:

1. Great to hear you will be looking into the bbPress site refresh!

2. There was discussion a while ago re: a 'bbPress MU' type of plugin to allow 1 bbPress installation to manage MULTIPLE forums. Any idea how this would tie into the whole WP/WPMU merger? For planning purposes, should we expect this idea dead?

Posted 4 months ago #
Dailytalker
Member

I am currently running a wordpress blog in combination with a Simple Machine Forum (SMF). I would prefer bbpress because it is easier to integrate in wordpress and buddypress. That's the advantage of bbpress.

The advantage ob SMF is that they offer much more features. You habe a tinymce editor, you can post pictures, upload images and post clips from youtube, googlevideo and similiar services.

It would be excellent if there were a way to integrate wordpress-plugins into bbpress.

Further please have a look on pretty-urls.
This is too long:
http://xxx.com/groups/movie-friends/forum/topic/blabla/

This would be much better:
http://xxx.com/forum/politics/obamas_health_care_reform/

Just website/forum/category-name/topic_title

Posted 4 months ago #
talgalili
Member

Hi Matt,
Thank you for the reply.
I wasn't suggesting adding intense debate to the core of bbpress. I was only saying that currently there is now easy way of (for example) logging into a bbPress forum using twitter.

Intense Debate would be a great plugin to connect to bbPress. But from what they told me they are not planning it, and I was hoping that you might find a solution to that.

Best wishes,
Tal

Posted 4 months ago #
jurasiks
Member

Why BBpress should integrates with WordPress?
I think we can make bbpress - standalone CMS with only key features.

Who will be in charge now with this project?

Posted 4 months ago #
chrishajer
Moderator

I deleted a bunch of off-topic troubleshooting-type posts. If yours is missing from here, that's what happened. Please start a new topic for your issue, if you have one, and let's keep this topic on the topic 'future of bbPress'.

Thanks

Posted 4 months ago #
Kawauso
Member

I think having gotten into plugin development with bbPress, a big part of what it needs is more documentation. One of the great advantages of WordPress is the ease with which additional functionality can be implemented, and bbPress is quite similar in that respect, but actually knowing how to implement it using the native functions available is currently a learnt skill, rather than something you can pick up from reading the Codex. As this thread shows, bbPress has a wide variety of uses and situations, so it's important for it to be easily adaptable in order to grow.

Not too much to do with how bbPress develops as a codebase, but not too off-topic I hope :)

Posted 4 months ago #
Tom(dB)
Member

It's great to hear that bbPress has a future, so thanks for informing us, Matt.

At this stage I think it's important to get bbP integrated better with WP in terms of the theming, and having a select number of WP functions available to it.
Logging in, and profile pages should be brought together. At the moment my integrated site has abandoned WP profiles, because of the forum history, favourites, etc. in bbP.
Sharing of cookies needs to be a single check box option, with none of the faffing around that it currently takes. The login/out form needs to be global.

Two versions of bbP (0.9, and 1.0) is very confusing, particularly when it comes to browsing the plugins. We need some clear direction for plugin writers, since this brings real power and customisation. (twitter login, facebook connect, etc. should all be plugins since not everyone needs these features.)

It may be that bbP needs to stop its standalone status (though, I hear many cries) and focus on its integration with BuddyPress. If someone only wants a forum then they can switch off all the other Buddy features. BuddyPress would then take over all user profile duties and allow easy integration with a single administration area (paying good attention to moderator powers.)

thanks.

Posted 4 months ago #
gerikg
Member

I disagree with the not having the standalone. Some website have no reason to have anything on their site other than a forum. You can have two versions plugin and standalone. I did mention before giving 0.9 & 1.0 version names instead of numbers because it confuses people. Example bbPress Blue v1.0 (for 1.0) and bbPress Red v1.0 (for 0.9).
I would say stay away from buddypress for now. They have a lot issues that they are trying to deal with since their release from BP 1.0 to BP1.1 (a big change). Buddypress is already using bbpress in their install but for the Group feature which can conflict and confuse people.
I installed WPMU just for BuddyPress a regret it since then. I'm having a lot of basic issues that isn't addressed.

Anyway back to the topic. I was able to integrate WP+BB easily, I don't have PHP knowledge but I was able to. It's the so many versions of the integration that screw people up in my experience. I think bbPress is great already, you just need more plugins and themes. And most important finish the development documents. I know WP didn't have it for years but why follow? If you have more theme development also I believe bbPress will pick up faster.

Posted 4 months ago #
Jiyong
Member

BBpress is a very good forum, but the support in franch (the example for me) is nonexistent. So it's a problem for the BBPress development in the world. Another problem, lack of consistent Wordpress plugin -> bbpress (example : Avatar :()

I like bbpress, I hope everything will change for the better ...

Posted 4 months ago #
Dailytalker
Member

The big advantage of bbpress is the easy integration in wordpress. There are much better standalones on the web. For example SMF with which I am currently working.

The thing is that I am looking for a forum which I can easy integrate in buddypress without a bridge. I found it with bbpress. Unfortunately bbpress doesn't offer a wysiwyg-toolbar and it doesn't offer many of the features which are standard in other forums.

So in my opinion developers should include a wysiwyg-standard toolbar as it is already standard in wordpress and other features for images and videos.

Posted 4 months ago #
jurasiks
Member

So, im still don't know who is boss at this site?
Who will make news and make updates for bbpress?

Posted 4 months ago #
Andy Peatling
Member

For bbPress to continue moving forward it has to start seamlessly integrating with WordPress.

There are only two ways of doing that. Move WordPress so that it uses BackPress, or extract BackPress from bbPress and point it to the code existing in WordPress (if it is integrated). Moving WordPress to use BackPress is a considerable job and would likely need the attention of a completely new version number. In the short term the time it would take isn't feasible for bbPress (or BuddyPress for that matter) to continue moving forward at a reasonable pace.

The second option is quite possible and has already been done. Despite it not being the truly "ideal" method for the long term it could be used without problems until WordPress moves to BackPress. There is code in BuddyPress that allows bbPress to install, configure and run all within the WordPress environment. If someone was willing to put some time in and extract this code into a plugin (or perhaps a core extension) then the job would almost be done.

The integration / abstraction code is here: http://trac.buddypress.org/browser/trunk/bp-forums/bp-forums-bbpress.php
The configuration / setup code is here: http://trac.buddypress.org/browser/trunk/bp-forums/bp-forums-admin.php

I'm happy to help someone along with this.

Posted 4 months ago #

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