[jeffhiggins]

Suppose I was to use .9, is there any way to actually get my 1.0 database over to a .9 install?

See, this is the major problem that has been plaguing me all this time. To begin with, I only switched to bbPress because my phpBB3 (modded) broke and the database was partially messed up (no matter what I tried, I could not get that database onto a clean install).

Luckily I was able to get that db over to bbPress, but now that I am here I feel like A) I’m stuck (no backup/restore feature scares me half to death, and that I might have made a mistake. To hear that I should be downgrading to an older version is pretty frightening too, because this is for a client, and I wasn’t planning on sticking around for years to fix all the potential things that might happen from using a year old version of something (especially when support for the .9 version gets dropped altogether.

I really don’t like phpBB3. It does not offer me to the modification/ease of use that I need as a dev. On the other hand, it seems like the more I try to do with bbPress, the less it delivers. Almost none of the useful plugins work with 1.0.2, so I’m stuck deciding whether I should spend the time creating my own theme (based off of the WP theme for the client), or whether I should be trying to figure out how to get this db (which has changed since I left phpBB3) and move it to a platform that is more mature.

This is all very frustrating – and basically illustrates why I hate forum software in general. Any suggestions? I’m desperate/almost at my wits end…

All I really want is:

1. avatars (not just gravatars) [that users can upload for themselves]
2. private messages
3. attachments
4. smilies

And yet, it seems like even these things cannot be had with 1.0 – at least not from what I can find by searching this site (which by the way really needs to organize plugins based on bbPress version compatibility). So in a round about way, I guess I’m stuck with bbPress (and hopefully things will improve – don’t get me wrong it’s great software, but it’s just too simple [without plugins] for what I need). That being said, if the only way for me to enjoy those features lised above is via plugins, then how do I downgrade my install to .9? Alternatively, can I [and if so how do I] install .9 and then point it to my pre-existing 1.0 database (so that all the users, posts, etc, are not lost, and so they resolve in the new .9 install)?

Thanks in advance for any help that you – or anyone else – can give me…