Anyone using Forum Runner?

[Lenore Epstein]

I'm a little frustrated that I can't view attachments to posts on my mobile devices (latest iOS on iPod Touch, Android 4.0.4 on HTC 4G LTE). I know that SMC is meant to work with Forum Runner, but here's why I'm hesitant to pay $1.99 for this app:

1. the most recent app update was in February 2013 for iOS and December 2012 for Android

2. Both the iOS and Android versions have appalling reviews, and the newest reviews are over a year old.

3. Forum Runner's site says they don't support vBulletin Version 4.2.3, the software SMC uses:

"Currently, vBulletin versions 3.6.x, 3.7.x, 3.8.x, 4.0.x, and 4.1.x, XenForo versions 1.0.x and 1.1.x, phpBB versions 3.0.x, myBB versions 1.6.x, and IP.Board v3.1.x and 3.2.x are fully supported."

According to their support forums, the lack of support started around 2013 when vBulletin purchased Forum Runner.

4. Some forum managers with Forum Runner licenses say they've gotten refunds because they were told no updates were planned.

So tell me true--does SMC on Forum Runner work for you on your iPhone or a recent version of Android? Is it worth the electrons it would take to put on my devices?

Lenore

[Keith Outten]

Lenore,

Don't take this as gospel but I believe there is a mobile app for vBulletin version 5 however we have not installed it yet. We purchased the upgrade but had so many problems with 4.2.3 that our server administrator has been waiting to see if V5 has bugs to shake out before he does the upgrade. I will ask him about the mobile app to see what he knows.
.

[Lenore Epstein]

That would be pretty cool, Keith. I totally understand the desire to give the new software a shakeout period, too. I've been on a lot of forums, and no third party software works nearly as well as a native mobile 'site' or app.

[Brian Tymchak]

Keith, 2 thumbs up if SMC could be available thru an app!

[Lenore Epstein]

Having little to do on a Sunday afternoon, I looked at the vBulletin forums. If I understand the purchase page, an upgrade to VBulletin 5 includes the latest version of the mobile suite (VBulletin 5 Connect). Or you can buy the mobile suite itself, which includes VBulletin 4.2 (the oldest supported version of vBulletin). I haven't seen anything about how long vBulletin 4.2 will be supported.

According to the vB forums, vB5 and vBt5 Connect have been largely debugged (except the latest upgrade, which IME is always buggy when rolled out). Also vB5 has features that vB4 doesn't, but lacks some vB4 features that at least a few users miss, so people recommend a test install before upgrading. There's also a hint that upgrading to vB5 from vB4.x might take some rebuilding of threads or something before making the forum live... but I don't understand the jargon.

Sorry if I'm out of line in doing a little research, and I in NO way mean to put any pressure on anyone. I just couldn't help myself once I'd looked at their site.

[Adam Herman]

i wish smc would use tappatalk, as this forum reading app works well, and is used by all the other forums i frequent.

[Myk Rian]

^^^^THIS^^^^
I asked before about TaT and was told NO.
Since vBulletin is setup for FR, that's what we're stuck with. I use both TaT and FR. TaT is much nicer to use.

To OP, $1.99 isn't going to break the bank.

[Keith Outten]

We don't use software that isn't native to vBulletin. Its nothing but a disaster waiting to happen based on the way that vBulletin does their programming. Its bad enough having to deal with just their upgrades that often cause things to break, remember a few weeks ago when we did the 4.2.3 upgrade and thousands of attachments stopped working? Remember the extremely nice search feature that Aaron Koehl created for us that he had to edit every time we did an upgrade? I could provide a long list of problems from the past but you get the picture.

Like I said we have already paid for the upgrade to version 5. Aaron installed a V5 test system that has problems. He hasn't had the time to fix the problems and since we had so many issues on the last upgrade we don't want to get everyone here mad because we did two upgrades so close to each other. On a site as large as this one it pays to be conservative when it comes to software upgrades.

[Jay Runde]

I have used Forum Runner in the past. I have not been able to use it since the 4.2.3 upgrade here. Since then I receive a "parse error" every time I try to connect to the forum.

[George Bokros]

I have used Forum Runner on the iPhone and my current Android phone with no issues. I also used it for another woodworking forum and the Ford Ranger forum without issues.

[Steven Wayne]

I haven't been able to use Forum Runner since the 4.2.3 upgrade..

[Bill ThompsonNM]

I have used Forum Runner in the past. I have not been able to use it since the 4.2.3 upgrade here. Since then I receive a "parse error" every time I try to connect to the forum.

Ditto! I've given up on it.

[George Bokros]

I am still using Forum Runner with SMC and the only issue I have on Android phone is I cannot post a reply. It may something I have done with the phone causing me not to be able to reply but other wise I am having not issues.