XenForo 2.3 preview

[Tracy]

Devs think they’re doing good while in reality they lack so much. There’s little to nothing with a focus on brining content. Where as Invision Community just left XF in the dark.

If I was starting up a new site, I'd probably lean towards Invision... even with the fact that they will be going cloud only in the future.
I'd simply stay on the last self-hosted version and hire a developer to go over there code if needed for PHP upgrades and such. I know why Invision has planned to do away with their self-hosted option, but for many they require that option. But again, many of those are those nasty/too much work "hobbyist" website admins and not the deep corporate pockets that are apparently required.
XenForo has changed over the last 4-5 years... and not for the better. And it's a pity. It seems several of the developers and staff sat down on a jagged stick instead of their thumb recently and now can't get it removed.

Of course, at the rate their going... it will be 2025 before they get it released and somewhat stable. They really suckered quite a few folks in with their "fireside" sale after folks were not renewing because they were getting left-over peanuts for their money.

 

[Cedric]

I know, that sale wasn’t right. Luckily I didn’t renew anything. I’d rather be a few minor updates behind than to pay for something that isn’t worth it. Because let’s be real here, if they won’t come with any real innovation, they will regret it. Maybe not in the first few years, but at some point in the near future.

Even their 3.0 version isn’t really a major update other than a new theme and likely some additional stuff like we’re seeing now.

 

[Tracy]

Because let’s be real here, if they won’t come with any real innovation, they will regret it. Maybe not in the first few years, but at some point in the near future.

I think in some aspects they are already regretting it... ergo the bonfire sale they had.
Complacency is a big killer.... and more and more XF seems to be turning into their two letter origination family member.
And lets not even talk about where folks like Chris Deeming really hate being called out on it and then they try to obfuscate and get torqued when they get called out on their attempts to divert attention from their years of thumb spinning.
I love reading over there as a guest when I have a few minutes, but usually don't waste my time there.... and have a close friend that keeps me apprised of the game playing that the cult members do over there when anyone dares to voice a criticism.

And actually... 3.0 is simply a theme engine update... no more, no less.

 

[Old Nick]

If you want a simple, rustic, solid and high-performance forum script then buy XF. If you want a modern forum script, with blogs, a calendar, a nice layout then buy IPS. But don't buy XF by criticising him for not being IPS... 🤷🏻‍♂️

It seems to me that the rules are clear at XF no one lies or oversells the script: they sell a forum script. A FO-RUM script.

So yes, we are quite often disappointed by the new versions but it is finally the fault of users who wait year after year for something that does not happen and that will probably never happen, at some point we have to make a reason and take XF as it is and not as we would like it to be.

Unfortunately, their suggestion forum suggests that users have their say in the direction that the script will take, but this is obviously false and for the sake of clarity of their goals I would simply delete this forum.

 

[Tracy]

It seems to me that the rules are clear at XF no one lies or oversells the script: they sell a forum script. A FO-RUM script.

The problem with XF isn't so much the actual XF developers (although I do think the pressure they are being hit with is negatively affecting their attitudes). It's their cult/rah-rah license holders that cause most of the issues, and that's gone on for a decade, and not just on the XF site. The funny thing is several of those type have never used any other paid script (much less anything else), so they just repeat what they hear from their echo chamber. And I admit that years ago I was one of them. But then I got exposed to alternatives and reality hit.

I have for YEARS stated that you need to pick the script based upon what your site needs. And if those needs morph and you bought a simplistic "FO-RUM" script that no longer works, then you either need to engage outside developers to make it work or look at moving to something that DOES meet your needs.

Oh, and to address what they offer... they sell more than a FO-RUM script (I know, I own all the extras that they sell). Their FO-RUM script and their 1st party offerings just tend to be basic in what they offer end users compared to their competitors. And there-in lay the issue with numerous people. What exactly does their "basic" script offer compared to the competitors "basic" forum script. We aren't talking about what other extras you have to buy.. but an apples -> apples comparison of the forum aspect of the script itself. To try to divert by "you have to buy more" is a red herring argument, especially if the license holder is already going to by XFRM/XFES/XFMG for their site. The more honest way in that case to look at it is that "for a little more, you can get a lot more".

at some point we have to make a reason and take XF as it is and not as we would like it to be.

or the better solution... find a product that meets your needs and don't just sit with what you have "because it's XF/Wotlab/vB/IPS". That attitude leans towards the "as a lifestyle" type choice and not looking at it as the tool that it is.

Unfortunately, their suggestion forum suggests that users have their say in the direction that the script will take, but this is obviously false and for the sake of clarity of their goals I would simply delete this forum.

Actually, every now and then they will pick something out of there. Usually though it's something that a 3rd party developer has suggested and that benefits the developers (3rd party) and not the actual end users of the script (your members) directly.
Live Search is one... but I promise it won't be of the quality of Xon's paid 3rd party add-on.
Now it is rather problematic that there are over 1200 active suggestions out there, some dated back to 2010 that have had no action taken on them. They do need to get a little more responsive in that area or delete it entirely as you suggested. But since they do get some PR style benefit (and real benefit) from the suggestions, it will probably stay there pretty much ingored.

I continue to use XF on my main site because of one reason, and that's a particular 3rd party developers add-ons.
If it wasn't for the future lack of self-hosting, I'd be back to looking at IPS really heavily again, as Pages can be extended quite a bit by 3rd party developers to do much of what I need - but the XF 3rd party add-ons do it better.
If I find a better solution to my site needs elsewhere, I'll be on it in a heartbeat, kicking XF to the curb with no regrets. It's only a script, not a lifestyle/life requirement.

I will also not be one of those that are jumping feet-first onto 2.3 when it's released, especially with the current number of BETA releases compared to the past and the continuous bugs being found (and fixed in most cases - but some are given a future fix tag) in those BETA releases.
With the time it's already taken, it probably would have been better for them just to have concentrated on the 3.0 release and told folks that there would not be a 2.3 release. Pretty sure a major reason they didn't is that would be a "business killer" for them since it's been several years since they have done a second point release, and they were beginning to get called out on it by license holders. And they knew that doing so would negatively impact their business. That sale was basically to get a quick influx of funds into the business because it is likely their license renewals and new sales were declining (no recent updates, forum use/startups declining). The inference was that the new version was just around the corner... now we are around 1/2 year later from when their site started using 2.3 and it's still "just around the corner". So what have those that availed themselves of that sale actually got for their money other than BETA releases that are not supported and not suggested for live use? It hasn't even gotten a 3rd point release for known bugs in 2.2.15. We know what XF got... an influx of needed funds.